Stanford/UCLA/UCB?

Applying to College
1

<p>admit/waitlist/defer/reject please: stanford (EA) (maybe if the adcoms are smoking something, haha), u of michigan, cornell, dartmouth, UCLA, UCB, brown</p>

<p>bay area, cali resident
junior
white female
1 legacy at Stanford</p>

<p>PSATs: 550 math, 710 critical reading, 780 writing
(currently studying for SATs ... hope to bring up math score..)</p>

<p>-soph: 4.0 uw, 4.1 w both semesters
AP Euro: 5
-junior year semester one (worst case scenario): 3.3 uw, 4.0 w
-semester two: (predicted): 3.7-3.8uw 4.4-4.5 w</p>

<p>I'm certain I can pull up these grades next semester ... I had a really hard time adjusting to the workload/learning to balance my time but now I know how to improve. </p>

<p>hooks: zoology/art</p>

<p>*environmental studies program in costa rica through BU, ( 1 mo.) college credit
summer volunteer @ san francisco zoo, 100+ hours
5 year volunteer @ lindsay wildlife museum
girl scout gold award recipient (created program for inner city kids about nature)</p>

<p>*california state art scholar ( 1 mo. @ CalArts, college credit)
illustrated cover for paperback book (small publishing company)
art portfolio from AP art
3 years figure drawing classes </p>

<p>*hosted spanish exchange student, lived with spanish family for a couple weeks.</p>

<p>in school:
editorial staff: literary magazine catharsis (4 years) co-editor in chief junior year
national honor society (3 years)
california scholarship federation (2 years)
science alliance (3 years) - helping 5th graders make science fair projects</p>

<p>expecting:
recs: pretty good, not amazing
essays: good</p>

<p>**not bad enough for learning disability, but kinda interesting: have synesthesia, which affects my math ability. basically all numbers and letters are colored, and i see colors for every sound i hear. neurological/genetic anomaly.</p>

2

<p>Sorry, but you need to get real. You're not close. Stanford takes 25%of legacies and they score as high as everyone. Don't know about the Cal State schools.</p>

3

<p>LOL, yeah, that's sort of what I thought too. I'll of course also be applying to lots of lesser schools ... I'm just posting my biggest reaches to see what people thought.</p>

<p>One can dream. XD</p>

4

<p>Cal State? I think that, were I to apply to a CalState school, I'd have quite a good chance ... I hear that CalStates are much less competitive than UCs. </p>

<p>But, I could be wrong.</p>

5

<p>Wow, synesthesia. That is very interesting. I heard about it for the first time several months ago when NPR did a piece on it. I was intrigued.</p>

6

<p>LDs yup they basically ruin math...I did fairly good in every subject(well passed) except math 9th grade! the new school im at im doing better but yah..its just not the same as public school(its a tiny weeny 90 kid 5-12th grade LD/ADD/ADhd alternative school on longisland) I went from public school grade of 300+ kids to 15 kids outta 90 in my grade</p>

7

<p>Does anyone have any more input for me? I'd also love to hear any suggestions for good colleges that would be more in my reach...</p>

8

<p>Apply to Stanford anyway. Your scores, grades, and ECs are good enough to get you considered, but you'll have to write some stellar essays in. Unless another school would be a more strategic EA/ED choice, go ahead and do SCEA at Stanford.</p>

<p>The synesthesia thing could make for an interesting essay topic.</p>

9

<p>If you bring up test scores, you will be considered at the UC's and Michigan. If you can keep the GPA up second semester junior year like you predict, you will probably either get accepted or deferred, and if you're deferred, just get sweet grades senior year and you're probably in.</p>

10

<p>Make sure you study a lot for that math score. You should have at least a high 600s, to have a better chance.
I don't know your GPA overall, but they can't be bad. (First semester of junior year sounds iffy tho). Your activites are pretty good. :)
Just give it your all for the next year.
As we Koreans say... "HWAI-TING!" Go for it!</p>

11

<p>Thanks for the encouragement chibearsfan17 and syneria!</p>

<p>As for my overall GPA, it's probably not too bad since I recieved a 4.0 uw freshman year and 4.0 uw/4.1 sophmore year too. It's only this semester that my grades took a dip, but now I know what mistakes not to make and I think I can definetly do much better next semester.</p>

<p>When colleges look at your GPA, do they look at an average of all 4 years or just your junior year grades?</p>

12

<p>Make sure your GPA doesn't drop second semester junior year! Because for one, UCs look at your grades only your sophomore and junior year. They don't count your freshman (not really) and your senior year doesn't even matter at all to the UCs.</p>

<p>Most private colleges however look at all your grades, though they seem to downplay your freshman year grades and look at senior year (first semester) only if you're doing regular decision. They follow up on those senior grades eventually (even for EA/ED) but as far as senior year second semester goes, as long as you don't get D's or F's, you're fine.</p>

13

<p>Prediction means absolutely nothing than actual work. </p>

<p>please. why are people on this board obsessed with predicting?</p>

<p>senior year second semester-i dont' think you should get c's either if you got into stanford.</p>

14

<p>Sadly, chrissy, neither the UC's or Michigan consider freshman grades. But again, second semester junior year and first semester senior year are probably the most important semesters for grades (they receive the most weight) so if you do well at those times, your chances look good.</p>