Please Help :)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>Hi everyone!</p>

<p>Like many students out there, I am a keen individual who has big dreams to attend an elite college. My top choices include Stanford, Columbia, Cornell, UPenn and Harvard. But, as usual, it is a tough process. </p>

<p>I am currently a junior in high school and as much as i know that this is a much despised thread in the CC community, could you please give me some feedback on what you think my chances are at these universities? your time and efforts are much appreciated :)</p>

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<p>Freshman:
honours french 10, honours pre calculus 10, honours mandarin 10</p>

<p>Sophomore:
honours french 11, honours pre calculus 11, challenge 10 (outdoor leadership and education program; must be appointed and selected by the staff)</p>

<p>Junior:
honours precalculus 12 (pre ap), honours french 12 (pre ap), honours chemistry (pre ap), honours english 12 (pre ap), physics 11 (pre ap)</p>

<p>Senior:
AP Calculus, AP Lang, AP French, AP World History, AP Physics</p>

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<p>BC Children's Hospital Youth Ambassador: (4 years)
- fundraised over $15,000 to help build a new oncology unit at the hospital
- achieved elite ambassador recognition and gold level commitment
- three time recipient of a national service award from the house of parliament</p>

<p>India Service Trip, 2012
Kenya Service Trip, 2013
-- i know service trips are not very valued by admission committees (especially at elite colleges) but these were the reason why i decided to start my own non profit organization</p>

<p>Also volunteered at several other places including the Red Cross, my local aquarium, local food banks, an ecology association and my community centre</p>

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<p>THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH AND I LOOK FORWARD TO ANY REPLIES! :)</p>

2

<p>Looks fine. Focus on your essays. Thousands of other kids in the world may not specifically have everything you’ve done, but they’ve probably done just as much. Make yourself stand out.</p>

3

<p>thanks @haakun! is badminton and duke of ed even recognized in the usa?</p>

4

<p>From your stats, it seems that you’re on the right track. However, stats are only a portion of the final decision - although I’m sure they have a “cutoff” for GPA and scores, in the end, how you convey yourself and the passion you put into your essays matter most. I skimmed your list, but from experience, you may even want to omit some of your extracurriculars that aren’t quintessential or reflect your concentration. Try to be the best person that you can be - Stanford looks to see if you would be someone who can add to discussions in seminars, and if you constantly seek out ways to improve and expand your knowledge. Best of luck!</p>

5

<p>thanks everyone!</p>

<p>@surreptitious: what would you recommend that i omit?</p>

6

<p>I would definitely get rid of these two.</p>

<p>Student Council: (2 years)

  • freshman and sophomore year
  • elected annual by the student body</p>

<p>Peer Tutoring: (2 years)

  • i served as the tutor who mentors younger students during lunch hours to help them with their homework, studying or assignments</p>

<p>And probably </p>

<p>YouThink Magazine writer (3 years)

  • this is a provincial magazine that is written by youth for youth
  • published articles every month on a wide variety of topics ranging from sustainability, education, bullying, global issues, and trends</p>

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<p>The rest of your (amazing) extracurricular activities are very service-oriented (except your Piano/Badminton activities), and they all show that you show dedication, and I’m sure universities will love you. :)</p>

7

<p>What! Dont get rid of anything! Leave them on the commonapp, they still look good.</p>

8

<p>hmm thats interesting…!</p>

<p>thanks to @sluchy523 and @PAGRok for your suggestions. i’ll look deeper and see whether or not i should put them all on or take some things out. does anyone else have any opinions on this subject?</p>

<p>do you guys know anything about the value of duke of edinburgh in the states? :)</p>

9

<p>No one here can really tell you what to get rid of - in the end, use your own good judgement to decide what activities you think best reflects yourself. :relaxed: If you put a lot of effort into everything on that list, then by all means keep everything, but if there are one or two things that are “off topic”, then omit those (i.e. If you focus your app on science and have a running list of amazing awards and research, but then include “art club” in there - sometimes it’s a little distracting.)</p>

<p>By the way, just out of curiosity - how did you start up your own non-profit? I’m looking to start my own charity (for children’s education) where the money will be directly donated to the cause as opposed to a larger company, but I was just wondering how you rallied up the support, spread the message, and registered it as a 501(c)3. Thanks! :relaxed:</p>

10

<p>I was just saying what I would do.</p>

<p>Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t leave off those extracurriculars, but since you have so many other (better/unique) ones, I thought that they might dilute your application. Admissions staff only have so much time to read an application.</p>

<p>This is (once again), just what I think/ would do.</p>

11

<p>You probably have a fair chance. It’s tough to get in. Everyone applying there is very, very smart. So, make sure you have a plan B. Not getting accepted is not an indictment of your abilities. It is just that there are so many qualified applicants for a limited number of openings.</p>

12

<p>You stand a good chance. However, I’m not sure if world traveller counts as an EC unless you’ve been raising money/helping poor children along the way. Like you I’ve had the opportunity to travel, but it isn’t something I would put on my application unless it was in my essay. Just my two cents.</p>

13

<p>Oh and how were the Stanford summer programs?</p>