<p>Hey, just wondering if I have any chance at all. My real problem throughout high school was the fact that until last year, I didn't like any of my classes. I hated the memorization of Bio and Chem, so I was unaware I liked science. Then I took physics, and now I want to go to school for engineering. Here are my stats:</p>
<p>SAT: 2250- math 800, writing 760, reading 690</p>
<p>SAT II: math II 800, Physics 800, bio 720, chem 680, world history 580 (heh...)</p>
<p>ACT: 34 composite</p>
<p>I am in the top 10% of my class, but I have gotten 4 Bs as final grades throughout high school. One in bio, one in history, and 2 in english. my GPA is about a 3.85.</p>
<p>My ecs are ok.
-Columbia Science Honors Program
-captain of the robotics team
-tutoring in math
-art club
-volunteering at a soup kitchen in the bronx
-NHS
-Saferides officer
etc...</p>
<p>So, does anyone think I should apply? I have no independent research or anything, unlike most applicants. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>If general chemistry is feeling like a lot of memorization to you, you're probably being taught it in the wrong way. The periodic table exists so you only have to memorize very little (at least for the material you would need to know for general chemistry.) You'll probably do better in the core chemistry here than you think you might because the physical nature of the atom is described first and then bonding properties are learned from these basic physical characteristics. It's not like high school where I remember the teacher making us memorize flashcards of common ions and such.</p>
<p>As for biology, Bi 1 (which is a selected topic in biology, not general biology) is the most you'll ever need to take. They try to make it as interesting as possible to the average non-bio Techer. Bi 1 just got overhauled this year and is now about the biophysics of viruses, which sounds to me like it has the potential to be pretty interesting.</p>
<p>Your SAT scores, grades, and ECs are just fine. Since you have no independent research or college classes, your essays and recommendations are just going to be that much more important. If you come off as an interesting person who is genuinely curious about science, I think you have a good shot at getting in.</p>
<p>Actually, I think if you report any scores, you report all of them. They all come on a single sheet of paper to the college.
But your passion lies in physics..and your sat score reflects that.</p>
<p>Yeah, my honors chem teacher in 10th grade taught it as straight up memorization. I know I have the scores, I'm just worried about my GPA and EC's. My GPA seems pretty low, and I don't have any "hook ec's. I guess I'll apply. Damn those supplements!</p>
<p>The supplements are the best part of the Caltech education imo. You really get a chance to show them who you are beyond the usual lame essays. At least your B grades are mostly in humanities/social science courses. I think a lot will hang on essays and recommendations. Your list of ECs doesn't make me go "Oh Wow!" (lists rarely do), but I can imagine you could write an essay about the Columbia SHP or robotics that might do so.</p>
<p>I think a so-so record can be wonderful in one way. You know you have little to lose. If you just write a standard essay, you pretty much know you won't get in. So you can give it all you've got (there's nothing to lose) and write an essay that will blow the walls off brick buildings. That's fun to do and you might even end up going to your dream school.</p>