<p>sorry about adding yet another “chances” thread to the flood of spam but i’m just nervous about college. would my other stats make my relatively low gpa look better?</p>
<p>these stats are by this september (first marking period of senior year)</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 2390 (800 math, 800 verbal, 790 writing, 12 essay)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 800 Bio, 800 Chem, 800 History, 800 Math2c
[<em>] ACT: 36 (36 on all sections, 12 essay)
[</em>] GPA: 4.38 (top gpa is 4.64)
[<em>] Rank: school doesn’t rank but top percentile (4%)
[</em>] Other stats: IBO medalist, allstate orchestra, varsity swimming, state officier for FBLA
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Teacher Recs: one best in lifetime, one good one
[</em>] Counselor Rec: amazing
[<em>] Hook (if any): ibo?
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Chinese
[</em>] Gender: Male
[li] Perceived Strengths/Weaknesses: wellrounded, but no strong point. and my race.[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>Chances for:[ul]
[<em>] Harvard early
[</em>] Stanford early/regular
[<em>] Brown regular
[</em>] JHU regular
[/ul]</p>
<p>any targets/safeties that i should be considering?</p>
<p>thanks again for your time and consideration</p>
<p>Obviously you have a fantastic academic record, but I don't see anything that would make you stand out in a crowd of people with good GPAs and good SAT scores. You say that you have "no strong point." Does this mean that you don't have any major passions or talents? Or just that you've tried out a lot of things and haven't dedicated yourself to a single goal? If you don't have strong extracurriculars and show a passion for something, you won't look particularly "special" to admissions committees despite your amazing GPA and SAT scores. I'm not sure if you're just being modest... but if there's something you really enjoy or have spent a lot of time on, bring it out in your application! All-state orchestra means you must be pretty good at some instrument, and varsity-swimming could be a plus if you're recruited. And what's FBLA?</p>
<p>Also, I hate to break it to you, but Asians are over-represented at elite American universities. Being Chinese in and of itself will not give you any kind of admissions advantage unless you can demonstrate how this has changed your worldview, or if you have some particular interest in Chinese culture or foreign policy, etc.</p>
<p>hmm. well i don't know. it seems like i do everything, but the only thing of international/national prominence is IBO. FBLA is the largest national student organization standing for future business leaders of america.</p>
<p>with this year's defers and rejects i don't know what colleges are looking for anymore</p>
<p>It does seem to be really dicey now... We have come to quite a crisis when a kid with your stats can feel uneasy.</p>
<p>You should really think about how you will articulate your academic passions and show that you have something exciting to offer besides a very very good brain. You have go to 'tell the story of you' in a way that is compelling and makes sense with your record. </p>
<p>Beyond that, I would suggest the following ideas (not all of them; just select what works best for you.)</p>
<p>(1) Consider applying ED (binding) to a school you really like, if you are willing to forgo the SCEA schools. Brown would work here.</p>
<p>(2) Focus on some more reliably-stat-driven schools (for example MIT, Caltech). If your state school is good, it would be a safety.</p>
<p>(3) Have an Early Action school (like Michigan) where your admission is very safe; then apply to all the uber-reaches in RD.</p>
<p>(4) Look into U Chicago. They offer EA, the education is superb, and because of the intense workload & non-ivy status, the school is not as inundated with applications.</p>
<p>(3) The University of Michigan is not early action, it is rolling admission. You can apply ED (binding) or EA somewhere else, and still apply early to Michigan.</p>
<p>Advice from One American Student to Another American Student: </p>
<p>As far as I am concerned, "Asians like you" (and I) have two very important things in common:
1) The color of our skin 2) The knowledge that neither one of us is exactly "like" any other human being</p>
<p>That first one is obvious to anyone who sees you or reads the box you check on your application, so there is no need for you to do much there. You could not change your race if you wanted to, and I would not know why you would want to. </p>
<p>The second thing that we share is not so obvious to the rest of the world. Your task right now is to figure out how to show the adcom what you already know: that there is no other applicant who is exactly like you. If you can do this, I have no doubt that you will be successful at the end of this trying admissions process (Your gpa and scores are stronger than mine, and they are comparable to those of my fellow Brown 2010 admits.) </p>
<p>Breathe. Breathe some more. With your grades and your SAT scores, youve laid a solid groundwork for your application prospects--but the most challenging (and most rewarding) part of this process is only beginning for you. Youve got to pull together all your accomplishments and your knowledge in a way that makes sense to you and to an admissions officer trying to figure out what kind of person you are. </p>
<p>Bottom Line:
To thine own self be true. Know who you are, and then show them what you got. You just need to do your personal best and show them why they want you.</p>
<p>1 - Am I think only remotely skeptical person on this board? Those test scores are absolutely ridiculous. And oh yea - he's volunteered for 400 hours and is a varsity swimmer and plays in an orchestra.
2 - How are people so pessimistic? If this person is for real, 2390 SAT; 800 Bio, Chem, History, Math2c; 36 on EVERY SECTION of the ACT; and top 4% in the class. There's not a school in this nation that qualifies as an "uber-reach" for some one with stats like that. Unless he gets incarcerated or writes an essay threatening an adcom's family member, I think pretty much every school is well within grasp.</p>
<p>heybucs -- it's definitely true that "every school is well within grasp" for a student with scores like that, but Brown (and similar schools) are a reach for anybody. Brown rejects valedictorians and incredibly talented people all the time. Having great scores and a high GPA will definitely increase your chances, but it's not enough to get anyone in.</p>
<p>Your Chinese ethnicity will not help you. In fact it may hinder you. Your stats are excellent, but theres really no way of telling for Harvard, Stanford, or even Brown. JHU ur in i think.</p>