Please chance an International student (plzz?)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Age: 16 (will still be when graduate from high school)
Languages Spoken: German, Spanish, Chinese, English
Nationality: Canadian-American; holds UN passport and German Green Card
[ *] State or Country: Germany
[ *] School Type: Private
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: Male</p>

<p>[ *] SAT: 2220 (800 M, 700 CR, 720 W, 10 E) - not sending scores
[ *] SAT IIs: 800 Math IIC, 770 Physics
[ *] ACT: 35 (36 M, 36 S, 34 CR, 32 R, 8 E)
[ *] GPA:
Freshman (3.40)
Sophomore (3.33) - top private school in the US</p>

<p>Junior (3.87) - International School in Europe<br>
Senior (somewhere between 3.70 to 3.90 realistically) </p>

<p>[ *] Rank:Somewhere in the top 10% to top 25% (No rank given by school)
[ *] Other stats/EC:
Full IB diploma (predicted 39-41/ 42) - HL Calculus, HL Physics, HL Economics, HL Chemistry, SL Spanish, SL English A1
AP Exams: Calculus AB 5, Physics C 5, Microeconomics 5, English Lit 4
2X AIME qualifier
MUN representative
Above average EC in HIV/AIDS club, Math club, Poverty Alleviation causes
Unique EC in Environmental studies (3-4 paid internships that lasted more than a month a piece at Ivy league university, student leader since 10th grade)
Student Class Representative
V Track (9th-10th)- haven't practiced in two years, but received recruitment letter from Caltech? I think it might be a joke though</p>

<p>(Subjective)
[ *] Essays: Decent-Good (have some solid drafts written out)
[ *] Teacher Recs: Good
[ *] Counselor Rec: Good
[ *] Hook (if any): American Expatriate? </p>

<p>Colleges that I'm looking at:
UPenn: Dual Major: Jerome Fisher Management and Technology ED*
Single Major: SEAS ED*
MIT EA*
Michigan EA *
Notre Dame EA
Caltech EA
Tulane EA
Chicago EA
Oxford University (Engineering, Economics, and Management)* </p>

<p>Cooper Union*
Harvard * (Legacy)
Yale
Princeton
Stanford*
Carnegie Mellon
Cornell
John Hopkins
Duke *
Vanderbilt </p>

<ul>
<li>schools I am 100% applying to </li>
</ul>

<p>Chances for any of these schools?</p>

2

<p>I’m looking to major in either Electrical or Environmental Engineering, and if I get the chance, management.</p>

3

<p>Help me make a decision plz? </p>

<p>I really need these decisions like today, because Oxford applications are due on October 15th. Yes, in two weeks!! I would like to know which schools I have the greatest chances at, and if some of my aspirations are unrealistic. </p>

<p>Plz? Do it for shoelace.</p>

4

<p>Where do you rank and are you asking for aid?</p>

5

<p>The answer is you have a chance virtually everywhere. Certainly all of the most competitive schools (Ivies, MIT/Cal Tech, Duke, Stanford, Johns Hopkins (by the way, learn to spell this right before you apply, JOHNS) are very difficult to predict. But I bet you get into one at least, Tulane is virtually a sure thing, and Vandy pretty much also. At Tulane I think you would have a strong chance for the full tuition merit scholarship, called the Deans Honor Scholarship (DHS). Your GPA a bit erratic, but given how much you moved and the quality of the schools that might not hurt you at all. If money is no issue, then I think you have a good list and will certainly get into at least 3- of those schools, maybe more.</p>

6

<p>I see some College confidential veterans are here to save the day! </p>

<p>I am ranked at least in the top 25%, and will try to have my college counselor write a note to colleges that I am in the top 10% because of how important rank is. However, officially my schools does not rank. </p>

<p>I am applying for aid, but it should not hurt me because I am US citizen and also hold residence in Philadelphia (one of my guardians lives there). </p>

<p>Touche about Johns Hopkins fallenchemist. It’s kind of embarrasing because my sister almost decieded to go there for medical school and I’ve visited the campus many a time (loved it) </p>

<p>Another thing; I have a question about Penn. I have been aiming for this school for years, and attending Wharton is my dream. I have worked on 2 internships this summer at Penn, and am currently working with another professor to publish a book on environmental policy. I will have a top-notch supplementary recommendation from a renowned prfoessor at Penn (he’s a Macarthur genius grant recipient and received a prestigious teacher award at Penn + he has a wikipedia page!!) I hold residency in Philadelphia and my sibiling attends the medical school. I can write tomes about the merits of the school and the city. I’ve written a 30 email exchange with the regional director of Penn admissions about how much I love the school and she asks for updates from me every few months. I’m applying ED. </p>

<p>The one thing working against me: my low GPA. No matter where I go, it seems like the average entering GPA at Penn is extremely high. Mine just does not compare- is this just my perception or a truth about the school? What would you suggest I do to get in? I love school- and I’d be willing to do anything to get in except apply for the nursing school (it’s not you, it’s me- I just don’t want to do medicine).</p>

