What are my chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am a high school senior in a very competitive school in California. I am American-Asian (Indian) and moved to America at the age of 8. </p>

<p>Academics:
My gpa is about 4.0 Weighted (and about 3.5 uw- a little on the low side)
I only took the SAT's once and received a 2260:
Math- 800
CR- 670
Writing- 790
Total- 2260</p>

<p>I have taken and am taking many honors/AP courses.</p>

<p>EC's:
Co-founded and was VP of the chess club in freshman year and am President this year.
3 years of Spanish club
Played two years of tennis for the school team.
I have played chess competitively since sixth grade and have received many awards. Some of them include:
1st place K-8 in NorCal 8th grade
Tied for 11th in World Open in 2006 and for 14th in 2007 in Philadelphia, PA.
I am currently ranked among the top 50 players for my age in the country.</p>

<p>Community Service and Work Experience:
Last summer, I when I visited India, I volunteered in an orphanage for a week, teaching children and playing with them. I also donated food, clothes, and toys, as well as as $200 of my chess earnings from tournaments.I lived with the kids there for a week and helped teach the children, play with them, and spend quality time with them. It was one of the most enriching experiences of my life (about 120 hours). I'm also writing my essay about this.</p>

<p>Helped teach kids in summer school in 2005. (80 hours)
Have taught chess (as a part-time job)
Currently have a job as a tutor at "Mathnasium." (10 hours a week)
Active volunteer in my local community for the city (40-50 hours).</p>

<p>I am leaning towards the business side, mostly finance and economics.</p>

<p>What do you think of my chances at (please tell me if the school is a reach, a 50-50 shot, in my range, or a safety):</p>

<p>1) Notre Dame (Early Action)
2) Either UPenn, Washington University in St. Louis, or Cornell (Early Decision)-any recommendations?
3)Babson (Early Action)
4)University of Virginia
5)NYU
6)USC
7)UC Berkeley
8) UCLA
9)UCSD
10)UC Davis
11)Carnegie Mellon
12) Santa Clara University (as a safety)</p>

<p>Thanks a lot! I really appreciate the time and help.</p>

2

<p>buuuuuuuuuump plz...</p>

3

<p>1) Notre Dame (Early Action): Reach/probably rejected
2) Either UPenn, Washington University in St. Louis, or Cornell (Early Decision)-any recommendations? Washington U is your best bet...if you applied to UPENN you'd be rejected most likely
3)Babson (Early Action): in
4)University of Virginia: low reach
5)NYU: rejected
6)USC: low reach
7)UC Berkeley: Match/low reach
8) UCLA: In/Match?
9)UCSD: In
10)UC Davis: In
11)Carnegie Mellon: Not sure
12) Santa Clara University (as a safety): In</p>

<p>As for your ec's they are a bit generic. 20/30 kids in my Ap english class have gone w/ church groups/etc to help children in orphanages/third world countries.</p>

4

<p>I am less cautious for you than sparkinthedark, but it is a stretch and there is alway luck. Good luck.</p>

5

<p>1) Notre Dame (Early Action): Reach/Match or Reach
2) Either UPenn (reach), Washington University in St. Louis (reach: reach/match -- if you convince them you'll attend if admitted), or Cornell (Early Decision) ) reach
3)Babson (Early Action): Safety
4)University of Virginia: reach/match
5)NYU: match
6)USC: reach/match.. they'll even pay 1/2 tuition if you're NMF your M/CR is at their 75%. that is very important to USC.. they pay for stats.
7)UC Berkeley: reach/Match
8) UCLA: Reach/Match
9)UCSD: Match
10)UC Davis: Safety
11)Carnegie Mellon: Match
12) Santa Clara University (as a safety): Safety</p>

<p>The issue is your lowish GPA. especially the UCs are very stats driven. Mean admitted GPA at UCB and UCLA is 4.17 weighted (UC GPA, capped approx. at 4.4). Also a 3.5 unweighted is a little sketchy for Top 20 schools... do you have a story to tell about that? Your SAT and GPA seem slightly out sync.
Your best chance at your reach and match/reach is your personality. Your scores and chess show you will be an outstanding addition to their campus... but are you a grinder? a nerd? If you show a likable personality as you have in your first post above, you have a good shot at those reaches and reach/match schools. Have your essay reviewed by 2-3 people to see if it allows your personality to show through. Your essay will be your key.</p>

6

<p>I agree...your SAT score is great but the low GPA (for top schools) is strange relative to your SAT score. I think UC Berkeley, UPenn, and Notre Dame are real reaches. Out of those, I think your best shot in Notre Dame.</p>

7

<p>Thanks everyone. Yes, I do realize that my GPA is the weakest part of my profile. However, I am banking on my SATs and EC's to help me. I wrote an essay about my experiences at the orphanage, and I am quite content with it, if I do say so myself. I also had it critiqued by a couple people as well. </p>

<p>How do you think my chances are for Emory ED?</p>

<p>Thanks for all of the help and advice everyone!</p>