Hello CC! I would really appreciate some suggestions for colleges I should apply to. My absolute dream school is MIT and I also really like Caltech, UC Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon. However, I do not have any reasonable options on my list yet (i.e. matches and safeties).
Background info:
I’m currently a high school senior, but I skipped a grade and will be graduating at 16. I’m a South Asian Female and will qualify as a domestic applicant because I’m an American citizen, but I’m currently living in a South Asian country. I attend a private school and I intend to major in Computer Science Engineering (if it’s an option, I’ll focus on Artificial Intelligence). I may minor in something related to sustainability and environmental science/management.
Stats:
SAT: 1600/1600
SAT Math II: 800/800
SAT Physics: 800/800
PSAT: 1490/1520 (99th percentile; will qualify for National Merit)
IB diploma (11th and 12th grade) predicted score: 45/45
Cambridge IGCSE (9th and 10th grade): 6 A*s and 2 As
Our school doesn’t calculate GPA or give grades; our transcript will only include our IB predicted grades and our IGCSE grades. I’ll be self-studying and taking AP CS A and AP Lang in May.
Extracurricular activities:
Main:
- Founder of (name redacted), an environmental movement with a website and club (the website has articles that teach people about environmental issues and provide ways to help + resources to spread awareness (videos, posters, etc.) + materials to run your own environmental club with worksheets, lesson plans, etc. I'm also running social media pages for this website/club)
- Research (I'm doing independent research at a university under the guidance of a professor)
- Developing an app (to be released later this year) that helps IB students be organized; I'm also learning coding and CS (artificial intelligence, big data, etc.) online and have code on GitHub
- Duke of Edinburgh's Silver award (music + team teaching): Teaching English & Computer Science as a group to underprivileged children; learning piano and guitar
- Created a Google CS First club in my neighborhood to teach kids coding (this is more of community service than an actual club)
Academic awards:
- National Merit _____
- DELF A2 - 95% (a French proficiency test where you get a diploma from the French Ministry of Education)
- World Scholar's Cup Global Round qualifier (couldn't attend though); 4 silver medals and ranked within top 45 for team writing at regionals
- Cambridge ICE Award with Distinction
- Won a merit-based scholarship at my school
Other awards:
- Trinity Communications Skills Advanced Performance Certificate with Distinction*
- Trinity Music Theory with Distinction*
- Trinity Piano with Distinction*
- I haven't mentioned the grades because I don't know which grades I'll reach by January.
I will submit a music supplement and most likely a research supplement as well. My main concern is that I haven’t had any leadership roles.