Please chance me for UCLA, UC Berkeley, more

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>PROFILE
-School Type: public school ranked 103rd in California
-Race/Gender: Vietnamese/Female
-Prospective Major: computer science
-First year college student
-Family income: middle class </p>

<p>ACADEMICS
-Unweighted GPA: 4.0
-UC GPA: 4.27
-APs (as of application): Calc AB and Psychology
-UW Rank: 1/566
-W Rank: I have no idea how to find this out, but most likely in the top 10%</p>

<p>COMMUNITY COLLEGE CLASSES [summer of 11th]
-Statistics
-a introductory computer science class (any recs?)</p>

<p>12TH GRADE CLASSES
-Physics AP
-Calculus BC/AP
-Spanish 4AP
-AP Euro OR AP Micro/Macroecon (undecided, any recs?)
-English 4</p>

<p>SAT 1: 2200
-Crit. Reading: 700
-Math: 730
-Writing: 770
-(first sitting, will retake. tbh thought I was gonna score higher on math and writing, but reading was expected)</p>

<p>SAT 2
-planning to take Math II, Spanish, and Chemistry in the spring</p>

<p>EXTRACURRICULARS
-Played the viola in school orchestras <a href="no%20room%20left%20in%20my%20schedule">3rd grade-9</a>: first chair all 7 years
-Piano lessons [5-9], independent [10-now]
-I now dedicatedly play guitar, no lessons
-JV basketball [9]: MVP award, coach's award, All-league award
-Varsity basketball [10-12]: team reached state level, no individual awards (yet ^__^)
-Varsity track [11-12]: season starts in spring (guaranteed spot on varsity b/c the coach saw me at basketball practice)
-Varsity XC [12]: same deal with the track coach. he said I could make it to the state level. (fall sport, so the merit won't make it onto the application)
-Unicef Club [9-12]: ~24 community service hours
-CSF lifetime member
-Peer tutor for Spanish [11-12]: ~1 hr/week
-Church leadership group of about 20 [10-12]: collectively organized a charity dinner (no help from adults) that raised ~$2000; I was one of the leaders (organized date & venue, made & sold tickets, presented the cause, etc.)
-Website design: I made my class website in 5th grade. I've designed a bunch of pages here and there for my different interests but it was just for fun; I never thought I would consider majoring in it. Should this go on my app?</p>

<p>FULL COLLEGE LIST IN ORDER
-UC Berkeley
-Stanford (my dream school but I know it's a highhhh reach)
-UCLA
-Cal Poly SLO
-UC Davis
-University of Southern California</p>

<h2>-OR recommend any other match in California</h2>

<p>SUMMARY
-4.27 UC GPA
-2200 SAT, retaking
-Math II, Spanish, Chemistry subject tests
-2 APs & 2 CC courses by application
-very rigorous senior year
-very dedicated to sports and dedicated to a lesser level to playing instruments</p>

<h2>-Unicef, CSF, church leadership group</h2>

<p>NOTES
-My dad was/is a huge setback in my life. He didn't let me go do sports other than basketball (hence the late start for XC and track), gets mad when I ask for rides to community service opportunities/fundraising events, doesn't let me get a job, basically all this business that holds me back. I probably can't address that in the app but that explains my lack of activities. My sister is physically unstable and my mom cares for her 24/7.
-TLDR: family restricts me from taking up a lot of activities
-I absolutely HATE homework so I didn't want to bother with AP classes, not realizing how much of an impact they have on college apps. :(
-Would changing my major help? I'm also considering business, graphic design, and web design.
-What should I focus on from now till the application?</p>

2

<p>bump. I’ll chance back ASAP!!</p>

3

<p>Bump and edit</p>

<p>my UC GPA is 4.33. </p>

<p>The ECs going on my app are basketball (most important, highly commited, captain, etc.), CSF, red cross (secretary), and track. </p>

<p>My one and only volunteer activity is a leadership organization affiliated with a Vietnamese/Catholic school. (~4 hrs/week during the school year, project leader)</p>

<p>preparation programs: Stanford medical outreach (which is useless cause I’m not really considering premed), doing a math/science related one this summer</p>

<p>awards: projected NHS, all league award JV basketball, MVP JV basketball, some varsity basketball awards this year most likely</p>

<p>as you can see my non-academics are really lacking, but I’m hoping to show my passion for basketball through my essay(s). is Berkeley out of my reach because of my lack of activities and low course rigor? :(</p>

4

<p>The trick here is telling your story, you obviously have reasons for you lack of ECs and you and tell about that either in the essay of interviews. Your stats are good, its all about becoming a person to the college admins.</p>

<p>Chance me back? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1439230-chance-me-dartmouth.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1439230-chance-me-dartmouth.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>good shot for all! </p>

<p>chance me</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1439046-chance-me-uga-rd.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1439046-chance-me-uga-rd.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>You’re a strong candidate for Berkeley. Congrats in advance! </p>

<p>Stanford is a bit uncertain, because only around 7% get into Stanford. The admit rate at Berkeley overall is 21%. But for the College of Engineering, it’s only a little over 10%, and you’re not applying to the College of Engineering but to the College of Letters and Science, where the admits rate is much higher. </p>

<p>If you get into Stanford and they’ll offer you some form of financial assistance, go for it. Otherwise, go for Berkeley, the next best school for computer science after Stanford and MIT.</p>

