Weird Situation, Chances at H,Y,P,S,D

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Well my situation is unlike many or any others. I'm really counting on my essay and story to help me get in. I'm born in 88 and should have been graduating this year as the Class of 06 but I'm not [my choice]. I was involved in a car accident on 10/8/05 and was hospitalized for a month [and a day] in a coma and also with life threatning brain trauma. I chose to start my college applications in November and finished my UC applications to Berk, LA, SD, and Davis with the working brain of someone who couldnt do 15 times 42 at the time. With crappy essays and all I was still accepted to all those schools [my last choices] with Regent Scholarships and such. Now my real hopes are of leaving California and my abusive mother [when I was smaller]. I'm a 18 year old Korean American male living in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have received no credit this entire 06 school year and have been getting a headstart on my college app essays. Now I need people's opinions on my college chances and whether I'm being realistic or just have side effects of that brain trauma. Well I'm giving you my life story I guess but also I've lived with a single mother for the majority of my life and I dont keep in touch with my father. Ok as of now I plan to apply for the 07 year to:</p>

<p>Harvard [EC]
Yale [not sure]
Princeton
Stanford
Duke
MIT
Brown
UPenn
Tufts
Johns Hopkins
UCLA, Berk</p>

<p>Well here's my lovely transcript. Btw I go to a public high school in the suburbs of San Francisco with a total of around 1300 students. Oh btw its 51% Asian and I really despise that to tell you the truth. We're a very competitive high school but I know nationally or even locally its not the best.</p>

<p>Here go my EC's, not the best:
JSA Club President and Founder in 2006
Symphonic and Jazz Band Member for 4 years and Music President
6 CMEA Music Awards of Superior and 2 Command Performances for both Saxophone and Piano
National Merit Commendation
Robotics Team Project Manager
Physics Club Vice President
Varsity Letter for Football
Journalism Sports Editor
Baseball Pitcher for 2 years [big deal]
There might be other I'm forgetting but obviously not that great.</p>

<p>Btw I expect amazingly good teacher recs and counselor rec for my app due to the situation I've been through and how I've recovered to the level I have.</p>

<p>Transcript:
9th Grade:
Band
PE
Jazz Band
Algebra 3-4: A
Chem 1-2: A
Modern World History H: A
English 1-2 H: A
Football / Baseball</p>

<p>Summer:
Biology 1-2: A+</p>

<p>10th Grade:
Band
Jazz Band
Football / Baseball
Pre Calculus: A
Physics B AP: A
Spanish 1-2: A
English 3-4 H: A</p>

<p>Summer:
Health [required to graduate]: A
Psychology: A</p>

<p>11th Grade:
Band
Jazz Band
USAP: A
Physics C AP: A
Chem AP: A
English 5-6 H: A
Calculus BC AP: A+
Spanish 3-4: A</p>

<p>Summer:
JSA Stanford Program
AP Comparative Government: A-
Public Speech: A-</p>

<p>12th Grade 05-06:
Accident, No grades</p>

<p>Summer:
Internship with neurologist at Kaiser Permanente</p>

<p>12th Grade [Projected Classes]:
Band
Jazz Band
English AP [both tests]
American Gov AP / Macroeconomics AP
Statistics AP
Art History AP
Spanish 5-6
Journalism</p>

<p>Thats my transcript
School Rank: District got rid of it at the end of my junior year when I was in sole possesion of 1/350.
Total Weighted GPA [Includes band, jazz band, PE]: Around a 4.3 but it always varies with schools.
Unweighted: 4.0</p>

<p>Test Scores [this is were it starts slipping]:
SAT: 2210 [might actually study and retake to break 2300]
SAT II: Math IIC 800
Physics 730
Chemistry 730
US History 730
Korean 730
ACT: Composite of 32
Math 34
Science 36
Reading 32
English 27ish
Now for the fun AP's:
10th grade:
Physics B: 4
11th grade:
Physics C Mechanics: 4
USAP: 4
Chemistry: 4
Calculus BC: 5
Planning for 12th Grade:
English Literature
English Comp or the other one
US Government
Comparative Government
European History
Macroeconomics
Art History
Statistics</p>

<p>That's all I can think of, but the reasons I'm applying to HYPS has much to do with the financial reasons. I have no siblings and live just with my mother and the household income is around $50k but this fiscal year if will be around $35k due to my mom not working for 7 months b/c of my injury. If I think of anything else I will add to this post and make it known. Personally I don't think I have the best of chances and really hope that being in a coma will end up doing some good for me. It sucks as well having the whole school already assume that Im getting into the HYPS ... like I said my school is 51% Asian.</p>

