Please chance me for the UCs and Cornell!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I already submitted my application, but I'm curious what you guys think about my chances :)</p>

<p>(Applying as a freshman)</p>

<p>These are the universities I applied to:
UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC Los Angeles
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
Cornell</p>

<p>About me:
born in Russia, not U.S.
applying for biological sciences/neuroscience
native speaker of Russian, got a 5 on the AP Spanish Lang test
did two other APs (3 and 4)</p>

<p>I wrecked my sophomore year, got a D and a C, other classes were mostly Bs, a few As. This was due to external (family) circumstances that were mentioned on the application. However in 11th grade I got my act together and got a weighted average GPA of 4.4 for the year. Of course the year doesn't really fix all my other grades, but I hope that a marked improvement will help my chances.</p>

<p>Have been working as an intern at a UC brain cancer lab for around seven months.
Also volunteered as a piano player around 20 hours at an elderly home. Not major, I know.</p>

<p>Have piano certification. Danced for two years, played piano for six years, surfed for four years. Book Club co president, Japanese Club vice president, member of NHS and CSF.</p>

<p>Got a 2240 on my SAT, a 770 for SAT II Math 2, and a 740 for SAT II Biology. </p>

<p>Currently taking three APs, as opposed to four last year.</p>

<p>Essays were above average, but not amazing.</p>

<p>Also have two siblings with severe mental problems, I wrote about their impact on me for the essay. For the second one, wrote about how I stopped being a bully, became less judgmental, etc.</p>

<p>Sorry for all the text. What do you think about my chances for those UCs? Cornell?
Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Your SATs are definitely great for any of the UC, the GPA is the concern, you need to explain it clearly and adequately, which is a lot more work, then you will be fine. Other aspects seem pretty good for UC such as AP and EC. As long as they forgive your sophomore year,(and they should) then you will get into any of them.
Cornell, on the other hand, is tricky, first of all, 2240 isnt what they are looking for, no dont get me wrong, it is not because that’s too low, but because Cornell SAT is out of 1600 scale. So your CR+M will give us better idea of your chances at Cornell. Always consider Ivies and top private universities a reach tho.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for replying!</p>

<p>I honestly don’t think I have a chance at UCBerkeley, UCLA, or UCSD, but you never know. I would be perfectly happy at any of the rest, though. </p>

<p>I did explain my reason for sophomore year pretty well, so there’s that.</p>

<p>As for the SAT scores, I got an 800 on the Critical Reading and a sad 680 for the Math.</p>

<p>Cornell is definitely a reach school, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. I’ll just try revising my essays a little, is there anything else I should try?</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

4

<p>Now, for your “bully” essay, I am a bit concerned that it may not come out the “correct” way to admissions. Make sure to let a lot of people read it. Ask them whether they can see that you truly changed through the essay. If they can’t, people might think you’re still a bully, albeit more hidden now. If they can see your change, YES! It will be a solid essay, with potential to be TOUCHING, INTROSPECTIVE, and most importantly, shows that you DARE to ADMIT your weakness, a sure sign of MATURITY.</p>

<p>If I am an admissions officer, seeing you admit your weakness for the bully thing will tell me that you have also changed since your bad grades. I will know that you have turn into a new leaf. However, remember to explain in additional sections where possible why you got bad grades.</p>

<p>Your SATs are nice. I wouldn’t mind about your SAT Math score personally since your Math II was 770.</p>

<p>Now, you have to show why you’re interested in neuroscience. Talk about the abstract concepts that intrigue you in neuroscience -> like how neurons can transmit information that is conscious in your mind etc. Think hard about this. It will be important when you get interviews, WHY THIS MAJOR essays etc.</p>

<p>Also, be sure to research each school properly, especially Cornell. I would personally go to two routes of researching. 1: The facilities, the research focus etc. and 2: The culture, the people etc. Make sure you ANALYZE why these things is a fit for you, and HINT at how you will contribute by mentioning what you have done prior.</p>

5

<p>What’s your overall weighted/unweighted GPA? If you can explain the grades, it’ll be fine, but UCs are usually less willing to overlook. I would say reach for all of them, maybe closer to match for I, SD, and Davis.</p>

6

<p>i’ve asked a lot of people about the bullying essay, and all have said that I made it clear I changed a lot. My first essay is still better, but I do believe it was very honest and direct. Not sure how to modify my UC essays for Cornell though :/</p>

<p>Academic GPA 10-12, w/uw: 3.88, 3.54</p>

7

<p>If you were confident in your essay don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t do that topic, but that’s just me. Sometimes being a strong enough writer can make essays that are negative look a little better, but typically it’s best to stray away from them unless you’re asked what you learned from your mistake.</p>

8

<p>Haha I wrote about that because I felt it was a huge part of my life, and that the rest of my “actual” achievements couldn’t measure up to all the geniuses out there applying. I didn’t want to write about it but I thought that it was the best idea.</p>