<p>I go to an average school in New jersey that rarely sends graduates to good schools. I am ranked 124/900, but only because I don't do well in English class. </p>
<p>I took Calculus AB freshman year, BC sophomore year, and have taken multivariable calculus and linear algebra at my local college. </p>
<p>My SATs are:</p>
<p>V: 570
M: 800
W: 590</p>
<p>Math II:800 Math I: 800 Chemistry: 770</p>
<p>My GPA is 3.6 UW</p>
<p>My ECs</p>
<p>Math team (captain)
Chess team (captain)
Student council (treasurer)</p>
<p>What are my chances for:</p>
<p>Caltech
Carnegie Mellon
Rice
U Michigan
MIT</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I think you already know that your chances at these top schools are slim indeed, based on the limited info you have provided. Caltech and MIT are probably out of the picture; with admission rates of roughly 15%, they are long shots for nearly everybody – even those with perfect test scores and impressive ECs. Rice and CMU have slightly higher admission rates (25 - 28%) but they too are very selective and will have thousands of applicants with equal or better qualifications. If you are a Michigan resident, that would clearly be your best shot.</p>
<p>Do you have some mitigating circumstances for your relatively poor verbal skills – e.g., English being your second language? Do you think you could do better if you retake the SAT? (or maybe try the ACT?) Do you have activities outside school to compensate for your apparent lack of ECs – like church/community service or a part-time job? Any of these things would help strengthen your application.</p>
<p>Have you taken any AP classes other than calculus (if your school offers them)? How about honors classes? </p>
<p>And since you are so clearly oriented towards math, do you have any special credentials in that field, like participating in AIME or USAMO? Again, those would help you in the admissions process.</p>
<p>Go ahead and apply to one or two of the schools you have listed if you want to, but understand that they are reach schools for you. Be sure to fill out the rest of your list with schools that are less selective and would perhaps be more forgiving of the lopsidedness of your test scores and minimal ECs.</p>
<p>I moved here from Estonia when I was 10. While seven years is usually enough time for kids/teenagers to become fluent in a language, something seems to just not have clicked for me. I also captained the math team to a 2nd place finish statewide. I realize that these schools get people with the same math and science ability but much better English skills. If I explain in my essay my difficulty of getting past the language barrier, do you think my chances for these schools could be improved?</p>
<p>Also, I have taken APs other than math… in science</p>
<p>The scores are:</p>
<p>Calculus AB - 5
Calculus BC - 5
Chemistry - 4
Physics B - 5
Physics C - 5 (M)
Physics C - 5 (EM)
C. Science A - 4</p>
<p>I hope that this changes something for the better. And yes, I am still looking at safety schools, but I am only wondering about my chances at these schools.</p>