7

<p>It is true that the average Penn GPA is high (as are all the most selective schools), but what you describe about your experiences related to Penn is amazing. That plus all the correspondence with the admissions director is about all you can do. Just go for it! And good luck. Just make sure you do your apps to a few of the other reaches and the most likely admissions as well. Admissions is a funny game, and while I know you would be disappointed if it didn’t work out at Penn or Johns Hopkins, for example, you also don’t want to be stuck with no place to go in the fall.</p>

8

<p>sweet- any more chances people? </p>

<p>Any perspectives would be appreciated- special call-out to international peeps, prep school thugs, and any body else who might have insider knowledge about any of the colleges listed<br>
^
II
II
II</p>

9

<p>GPA is everything at Penn. As far as I know, they have the lowest percentage of students who were not in the top 10% of hs class of any school-2%. And this includes all recruited athletes, URMs, legacies and the otherwise hooked!</p>

<p>I would guess they have zero unhooked who were not top 10% or a token anomaly or 2 with a world class EC.</p>

<p>Also, if you’re a US citizen, you are not considered an international applicant.</p>

10

<p>Right right, </p>

<p>Well as I’ve said before- I have been aiming for this school for years, and attending Wharton is my dream. I have worked on 2 internships this summer at Penn, and am currently working with another professor to publish a book on environmental policy. I will have a top-notch supplementary recommendation from a renowned prfoessor at Penn (he’s a Macarthur genius grant recipient and received a prestigious teacher award at Penn + he has a wikipedia page!!) I hold residency in Philadelphia and my sibiling attends the medical school. I can write tomes about the merits of the school and the city. I’ve written a 30 email exchange with the regional director of Penn admissions about how much I love the school and she asks for updates from me every few months. I’m applying ED. </p>

<p>Would strong recommendation letter from faculty member/ 3 internships with Penn faculty (I was paid and was selected to participate in these internships)/ Having sort of residency in Philadelphia and sort of a sibling at Penn (she’s at Penn med) count as a hook? I read from Michele Hernandez’s book that a strong letter of recommendation places a red flag (the good kind of red flag) on your college application. </p>

<p>Finally (sorry RedRoses and anyone else who is reading this): if you consider my GPA with my classmates, I have the grades to be valedictorian or salutatorian (so top 10%). However, if you add my grades from Exeter, I would probably be in the top 25% or so. How would that work? My school doesn’t even send out a rank to schools (as do many schools in the US now)- so am I in the clear? Ooh and also, I just thought of something interesting- I know from Exeter that pretty much everyone in the top third of the class went to top-15 schools and a lot of students who went to Penn weren’t Cum Laude (top 10% at our school). I can imagine the same for other elite prep schools. So is that 2% exception of students who weren’t in the top 10% reserved for prep school students? </p>

<p>What’s your take on this Redroses? If you saw my GPA, and you had received a note from my CC that I was in the top 10% at my current school, would you not place a red flag (the bad kind) on my GPA? You sound like a person with admissions office experience, so I’m curious.</p>

11

<p>I’m not an International- but I’ve noticed that all the kids from my school (american expatriates and international) receive an edge in SAT scores (Average SAT of students who matriculated to Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, and Barnard this year) - 2070. </p>

<p>In fact, from my observations, the only thing different about being an american in an international school is that I qualify for financial aid (yipee!)- right or falsetto? </p>

<p>Anyways, redroses, it’d be extremely appreciated if you could give some % chances for me. There’s no way I’m applying to 12 schools, and your insider knowledge would be appreciated on this thread.</p>

12

<p>What happened at Exeter? Will it appear it was just too tough and that your grades got better at an easier school?</p>

<p>Part of the problem as it appears to me is that you’re too young. I would strongly suggest a gap year with an interesting plan.</p>

<p>Penn wants students who could do well at Exeter. They know where everyone ranks. They have formulas for Exeter and schools they get lots of applicants from and use grade distribution data from schools they don’t know as well.</p>

<p>Great recs are what will tip you in once you have the stats.</p>

<p>The 2%? That’s reserved for impact athletes.</p>

13

<p>Interesting- well I wouldn’t say that I did too poorly at Exeter (I was on the high honors list every single trimester there except for my first semester and 5th semester). I was taking college level courses there as a sophomore. In addition, I was told that I would probably be able to be accepted to schools along the line of Carnegie Mellon, Rochester, and potentially Notre Dame without much difficulty. And that was when I didn’t have the stats, the internships, the EC’s, and even some much sought after diversity. Nor did I have a perceived hook from Penn in an extraordinary recommendation from a PENN Professor- goes along the line of this, “flashdilithium is one of the brightest students I’ve ever worked with, he demonstrated his scientific knowledge every day of work, I put undergraduate level work on him after only a week due to his ability, great personality, I recommend him for Penn with no reservations”. But then again, my CC did tell me that a supplementary recommendation doesn’t hold much water to admissions officers. </p>

