This list is way too reach heavy. These schools also vary greatly from each other in terms of size, location, and student vibe. Think about what you are looking for in a school outside of prestige. When you’ve identified what you want, then spend your time finding affordable match and safety schools.
Yes you are competitive for all these schools, but you could just as easily be rejected from all of them as well.
OP leans unilateral. Problem, no matter stats or awards.
If OP has clear first choice or wants to optimize chances to any of the schools, EA or ED is a good idea for a number of them. MIT doesn’t give EA any extra consideration, but applying there SCEA with, say A UMich EA or rolling admissions school would give a good litmus test to where he stands. An accept to a non binding early school could cull the list considerably. Deferrals can bring it home that this is not necessarily a cake walk even with topstats as two guys I know well discovered.
@lookingforward “OP leans unilateral. Problem, no matter stats or awards.”
You say this all the time about STEM students, however they don’t need to be James Joyce writers to get into Harvard or MIT.
Here was another chance me thread where we also disagreed:
Awards / Honors:
NMSF
AIME Qualifier (5x)
USAJMO (2x)
USAMO (1x)
USACO Platinum
USAPhO Semifinalist
USABO Semifinalist
Varsity Football
President of CS Club
President of YCS
President of Engineering Club
you: Plus, they look for more than the hierarchical bullets, top of this, winner at that.
me: Honestly - when I saw your Olympiads, AIME, Intel semi-finalist (indicating one of the top 500 or 1000 STEM applicants in the country), I thought you’d get into most of your colleges outside of Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, where I figured you’d get into one or two,
Kid got into Harvard and Stanford, they love students with this kind of profile, even if the profile is unilateral, sometimes though they may love the athlete, first-gen or legacy more, of course nothing is guaranteed with these colleges. I have never said anybody is guaranteed at these places, their odds go up though with those kind of awards, especially when the admissions director of MIT and Harvey Mudd show up to the ISEF finals.
Maybe as I defer to posters about LACs since I don’t have much experience with them, you should defer to posters that know how top STEM students are evaluated.
I don’t say you cannot get in. But it can be a flag.
You looked at the chance thread, what he did say. Not what else came through on the app. He didn’t get in just based on that. They can love the level of accomplishment, but will still look for the rest. Especially S and H and any who have 20:1 or equally awful they deal with. Nor do I remember where that prior OP lived.
Our current OP has a sport (winter only,) one school club (not local engagement, save for annother STEM activity, but not with needy,) and is a class officer (what?) He lists the Spanish exam as an EC (?,) doesn’t seem to know what LoRs will be needed, and thinks his “passion” for bio is a tip. You think that shows an elite the right stuff?
The good news is he has time to tweak or fine tune.
And you know I evaluate top STEM students, for a mighty competitive college. (Not an adcom.)
Take advantage of early action/decision boost. Don’t waste it on Ivies or Stanford and MIT, there is no early boost there for non-hooked Asians.
@Riversider [] Why am I a non-hooked? My hook is going to be qualifying in the national competition USABO which has intense competition. The international competitions like ISEF and my non-profits can back up that hook.
I missed it.
That’s not what a hook is. No matter how much you love bio. See, you need to educate yourself on the basics, when you want an elite.
@wally1688 Hi. I got the opportunities by emailing the professor in nearby universities. Since I live in NJ, I had a couple of different institutions within commuting distance. I had to email a lot, but eventually, I got a couple of acceptances to work at their lab and use their guidance for my own project.
Picking elite schools to apply to is easy. You can find out a lot about them because so many people know about them. Also, there aren’t very many “top 10” schools to choose from. Absolutely you should be applying to several elite schools.
However, you also need to find at least two safeties. You need to spend some significant time thinking about safeties. I think that you should also think hard about match schools.
Also, make sure that your parents clearly understand how expensive university will be. You look like you will be full pay at any school that does not have merit scholarships. As one example, the Harvard website currently lists “total billed and unbilled costs” as “$73,800-$78,200”. Guess on the high end of this range, and add 5% per year from now until you graduate. You are looking at well over $300,000 for four years. It might get close to $400,000. Of course if medical school comes next, it will be even more expensive.
“Medical school is very expensive and you’re far better off saving the debt for medical school,”
I think that you should very seriously consider this advice by @coolguy40.
“That’s not what a hook is. No matter how much you love bio. See, you need to educate yourself on the basics, when you want an elite”
hook is a cc term not a term used by elites, how would the OP find about this on a college’s website? I’m assuming he means what is unique about him that would make the highly selective colleges pick him. In cc context, yes, hook is an institutional need, which probably is explained in the chance me thread template.
OP, here in cc, hook would be under-represented, minority, first-gen, athlete, first gen, wealthy international, state like Wyoming, something like that, not passion for bio or awards and Asian is ORM, over-represented minority.
“Take advantage of early action/decision boost. Don’t waste it on Ivies or Stanford and MIT, there is no early boost there for non-hooked Asians.”
Well the ivies on the list that have ED, along with the other ED colleges give the biggest boost, however his highest rated ED school is Cornell at 5. You shoudn’t apply ED to school which 5th, I can understand top-3 but if that list was made after visiting some campuses, then ED should not be used.
Most of what are called “hooks” are unearned personal characteristics like relationship to a large donor or alumni, or being of a race/ethnicity or gender that is underrepresented at the college. The only “hook” that you can earn through your own effort is strength in athletics enough to be recruited as an athlete at the college. Not all colleges consider all of these things (e.g. some colleges do not consider legacy, and some colleges do not consider race/ethnicity).
And of course the term exists outside CC. Colleges also tell you if they have a preference for what teacher LoRs. And a lang exam is not an extracurricular. Nor is it a “hook” to focus on one interest area. Look at the MIT blogs. Don’t trust you own future to random strangers on a forum.
If you choose to apply ED, make it the college you are 100% sure of, not another’s speculation. Don’t leave it to another’s assumptions about your assumptions. Far too much competition, to enter this under-informed.
I agree, you’re going to have a nice array of choices. Just focus on your essays
“And of course the term exists outside CC”
You’re right, it does, I just thought it was a cc term, apologize for the misunderstanding. However the word is not on a college website right? They say it in other ways, - valuing diversity, first in family to attend college. Agree with your point that you have to connect the two when digging.
“Most of what are called “hooks” are unearned personal characteristics”
Yeah, I didn’t want to bring that up, but that’s pretty much what they are, outside of athlete.
Thing is, @theloniusmonk, OP seems to misunderstand a few key points that will matter. As I said, he can work to learn and get past that. He can use the time between now and October or December, fine tune and/or fill in some gaps. Or not.
Eg, the MIT blogs (which any aspirant can/should be reading) describe not wanting just unilateral. Their expectations for LoRs are right on their web site. (Most TTs will want one stem/one humantites, a mentor is an addl choce, if allowed.)
And Brown? Their Open Curriculum is all about not being one direction. Count on all he listed as wanting the broader view of “intellectual curiosity.” It has to show. Depth and breadth.
Ps. As an aside, “unearned hooks” don’t guarantee, in themselves, if a kid doesn’t meet standards. In respects, those admits to elites are earned by what a kid presents.