<p>Oh boy… another Asian applicant. </p>
<p>Here’s my opinion of the breakdown, which uses almost same text that I have posted on another thread, to another Asian applicant with similar stats.</p>
<p>Background information: Ethnicity and Gender are automatically a minus. Asians comprise of 4.4% of the American civilian population, as of 2002, but make up 20% of college students (Government Census). Since it’s been 7 years since the provided census was made, we can probably assume that the percentages are much higher, and as such, we are vastly over-represented and held to a much higher standard than other minorities. (Well, at least you aren’t an Asian girl)</p>
<p>Numbers: Solid, you really don’t need to retake anything, but applicants to Ivy schools will have similar stats. What should distinguish anyone from the pool are one’s ECs, recommendations, and essays. But again, your numbers are stellar and should be a big boost to your chances. </p>
<p>ECs: Story time! One of my mentors is a current college student. Like you, he was stellar musician and a tennis player. He was a concertmaster and the orchestra president to one of the best orchestras in the state. In addition, he was a first violinist in the All-Northwest orchestra, an orchestra that takes students from Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Also, he was a part of the University of Washington music conservatory system and the first violin in the Seattle Youth Symphony, the best youth symphony in the Northwest. IN ADDITION, he was our valedictorian, a class officer, captain of the varsity tennis team, a published journalist in state and national newspapers, and the president of the school’s biggest community service organization club. However, come April 1st, he was rejected to all of the Ivies he had applied to (but he did go to one of the best liberal arts schools in the world. Yay!). When I asked my tutor (he and I had the same tutor, who is a syndicated columnist that writes about education), he told me that he was rejected because he did not distinguish himself in his pool. Why? Because he was TOO Asian.</p>
<p>Okay, moving on. I promise things will be happier here </p>
<p>Debate: You do have some strong awards here. Ivies definitely love debaters, especially Cross-X. I don’t know your district, and your awards, but if you have made it to district/state/nationals, that’s a nice feather to your cap.</p>
<p>Hospital: Many people volunteer at hospitals, but 400 hours is definitely intense and shows an incredible commitment. </p>
<p>Hooks?: Where are you from? Are you the first generation college student in your family? Do you need financial aid?</p>
<p>Overall: As KRNPro has said, you need to distinguish yourself from other Asians, which is ironic, considering that he and I are both Asians. You have about four months before most of the college applications are due. Take that four months and do something that almost NO ONE (or at least almost NO ASIAN) teen has done before, to distinguish yourself from the crowd. This is a must. I’m not even kidding. </p>
<p>Addition: Are you only asking for Ivies? Any other colleges that you are currently considering? Many Asians (and their parents) don’t know this, but many high-tier Liberal Arts Colleges (LAC), such as Swarthmore, Harvey Mudd, and Reed have produced a higher doctorate rate for undergrads than any Ivy league institution. Check the link below.</p>
<p>(P.S. could you please list your schools?)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p20-540.pdf[/url]”>http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p20-540.pdf</a>
<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/x15575.xml[/url]”>http://www.swarthmore.edu/x15575.xml</a></p>
<p>And… backchance
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/746334-what-my-chances-these-liberal-arts-colleges-others.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/746334-what-my-chances-these-liberal-arts-colleges-others.html</a></p>