oh no- another chance me :D

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey everyone! I've looked at a thousand of these over the last 3 years, so it's really ironic that I'm finally making one...Anyway, I would really appreciate if you could take the chance to help a fellow CC-er out :)
Potential Schools: Barnard College, Brown University, Carnegie Mellon, University of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell (ILR), Dartmouth, GW, Georgetown, Harvard, Northwestern, Princeton, Tufts, Vassar, Washington University in St. Louis, Yale</p>

<p>SAT: 2310 (in one taking) M: 760, CR: 800, W: 750 (got one q wrong and essay score of 9; thinking of retaking to boost to 800)
SAT II: taking 3 (Biology, U.S. History, Math Level 2) in two weeks but as of now-
Bio M: 710, Chem: 650 (don't know what happened)
GPA: (as of 3rd quarter): UW- 94.23, W-96.56 (will go up next year)
AP: 10- European History-5
11- English Language, U.S. History, Biology- projected 5's on all
Senior Schedule: AP: Literature, French Language, Government (We the People Team), Econ, Art History, Psych, Calc AB, Orchestra. Possibly self-studying Comparative Govt., French Literature, and Human Geo. </p>

<p>Undergrad. Focus: Pre-law, International Affairs, Government/Politics.
I am a white, jewish junior from a competitive public school in Long Island, NY that doesn't rank.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars/Summer Experiences:
-Youth to Youth Teaching (9,10)- helped organize a district-wide environmental initiative (recycling program)
-Pit orchestra (10-12)- possibly conducting next year's show
-Law Team (10-12)- mock trial-witness for 2 years, lawyer and club organizer next year
-Speech and Debate (9-12)- various awards from competitions. Congress state- qualifier this year, LD and Extemporaneous work for two years, deprived of position :( ...ranked as 18th in state for Impromptu Speaking.
-NHS (11,12)
-French Culture Club and Honor Society (9-12)- Advertising Executive (11), Co-President (12)
-Science Explorers (9-12)- Secretary (10), Vice President (11,12)
-Orchestra Vice Pres. in 12th grade
-Model UN (12)-restarting club (discontinued), Co-president
-Cross-Country Team (9-12) Varsity
-Amnesty International (11-12)
-Student Government- did homecoming skit in 9th and 10th grade, will be grade advisor in 12th grade
-Homework Helpers (11-12)- tutoring about 15 hours in 11th grade, more to come in 12th grade
-Volunteering- various piano concerts and performances in Nursing home since I was little and volunteering at Hebrew School next year.
-Music (will send in a supplement)- Piano since 6 years old (classically trained), Violin since 8 years old, LISFA and SCMEA when younger but nothing in high school; in Gemini Youth Orchestra for 3 years (including next year, will receive a scholarship) as a violinist. District-wide special piano concert in 9th and 11th grade.
-Summers: 2008 Penn State classes, 2009 college courses at Harvard (B+ and A-), 2010 figuring out internship and job.</p>

<p>Recommendations will all be great (2 favorite teachers and great relationship with guidance counselor).
Please, please chance me and I will do what I can to help you in return! Also, feel free to make suggestions on how I can improve my recs and community service!</p>

2

<p>hsgirl: As far as I can see, you fall under the stereotype of a smart, white New Englander. Unfortunately, there are quite a few students in this category, many of whom apply to most of the schools on your list. As such, admissions for your demographic have grown considerably tougher in recent years.</p>

<p>With this in mind, your SAT I score is in line for all of the schools you listed, as you have a 750+ in each section. To be in tip top shape for the Ivies and equivalents (especially Georgetown SFS), you should try to get three SAT II scores in the 750+ range. For HYP, make sure you are in the top five percent of your graduating class, unless your school is Andover/Exeter caliber. </p>

<p>Finally, your ECs are numerous but all over the place. On your application, focus on the ones that are most meaningful to you and represent your deepest commitment. I would definitely add some less reachy schools to your list, along the lines of Boston College, Carnegie Mellon, and Vanderbilt. Best of luck!</p>

3

<p>“Finally, your ECs are numerous but all over the place. On your application, focus on the ones that are most meaningful to you and represent your deepest commitment.”
-How might I express my dedication to clubs where I have been denied a position or don’t particularly excel?</p>

<p>…any other advice?</p>

4

<p>sorry- whomever that was, can you send it again- for some reason it was blocked when i tried to open it.</p>

5

<p>oops, nvm :D</p>

6

<p>This screams grocery list.</p>

7

<p>it’s not really…throughout high school I just did what interested me and gave my all to those activites. I’m one of those people suffering from not having all of my extracurriculars in one particular area because I am interested in so many different things. I mean, I love debate, law, human rights, etc. and you can definitely see that. Still, even though I don’t want to be a doctor, I love science research. And french is my absolute favorite language- I’m obsessed with it. I love to help and teach others. And music has always been there for me and has a deep place in my heart. Like I said: a lot of interests…</p>

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<p>All a load of blah blah blah blah blah. It’s a grocery list for a reason. No, I can’t see what you love, I don’t see your obsession. All I see is what you’ve typed in. Very listy, very generic, very spread out. Not an ounce of outstanding achievement, hence a grocery list.
Numerous “stuff” don’t really mean crap. Just one or two extremely powerful ECs would triumph over that any day.</p>

