<p>Long post, please don't feel overwhelmed :/</p>
<p>My grades/classes/test scores are pretty much standard of the applicant (or slightly lacking thereof) and I need extra curriculars to stand out. I do have extra curriculars, but I'm not involved in any super-academic club or any state/national academic competition. Should I bother to apply to HYP and the other ivies? I will be applying to American, Stanford, USC, and UCs. I'm going into poli sci, so I think UCB will be my best shot (if I get in) because it is ranked in the top 5 nationally. My stuff seems like a lot, but it's mostly details. Here is my profile:</p>
<p>GPA
*UW 3.87
*W 4.40</p>
<p>UC GPA
*4.19 (limited to 8 semesters of the extra point)</p>
<p>SAT I
*CR 630
*M 670
*W 640
*Composite 1940
Definitely taking again in October - I forgot about guessing penalty because it was in the midst of the AP Exam weeks. I got 2050 on a practice, so I will def. score higher.</p>
<p>SAT II
*Math II in June
*US History " "
*Chemistry " "
*Spanish in October
expected 700+ on all, if not 750+ from CC consolidated lists</p>
<p>Transcript
Classes listed are inclusive of senior year
*No regular-level core class from 10-12
*Speech and Debate I and II
*Intro to Graphic Design (10), Yearbook Design (11), Advanced Graphic Design (12)
*Spanish I-AP Spanish Lang
*Psychology and Physics at a community college
*All A's and A+'s(1 A- second semester of AP Chem) except 3 B's in English 2 Pre-AP first semester and in AP Eng Lang both semesters (all borderline...grrr)
*Rank: top 2%, 6/343</p>
<p>AP/Advanced Classes</p>
<p>Geometry Pre-IB
Algebra II Pre-AP
Pre-Cal H
Chem H
Eng 2 Pre-AP</p>
<p>APs
World History (3)-should have studied
English Lang/Comp (?)
US History (?)
Chem (?)
US Gov/Pol
Calc A/B
AP Eng Lit
AP Span Lang
not many offered b/c my school is brand new</p>
<p>School
*First graduating class in 2012
*Other schools in district send to top UCs and occasionally to ivies
*average competitivity
*large CA suburban public</p>
<p>Demographics
*Caucasion/Central Asian
*Female
*Income bracket: <45k
*Widowed parent</p>
<p>ECs
No sports...haha. Tried out but didn't make jv basketball x)
Leadership
*Editor/Photographer of Yearbook, started several traditions/practices (initiative, yeah?)
*Director of PR of Interact
*Head of Advertising Committee and co-head of Fundraising Committee for Interact
*[My] High School Ambassador
*active members of several other clubs:
CSF (3 years)
Key Club (3 years)
[my school] University (college awareness and visits) (2 years)
Philanthropy Around the World (2 years)</p>
<p>Recognition
*Winner of international logo design contest for a company
*Graphic Art selected for display at District art show
*selected [my school] Ambassador (mentioned above) for leadership ability (3 years)
*No academic clubs at my school (No AcaDec/Robotics, etc, I should've started one-too late)/not many competitions because we are just starting up (no opportunity for USAMO/Seimens, etc or else I would've entered; although, I didn't know about the speech competition that was held)
*The standard stuff for ivy candidates (Academic Block T and 2 K's, Principal honor roll, Eligibility in the local context for UC system, certificates of academic achievement, etc)</p>
<p>Graphic Design
*Ever since 6th grade
*created and maintained several content websites with new content regularly for a few years
*familiar with CSS and HTML
*created logos, banners, advertisements, and flyers for school website, school clubs, a band, local businesses
*designed t-shirt for several school clubs
*yearbook pages submitted in contest
*misc.</p>
<p>Community Service
*Tutoring (10-12)
*Fundraising for Athletic Booster Club (misc. projects)
*Fundraising for Parent Teacher Student Association
*Fundraising for Tetanus prevention, orphans in China, Hope for Japan and organization/fundraising for other causes as part of club and school efforts</p>
<p>Work experience
*Paid job @ a learning center (2 years)
*hopefully an internship/shadowing experience with city/local government senior year or later this summer</p>
<p>Hooks
first-gen college (parents both had some college, neither holds a degree)
*Other hooks in general: arts supplement at HYPMS (if I apply, photography and graphic design portfolios), widowed mother, limiting home situation, low income, from Afghanistan (I will work this in some way)</p>
<p>Misc.
*Recs will be very good for sure
*Essays: passionate, one will be about about how being bullied made me develop a voice/strong opinion, helped me always stand up for what I believe in, for what's right, and for justice (reason for poli sci major), others maybe on graphic design, initiative, challenges, etc.</p>
<p>Anything else you want to know? HAHA. Thanks for reading and please tell me which schools I should dedicate myself to and predict my chances :) <3</p>
My family/relatives ask me to design things and do photography for them and I definitely plan on continuing graphic design on the side in college (probably not when I’m working in government though haha - they just doesn’t go together). I work with designing the school website also. I plan to continue to make t-shirts and flyers, etc. for college clubs, other college organizations. I won’t be majoring in graphic design, though, because I want to change the world, and sitting in front of a computer on Photoshop doesn’t change the world (on it’s own, that is).</p>
for now!!</p>