(I posted this a while ago but I revised it and made changes based on the initial response i was given as well as any updates that occurred.) I am a junior from school in California and here are my stats:
4.2 weighted GPA (3.8 UW)
Class Rank: Top 9% (66/769)
ACT 30
Taking SAT in August
Finishing High School with 12 AP Classes
(Have Finished)
-Human Geo (3)
-Calculus AB/BC (waiting)
-Biology (didn’t take the exam)
-Span Lang (5)
-US History (waiting)
-Chemistry (waiting)
(For 12th Grade):
-Art History
-Economics (micro/macro)
-Government
-Span Literature
-English Literature
Subject Tests:
Taken Chemistry and US History
Will Take:
Spanish
Literature
Math II
Italian
Extracurriculars/Clubs
MECHA (Latino): 3 years and Counting
Chess Club: 2 years
Politics Club: 2 years
Special Olympics Volunteer 25+ hours
Docent for 11th Grade LA Field Trip
Organized Campaign of Awareness for Mentally/Physically Disabled Individuals at School
Other:
I plan on applying to an internship for the summer in an economics related field
I am currently learning Italian and plan on learning Quechua (native language in Peru)
My father is an accountant and will teach me QuickBooks as well as other financial/accounting programs
Personal Information:
I am 16 year Latino male
My Parents are both immigrants and are from Peru
My parents divorced in 2015 and I only live with my father now
Household Income is below $50,000
I plan on majoring in Business Economics/Administration
I will apply to:
UCLA
USC
UC-Berkeley
Carnegie Mellon Univ
UC-Irvine
Chicago Univ.
UC-Davis
UC-Riverside
Dartmouth
Cornell
I’m also looking at CSUs to find a safety school for me
Questions I have for those who answer:
-Am I doing okay so far?
-What are my chances?
-Chances to get into the colleges I have listed?
-Advice on going farther into economics at an earlier age?
Disclaimer: I understand that this list of accomplishments are relatively short, I haven’t found much I have been interested in in terms of clubs and sports. I am just a naïve 16 year old seeking advice from others. Any help or information you could give to me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Your GPA is great and it looks like you’ve been challenging yourself with your classes! Most of the schools that you listed are reaches with an ACT of 30- Aim for a 1400/1450 at least on your SAT.
Your ECs are lovely and not bad at all. Planning on learning Italian and Quechua is quite a unique and commendable accomplishment. You’re right, it would look good if you were able to add more business/accounting ECs. Applying for internships is a great idea. Maybe look into international finance?
You’re on the right path and asking the right questions. Best of luck!
I think @newkidnewtrix is spot on. You have a good course rigor and your GPA is strong. I’d suggest preparing for the SAT/ACT for a little while this summer – first find which one is easier for you, and then just do practice. With a score in the 30 range, there isn’t much material that you don’t know or don’t understand, so it pretty much just comes down to practice.
As for EC’s, this is likely where you are weakest (as am I). I’d suggest trying to get a leadership position in one of those clubs, and you should definitely continue to express your interest in economics. An internship would be an excellent boost, but one thing you should keep in mind is that it might be tough to find something now – that said, any business requires an understanding of economics, so maybe you can simply get a job at a local business and share what you learned while in that position. Also, as for learning other languages (in addition to Spanish), I think this is a wonderful use of your time, and it would help even more if you can use your skills to do something (such as volunteering with poorer Italian-speaking children or starting an Italian club).
You are certainly on track to getting into schools like UC Irvine, Davis, and Riverside, but the others are reaches like they are for nearly everyone, especially until you raise your ACT score. I think that the goal newkidnewtrix set for you is a good range for the SAT. You would probably be smart to balance out your list with some more safeties and matches, but I would definitely keep some of the reaches on your list as you appear to be on the right track to being even more competitive. Good luck!