I have already posted more than enough of these, but it might be helpful to have some more advice going into summer and with some more updates. I am mainly considering the three schools in the title for early decision, but any recommendations on which one to choose or which other schools to look at would be appreciated. Thank you!
STATISTICS:
UW GPA: 4.0/4.0 (not my school’s system, but I have all A’s.)
Junior Courses: AP Calculus AB (A+), AP Literature (A+), AP US History (A), Physics Honors (A+), Spanish 4 Honors (A), -
Intro to Programming (1/2 semester, A+), and 2D Art (1/2 semester, A)
Senior Courses: AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science, AP Language, AP Spanish Language
School: Competitive private boarding school - 25% acceptance rate
Personal: I am white, a junior, and do not need financial aid
EXTRACURRICULARS/VOLUNTEERING:
JV Soccer and Squash (have played all three years)
I have about 150 hours of community service.
I led a STEM Initiative, where I taught kids from under-developed schools about the sciences. The goal was to encourage these children to explore STEM professions and opportunities while also spreading the knowledge they received to their communities. This “spread” would allow for better food security and health.
I am the founder of the peer tutoring program at my school
Tour guide (Will be a head tour guide next year)
Rules & Discipline Committee (next year)
Head Waiter at Formal Dinner (next year)
INTERNSHIPS:
-I had an internship last summer at a real estate company.
-I am having an internship this summer where I will work with a professor in computer science, with a goal of helping disabled people.
STUDY INTERESTS:
Major: Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering
Other: Computer Science, STEM in general
I am on the fence between studying Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. Advice here might be helpful as most schools don’t offer undergraduate Aerospace Engineering degrees.
You have great stats! Embry-Riddle is an engineering/aerospace centric school. I don’t know much about them, but you may want to check them out. Look at UColorado and Georgia Tech as well.
Your chances for Penn, Rice, and Brown are great, but I don’t know how involved they are with the aerospace component of your interests. I think I remember Princeton having an astronomy program, but other than that I don’t think many top-20 schools have out-of-this-world majors (aside from MIT and Caltech).
Your chances at Penn is at the mid-high range (which is great for any of these prestigious schools). Overall, you’ve got great test scores and GPA. Also, your extracurriculars are good. Chance me back for Cornell!
@newkidnewtrix Thank you! I haven’t really looked at Embry-Riddle or UColorado as they are far from home, but I have considered Georgia Tech (which isn’t quite as far…), though I’m not entirely sure about tech schools yet – I don’t know how focused I would want to be on solely engineering. Princeton is a huge longshot, and although I’d love to study aerospace at MIT, it’s just as much of a longshot.
Do you or @motherpugger have any more comments on my EC’s? This is my biggest worry, but I have been trying to demonstrate my interest in engineering, STEM in general, and helping others. There’s not a lot of time to repair or add to them, so any advice would be helpful. Thank you again!
Whooooa, now that’s a powerful application! I’d say you’ve hit a homerun on practically all facets of it (your EC’s are very meaningful. Commitment in a few is much more favored than quantity.)
Your chances are strong. I’d go as far as to suggest you add a few more colleges to your list(including MIT, Cornell, Caltech). Not too many though, you don’t want the lines of your essays to blur between each one of them. You’re heading to great places, good luck!
Thank you @AGoodFloridian. I will definitely be applying to MIT and Cornell, but I’m not sure about Caltech as I’m on the east coast.
Do you and @rshortsma really think schools like Stanford and MIT are worth considering for me? I’ve tried to avoid thinking about such top schools because of how difficult they are to get into, but I might add a few more to the list. Stanford is a longshot, but the aerospace major looks amazing.
@cc8912 I’ve followed many Ivy decision threads(along with some Stanford/MIT) and what I see is this… You’re a student who didn’t take for granted the opportunities you’ve been given. Quite the contrary, you seized the hell out of them, worked your butt off and made yourself into a very competitive applicant.
Will you be accepted to every school you apply to? Probably not, I don’t think anyone has that luxury, but only when hell freezes over will you not be admitted to any of them :)) (so yeah, apply to MIT dude)
Alright alright enough flattery, make a list of plenty of colleges, research into them, trim that list until you’re left with a healthy amount. Love that list. Love it so much that you can envision yourself in each of those colleges (it’s alright to have a favorite or two). If you want to ED, reeeeaaallly choose that college wisely. Be genuine in your applications.
After all is said and done, sit back and watch the firework show in a few months from now.
No one is a sure thing for ivies, but I’d say with your GPA, ACTs, and ECs. Everything in the application looks good, but now all you have to do write awesome essays and kill the interview.
Your grades and test scores are good enough to get you into the Ivies, although your EC’s are slightly below average for the Ivies. You have a good shot as long as your essays are good.
I think you have a good shot for UPenn and Rice for sure and likely Brown but I’m unsure simply because of fit. By that, I mean that I’m not sure if you fit Brown’s student mold, as they tend to accept more social sciency/English types although your stats are great (this is simply from observation).
I think you have a great shot and are best fit for penn and rice, although you could fit in at Brown, I just obviously don’t know your personality, other interests, etc. But you ECs are solid and your stats are great!
Your stats are amazing!! Since you took AP Spanish Language could you please tell what textbook and review books you used? I’m self studying and I need some advice. Good luck with everything!!
@collegeboundprogrammer@AnthonyZ It seems like you have both pointed out the same thing, that my EC’s are a bit weak (which is my main concern as well). At this point, there isn’t much I can do, but I hope that I can give a better sense of what I’m trying to express with my application. The initiative in Zimbabwe and my Swarthmore internship (not research, but is this okay?) both involve STEM and demonstrate my goal of using STEM to help others. The tutoring program as well as another EC I forgot to mention – tutoring nearby poorer Hispanic children – focus on giving my time to help others reach their potential. Tied in with the few other things I have, do you think there is anything I should try to express or one of these that I should really focus on? I know that I certainly could have done a better job here, but there isn’t really any time left. One other thing I am doing is Computer Science focused Summer Camp, which I wasn’t planning on adding to the application since it costs money – would it be worth adding in, though?
@mtmaybe Yeah, that is why I am leaning toward Penn or Rice for ED, but I did really like Brown’s campus and their style of education.
I am going to post a more detailed list of the schools I will most likely be applying to. Any thoughts or further advice would be great – all of the responses thus far have been very helpful.
Thank you for commenting on my post! I am also trying to improve my chances by asking around to engage in research. Your ECs won’t disqualify you I don’t think, and certainly show leadership and initiative. I think you are okay, but if you can find another opportunity, I would certainly take it. Good luck!
Like AnthonyZ said, your EC’s won’t disqualify you from the Ivies, and they do show Initiative and passion, but try doing research to prove that you are knowledgeable in STEM. It can’t hurt to try right? Also, GT is a reach for anybody in CS. It’s #6 in the country.
@AnthonyZ@collegeboundprogrammer Isn’t it too late to do research? I tried to find professors who would give me the opportunity a few months ago, but the only thing that came out of the ~50 emails was my internship at Swarthmore. If you know any options that are available this late, or if you have any other specific advice about this, that’d help a lot. I absolutely agree that research would help, but I just need to find the opportunities. Thank you again!
