<p>Any insight is welcomed and appreciated!!!</p>
<p>A little bit background story:
An international student from China, I'm now about to start my senior year at a high school in Dallas, Texas.
I've stayed in Texas since my junior, during which I spent my first semester at a tiny protestant school in Fort Worth, and then transferred to one of the largest Catholic high schools in Texas.<br>
I know probably it's better to have an idea of what you're going to study first then choose where to go, but I'm not quite sure yet about career interests. I'm leaning more towards STEM instead of Liberal Arts, though I still love writing, reading, playing piano that kind of artsy stuff.
Maybe I will find a combination of the two for a job, or I'll just go tackle math and science for a living and still continue my love for literature and music in my spare time... </p>
<p>Academics:
i). When I was still in China, 9-10th grade:
National Math Contest, 2nd place<br>
National Science Contest, regional 2nd place in chemistry, 3rd place in physics
Academic team</p>
<p>ii). After I came to the U.S., 11th grade (I'm about to start my 12th grade):
800s on SAT Chem, Physics, Math level2
5s on AP Chem, AP Cal AB, AP Physics C mechanics, a 3 on AP Physics electromagnetism
32 on ACT (My first and only time taking it as for now)
1940 on SAT (My first and only try, and I'm confident about improvement on my next try)
4th place at school, in Continental Math League Calculus Contest. (only a pathetic 4th place due to the fact that this contest wasn't held at the school I transferred from)</p>
<p>ECs:
i). When I was still in China, 9-10th grade:
Model UN
English Honor Society
School Spring Play</p>
<p>ii). After I came to the U.S., 11th grade (I'm about to start my 12th grade):
Vice-president of Mu Alpha Theta
School Ambassador
Sergeant of Arms of school math team
Also a member of Marching band, men's ensemble, National Honor Society</p>
<p>I didn't do that much amount of service though. For 9 and 10th grade, due to the extreme intensity of curriculum in Chinese high schools, students do not have the time and the opportunities for community service. We were pretty much caged in our schools and dorms. (A typical day in my Chinese high school lasts about 12hrs) And I did just the hours of service my schools required during my junior year when I got here in Texas, which was like 32hrs in total, for my 11th grade. In terms of working experience, I wasn't old enough to be employed when I was still in China. Also, as an international student in high school, Im currently not granted the legal status for employment. </p>
<p>I'm planning on entering a science fair in October, which I can probably put on my resume.
It's quite frustrating that I'm not able to make that much dazzling extracurricular achievement due to the fact that I'm a transfer...I only had about 5 months at each school, which was not enough for me to get myself well-connected and fully-established. But being elected as vice president of Mu Alpha Theta club in 3-4 months at a new school, plus the fact I was placed the fourth at school (only after one semester of participation) in a nation-wide math contest (which bases your performance on accumulative scores of a whole school year), were quite amazing, I think. (sorry for the awkwardly long clause) </p>
<p>Below is a list of my college choices. As for preference of location, I'd definitely prefer either East or West coast over the inland areas. </p>
<p>Reach Schools:</p>
<p>Stanford
U of Pennsylvania
Cal tech
U of Chicago
Columbia
Cornell
MIT
Princeton
Brown</p>
<p>Within My Reach:</p>
<p>UC Berkeley
Rice
Carnegie Mellon<br>
Georgia Tech
Johns Hopkins
Purdue
New York University
Vanderbilt
Notre Dame</p>
<p>Backups:
UT Austin
U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
U of Michigan Ann Arbor
University of Wisconsin, Madison</p>
<p>Does this list look practical for me? Any adjustment?
Do you think that the category of "schools within my reach" are truly within my reach, based on my scores and ECs?<br>
Or I am good enough to get easily admitted to most of my "reach schools"?
Or any ideas about what major/job might look interesting to me to pursue?
Another question that I'm dying to get an answer for, is, besides writing it into an essay or somehow showing it in my resume, how else can I let the college know about me, especially the whole transfer process, the hardship (I wasn't able to compete in academic competitions at the school in Fort Worth because of they were not even available) and somewhat discriminative treatment (I can't compete in TAPPS either till I stay a whole year) that I mentioned above, and the advance I made in just 5 months at a new school? Do they give you a form or something to showcase your achievement?</p>
<p>If the answer to this question is "no", I would definitely say that there's way more things worth writing about to demonstrate intellectual depth and emotional maturity in the colleges essay other than just bragging about how I did all this and that despite the fact that I was a transfer from another country...</p>