7

<p>thanks, everyone!</p>

<p>anyone else? how can I make my application look stronger? how can I focus attention to one of my commitments?</p>

8

<p>^ Write an excellent essay. Have it proofread a million times by experts. That’s key to getting into great schools.</p>

9

<p>Stanford - reach
Cal - match to low match
LA, USC - low matches
Cal Poly, Davis - safties</p>

<p>I can’t think of a reason why you wont get into LA and Berkeley. Probably 80% chance into either. </p>

<p>Stanford is a reach due to lack of ECs and your race, but you do have a shot. Dont give up and work on your recs and essays to make yourself seem focused and abound with potential. Stanford’s admit rate for valedictorians is about the same as the Cal/LA admit rate overall, but dont give up. How many valedictorians are there? If you are the only valedictorian, it improves your chances greatly.</p>

10

<p>^^^ BuBBLES, where have you applied so far?</p>

11

<p>I applied nine years ago. Got into Cornell, LA, Cal, USC, among many other UCs with 3.4UW, 4.1W, 1480 Old SAT (with 690 Writing, 780 other SAT IIs). Was rejected only by Stanford. Standards have obviously increased since then.</p>

<p>Gainfully employed, and understand the stress of applying for college.</p>

12

<p>@RML - I’m hoping to do so, although I don’t have much people who can grade it except for my teachers and counselor… :/</p>

<p>@bubbles - my class is abundant with valedictorians. so far, off the top of my head, there ~10 are besides me. and they’re pretty much all taking more rigorous coursework than I am (due to my ignorance and greed for valedictorian as a sophomore when we chose courses). my class is extremely competitive and that’s what I’m terrified of. :frowning: hopefully they stay away from my dream schools lol. what school did you end up going to?</p>

13

<p>My financial situation meant that I could only pick a UC. I picked Cal, a decision I would certainly make again if I could build a time machine to go back in time. </p>

<p>Cal was tough at first for all of my classmates. We drifted apart and barely saw each other even though I was the president of my class. But all the high school classmates that I still had some contact with (50+) graduated. People who used to be stuck-up or socially awkward greatly matured. </p>

<p>Berkeley will offer you everything at Stanford that I can think of, but you have to strive much harder and be a lot more independent.</p>

14

<p>BuBBLES, thanks for the reply. I really thought you’re a potential applicant too, sorry about that huge mistake, hehe…</p>

<p>Did you know that I was denied at Berkeley? lol… </p>

<p>I didn’t apply to Stanford and I regretted that because I wasn’t sure now if they would also deny me because I got into 4 Ivies, Harvey Mudd, Bowdoin and Cambridge (UK) and more, and both parents of mine went to med school there. I was denied by MIT, however.</p>

<p>Happy New Year, btw.</p>

<p>

Really hope this gets solved soon…</p>

15

<p>@bubbles thanks so much for the input. I can’t picture myself anywhere better than at either Berkeley or Stanford. </p>

<p>Happy New Years!</p>

16

<p>I think back fondly of applying for college. It seemed very stressful at that time, but now I chuckle at the experience. </p>

<p>Most of our HS class of 04 who made it to our dream schools had our enthusiasm greatly tempered within a few months. Conversely, those who didn’t make it recovered in the same amount of time. </p>

<p>Just don’t worry and look ahead. Cal certainly has a way of forcing you to abide by its way of doing things. By the time you finally become a true Bear, you’ll find yourself with a more complete perspective of life. </p>

<p>Some people say prestige doesn’t matter, but in places such as even France or China, Cal is well known and will open doors.</p>

17

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<p>Oh, I wouldn’t argue with this. Some students on this thread (CC) don’t have any idea how respected Berkeley is outside of America. I went to Cambridge for undergrad and I would readily admit that more than half of the students in my class would be willing to swap places with those at Berkeley, if only they can afford to. That is why I chuckle on those comments I read on CC about going for schools like Vanderbilt or Emory or USC or Notre Dame or Rice or Washington and such over a huge name school like Berkeley because of some differences in faculty-to-student ratio, grad rate, advising and such issues.</p>

18

<p>The MAIN reason I want to go to Berkeley, I’ll admit, is that it’s a top ranked U. not only that, it’s comp sci program is amazing. and of course, can’t forget Cal Bears sports teams. sports are obviously a huge part of my life (might even be a walk-on at Cal depending on how this season and my senior season turns out and if I have time to train). other factors include location (~1hr from home), diversity, friendly people, you get a reputable reputation without looking as stuck up as you would going to Yale or schools like that.</p>

<p>RML, are you a college graduate as well?</p>

19

<p>Despite the fact that Cal will give you a great education, going to a school for the reputation alone may not be the best idea. It is an important factor, but how much you fit in at the school is what matters more. </p>

<p>Cal is for people who are naturally resilient. There will be a lot of disappointments mixed in with the success. From the experiences of my classmates, almost everyone will reach a low point before Cal changes them fundamentally. My nadir was unbearable. Think of a former class president who was able to date almost anyone in HS being turned down by many classmates and companies, volunteering as a hot dog vendor to support the Cal Yearbook which most people don’t even know about. Lots of people who knew me before I went to college said I “mellowed out”. </p>

<p>But at the end I felt very blessed. </p>

<p>I eventually made it to one of the top companies and now have great work freedom and income, but the journey was certainly not easy.</p>

20

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<p>Yep. And, perhaps about 3/4 years older than our friend, BuBBLES.</p>