what are my chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
1

<p>Please rate my chances.</p>

<p>GENERAL
Junior
Living in Northern California</p>

<p>TESTS
SAT I: 790 M 780 V
SAT II: 770 Writing...planning to take Chemistry, Math IIC, and maybe Biology EM this year
5 on AP Psych, 4 on USHist...will take Bio, Chem, Calc AB and Eng 3 this year</p>

<p>SCHOOL
GPA: 3.6 UW
Rank: top 10%
taking 4 APs this year, planning to take AP Physics, Calc BC, Stats, Eng, possibly Gov next yaer</p>

<p>SPORTS
Varsity Water Polo 2 years
Varsity Swimming 3 years
Soccer 2 years</p>

<p>CLUBS
Key Club 9-12 (I'm planning to continue these clubs next year, so I included 12)
National Honor Society 10-12
Beatles Club 10
Girls for a Change 10-12</p>

<p>OTHER
Piano for 11 years: international awards, National Guild, Certificate of Merit
Job in food service
Volunteer at a hospital
Chinese School 11 years
Counselor at Outdoor Science School 2 sessions</p>

2

<p>The GPA aspect to your application jumps at me; what is your weighted GPA?</p>

<p>By the way, I'm from Northern California as well. :)</p>

3

<p>i have no idea :-) ive taken 2 aps so far and gotten a 5 and a 4. my gpas actually a 3.7. if you can tell me how to calculate it thatd be great!</p>

4

<p>Drop me a PM; conversing on the PM isn't good since I don't want to divert attention away from the main goal of this thread (chances thread).</p>

5

<p>Hmmm... I doubt there's enough information to give chances, but I see a startling lack of anything science related even mentioned anywhere in there.</p>

6

<p>National Guild - impressive. I auditioned one year but couldn't memorize ten, so I went with seven and made State :(</p>

7

<p>Wrong school. You must have us confused with Cal Poly. That happens a lot.</p>

8

<p>SteelPangolin: I'm inferring that you're currently a Caltech student. I'm appaled that a Caltech student would make a comment such as that, even if you weren't serious.</p>

9

<p>SteelPangolin's just being silly. Besides, I'm the anointed admissions committee wielder of untold power; he's just the resident jester.</p>

<p>SAT's are good and will get you serious consideration, but the total absence of activities in math/science will make it hard to get past the waitlist. Remember, Caltech is a math and science school -- people who haven't demonstrated serious passion in math and science are facing an uphill battle, since we know those qualities make the serious academic boot camp here at least bearable.</p>

<p>If you seriously want to get in, find some project to do over the summer or some way to convince us that you love and want to devote a significant portion of your life to studying math or science or both. If that seems like an undesirable thing to do, you'd be much better off at Stanford or Princeton, where you might have a shot.</p>

10

<p>Heh, if you want appalling, I've got some dead baby jokes you might appreciate and I'm sure a few of my House members would be happy to contribute more to such a worthy cause. AIM me, same handle as the forums here.</p>

<p>My assessment remains the same: kartoonfanatik's chances for admissions to Caltech are approximately zero percent, possibly less if the food-service job she worked was at a restaurant that an admissions committee member doesn't like. Considering the total lack of any science/math/engineering extracurricular activities at all and the likelihood that her academic record would pass beneath the consideration of admissions officers in the same way that a cruise missile hugs terrain to avoid air defense radars, I maintain that she is mistaken in her choice of schools.</p>

<p>Anyone on admissions may feel free (as always) to correct me if I am wrong.</p>

11

<p>SteelPangolin- Please stop trying to be so witty.</p>

12

<p>Dear Giants8307: excuse me, are you a Techer? Are you a Tech applicant (or supplicant)?</p>

13

<p>Thanks for everybody's responses!</p>