Not looking for any lengthy answer! Quick feedback is just as appreciated.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’m an IB high school junior, and I totally understand that everyone is busy with their own applications and lives, and that you guys are not admissions officers, etc. However, just out of curiosity – and I’ll update in about a year probably – what are my chances?

Concisely…IB/AP, ranks 1st, loves to write about education, science, culture, and sometimes politics. Piano for 10 yrs. Involved with science fair. Leader in South Asian Club, but participates in other clubs as well.

Goal: Ivy League, Duke, Emory, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and similar. I will apply to many other colleges and in-state schools, but I’m shooting for those. Specifically Princeton; it is what you would call my dream school :slight_smile:

Rank: 1/720, as of the end of last school year. I believe our school updates ranks every semester, so I won’t know my current rank until January.

GPA: 4.73 as of last year. Same situation as above; my GPA could be in the 5.0 range now, since ALL my classes are IB or AP now. I have always had straight A’s.

Race: Asian (as in the Indian subcontinent) … Gender: F

I have completed 5 AP courses and and am currently in 1 online AP course and 7 IB courses. All A’s.

My school is one of “the most challenging high schools in America” according to Washington Post. You decide how valid that is, haha!

I won 1st place at the regional science fair, also recognized as 1st place by a local non-profit, and 5th place recognition award at SSEF of FL last year. Currently working on a 2nd-year continuation of that project, with hopes of placing higher. I also want to do science fair in senior year, even though I will be done with college apps by the time the state fair comes around. I’ll do it just for fun! I truly enjoy the experience.

I love to write. I have written several pieces (poetry, autobiographical accounts, articles, and I’ve outlined two novels I would potentially want to write). I hope to publish some soon. I write mostly about my heritage, political issues, science, and my love of all things science and the importance of education/learning. I strongly believe in the power of staying one step ahead of the game.

I have been playing the piano for about 10 years. I was never presented with many opportunities to play at recitals or competitions because my teachers did not really have much knowledge on those, or resources. I have played multiple pieces at an honors audition (scored 92/100, declared District Winner, Prep Class) and quite a few seasonal recitals. But it is one of my hobbies that I would never want to die out.

I have won two 1st places, one 2nd place, and two 3rd place awards in our county’s World Language Festival, over the past two years of Spanish. I hope to participate again this year.

Before high school, I used to participate in spelling bees, National Geographic bees (state level semi-finalist in 7th grade), and I was very involved with math competitions (first place usually). Now in high school, I have really drifted away from math, and science is my new best friend! I LOVE reading Wyss Institute’s biomedical tech articles, as well as interesting op-eds from NYT, HuffPost, and such.

Clubs/organizations during the past two years:
American Red Cross Club
Mu Alpha Theta
***South Asian Club

Currently:
NHS (cannot hold officer positions until senior year)
Habitat for Humanity
***South Asian Club (now historian, will be President senior year)
—this club is my focus. We are initiating a project to build a well in Bangladesh, to provide clean water. Last year, we collected donations for a Pakistani orphanage.

Thank you for your time! Since this is a long read, I appreciate ANY inputs.

2

When do you take the ACT/SAT? Do you have any PSAT or pre-ACT scores?

3

I am taking the ACT and SAT this December most likely. To give you an idea, I gave myself an official ACT practice test, simulating testing conditions, and scored a 33. My PSAT was a 1390 in 10th grade, but I am taking the official PSAT for the NMSQT next month. I took the ACT in 7th grade through Duke TIP and made a 23 without studying.

4

I forgot to add: I’m working on starting a medical blog for kids like me who are interested in the medical field. I also run the website for South Asian Club.

5

Your class ranking and GPA are outstanding – congratulations! If your standardized test scores are equally as impressive, it will certainly get you into a top tier university (top 50-75 or so). In terms of the most competitive universities though, I am going to point out below some of your weaknesses, so you can think about how to address these this year.

What is your planned major? If you plan to major in science, consider that many other applicants will have won state, national and international science awards, and it looks like your highest level top award is a regional science fair. You’ll also be competing against National Merit Finalists, who are often actively recruited at some universities. Many applicants who plan to major in science will also have already conducted research in university or government labs (it isn’t clear if your science fair project involved this type of research or not). Just fyi, math courses are usually a key component of science majors and research, and scientific research increasingly uses all types of computing, computational modeling and statistical analyses (i.e., math helps).

Your activities and interests seem scattered rather than connected to one theme, which can also hurt, as universities are often looking for people with depth of achievement in one focus area instead of dabbling in diverse, unrelated areas. If you were planning to major in science journalism or double major in science and English (or other language), or study the history of science that involves a lot of writing, then you might be able to tie a couple of your interests together in your application. If you are looking at a pre-med focus, then your Red Cross activity helps, but other pre-med applicants will have volunteered at hospitals and won national awards in health science competitions and other science/math competitions (HOSA.org competitions, science olympiad, science bowl, math club, etc).

I recommend you consider what you plan to major in at your target universities, and think about how to make yourself seem like the ideal candidate for that major. That will help you plan your activities this year so that they fit into a coherent theme. If science is your focus, you can plan to write more about science and have an online writing portfolio to show your skills, and expand your other science achievements. For example, you could volunteer at a science museum, science camp or hospital (if pre-med); you could conduct research in a university lab (during academic year or next summer); you could start and/or lead a club related to science; you could get involved in science policy and advocacy with a government agency or nonprofit; you could pursue relevant certifications (CPR and EMT related if med focus, e.g.); you could learn scientific visualization and data analysis with computers; and you could enter more science and related competitions to get more awards. If you plan to major in something else, then come up with a similar plan that is focused on showcasing your passion for a specific field and your related achievements.

6

“Loves to” doesn’t tell accomplishments. “Involved with” doesn’t tell responsibilities. What besides Habitat, locally? The writing is a blog?

You’re making a common mistake of trying to see this hierarchically when the colleges will
view holistically. No, you don’t need big awards, a lot of admits won’t have them.

But without an idea it what your targets do want, it’s tough to put out a great app. You need the right balance and awareness. Commitment in the right variety of ways. You’ll need to show the attributes they want. Show, not just tell. Depth and breadth.

7

Thank you for your input. I will definitely keep this in mind. I wrote this very quickly and superficially so I used the words “love” and such. But I will thoroughly consider this. Much appreciated.

8

Thank you, mommyrocks! My activities are scattered, but my main focus is science. Piano, world language festival, and clubs besides South Asian Club ARE my minor activities. I just included them in case they meant anything. Thank you for your in-depth evaluation. After reading it, I was seriously sitting there gaping!
Also, I actually am a hospital volunteer. I forgot to include that as well.
Thank you again!