9

<p>@geekorathletic
Actually, it’s NOT a grocery list…doing well in a club or activity doesn’t show true dedication, though you might like to think it does. and that’s really presumptuous of you to label my hard work as non-outstanding achievement…you can see that i went to states for debate and I’ve won awards for my achievement in french. Also, did it ever occur to you that my level of clubs speaks for itself? (aka my youth orchestra which is on an audition-based level and we perform in concert halls)</p>

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<p>hsgirl93: I believe you; your ECs are not a grocery list. Unfortunately, to an overworked, irritated adcom, they might come across that way.</p>

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<p>My suggestion is that you divide your interests into categories on your resume.
I will send mine to you soon, sorry the file is saved on my computer!</p>

12

<p>Grocery list is large, and has stuff all over the place - exactly like yours. So far, you’ve been too busy being defensive and haven’t actually taken in an ounce of what I said. I’m here to offer advice, not make you look bad, regardless of how harsh I may seem.
You need to learn something about resumes. The way it’s written up there, it IS a grocery list, regardless of how you view it. You won’t be there to explain to the admission officials about yourself when they read this.
Nobody cares or knows about your level of clubs UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY SAY SO. Organize your resume – put the strongest level ECs near the top and explain (or by similar categories), put the rest in a misc. section below, not in that jumbled up order. </p>

<p>Simply going to state is nowhere near as good as actually placing first or second at State. Better than nothing, but just about everyone you will be competing with will have stuff at that level. </p>

<p>If you have an award, LIST IT. Don’t assume that anyone will see things you don’t put down.</p>

<p>Final advice – your ECs may or may not be a grocery list, but your resume as it is written is a grocery list right now. It really doesn’t mean a whole lot what you actually did, but what matters is how you present it.</p>

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<p>You’re credentials are very impressive. If I were you, I would be very proud of what I accomplished in high school. You are clearly a very motivated student! But that said, I would still proceed with some cautious optimism. To prevent you’re resume from seeming to lack depth, you should pick an activity that you have done and write your essay on a related topic to tie everything together. If you love research, talk about how the school you are applying to has a lot of opportunities for you in that field. Or if it’s French, try that! You should be very pleased. Of course, college application is a crapshoot, but you have as good as a chance as anyone! Don’t let others (ehem review above me) rain on your parade!</p>

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<p>@geekorathletic: I understand what you’re saying to a certain extent in that I should explain the magnitude of each activity. I’m still trying to figure out how to best organize my extracurricular activities, so it doesn’t come off that way and I don’t take well to criticisms that offer little useful advice. Still, I appreciate any input. If I have certain awards that don’t fit in well with other ec’s should I leave them out?</p>

<p>@beesknees310: Thank you so much- you’re really sweet :slight_smile: I’ve worked tirelessly over the last year to boost up my test scores and credentials and it’s really great for that to be recognized. I think I’ll definitely write an essay on a particular interest I have and then delve into how I’ve explored it through extracurricular activities- I just have to pick which one! :stuck_out_tongue: </p>

<p>@lebronjames: Thank you! That would be really helpful.</p>

15

<p>Seeing that how you present your resume could easily become the difference between an acceptance and a rejection letter, you seem to be underestimating the value of a good resume. Careful.
What you leave out and put in is completely up to you. Like I said earlier, this is where the “misc.” section at the bottom of a resume can come in.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t go on parading till you actually get accepted into the schools (better being safe than sorry).</p>

16

<p>As abrasive as greek is coming off, he’s right. Raw credentials, unless you’ve cured cancer, don’t mean much unless they come together to create a cohesive whole. So think carefully about how you want to present yourself to these schools, and make that clear in every aspect of your application–resume, essay, and with any luck, recs.</p>

17

<p>I’m on my way to organizing everything cohesively and it’s taking a while considering how I should organize all of the various activities. Any input on organization that may be able to best portray my dedication to various activities without seeming too spread thin would be appreciated. Thank you everyone for all of the great advice- it goes a long way and if anyone needs some reciprocation, just ask!</p>

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<p>can i get any more advice on this (How to organize activities)? Or even just my chances at the posted schools?</p>

19

<p>Barnard College: Low Match,
Brown University: Low Reach (Very erratic in admissions)
, Carnegie Mellon: Match,
University of Chicago: High Match (Apply non-restrictive EA),
Columbia: Low reach (Like Brown, somewhat erratic),
Cornell (ILR): Low Reach/High Match,
Dartmouth: Low Reach,
GW: Safety (With Merit $)
Georgetown: Low Reach for SFS, High match for all else,
Harvard: Mid/High Reach,
Northwestern: High Match,
Princeton: Mid/High Reach (You really need 750+ on your SAT IIs)
Tufts: Match (Expect a possible waitlist due to yield protection)
Vassar: Match
Washington University in St. Louis: High Match (Same as Tufts)
Yale: Mid/High Reach</p>

<p>Add some safety schools, along the lines of SUNY Binghamton, to your list. Does your school have naviance? If so, check out the resume builder feature. It heped me organize my activities!</p>

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<p>thank you so much, IvanKaramozov! :D</p>