<p>I moved to a prestigious International school in Rome (10% matriculation to Ivies, 25% or more to top UK and top-20 US schools- so I’m not sinking too low here) because of my father’s job as a field economist and because my sister’s graduation from Harvard left me with no relative within a 5 hour travelling distance. My parents were just too concerned to leave a 14 year old at boarding school. </p>

<p>In any case, although I do care about Penn alot, it’s not as if though I’m going to freak out if I don’t get in. What are my chances at some other schools, especially those that emphasize rigor of curriculum and other facts more than GPA? I know UK schools like Oxford place strong emphasis on IB predicted grades and standardized scores, and don’t even look at GPA (most schools should do that- during sophomore year I took 2 AP online course along with a full Exeter courseload, and passed with an average 103.6% score, which says something about public school education). </p>

<p>I have no intentions to take a gap year. For Oxford, I might consider, but for the US I’m not sure. I have strong academic qualities and I could hold my ground in a medical school roundtable this past summer with lab researchers and medical fellows, so I’m not sure what I’m lacking that a person who’s one year older than me has. I’ve played varsity sports since freshman year. For some reason though people still confuse me with lower classmen- if you can give a good reason for why this is, a gap year it is. </p>

<p>Oh, also redroses, would it be too intrusive of me to ask what your experience is with college admissions- such as do you look at college Apps (no colleges names are needed)? I’d like to know how much to weigh your opinion - there’s no use arguing with a dean of admissions !</p>

14

<p>My experience is as a former college counselor at a peer school of Exeter’s.</p>

15

<p>I think the issue, flashdilithium, is that you keep asking about something no one on CC can tell you. You have the resume you have. What do you want to hear that will make any difference? I don’t mean this harshly, but it sounds a bit immature to be looking for reassurance here. There is nothing you can change now, so submit your information and see what happens. Personally, I think a rec from a Penn professor would go a long way. I would even think the admissions officer that gets your app would call the prof to confirm, but that’s just what I would do. I have no idea what they would do or how they would weight it, and neither will anyone else on here. Not really. I am afraid the agonizing wait you will experience is very common to many applicants, whether it is Penn or Big State U. You are obviously intelligent and talented, now just be satisfied that you will be successful wherever you end up.</p>

16

<p>My experience is as a former college counselor at a peer school of Exeter’s.
^
So you went to University High?
You are from CA, so I think I know you, haha.
Redroses</p>

17

<p>haha thanks fallenchemist, I guess I was pretty much expecting the same thing. </p>

<p>However, I’ve found there are a lot of secrets to the college admissions process (such as you can apply to mutliple schools Early, and that getting a university rec goes a long way). Since I’m pretty much anonymous on this, and because I want to seize any opportunity I find the college admissions game, I’d like to know the rules better. Whether I win or lose, there’s no harm in going hard. </p>

<p>In any case, I am and will be keeping this thread alive because I hope that people like redroses (former college counselor at Andover-Exeter style school) will be able to use their highly specialized knowledge to give me advice and aid. I’m going to filter out whatever I can use, and tweak any faults that I have. Also, I’m hoping that redroses will return to this forum, because I’m merely responding to her questions at this point, and I’m enjoying our little cross examination here. It’s something that I don’t have at my school (mostly UK candidates, so appropriately a jolly old UK woman for an advisor- great person, but has no knowledge of the US system)</p>

18

<p>That’s fine of course. There is just a difference between asking about hints regarding getting admitted and just asking about your chances for admission.</p>

19

<p>Very True. I actually would appreciate both hints and chances (I’m still thinking of where to apply to) and I’ve gotten just 1 answer about chances so I guess the conversation floated in another direction. </p>

<p>OK anyone who’s following this conversation (yeah, I see that 219 in the number of views): </p>

<p>Since this is a chance forum: which schools should I be applying to/ where would I be a good match based on these facts: Engineering and/or management major right here, applying with erratic stats, and a big dreamer (if I had a bigger ego, I’d stack my list with all Ivies basically) </p>

<p>Also, this part might be a little inappropriate for a chances forum and I won’t get a lot of answers- but any suggestions on how to get an amazing portfolio prepared? I’ll have the essays written well, but it’s about lab research. I wish there was a part where I could argue for my acceptance- is there any part where I can just sneak that in?</p>

20

<p>What I can’t figure out is how your rank could be so low if you’ve done well at both schools.</p>

<p>I think you’ll get into many good colleges if your transcripts from 2 elite schools look good. The ivies are tricky because they limit kids from all schools. The top LACs don’t do this nearly as much nor do the Us ranked just under the ivies.</p>

<p>So who else applies from your school and region matters a lot. If your school sends them many applicants, and you look to be good but not a clear admit, they will defer you and wait to see who applies RD.</p>