<p>Hello, my name is Axel, and i am a senior in High School. I have been researching a lot about going to college since last year, but even though, not matter how much i try to convince myself i have not gained the confidence of getting accepted into the schools that i want. I live in California, in the Central Valley, and i am trying to apply to UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCD, and Stanford University, and some other schools as back up, but due to my uncertainty on my academic achievement and my extra curricular activities i am not very secure that i can really make it into my top 3 (Stanford, UCLA, and Berkeley).
So far, i have a 3.91 GPA (Augmented) and i am currently taking 3 AP classes and i have A's in all of them plus including my ROP. I feel a little confident on my class achievement but not on my Test Scores, I've taken the SAT once and i have obtained a 1490, which really put me down, i am a really bad test taker, and i am an extreme slow reader, so taking 25 minutes to answer a 24 question section that has 3 to 4 passages takes me longer than i should, and therefore stress gets to me, that is what i concluded to be the downfall of my scores. I have studied hard and plan to take two more upcoming tests, i have practice and so far my score has increased by 200 points, although i still think it is relatively low.
And concerning Extracurricular Activities, i am only involved in two clubs, for one, Robotics, i am the treasurer of it, and for the other (interact club) i have barely joined but i am enthusiastic to participate. I have leadership activities like Link Crew and i have participated in events that the school does to promote unity and equality of each student, e.g. Breaking Down the Walls (which has been one of the greatest experiences in my life). I have my ROP's Job site, which is Careers in Education, and what we do is going to schools and learn all the applications to become a teacher or an educator or anyone that would be involved in some sort of career in education. I don't really want to be into the educational career pathway, but i still thought of this ROP as helpful, since i plan to become as Psychologist.
I know that the Essay is a huge part for the acceptance process,so i am putting most of my hopes on it, and so i have looked at the prompt. I saw that there is a intellectual vitality essay, to be honest i do not know how to express my intellectuality, i know i am smart, but unfortunately i have not had experiences that had helped me through my development (Not that i know any of). and so i am lost in the issue of what to write. and i was hoping you could assist me to give me some ideas on what i can base that essay about.
Just for you to know if you choose to help me, i came to the United States (legally) from Mexico not more than 4 years ago, not knowing any English, and nothing about the culture. I have gone through some rough times, but i was able to walk by pass them. I was planning on writing something about this, but i truly don't know how this helped my intellect. I have also optioned to write about some of my ideals or ways of thinking since it is also something i can use for the essay, because i have also seen that most of the people write in their essays about their experiences but not their ideas and how they had put them into practice. I planned to go with that as well, but i have some really weird philosophies, and i don't know, if using them would require for the reader of my essay to be able to understand or at least agree with them.
I would truly appreciate your help if you are willing to assist me.</p>
<p>1490 total?</p>
<p>Sorry, even with your 200 point increase, (as painful the truth might be) it will be impossible for you to get into those schools…</p>
<p>with “some” exceptions? there are lots of exceptions: there is a minority group that scores in the range 1800-2100 and still gets into Stanford. don’t overestimate the importance of the test – it’s just numbers, and what will matter more is the rest of the app. HOWEVER, an ADMISSIBLE threshold is required, OP. At least a 1900, with 600 or more in each section. To reach a point where test scores don’t matter in admission decisions, you need to score 700 in each section, and about a 2100 in total.</p>
<p>You have an amazing story and seem like a passionate person. Privates like that, UC’s dont really care. I’d say with that SAT score it would be very hard to get accepted into a UC since they really just look at your stats. However, I would strongly recommend you apply to some low, medium, and medium high tier privates, which would love your back story.</p>
<p>Chance me back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1562631-any-chance-yale.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1562631-any-chance-yale.html</a></p>
<p>Sorry, but the only applicants with <2100 SATs getting into Stanford are athletes. I think you need to be looking at a very different category of school.
P.S. I do think your story is compelling, the problem is that Stanford is going to be getting applications from plenty of recent immigrants who’s scored 2300. You need to give them a good reason to take you over them and that’s going to very difficult to do.</p>
<p>Let me just say to start that I have a lot of admiration for someone who moves here, does not speak English, and still can achieve such an amazing record in only 4 years!! You must be very bright and an extremely hard worker. That being said, I think your test scores may be a problem for most of the school you have listed. Have you actually visited any of these schools? They are all relatively large schools (Stanford not as much) and can be pretty overwhelming. I know that there are some smaller private schools that offer a lot of financial aid. Cal LUtheran in Thousand Oaks might be a good school for you to look at. They are relatively small, with a lot of one on one help, and small class size. They offer good scholarships. I’m sure there are others out there that might be just as good a fit for you. I wonder if the large class size at some of the UC’s might be a little overwhelming if you are still learning English. Just a thought. Best of luck!!!</p>
<p>thank you guys, i appreciate your input. and i took the SAT again and i got a 1980 on my score. I have taken it again and I’m sure i will do better. I have realized that maybe Stanford can wait for me probably for graduate school, but now i am more focus on UC’s. and @takeitallin thank you, and it wouldn’t be overwhelming for me, i have mastered the language already and i do not have any problem with it besides my accent, i appreciate your concern</p>
<p>I think you should try to learn how to read faster. Try the book “break-through rapid reading”</p>
<p>That’s a great improvement and will help a lot for UC’s. UC’s aren’t as selective about the SAT scores as Stanford. Berkeley and UCLA will be interested in your story, so essays are important. It is okay if you have unconventional thinking–original thought is good. But you don’t just talk about philosophies in essays, you have to talk about what you do and how you act on it. I don’t know if that is your UC gpa or what, so I don’t know where you stand. What is augmented?</p>
<p>Now that’s if you are a green card holder. If you are not, then you are back to slim chances.</p>
<p>You need to have a couple of safety schools that you can get into and can afford.</p>
<p>For help on your essays, read the latest post from the website “Essay Hell” which is dedicated to helping students with their college essays - it’s all about Prompt 1 for the UC’s. Peruse the entire website, it’s got great ideas for essays and good advice on how to avoid mistakes. Tell a story that shows who you are because of what happened to you, and take the reader right in the middle of “what happened” as it happened.</p>
<p>What’s your class rank? I think you can definitely reach for UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD. With UCSC as a safety.
Other schools where your grades, academic success, and grit would be taken into account are the Claremont, especially Pitzer, Occidental, and further away on the Coast Whitman or Willamette. A smaller school you’d be sure to get into would be Whittier or St Mary’s of California.
Run the Net Price Calculators on each school website (each school calculates differently).
You can still apply to Stanford, but keep your hopes in check, the likelihood that you’d get in are very very slim (you’d need a first-prize in something to have a shot).</p>