TAMS chances

Pre-College Issues Summer Programs
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<p>TAMS chances </p>

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<p>Yes, I am perfectly aware that TAMS (Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science) is not a prep school or a summer program, but I couldn't really think of anywhere else to post this chances thread, so please bear with me...</p>

<p>SAT: 2270 (710 M , 800 CR , 760 W (meh))</p>

<p>GPA: 6.833333 (our school district is weird, and uses a 7.0 GPA scale, but UW GPA for me would be 4.0...that means I made all A's, right???)</p>

<p>Teacher Recs: Excellent. My chem teacher is also my job supervisor so she and I spend a little too much time with each other. My math teacher has a devil-may-care attitude but I'm pretty sure we have mutual respect. My English teacher is convinced I'm the next Shakespeare (just kidding, she just sort of likes me!)</p>

<p>Awards (these are what I listed on my app, don't laugh...they're pretty pathetic):
1) National Recognition, DUKE TIP 7th grade talent search
2) 5th place, Texas State Geography Bee
3) District Recognition, Poetry and Scholastic regional Gold Key: Poetry
4) Several school-wide awards for Integrated Physics and Chemistry, Biology, Algebra, English I, World Geography
5) Various comp sci programming awards (nothing big, mind you)</p>

<ul>
<li>I had a pretty laissez-faire attitude about the rat race known as college admissions before sophomore year but have now concluded that I need to step it up and consequently am a lot more involved in my studies... A lot of things are bound to happen this year!</li>
</ul>

<p>ECs (Again, only what I put on app)
1) Student Council, 4 years
2) Key Club, past 2 years, 125+ hours of community service so far with more to come this summer
3) Chemistry Lab Assistant (1 year, am very passionate about this)
4) President, Beta Club
5) President, Computer Science Club
6) Model UN
7) Spanish National Honors Society (will receive scholarship at end of year for maintaining a 99.3 cumulative semester average over 3 years)</p>

<p>AP, Honors classes taken (this is part of admissions criteria)
1) AP World History
2) AP Spanish Language
3) AP Computer Science A
4) Will be taking AP Art History Test</p>

<p>Prospective APs:
1) AP Calculus BC* (that is, if I can pass Precal Credit by Exam this summer)
2) AP Chemistry
3) AP English Language
4) AP US History
5) AP Computer Science AB</p>

<p>Essays: I think they'll be pretty good, I'm a decent writer and my passion for science and research is very real. Hopefully this passion will guide me as I put pen to paper (yeah, haven't written them yet )</p>

<p>I hope I haven't forgotten anything and that I bestowed any prospective chancers with adequate information. Please help me out...my thoroughly-bitten nails will thank you!!!</p>

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<p>Sigh. This is really depressing. I'd appreciate any help whatsoever.</p>

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<p>i live down the street (actually a highway, but still) from TAMS. i doubt you'll get many responses on this board/website because hardly anyone's heard of TAMS much less knows the admissions 'criteria.'</p>

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<p>I'd crosspost this in the prep school forum. They might have a better idea, although most of the people in there are younger with far fewer things to reccomend them. You might freak the 8th grade prospecives out and they will just say you're a shoe-in. I don't know about the school but you sound like a strong applicant for anything. However, your APs don't really relate to math or science (CS aside). That might work against your favor.</p>

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<p>I'm sort of confused. you are applying to a Math/Science magnet school.... But your scores and classes seem to be tangent to that. Like your stats are pretty impressive but I'm not seeing a whole lot of math going on, and your SAT I score for math was your lowest one. Just thought it was interesting.</p>

<p>I know nothing about the program but anywhere with those stats they would definitely consider you.</p>

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<p>Thanks very much for all the responses...</p>

<p>TAMS is for current sophomores, so (rather unfortunately) I haven't really gotten a chance to take some hard math/science APs because our district does not offer them and I was unaware that one could take them online, etc. It's really unfortunate, and might hurt me, but the TAMS people also stated that they're interested in honors courses, and I've taken plenty of those in Math and Science.</p>

<p>Yes, you've found the gaping hole in my app...my math SAT score frankly sucks. However, it was done with little prep and I hope to convince the admissions people that I have far greater potential than what the score seems to insinuate.</p>

<p>As for the lack of Math/Science related ECs, I'm from a suburban school district in Texas...give me a break, lol... I'm afraid that I simply never had the opportunity to do research, etc., and I'm not really proud of it and hope to rectify it at TAMS (one of my main motivators to apply was the level of research available). Thus, my lack of Math/Science ECs is precisely why I'm applying to TAMS because I know my own heart and know that Science is my true passion even if I've pursued it on an unofficial level all these years. I hope that my (still-unfinished!) essays will be able to effectively communicate these sentiments. </p>

<p>Again, thanks very much for responding.</p>

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<p>bump......</p>

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<p>Confused. </p>

<p>So is this a school. Or a program.... or what?</p>

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<p>Yes, I suppose I should clarify.</p>

<p>I posted this in the program section b/c I hoped to get more responses, but TAMS is actually a two-year residential program that allows current sophomores to complete their junior and senior years of high school concurrently with the first two years of college. </p>

<p>Sorry if this has caused any confusion, I now realize that not many people outside of Texas may know what TAMS actually is, much less give me an assessment of my chances!</p>

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<p>you're in...I'm from TX and my friends from sophomore year who scored in the low 1400s (old) SAT got accepted. Don't worry...the good part (or bad) is that in recent years TAMS admissions is getting more lax. I think they practically accept everyone that isn't completely horrible now. The only reason you would go to TAMS imo is to take advantage of the research opportunities. Otherwise, if you're not interested in research you're better off for college chances if you stay at your school and work hard.</p>

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<p>Just for purposes of reference (in case someone wants to gauge chances),</p>

<p>I got in. </p>

<p>Thanks everyone!</p>

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<p>In the future, this kind of thread would fit well in the High School Forum, and perhaps in the Prep School Forum. </p>

<p>Congratulations on the acceptance.</p>