2

<p>Can someone please give me a reality check as to if I have a chance at the list of schools I posted at the top? I see lots of views but no responses. I kno its a tad bit long but please help me out here.</p>

3

<p>I think you definitely have a shot, but being an unhooked asian male interested in math and science, it might be hard. The car accident does set you apart though.</p>

4

<p>help me out here ppl can i get more opinions?</p>

5

<p>As calloused as this sounds, the act of surviving an accident isn't likely to open any doors. What have you overcome since your accident? If you have an interesting answer or perspective to this question, you may have something. </p>

<p>Overall, the stats are solid and the EC's aren't bad. Solid shot at Tufts and Hopkins; the rest are reaches but possible.</p>

6

<p>Harvard [EC]
Yale [not sure]
Princeton
Stanford
Duke
MIT
Brown
UPenn</p>

<p>all reach to slight reach (assuming you did not get into the car crash)</p>

<p>I don't want to sound unsensitive, but your scores aren't exactly top notch. Berk and LA are safe match or match at worst. The car crash sets you apart, but I am not sure if it is a good thing. Best of luck.</p>

7

<p>Your AI is 228 to 229. Anything at 230 or above is the highest rank (9 out of 9), and considering what you've gone through, and that when you came out of your accident the first thing you did was intern for a neurologist at Kaiser Permanente, I'd say your ECs could be even less than what they are and you would still get into most of the Ivies.</p>

<p>My viewpoint is that if you focus your essay on either your new appreciation for medicine and medical advances, or if you focus on the trauma you saw around you when you were in the hospital (as opposed to being concerned with your own situation), you will be accepted anyplace you apply--no exceptions. I ask you to write about this because it's obviously true or you wouldn't have gone and interned in a hospital right after your own accident. A few years ago I also had a major accident of my own and couldn't walk for about 4 months (4 months of physical therapy hell)--and this was right after I quit my job to start my own company--and I know how that affected my family and my son while he was in high school. Overcoming adversity and moving forward is a rare lesson that the Ivies need told at their schools--and they'll admit you so you can share this lesson from a first-person experience.</p>

<p>Good luck to you--</p>

<p>P.S. Ignore some of the posters on this site. Certain people will talk about how you aren't URM or you don't have perfect ECs or you have one low score on a particular test or something else. Well, guess what--75% of the class at Harvard probably ranks less than 230 on the AI--simply because they need people that bring diversity to the school. And by this I mean not only diversity in terms of ethic, gender, and race; but also in terms of experiences, backgrounds, and number of difficulties faced in life. Thus you are bringing something to Harvard/Yale/Princeton that they need desperately, but won't find in most of their applicants.</p>

8

<p>calcruzer has it right.</p>

<p>Also, several of the Ivies give all grants to those with low incomes. YPB maybe.</p>

9

<p>well ne more opinions? i know my scores arent the best and im taking the act this sat to push 34+ and first sat of 06/07 to break 2300 so im trying. but its not all scores, im not that blind [tho im asian]</p>

10

<p>What hs? ~~~</p>

11

<p>Mills High School</p>

12

<p>Heh, i got to El Camino.</p>

13

<p>dude, there's nothing wrong with your scores. Above 720 on all SATII's, above 2200 on the SAT, plenty of honors/AP classes, passing all AP tests and straight As, plus look at ur rank and the number of SATII's you took. I'd be optimistic if i were you.</p>

14

<p>Joecool866:</p>

<p>UCB/UCLA: Safe Match</p>

15

<p>I'm sorry, don't expect to get automatically into a college just because you got into a car accident, jeezus</p>

16

<p>^^ I don't think he was--that's the whole point of this thread. </p>

<p>I'd say that you have an excellent chance at all the schools you are applying to. Even though you say that your scores aren't that good, they are actually quite excellent and would put you into the competition for HPYSM, etc. As some other poster already said, having a 228-29 AI is amazing. Good luck with everything, and I'm glad that you're okay!!</p>

17

<p>i already got into ucb and ucla</p>

18

<p>really i dont think ill get into any college just because of the car crash, i think its the life lessons ive learned at age 17 [now 18] that i bring to the table and having ur life flash in front of ur eyes is something that rarely happens to college students ... im just worried that my scores arent the best? that is all, im being somewhat cautious about my accident as help to get in but its part of who i am now</p>

19

<p>I really hope the car accident didn't involve reckless drunk driving on your part...college DO NOT want to see that</p>

20

<p>nope i dont plan to tell details in a essay but i was very sober. i never drink and drive, im not that stupid. i was cut off by a truck and lost control avoiding it [which i did] and then hit a water drain off the road in a grassy patch and flipped in the air 3 times. i dont plan to put too much detail about how i got into the accident in my essay</p>