<p>well if you're lookin for an opinion on where to use your ED, you should give us a run down of your stats so we can assess where it'll be most useful.</p>
<p>Okay... I'm a junior at an excellent school in nyc. I'm hispanic/latina. And nobody gets 4.0's. It's pretty much impossible to get a straight 4.0 at my school.</p>
<p>No legacy. My dad went to music school but dropped out at the end (he works in business now) and my mom isn't from here.</p>
<p>Ethnicity/Gender: Hispanic Female
unweighted GPA: I don' know, but it's in the A/A- range. 3.8? 3.9? Something like that.
SATs: haven't taken yet. I kept on getting around 2300 combined when I was practicing for the PSAT's, though. I'm going to study for sat's, so I hope it'll get better.
SAT IIs: no scores yet. I took math2C last year, but collegeboard lost the registration (don't ask) and I haven't sent it in yet. I found out which ones I got wrong, and when I looked it up, I got around a 780, so my score is probably around that (depending on the curve this year). I'm going to take physics this year, and maybe spanish or literature.
APs taken: none yet. I'm taking stat and ush this year, though.
Class Rank: we're not ranked (it's a private school). </p>
<p>NOTE: my school doesn't let juniors take AP's. I'm taking ap stat, though, because I took precalc last year, and history is apush for people getting a b+ or higher (it's kind of complicated), no one is forced to take the ap exam in it.</p>
<p>Current Classes:
English (no levels) - A so far
American History (will probably take AP test, but no levels) - A so far
AP Statistics - A or A+ so far (not sure which)
Accelerated Physics - A so far
Advanced French - B so far =/
5 Religious classes.
Drawing & Painting, Gym, Health. </p>
<p>Next Year's Classes (I think - it's tentative):
AP English
AP Physics
AP Calculus BC
AP Euro
an elective English class
4 religious classes
art, maybe? </p>
<p>Extra Curricular Activities:
Piano (since the age of 5)
Debate (10th grade)
Hockey (9th, 10th, 11th) - possibly Captain this year
Chorus (9th, 10th, 11th)
School Newspaper (9th, 10th)
School Magazine (9th, 10th, 11th) - assistant editor last year, editor-in-chief this year.
Art Club (10th)
Math Team (10th, 11th)
Tutoring Middle Schoolers (10th, 11th) - 60 hours last year.
Chinese Club (11th) - President
Science Research (11th) - intensive science program through school.
Translation Magazine (11th) - founder and editor in chief (I speak 6 languages)
Girls Write Now (11th) - creative writing program outside of school
NY Science Fair (11th)
I'm thinking of publishing some of my writing (I've spoken to professional writers - parents' friends - about it) (11th)
volunteering with Hamilton-Madison house (10th)
Dorot (9th, 11th)</p>
<p>Awards:
10th grade community service award (for taking a girl with learning disabilities and turning her grades around)
(I'm submitting work for the Scholastic writing award)</p>
<p>Summers:
after 9th - girls sleepaway camp & self-studied alg.2 & trig
after 10th - took advanced creative writing at columbia university and did translation there, too. I was the only person in the whole program to translate from two languages.</p>
<p>I don't know if my stats are good or bad, so I don't know how to explain this, and I don't want to sound pompous (I feel like stats tend to do that), but I'm really capable. I got tested (like IQ and stuff) and I did really, really well. I know that that doesn't really show (like I'm smarter than I look here) but I'm in the pg range. So despite whatever the above looks like (I don't know if it's good/bad because I've never put them up here or showed them to anyone), I know that if I got into Yale, I could do the work. </p>
<p>So... these are my stats! What do you think?</p>
<p>If you're getting 2300 combined as a hispanic female with a 3.8 UW (with APs) from a top school, then I don't see any reason why you would feel your chances at Yale or Harvard or Princeton would be diminished. Especially if you can turn in strong AP scores this year with good SAT IIs (if you can repeat your Math IIC), then you would be a fantastic applicant to Harvard or Princeton (values diversity very highly). As a hispanic female with a seeming interest in science you should look upper tier.</p>
<p>I agree. If your test scores turn out to be as good as you predict, you are going to be a strong candidate at any school. Obviously you won't use your ED at Harvard or Princeton if you're not interested. I would give Yale a shot anyways, but if you're not going to apply there b/c you don't think you'll get in, I'd use your ED at Columbia - which is probably where you'll need it most since it's so difficult to get accepted.</p>
<p>I agree...I don't understand why you're caught up in the "I'm going to get rejected because everyone else was" thing. It's actually kind of annoying! Apply to Yale, for God's sake. You're a minority with super high test scores, good grades, and decent extracurriculars. You have a GREAT shot at Yale, Columbia, and Harvard. Apply to whichever one you want. Trust me, you have great chances at all three, so stop with the negative attitude. It'll only limit your choices.</p>
