PLEASE READ! In desperate need of opinions!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>hey people~
I live in western NY but i really wanna go to school in Cali. I'm going into my junior year...please tell me my chances for the following schools:
-Stanford
-UC Berkeley
-UCLA
-USC
-if you don't think I can get into any of the above, tell me what you think is more realistic
<strong>Please be brutally honest</strong>
9th grade:
-4.0 unweighted GPA
-Honors English, Math, Global, French, Biology
-NYS Regents: 94 on Math, 97 on Bio
-ECs: Orchestra (violin), private lessons, JV Cheerleading (Football & Basketball), Legal Team, International Club, Yearbook
-All-County & Area All-State Orchestras (both audition-only)
-Summer: Babysitting, 60 hrs. volunteer work at a hospital</p>

<p>10th grade:
-3.98 unweighted GPA
-Honors English, Math, French, Chemistry, AP Euro
-Electives: Intro to Psych, Health
-NYS Regents: 96 on Chem, 94 on Global, 97 on French
-4 on AP Euro
-PSATs: 98th percentile (sorry, can't remember the actual score)
-ECs: Orchestra (violin), private lessons, NYSSMA and All-County solo festivals, Varsity Cheerleading, JV Lacrosse
-All County and Area All-State Orchestras, All-State audition
-Who's Who among whatever it is (it's stupid and i doubt it even counts for anything lol)
-Summer: Babysitting, 102? hours volunteer work in Intensive Care Unit of cancer institute</p>

<p>11th grade:
-AP Language, AP Bio, AP US, College French, Honors Math and Physics
-Elective: Anatomy (all I had room for)
-ECs (as of now): Varsity Cheerleading, Varsity Lacrosse, DECA, Student Council Vice President, NHS
-Projected Volunteer Work: SABAH during the year (40? Hours), Research Assistant at Cancer Assistant during summer (150? hours)
-Projected SAT score (based on lots of practice tests):2230-2330</p>

<p>Other:
-Asian (Chinese)
-#3 in class of 200
-i plan on having stellar essays/recs (hopefully!)
-financial aid is not a big deal- i'll still go even if i can't get a cent. I dunno if that matters, but I heard somewhere that colleges are more likely to accept you if you don't need money...</p>

<p>If you have any questions, feel free to ask...Thanks a bunch in advance for any feedback you can give me!</p>

2

<p>I think that you have a very good chance... Since colleges love diversity, tell them about your Chinese culture and how much it has positivly affected your life. My friend did that is currently attending Yale. Who's Who isn't really that important, but it can't hurt on the app.</p>

3

<p>I don't mean to be too critical, but how can your UW GPA for the 10th grade alone be 3.98??? Is it mathematically posible when you only have eight classes???</p>

4

<p>I don't know about the chinese part. Cause first off your out of state and those schools tend to take in-state applicants, and a lot will already be Asian. So being Chinese would be a disadvantage, which also sucks for me. Also the out of state pool will be a lot more competitive. But with those stats I would say you got a really good chance.</p>

5

<p>No... Also, one of my friends from Cornell did the same</p>

6

<p>Stanford is a lottery school...meaning it is a reach for everyone who applies. Even with perfect stats and outstanding ECs and recommendations, many many students do NOT get accepted each year. I can't speak to your chances at the UC's but others here can. I do know that UCLA and Berkeley are very competitive for out of staters. Being an Asian American is NOT a hook at the CA schools.</p>

7

<p>Maybe writing asian may be a negative, but if you write how it positively affected your life, and how much you contribute to the Chinese Culture in return, then they will be impressed.</p>

8

<p>Why do you keep saying being Asain isn't a hook? Luckily, my opinions are pretty objective. Colleges want to see someone proud of where they come from;not someone who disowns their own background.</p>

9

<p>Ummm, probably because being Asian isn't a hook anywhere but at Bob Jones!!</p>

<p>With a 2250 on the SAT, you will be a serious candidate at Stanford, with probably a12% chance. Being asian does hurt there and at all schools in California. Berkeley and UCLA out of state are really tough.</p>

<p>I would look at the Claremont colleges, there are safeties, matches and reaches for you all in that group.</p>

10

<p>Thanks so much for all of the feedback!</p>

<p>-IHATESAT, i don't understand what you're saying about my 10th grade GPA...please explain</p>

<p>-Also...what are your opinions on my ECs? They're not that strong in comparison to others that I've read on here</p>

11

<p>I think IHATESAT means that if your school goes by a 1-4 system, you can't have an average of 3.98 if you only have like 16 classes.</p>

<p>And you're recs are pretty good (though not too outstanding). . .yeah, I thought my recs were okay until I discovered this board. . .</p>

<p>If you're a rising junior, are you going to retake the SAT? (I'm going to be a junior too, and I am still focused on the PSAT. . .)</p>

<p>and to all of the race comments, it would be better chances-wise if all of the chinese people here are African American (why do colleges care about diversity anyways?) . . .yeah. . .but would it actually be worth it if I muse about my Chinese heritage? The thing is, what can you specifically talk about about being Chinese - I am Asian, my parents are Asian, I speak Asian at home, I have Asian friends, I have an artificial Asian culture - what else?</p>

12

<p>-Yeah, I don't know how well I'll be able to play the Asian card because I'm not all that "connected" with my Asianness and with the culture and whatnot...
-yes, I am going to take the SAT for the first time in November.
-i knew that my ECs weren't all that great...but do you think they're enough to get me into UCLA/a decent shot at Stanford?</p>

13

<p>Do you really want to pay $40K per year for four plus years as an ourt of state student at a UC? You will get into one.</p>

14

<p>Your EC's actually aren't bad. They are good but not stellar. Living in New York will be a big disadvantage because it is so competitive.</p>

15

<p>lol. . .I'm so glad I live in Oregon. . .</p>

16

<p>Well, obviously I will probably try to get some money through scholarships. However, like I said, my parents will still pay for it all if I can't get any. How much does not having to apply for financial aid help me?</p>