<p>Hi. I'm a rising junior and I just took math(i) and chem SAT II. I got a 770 on math, but a 740 on chem. I'm taking math(ii) next yr, so I'm not so worried about that score. But in applying to Caltech, would it be worth it to retake the Chem SAT II? I'm looking to possibly major in astrophysics, but i also am looking at biochemistry. lemme kno what you think.</p>
<p>also: any creative ideas for research experience? and what exactly "counts"? if you can recommend a good way to do it (possibly in the summer...) id be very appreciative. </p>
<p>last thing: for stacking extracurriculars, i dont have many "scholarly" ones. i play basketball and i row (and used to play volleyball), and ive got community service covered. but please, tell me if its necessary that i join the math team or science olympiad. </p>
<p>I got a 720 on the Chem SAT II, and a 770 on the Math, and got in early, if that helps. </p>
<p>As for research, if your school doesn't offer anything, try a summer program. Operation Catapult at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana is a decent one. I did it the summer after my junior year and it was pretty fun. You get to choose what you want to work on for the three weeks. I did signal processing in Matlab. </p>
<p>I wouldn't stack your resume. If you think you'd enjoy SciOly or Math team, then go for it. If not, don't. If something like that is going to keep you out of Tech, then you're probably better off somewhere else. Incidentally, the only math/science club I listed on my app (apart from research) was Mu Alpha Theta. The key is showing passion for science or math. If you've got it, then you should be able to show it without trying to mold yourself into the applicant you think Caltech wants.</p>
<p>^^if you go to a school like imsa, great recs are enough to show you are CalTech material. If you go to a regular school, you might have to go more out of your way to show how committed and capable you are to excellence. Joining math team and science olympiad isn't enough--you've got to at least win state medals for it to help... I would not retake the chem SATII, though. Getting a couple wrong on any test won't hurt you. Anyone can make a couple of stupid mistakes. (You should shoot for 800 on the MathIIC SATII though.) If you're into chem, you should study for the U.S. chem olympics qualifying tests...Look for the U.S. chem olympics team on the web and you probably could navigate. The U.S. olympics tests (math,physics, chem, and bio) are a great way to show that you can compete with anyone...</p>
<p>CalTech admissions is so harsh that padding your resume' with activities won't help. You'd better be really a star at your activities for them to help.</p>