Hola, I am a rising senior from Canada but have lived in Thailand, India and California. I am an in-state student for Berkeley due to my mother living there. Mother went to grad school at Columbia, she’s now a farmer. I am of mixed race (samoan/caucasian). I want to major in Political Science specializing in International Relations. I’m fluent in French and English and can speak some Thai (and took 3 years of High-school mandarin, but I’m not confident enough to put it down). I am applying EDII to U of Chicago, applying to Woodrow Wilson at Princeton, Stanford (I know), UCB, Claremont McKenna, Pomona (had interview), Northwestern, Columbia, GWU, and the American University of Cairo.
ACADEMICS
SAT: new-1370 (750 english/620 math), old-1890
GPA: 4.00 UW (on the Canadian Scale, my old school gave me a 3.94), GPA dipped in junior year second semester due to my mother being homeless for a while and the stress revolving around that. I’m getting 2 Bs right now in a very competitive Canadian school, but I live right now in a non-ideal situation (living with parent in a motel room).
APs: Sophomore–World History (self-study): 3, Junior–Biology: 4 Lang and Comp (self-study): 4, taking Physics C mechanics/Statistics/waitlisted for AP Calc AB, and will self-study for US Gov, Macro and Micro Econ
Rigor: not the highest as I was forced to take some grade 11 classes to graduate as I just moved.
SAT IIs: null
ECs
I’m an Advanced Open Water Padi Diver with nitrox certification, and have logged over 150 dives. Have done wreck diving
under supervision.
Placed fourth in the International History Bee in Thailand, qualifying for the Asian championships–but could not attend due to person reasons (financial reasons also played a part)
Was a finalist for the UWC USA Davis Scholarship (if that means anything?? no idea)
Played varsity soccer & futsal, and junior varsity basketball/volleyball (team MVP lol)
Was student council for two years, including a year where I helped the president lobby the owners for FIOS, a new bus, a repainted gym and a designated, newly-build STUCO room. The school had been falling apart before that and the owners had been penny-pinching.
Debate team senior year (all competitions are after the deadline)
MUN 3 years
Recommendations/Essays
9.5-10/10 for all recommendations (AP Bio teacher, Chem Teacher, “Advanced” English teacher)
Essays are either quirky, about my life story, or connect Thai politics to my major
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Also, I have a really stupid question–I’m intending on applying EDII to Chicago, but my dream school is Woodrow Wilson. Is it worth losing the slight boost of a chance at Chicago to apply to Princeton? I know my SATs are pretty crap (worse than I was expecting), but I already started the applications and I ain’t turning back.