<p>I applied EA. Chance me and I'll chance you back!</p>
<p>Statistics
ACT: 34
-34 English, 34 Math, 33 Reading, 36 Science
SAT IIs: Math I 730, Chem 650 (I know these are not great)
GPA: 4.5 weighted, 3.85 unweighted
Rank: Unranked (Top 10% at least)
APs: US History, Chemistry, Calc BC, Statistics, English Literature, Physics C, American Govt.</p>
<p>Subjective
Essays: Very good. I talk about my love for chemistry and how I love to golf. Also I talk about living overseas for 9 years.
Teacher Recs: Amazing
Counselor Rec: Amazing
Interview: I thought it went really well. The first thing I mentioned was how much I wanted to conduct undergraduate research in the field of alternative fuels, and he went on about how much of a research institute MIT really is.
Major: Chemical Engineering
Applying: Early Action</p>
<p>Personal
Location: Pennsylvania
School: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male</p>
<p>Other
Extracurricular: NHS President, School Store Manager, FBLA Officer at large, Spanish Club Vice President, Chess Club co-founder
Awards: National Merit Commendation, Spanish Excellence Award, AP Scholar, National Spanish Exam Award - Bronze, National Honor Society, (I'm planning on competing in a writing competition on the advice of my English teacher as well)</p>
<p>I also applied to UChicago early action. How 'bout my chances there? (The interview i mentioned was for MIT)</p>
<p>Whoa! Those schools you list there - MIT and Chicago - are both very prestigious schools that are pretty selective. You may need to consider some safeties, like some state schools, just in case everything does go wrong. </p>
<p>Anyways, let's start by looking at your GPA. You have a pretty good one at a 3.85, but it's definitely not an eye-opener. I see that you have challenged yourself in school with 7 APs. That's about the average for applicants for these schools. Your test score of 34 is great and your niche for the sciences is proven here by your perfect science test score. Your SAT Subjects however are not the strongest points of your app, but I don't think you'll get rejected just because you had a 650/730. Anyone who tells you that is seriously misinformed. </p>
<p>Your ECs look good and they demonstrate leadership in pretty much all aspects of your work; however, I'm concerned because they seem to be all over the place and have little to do with career interest. This may be a problem especially for MIT because they like you to do things that makes your interest in a specific field deeper and more genuine. (e.g. I took a summer class at Brown for 3 weeks related to economics and got a rec from a prof ... not much but it is something)</p>
<p>Your essays also sound like they're passionate about the things you like. That always shows up well in college admissions (my optional essay for Chicago was relating a Coldplay song to the current economic crisis and its impact ... as I'm applying for economics) ... they like passion. I also like the fact that you've been abroad ... it adds flavor to your character, because you've definitely had more experienced than other US applicants. That should show up well too in admissions.</p>
<p>Overall, you're a pretty good student. You should be proud of what you've accomplished in HS. </p>
<p>Chances:
MIT: Reach (NO ONE CAN EVER HAVE A 50% CHANCE AT THIS SCHOOL ... They may have a higher admission rate than HYP, but the applicant pool here tends to be more competitive because the school is more self-selective, like Chicago, because the courseload is so famously hard ... "drinking through a fire-hose") </p>
<p>Chicago: Your stats are in line with what they're looking for, but I can tell you that your admission decision will be based alot on your essays. They care alot about them because the admission office here has the philosophy that your essays can convey your love for learning and depth of thought, hence your ability to succeed at the school. </p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. I do have quite a list of other schools I am applying to, but these are my two EA schools. I would have applied to Stanford EA as well if it wasn't single choice. As for safeties, I've already gotten into University of Pittsburgh's Honors College, Tulane's Honors College, and Penn State University Park. So now that I've got my safeties down I figure why not choose some reaches that i would really love to attend. I also would love to go somewhere that offers great undergraduate research, and those schools are generally the more prestigious ones such as MIT, Chicago, Stanford, and Caltech (All of which I am applying to).</p>