PRINCETON SCEA DREAM (Intl. Student)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi Everyone,</p>

<p>I hope this thread finds you well.
Your advices, comments, and constructive criticisms will be very appreciated.</p>

<p>Please read carefully to purvey thoughtful advices.</p>

<p>Thanks for your time.</p>

<hr>

<p>Asian international student living in Canada</p>

<p>GPA Weighted: 4.1
Class Ranking (Top 10%) - our school does 10%, 25%...Private School (100 students per grade)</p>

<p>Grade 9 - 85% Avg.
Grade 10 - 86% Avg.
Grade 11 - 92% Avg.
Grade 12 - aiming 95-96% Avg.</p>

<p>SAT I:
CR: 750
WR: 800, 12
MA: 780</p>

<p>SAT II:
Math IIC: 800
Chem: 770
Literature: 730</p>

<p>Advanced Placement:</p>

<p>AP Econ Micro: 5
AP Econ Macro: 5
AP Calculus AB: 5
AP Music Theory: 5 (aural: 5, non-aural: 5)
AP Psychology: 4
AP Chemistry: 4
AP English Language: 4
AP European History: 4</p>

<p>University of British Columbia Faculty of Arts (concurrent-studies student)
PSYC 102 - social, clinical, developmental psyc: A-
PHIL 120 - intro to logical and critical thinking: A-</p>

<p>Fall 2011/2012 Term course-load:
AP English Literature
AP Human Geography
AP Spanish
AP French
AP Calculus BC
Law 12</p>

<p>UBC:
PSYC 308 - social psychology
ECON 225 - introduction to globalization</p>

<ul>
<li>Grade Counselor told me I have the most rigorous course load of my school's history. My school sent this year students to Harvard, Columbia, UPenn Dental, NYU Dental, UPenn Wharton, Duke, JHU Biomed, Northwestern, etc.</li>
</ul>

<p>Academic Honors:
AP Nat. Scholar - gr. 10
Various School Awards</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Piano:
Associate of Royal Conservatory of Toronto: First Class Honors with Distinctions (92)
Seattle International Piano Competition Alternate Finalist (14-18yrs)
KCHF International Music Festival: Piano Advanced (First Place)
Vancouver 2010 Olympics Piano Solo Performance (Youth Talent Showcase @ Olympic Village)
British Columbia Conservatory of Music Competition: First Place (Open Class)
Kiwanis Vancouver Music Festival: First Place (Open Class)</p>

<ul>
<li>12 years of piano playing</li>
<li>Volunteered + 500 hours @ various senior care facility centres</li>
</ul>

<p>Model UN:
Harvard WorldMUN Vancouver 2012: Academic Coordinator: Specialized Agencies and Crises
CAIMUN: Founder and Secretary General
Canadian High Schools MUN 2011: USG Committees
VMUN 2011: Director of Economic and Social Council
ConenctMUN 2011: Chief of Staff
CAHSMUN 2010 - Best Del. (IMF)
VMUN 2010 - Best Del. (ECOSOC)
CAHSMUN 2009 - Hon Mentions.
VMUN 2009 - Hon Mentions.
NHSMUN 2009 - Participation</p>

<ul>
<li>Founder and Head Del - School MUN Club</li>
</ul>

<p>Debate:
BC Provincial Independent Schools Debate Tournament: First Place (Juniors)
Westerns Canadian Public Speaking Competition: Fifth Place (Overall)
School-wide Public Speaking: First Place</p>

<p>*Debate Club Gr.10 - Gr.12 (co-captain)</p>

<p>Sports:
TKD Third Degree Black Belt Instructor (500HRs +)
School Badminton Captain, MVP 2010 (Gr.9-12)</p>

<p>Ecetra:
School Student Executive
School Art Magazine Editor-in-chief (Gr.10-12)
School Chamber Orchestra concertmeister (Gr.9-12)
Royal Conservatory of Music Clarinet Gr.8 Honors</p>

<p>Rec:
(Each Rec will have different information and flavors - all connecting to one whole of consistency)
School Headmaster - development from gr.7-12 (personal and academic) - I had a troubled academic and personal past from gr.7-9 (grades reflect that above)
Eng Teacher (Head Dep for 27 yrs): taught me eng lang, eng lit, debate coach - we are best buddies - it has strange connotations, but she almost loves everything about me (debate, music, my crazy innovation, work ethic)
Soc. Teacher (Head Dep for 25 yrs): taught me Gr.10 Socials, AP Human Geo - we are great friends. she saw me change a lot to a new person - like a caterpillar to a dragon butterfly (similar feeling to headmaster's) - will at length discuss my reverence to MUN and politics alike
Counselor: he thinks of me highly (recommended me to an Oxf. Adms Off.)</p>

<p>Essay: Common App
will be unique (I can assure you that - I am sure not many will talk about tomatoes in detail)</p>

<p>Supplemental:
Personal Development (consistent with teacher recs)</p>

<p>My Ares of interest:
IR, ECON, PSYC</p>

<p>Will pursue: musical performance</p>

<p>Please Chance me for:</p>

<p>Harvard (please give detailed advices especially for this one)
Princeton
Yale
Stanford
Columbia
UPenn Wharton
Cornell Arts
Brown
Oxford
London school of economics</p>

<p>I highly value your thoughts. I will chance you back for sure. Thank you so much, and have a fantastic day!</p>

2

<p>Bump Bump BUMP</p>

3

<p>Bumppp bbbump buuump bummmp</p>

4

<p>In general, it seems like your gpa is on the low side. This will hurt.</p>

5

<p>The fact that you are an international student also doesn’t help but scores, ECs and rigor are spot on for top schools. Your GPA is concerning however.</p>

6

<p>Didn’t you post a thread up about how badly you wanted to go to Harvard?</p>

<p>Anyway, GPA is an obvious problem but you have a wonderful passion gor piano and MUN, enlighten adcoms of them on your essays. Kick your GPA into gear this semester and your chances will improve for regular decision because of your midyear report. Good luck!</p>

7

<p>You shouldn’t have those 4s. You need to apply to more safety schools. I wouldn’t apply SCEA Princeton because you would be more competitive RD when they have the midyear report.</p>

8

<p>Do you really think so?</p>

<p>I am concerned about grades you are right. But grade 9, and 10 - who gives?
I had personal life troubles back then and academics just wasn’t my priority. That is of course in my supplemental essay on my personal development that cost me other facets of college application.</p>

<p>It’s not an essay to redeem or explain, but to rather say who I am, how I got here, and what kind of painful road I had to trek on to get to grade 11 and start on road to successful academics.</p>

<p>I feel that Princeton is one of those looking for those with extreme academic curiosity, not a academic robot or genius. I have burning passion, and I want to learn so bad.</p>

<p>But you are right, stats might be problem.</p>

<p>Anymore insights BUMP.</p>

<p>Thanks for your reply</p>

9

<p>Bump! Advices and enlightenments!</p>

10

<p>Qualified but international applications are impossible to predict (way more so than top school admissions in general).</p>

11

<p>Thanks. I look at CC and there are so many qualified. In terms of application competition, of course it makes me nervous and question what’s the point of applying…</p>

<p>I hope those are peculiarities…in Canada, those crazy academic Intel and International business award winners, they don’t exist because such competition do not take place anywhere in Canada…hmm still princeton ea though?</p>

<p>BTW: I will send 15 minute recording that I’ve professionally recorded. Bach Prelude and Fugue, Schubert Sonata, Liszt Un Sospiro (All part of my professional degree examination which received 92/100)</p>