<p>Hey guys, I’m pretty new to this forum but I’ve been reading a lot of threads here lately for college apps and etc. Anyways, I’d really appreciate it if you guys could be brutally honest with me and tell me my shot at getting in. Here are my stats:</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT 2210 (700 CR, 780 M, 730 W); Superscore: 2230 (700 CR, 800 M, 730 W)
[</em>] SAT IIs: Taking Chem, Spanish Reading, and Math 2 in Oct. Probably will get 750+ on all of them.
[<em>] GPA: 88.2/100. Will definitely be a point or two higher by the November 15 deadline but I will have to find a way to show them the increased scores.
[</em>] Rank: School does not rank.
[<em>] Rigor of course load: Moderate. Taking two APs this year AP Calc AB and AP Spanish. Extremely competitive public HS.
[</em>] Other stats (AP, IB, etc.): None other than the two APs I’m taking this year.
[/ul] Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Essays: Strong. Common app essay will be about how cancer has impacted my future goals and my character.
[</em>] ECs: 96 hour select internship program at the Metropolitan Hospital shadowing doctors in diff. depts, varsity handball/bowling 2 years, event coordinator of a huge celebratory dinner for the Republic of China day, AIDS Walk 3 years in a row, lion dancing.
[<em>] Teacher Recs: Strong.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Strong.
[<em>] Hook (if any): No idea if any.
[/ul] Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: NYC, NY
[<em>] School Type: Specialized public HS (Stuyvesant)
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[li] Gender: Male[/li] [/ul]</p>
<p>Again, please be brutally honest with your thoughts on my chances for Amherst. Thanks in advance! :D</p>
<p>I was about say “consider ED” until I reread your thread title.</p>
<p>Your weak courseload and low GPA will wound you gravely, since Stuy is notorious for grade inflation. What makes Stuy “competitive” is that there are nearly 800 students per grade, and more than two-thirds of the student body is Asian–everyone and his mother is taking a full courseload, has a 4.0 and 99th percentile SAT scores. If you can’t stand out, you’ll be in trouble.</p>
<p>However, as a cancer survivor (?) and with those extracurriculars which scream “DIVERSITY,” you should remain competitive for ED admission.</p>
<p>I agree with the above poster. Honestly, there’s nothing here that stands out, and I think that your biggest detriment is that you haven’t really taken advantage of what your competitive high school has offered (only 2 AP classes, weak ECs, etc.) Definitely apply (ED will help) and then see what happens come December best of luck!</p>
<p>Hey, thanks for the reply! I pretty much figured that my low GPA and weak courseload would be my very weak points but I never knew Stuy was as notorious for grade inflation as you say when compared to other specialized high schools like Brooklyn Technical where the average student has a 97+ weighted GPA. Could you please elaborate as to how Stuy is so grade inflated? I’m genuinely curious haha. </p>
<p>On a side note, I really regret messing up freshman year (finished with a 80 GPA) as due to budget cuts and the competitive nature of the student body, I had no chance of taking any AP courses soph/jr year since they were given to other more deserving students. </p>
<p>Oh wells. Maybe a miracle will happen and not too many overqualified students will apply from my school this year. Going to try asking my guidance counselor if it’s possible to send first marking period grades for ED purposes as well. Thanks a lot guys!!!</p>
best of luck!</p>