<p>Thanks. I'll see how I do for the rest of the year and next year, who knows? Hopefully I'll apply and get into Yale. It's been my dream forever, really, and I really want to go there...</p>
<p>Do you know of any ways I could possibly improve my stats? I have time to... I mean, I use it to have a life, but if there are any ways I could improve them... any suggestions?</p>
<p>I think you should get off these boards and just concentrate on turning those test score predictions into reality.</p>
<p>why would you not apply? if you apply and you get rejected, you cannot go. but if you don't apply, you cannot go either. i do not think you should see a difference between the former and the latter.</p>
<p>"I think you should get off these boards and just concentrate on turning those test score predictions into reality." -dearsiryes </p>
<p>I didn't predict my test scores. I took Math IIC already, and I counted how many I skipped and estimated how many I got wrong (and asked what other ppl got on certain questions afterwards) and that was my predicted score.</p>
<p>For the SAT's, that was the score that I kept on getting when I did practice SAT's. It's predicted, but I always get either a little higher or a little lower than that when I practice...</p>
<p>Lol chill. I'm concentrating on work and stuff, too. It's not like I focus all my time on CC... :)</p>
<p>I'm afraid of rejection. If I don't apply to Yale, then I'll never know if I was good enough to get in, but if I do apply and get rejected, I'll know that I wasn't good enough, and I don't know how I'd be able to recover from that.</p>
<p>"but if I do apply and get rejected, I'll know that I wasn't good enough, and I don't know how I'd be able to recover from that."</p>
<p>That's just a ridiculous attitude. First of all, if you do get rejected, it doesn't necessarily mean you're not good enough. It just means there are too many people applying for a few spots. How do you pick between 3 equally qualified people for one spot? Well, sometimes it's just luck. And it's also luck that you're the son/daughter of a senator or celebrity or dean of the school etc. There are just things that are not in your control. Don't sweat it.</p>
<p>Secondly, many people have been rejected by their first choice. And I'm pretty sure most if not all have recovered. I for one was rejected at my first choice school my senior year and I got over it. </p>
<p>I'm perfectly happy where I am now...so learn to deal with it. Like everyone else.</p>
<p>These are the kinds of students in high school who look outstanding on paper, but do not belong at top schools. The interview process will probably rule her out at Yale, Harvard, and Princeton.</p>
<p>It's called playing it safe. And anyway, this is what I think, but it's not something that I'd really make known to colleges when being interviewed. They don't ask you things like, "oh do you think you'll get in?" </p>
<p>They talk to you and try to figure out who you are as a person. I'm not defined by what college I want to go to. I'd really like to get to Yale somehow, but it doesn't make me. I don't see how being afraid to apply will rule me out. I want to be done with the college process early, so I want to apply ED to a place that's good and where I'll have a really good chance of getting into. Statistically (at my school), I have a good chance at Penn and Columbia, but not Yale. That's why I'm afraid. How does that make me a student who does "not belong at top schools?"</p>
<p>ya uhh...i agree maybe you should focus some more on your scores and stuff and making sure you hit your expectations</p>
<p>getting 2300s on practice SATs say nothing, and since you have no scores at all you might want to start taking them soon, and fast</p>
<p>everything else seems to be fine, although i would not be surprised if you are extremely distraught when you receive your letters of acceptance/rejection. I don't think "yea so i guess i will have to go to penn or columbia for a year or two and then transfer" is too smart of a plan</p>
<p>let's be realistic here... tons of people who dream of their first choice schools 24/7 don't get it; you may have to realize that there are other schools besides yale, and if you don't get in 1st round (it is unlikely for anyone), then it is even more difficult as a transfer</p>
<p>You have a ridiculous attitude. What you should do is apply Early Decision to your top choice school and leave it at that. Statistically what you are doing makes no sense. It is MUCH, MUCH harder to get in for transfer than it is for early decision. Do you think you're suddenly going to not be terrified of rejection for transfer admission? Look through the transfer threads for the incoming Fall '06 class and just see how many extremely qualified applicants were rejected. I guarantee you that you won't get in to Yale if you don't apply to Yale, so just do it now. By the way, plenty of people get in to Yale but not Penn or Columbia. Getting in to Harvard/Yale/Princeton does not mean you will get in to all the other Ivies. Columbia and Penn are not back-ups to Yale, or any other school.</p>
<p>Let's say you get in to an Ivy League school and your inability to handle failure (and ohhh will you experience it at an Ivy League) makes you end up with a 3.0 GPA. That won't get you in anywhere good for transfer.</p>