Wharton, Tufts, Williams!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

One quick question: is it one admissions officer that looks at your entire application, or do several look at certain components, grade them, and then the “scores” are added up?

Demographics: Asian male, senior from Bay Area high school.

Major: Political science (Economics for Wharton)

Academics: ACT 35, GPA: 4.3 Weighted, 3.9 Unweighted.

AP TESTS
AP Calc AB — 4
AP Physics 1 — 3
AP English — 5
AP Chinese — 5
AP US History — 5
AP Statistics — 5
AP Physics C M — 4
AP Physics C E&M — 2

COURSES
Some of my favorite courses!

  1. Creative Writing
  2. AP US History
  3. Multivariable Calculus
  4. AP Computer Science
  5. Advanced Journalism

…I also have 5 B’s:

  1. Sophomore English
  2. AP Statistics, both semesters
  3. AP Chinese, second semester
  4. AP Physics C, second semester
    (I’m not super STEM tbh)

EXTRACURRICULARS

  1. Cross-Country Varsity!
  2. CEO, founder of Lavender.O @ thelavendercircle.strikingly.com
  3. Chair, Youth Advisory Committee for my city
  4. Youth Commissioner, GOTV for Bernie Sanders 2016
  5. Co-President, Gay-Straight Alliance
  6. Chair, Harvard Model Congress
  7. A&E Features Editor, School Newspaper
  8. Co-Founder, Blog Up Club
  9. Youth Chair, Sandwiches on Sunday at St. Ambrose (food drive)
  10. Piano Teacher

AWARDS/DISTINCTIONS
•Global Student Leader, 3 Dot Dash by the We are Family Foundation
•MVP Varsity Cross Country
•First Place Features Publication — San Francisco Peninsula Publication Coalition
•Most Innovative Business Model — BizSmart at Stanford
•Panelist at the Creative Convergence at Silicon Valley (C2SV)
•AP Scholar with Distinction
•National Merit Commendation

ESSAYS
1 counselor, 3 teachers, and 1 other. My own common app essay is centered around my experience with the LGBT community. I know it’s cliche, but the topic I wrote about meant a lot to me. I hope the admin officers see that.

COLLEGES
I’m applying to 20. Some key ones…
•Wharton — applied ED
•UChicago — applied EA
•Williams — RD
•Tufts — RD
•Emory — applying Nov. 15 for honors
•Claremont McKenna — applying Dec. 1 for honors
•Stanford and Harvard are far-out shots.

My backups are all the UCs and CSUs that I’m applying to :slight_smile:

2

Usually, it’s one admissions officer that is in charge of your application, but they do work on it together- they might ask each others opinions. I can’t really help you for Wharton-I don’t know too much about it. For the others, I have to say, your ACT is really good, and although your gpa is lower, you were/are taking the hardest courses so colleges will take that into account. My question for you is if you took SAT IIs. You’re Ec’s seem fine and the leaderships look good. My other concern is that all the UC’s are your backups. you are applying to a lot of colleges and that might take away from some of your applications. Maybe try and pick your favorites and cut the list down to 15? You have a pretty good chance at Emory, Williams and Tufts. Standford Harvard and Uchicago are obviously much harder-but then again you never know. I know a friend of mine applied for archaeology and other "easier’ history related majors for all the ivys and he got into all except princeton and yale (which he didn’t apply to). Maybe that might be an option. He then transferred into poly sci. Goodluck! Please chance me back!!