Hello! I would like some feedback on how probable it is for me to get into the universities I’m applying to. Thank you in advance for all your input!
Personal:
Asian Indian female
I’ve lived in the US since I was 6 but I’m still considered an international
State: CA
Major:
Biology (pre-med)
Applying to:
Reaches (I might take a few off) - Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Brown
Matches - UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego
Safeties - UC Irvine, UC Davis
(These are my estimates btw.)
Objective:
GPA: 4.0 (UW) and 4.38 (W)
Rank: 4/880ish
AP Scores: Chem (4), World History (4), English Lang (5), Calc BC (5), Bio (4)
SAT: will be taking for the third time in Oct. but probably not sending
SAT II: Chem (760), Bio (800), Math II (780)
ACT: 33 composite (will be taking again b/c I did bad in science)
Senior Year Courses: Tennis (replaced with Drawing & Painting second sem), AP Physics C, AP Gov/AP Econ (both one semester classes), AP English Lit, AP Spanish Lang, Multivariable Calc and Linear and Diff Eq (both one sem courses and offered at local community college and my hs doesn’t offer credit for them)
Awards: nothing major, really, just school awards, also AMC 12 School Winner, U.S. Chem Olympiad Regional Participation Award (hahaha not very important), AP Scholar with Distinction
Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Science Olympiad (2 years going on 3, Secretary for 1), Key Club (3 years going on 4), American Red Cross (3 years going on 4), CSF (1 year going on 2), Ecology Club (2 years going on 3, VP for 1), Tennis (3 years going on 4), Job-shadowed a gynecologist for 3 months during summer before junior year
Hobbies (these are more important to me than my ec’s): gardening, reading about astronomy, swimming, art (I’ve taken classes at school for this but also practice on my own), reading manga (very passionate about this, probably will be one of my essay topics)
Volunteering: Key Club (various - 60ish hrs), CSF (tutoring for all subjects and others - 180ish hrs), other various ones from clubs and outside organizations (40ish hrs)
Summer Activities: Usually my family and I go to India, reading manga (hahaha…)
A few more things:
The reason I’m applying to so many UCs is because considering that I am an international, I might not get much financial aid from my reach universities (if I get in).
I didn’t want to take AP US History my junior year (I heard it was a lot of work). Is that bad? Will colleges become discouraged if they see that?
I’ve taken the most advanced classes available to me in my school (with exception of APUSH (previous point))
Are there any other universities you guys might recommend? I picked mine mostly for tuition and their strength in science, but I am open to more possibilities
Was there anything I missed? If so, sorry it’s my first post!! If I can, I will edit it.
Also, how do you put bullet points? I tried this * but it didn’t work
Hopefully my passion for reading manga (would this be my wow factor?). I am also a fanatic for science (mainly biology). I need to find a way to work those into my college apps though.
@nuimancel: The link regarding paying in-state tuition is for NY not California. I would double check to make sure you will be considered an in-state applicant. Every state is different.
You are a competitive applicant for the UC’s, but I would never categorize UCD or UCI as a Safety. I would put them as a Low Match schools. What happens if you are not eligible for in-state tuition? You need another safety school which is affordable just in case.
@BucketsUCSC Thanks! I just retook the ACT and I’m pretty confident I scored higher this time. My gpa does seem low but it factors other courses that are not AP (e.g. English honors, tennis, and drawing & painting, which are only considered 4.0). But I do consider my EC’s to be my weakest point. Thanks for your help!
@mom2collegekids Hopefully yes. I read that internationals aiming for a M.D./Ph.D program have a better chance to get into med schools, but if not then I will have to risk my chances.
@BucketsUCSC Thanks! I just retook the ACT and I’m pretty confident I scored higher this time. My gpa does seem low but it factors other courses that are not AP (e.g. English honors, tennis, and drawing & painting, which are only considered 4.0). But I do consider my EC’s to be my weakest point. Thanks for your help!
@mom2collegekids Hopefully yes. I read that internationals aiming for a M.D./Ph.D program have a better chance to get into med schools, but if not then I will have to risk my chances.
