Hey guys,
I’ve lurked around here for a while looking at posts like these, but now that I’m entering my senior year and applications are starting to get real, I figured I’d try it for myself! In reading everyone else’s “chance me” posts, I’m a little worried that my EC’s are a little weak. I’m really hoping to get some insight from you guys as to what my chances are even if I haven’t won a Nobel Prize yet (lol)!
I go to Ocean View High School in Southern California, which isn’t nationally recognized but is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. I chose OV for this program specifically, but when it came time to register for classes, the full diploma program wouldn’t fit on my schedule what with sports and ASB and all. I’m still taking as many IB courses as I can, but I’m a little worried that colleges are gonna think I wimped out!
Anyway, here’s where I’m planning to apply:
-UC Berkeley
-UCLA
-UCSB
-UChicago
-UC Davis
-UCSD
-UCI
-University of Washington
-Harvard (just for the heck of it)
I’ll also probably apply to a few Cal States just to be safe. I’m not super worried about my chances there but just in case, I’ll probably also apply to Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Fullerton, and Sacramento State!
Weighted GPA: 4.68
Unweighted GPA: 3.94
ACT score (composite): 33 (I was super proud of this!)
-English: 34
-Math: 29
-Reading: 33
-Science: 35
-Writing: 30
I also took the redesigned SAT, but those scores don’t come out until July 21. When I took the old SAT, I got 1930, which i know isn’t super great. High hopes for this new one, though!
AP Scores:
Chemistry: 3
World History: 5
AP scores from this year don’t come out until July as well, but this past May I took the tests for Physics, Calculus AB, US History, and English Language!
EC’s/Awards/Etc
Associated Student Body:
-Commissioner of School Relations (planned blood drives, freshman orientation, and things like Red Ribbon week)
-Senior Class President (lots of fun stuff like planning Homecoming, graduation, and senior activities/fundraisers)
Sports:
-Track (3 years total, 2 years Varsity, Hurdles Captain)
-Cross Country (3 years total, 1 year varsity)
-Softball (2 years Varsity, quit in favor of ASB)
Clubs:
-Friday Night Live (Secretary and Vice President)
-CSF (3-year member)
Other Stuff:
-3 year nominee for Goldenhawks (my school’s highest honor) in various subjects, including English, History, and Science
-won a local writing contest at age 10; short story (“The Ballad of Squirt”) published in a compilation book (I forget the name of the contest specifically; it wasn’t anything major but was still a super cool experience. Someone even illustrated a scene from my story!)
-Social Society (a club within my school that encourages special needs students to interact with/befriend ASB members whose job is basically to teach them social skills. we go bowling, sing songs, hang out, etc.)
-Teachers’ Choice Awards (my freshman year I was the first person at my school to ever be picked by two teachers the same semester for this award. that was super rewarding!)
-independent studied for APUSH exam (the class wouldn’t fit on my schedule, so me and one other person were enrolled in a regular US History class but did AP coursework independently)
Well, there you have it! I know some of these things I have listed above are kind of the opposite of what college admissions officers are looking for; for example, my decision to quit softball after two years on varsity does not show that I “tend to stick with things” or “showed marked improvement in a specific area” or w/e. However, ASB changed my life in every single possible way, so I’m sticking by my decision!
The guy whose post I’m modeling mine after posted his specific grades, so I guess I’ll do the same?
Freshman year:
Algebra 2/Trig: A/A
Honors Biology: A/A
Spanish 1: A/A
Honors English: A/A
Honors Geography/Model UN: A/A
Sophomore year:
Honors English: A/A
AP Chemistry: A/A
Spanish 2: A/A
AP World History: A/A
Honors Precalculus: A/A
Junior year:
AP Physics: B/A
IB English: A/A
Spanish 3: A/A
AP Calculus AB: A/A
Leadership: A/A
APUSH: A/A
Thanks so much guys!