<p>SAT: 2150 (CR: 650 I will get it up by at least 50pts; Math: 770; Writing: 730)
SAT Math 2C: 760
SAT Chem: 740
SAT Chinese: 800
SAT Bio: 670
GPA: 97% (I don't know it on the 0-4 scale) science avg is 99%
Rank: top 5%; around 10/252
School: top 50 of entire nation
AP US: 5
AP World: 5</p>
<p>Senior classes: ap psyc, ap calc, ap gov, college english, college japanese, research, and advanced science elective (2 more classes than 95% of the school)</p>
<p>EC: science olympiad (on team for 3 years; won many medals each year)
school newspaper staff for 2 yrs
spanish club 1yr
math team for 2 years
anime club 1yr
community service club 2yrs
art club 1yr
chinese club: started this myself; hence I'm president
volunteer at nursing home for 3 yrs and chinese school for 3: over 500hrs
Art class since I was 7 (I'm going to stress this as my greatest passion); I'm going to send in copies of paintings as supplementary materials
Dance class from age 6-14
Swimming: Can swim all 6 styles and dive
Music: Still learning harp
Chinese school since I was 3 (now able to speak read and write like a Chinese college graduate)
Involved in a medical program over the summer
Have been doing science research (outside of school) for over a year</p>
<p>National essay competition winner
State art contest winner
State essay contest semi-finalist
City Chinese contest semi-finalist
Won scholarship to China over 3 times
2 community service honor societies
math honor society
science honor society</p>
<p>Traveled to over 30 providences in China, Canada, east and west coast of US, and Japan</p>
<p>Prob will have decent recs: 1 from science teacher, 2 from english teachers, and 1 from a research mentor</p>
<p>Assuming good essay</p>
<p>Other than improving my verbal score, what else should I do??</p>
<p>to which college are you applying to at cornell?
but i guess more generally - yes, the SAT I score needs a little work, and your gpa while high, seems to have been earned with a courseload that appears to be slightly less rigorous than many cornell applicants. oh, and umm I don't think you'll need so many rec letters: the required 2 and maybe 1 supplementary should be enough. also be careful to list only your most substantial/important ECs. too much fluff like the odd mention of being able to swim 6 strokes (now that I look back...a mistake I may have made) doesn't really help (but if you won something, it would be worth mentioning) and might backfire as it may demonstrate a slight lack of focus.
SAT IIs aren't amazing, but good enough, rank is very good, as are many of the ECs and awards. as for other things you can do to improve your chances, definitely get your essay proofread by the incoming college freshmen you know, teachers, counselors, etc. (probably the other mistake i made). oh, and do try to apply to the program(s) that best fit you - someone I know applied to CAS when his ECs and scores and interests seemed a better fit at the engineering school. good luck!</p>
<p>I am Chinese; I was born in America, but I was an ESL student because I lacked the proper English environment at home. This is another reason that my Chinese is better than other ABCs (such as understanding classical Chinese) and my verbal score is so much lower than my classmates.</p>
<p>I'm most likely (95% chance) applying to College of Arts and Science. Which college do my ECs point towards?</p>
<p>My courseload is less rigorous than others because of all the required classes my school has. I tried my best to choose the most rigorous classes (ex. ap us history over regents us history; science research over other electives that require less devotion) whenever I was given the option. As a senior, we have much more freedom, which explains why I am taking 2 extra classes than the required 6 (in hope of making up for the lack of APs in the past 3 years)</p>
<p>I actually have the recommended number of recs, believe it or not: 2 recs from teachers, 1 required rec from college office (this is the 2nd english teacher), and one supplementary one from my mentor. Other than the one from my mentor, the other 3 are required by my school.</p>
<p>Thank you for your recommendation regarding the ECs. I will keep them down to just the ones to which I am most devoted. I am only considering mentioning swimming because I didn't want them to think I'm physically unfit (probably a stupid reason).</p>
<p>I will ask my teachers and alumna to read over my essays. </p>
<p>Your verbal may need some improvement and depending on your major (if it is in the Bio field), you might need to improve your SAT Bio score. Seeing your 'passion' for art, I'm going to assume you'll be majoring in a related field.</p>
<p>Your EC's seem good, I would focus on using those you've been in for a longer time.</p>
<p>Speaking Chinese will help, as will the medical program. If it is an internship, focus on it. Research should also be mentioned, especially if it is relevant.</p>
<p>
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Traveled to over 30 providences in China
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</p>
<p>provinces*. Providence is the divine favor of God.</p>
<p>
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Prob will have decent recs: 1 from science teacher, 2 from english teachers, and 1 from a research mentor
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</p>
<p>You will need to choose two of your strongest. I think it might be best to choose them from different academic disciplines.</p>
<p>I think you have a good chance at admissions, just try to shore up any problems and focus on best in your application. They need to be in by Jan. 1st for RD. Good luck!</p>
<p>
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Six strokes?
