<p>Hi-</p>
<p>Just a thought, really. It's okay if I don't get in. It just means heavy devotion to my coursework and completing my major and minor(s) and really being able to try other classes for the next two-three years at my current college.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman right now. No GPA yet but I do hope to get 3.2+ (even higher perhaps. No final grades yet) in my first semester of college. I finished HS with a 86.something-something (never saw my final transcript).</p>
<p>I'm dabbling on the idea of trying to apply to Stanford because I'm really interested in Russian and Jewish history and they have that kind of history major. Currently, under my college, I would have to declare Russian Studies major with a double minor in Jewish Studies and History. There is a professor at Stanford that I'm interested in because his research is in Russian/Eastern European Jewry. I could try to do that but it would require so much careful planning and too much dependency on other colleges in the area (and very time consuming trip!)</p>
<p>Also, I would like to be closer to my family in California (my maternal grandmother, step-grandfather, my father's sister's family). Where I am right now. it's very difficult to visit anyone in my family because the travel is difficult ($) and I'm very close to my family. </p>
<p>Lastly, the area where I am is very isolating for me. Public transportation is very slow and I have to give up a good portion of my day to go off campus. I felt so good coming home to the city-suburbs where I could travel much more freely and get to places faster. I know, college is about getting an education.</p>
<p>I really don't like to post my stats here but here's a bit:
HS:
GPA: 86-87
SAT I: 1130 (530V, 600M)
ACT: 24
AP: 8 exams, AP Scholar w/ Honor (6 classes @ HS)</p>
<p>ECs:
Academic Bowl (for the deaf, went onto national competition for two years)
Debate Club
Equestrian
part-time job in soph.-jr. year
(most of my time was consumed by homework in AP classes!!!)</p>
<p>College: (very respectable LAC)
GPA: 3.0+ (so far, A- in Russian language)
Courses:
Russian Language, Russian Literature, Intro to Astronomy (math-based), first year seminar (focused on Kyoto, Japan), and tennis</p>
<p>Spring courses: Russian language, Jewish Civilization, Macroeconomics, International Politics</p>
<p>ECs:
Russian Club
Equestrian
ASL Club
Work-Study (6-8 hrs./wk)</p>
<p>Possible hooks: Bilateral cochlear implants, have Ushers Syndrome (causes deafness, night-blindness, horrible balance/coordination), Studying the Holocaust as a quiet hobby for nearly a decade (am applying for an internship at USHMM nDC this coming summer)</p>
<p>I can't re-take the SAT I because I will be coming home from my first year seminar trip to Japan on that day. February ACT is too hard to get to from where I am (don't have a car or easy public transportation there). I am not submitting my SAT II scores because I didn't take Math 1C and my Writing score does not reflect my writing ability (500, yikes!!!).</p>
<p>I have applied to Stanford SCEA but was denied admission. Looking back, my app to them wasn't very strong and I did what I thought they wanted to see. It really lacked my passion about my deafness and speech therapy, which I would like discuss in my future application to them.</p>
<p>Thoughts? Thanks for reading this!</p>