UCLA, Cal, CMU, Rice, suggestions welcome

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>-Junior
-GPA: 4.0UW
-SAT: 2320
-APs: I'll have taken 2 APs as a sophmore, 4 APs as a junior, and 6 APs as a senior.
--I'm expecting 4/5s on all of them.
I think I'll have decent essays and recs.</p>

<p>I have nearly no extracurriculars. Those I have:
-Piano, 7 years (but no competitions/recognition)
-Exchange Program with France: 1 month visiting, 1 month hosting a French student
-Some experience at a machine shop- hobby, no apprenticeship/job or anything
-I've been self studying Spanish for a few months, but it hasn't been a super successful experience.</p>

<p>CA resident, no hook</p>

<p>I might be able to get a job for the summer.</p>

<p>I'm undecided for major, but drifting towards engineering.</p>

<p>I've become sort of wary of my lack of ECs. I know it's common to tell people that they couldn't have possibly just sat around for years, but I might as well have done that. I used to play video games so much, but I cut them out of my life a few months ago. However, it hasn't fixed any deficiencies I still have. I'm confident in my academics, but I haven't participated in sports or really any clubs. I feel a lot more comfortable about not attending some prestigious school, but I still want to know how far my academics will get me. It seems to me that the consideration of ECs sort of blends into the rankings.</p>

<p>Some target schools, but I'm looking for suggestions:
UCLA
UCB
Carnegie-Mellon (CIT)
Rice
Cornell</p>

2

<p>badahbump</p>

3

<p>A few questions before I can answer:

  1. You’re a junior, correct?
  2. Does your GPA of a 4.0 include any A-'s. If so, how many
  3. How do you think your teacher recs would be? Would the teachers talk about you as one of their best students (maybe top 3 in a small, private school or top 6/7 in a larger public school)</p>
4

<p>Yes, I’m a junior.
I have 2 A-'s.
Probably nothing spectacular from the recs. But they know me pretty well as a serious student, and I can trust them to be able to write a decent rec.</p>

5

<p>I think you have a shot at all of them, but your lack of EC’s will hurt you. No matter how excellent an ACT or SAT score, nothing can make up for being able to show a college WHO you are. UCLA and B are high matches. The rest low reaches.
I was recently accepted at all those schools with similar stats. 4.0 UW, 34 ACT, 750 on 3 subject tests, 4’s and 5’s on AP tests. However, my activities stood out relative to those of my peers.</p>