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</p>
<p>Butter, back, breast, free...approach and sidestroke? Or maybe elementary backstroke.
Also, lol@Naruto.</p>
<p>i think YOU need to make a decision for which college to apply to...NOT US when we are just given the info you posted. YOU know YOURSELF best. YOU know your interests, we can just give advice if you post possible career options. in general, i dont think ECs are a good indicator for what college you want to apply to. its the ACADEMIC interests that matter the most. its like if i only posted an EC as how ive been figure skating for 16 years, 7 years synchronized skating, senior moves in the field, blah blah blah and asked what college i should go to. obviously i cant major in figure skating so how is that going to indicate where i would be a best fit? thats where the academics come in. come back when you give us more details</p>
<p>6 strokes: butterfly, freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, elementary backstroke (I think this is a stroke almost only my swim school teaches), and sidestroke (This isn't a standard stroke either).</p>
<p>As I said, the 4 recs are required. I personally chose one English teacher and one science teacher. The second English teacher was assigned to me by my school. </p>
<p>Sorry about the typo</p>
<p>I DID make my own choice: College of Arts and Science. I only asked what my ECs point towards out of CURIOSITY because someone said, and I quote,
"someone I know applied to CAS when his ECs and scores and interests seemed a better fit at the engineering school." Please read everything before posting your comments, laurstar07. Sorry if that came out rude, but I meant no offense.</p>
<p>4 recommendations are not required, and I don't think you're allowed to submit 4. Isn't it maximum of 3 (2 required + 1 additional, if necessary)? Hmm... which "school" are you talking about?:confused:</p>
<p>Also, if you have not won any awards, or have not committed yourself to swimming or other ECs, do not list them on the application. Personally, I am reluctant to list any ECs I have not committed myself for 8 years. I don't suggest you listing the following ECs:</p>
<p>spanish club 1yr
anime club 1yr
art club 1yr
Swimming: Can swim all 6 styles and dive</p>
<p>If you however, really enjoy those ECs, I recommend you to instead, incorporate them into your essays. For my ECs, I only plan to list all my accomplishments in swimming and piano because I have achieved a lot in the past THIRTEEN YEARS. That being said, it is very possible that you thrive in many of your ECs I listed above within a short amount of time. I hope my suggestions are valuable! Best luck!!</p>
<p>I should clarify myself regarding the recs:
2 teacher's recs is required, as we all know: 1 science and 1 English
1 college office rec is required (for my school at least): happens to be English teacher
1 additional is optional: my mentor
Maybe I shouldn't include the one from my mentor? But my college office rep. actually recommended that I do... Most people I spoke to are confused by this as well. I just attend an unusual school I guess.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice about the ECs; I will keep down my ECs to only those that I either committed myself to or won awards in.</p>
<p>believe it,
sorry if my post came out rude, but i did read everything. yes, your stats may be similar to someone else who was a better fit at eng, but like i said before, it has to be what YOU want. do you think you are dedicated and passionate about engineering? think you can get through it? what you can do is visit the school in the summer before you apply...go on a tour, go on CAS and ENG info sessions and see what each school is all about. you may even decide to do that alternative school choice, with CAS being your first and eng your second or something.</p>
<p>that being said, i think it is important to include your swimming. were you competitive and win some races? write those awards down. you did it for so long and you are obviously very skilled...doesnt hurt to put it on your application.</p>
<p>if you apply ED to Arts college, I would say you stand a very healthy chance with good recs and strong essays. If you apply RD, I would say it is a crapshoot, and you would stand from an average to slightly above average chance. Imo, your ecs gear towards the Arts college well, from looking at your list. What will set you apart from others is your essay. (should be good) GL.</p>