What chance do I have? (long thread)

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>I am a 17 year old Asian in his senior year of a competitive and very large, diverse high school in IL (4400 students split between a fresh/soph campus and a junior/senior campus) </p>

<p>My current school includes physical education in the GPA. Also, in IL, PE is a required course all four years of high school (you can opt out, but I did not take advantage of that by taking it over the summer 5 hours a day for several weeks).
At my previous school, I took the most rigorous courses except for Honors Spanish (I sort of regret not doing that now).
At this school, I am also taking the most rigorous courses.</p>

<p>GPA UW: 3.71
GPA W: 4.27
Projected graduating GPA W: 4.35 ~school no longer ranks (magna cum laude GPA= 4.2-4.4 and summa cum laude GPA= 4.4 and above, which is about top 3%)
Projected graduating GPA UW: 3.73
Still, top 6-7 percent in a very large public school (class of 1000) (highest GPA is 4.63ish)
Freshman year: 4.0 UW/4.42 W
Sophomore year: 4.0/4.42
I transferred schools during summer vacation, and struggled during my the first semester of my junior year. I would easily be ranked in the top 15/1000 had I not struggled, probably with a 4.52 GPA
Junior year S1: 2.43/3.0 (I know)
Junior year S2: 3.71/4.57
Senior year projected S1: 3.83/ 4.67
Senior year projected S2: 4.00/4.83 </p>

<p>ACT: 32/32
Math: 33/32
English: 31/33
Reading: 30/31
Science: 32/30</p>

<p>SAT II Chemistry: 700
SAT II Biology: 750
SAT II Math Level II: 750</p>

<p>College course at a community college last summer:
Introduction to Psychology -A/3.0 credits</p>

<p>Classes:
Freshman: Honors Biology, Honors Freshman English, Honors Geometry, Spanish I, World Geography, PE
Sophomore: Hon Algebra II, Hon Soph English, Hon Chem, Spanish II, Child growth and development semester 1 and health semester 2, US government semester 1 and Drivers Ed semester 2, PE</p>

<p>Junior Year: AP Language and Composition, AP US History, AP Microeconomics/AP Macroeconomics (S1/S2), Honors Pre-Calculus BC, Honors Physics, Honors Spanish III, PE</p>

<p>Senior Year: AP Literature and Composition, AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, PE</p>

<p>AP tests:
Freshman: none available
Sophomore: none available</p>

<p>Junior year:
AP Language and Composition-3 (mentally exhausted during essay portion)
AP US History-4
AP Macroeconomics-5
AP Microeconomics-5</p>

<p>Senior year:
AP Literature and Composition: projected 4
AP Statisitics: projected 4-5
AP Chemistry: projected 4-5
AP Biology: projected 5
AP Calculus BC: projected 4-5
AP Physics B (self study): projected 4-5</p>

<p>Honors:
Illinois State Scholar (12)
AP Scholar with Honor (12)
AP National Scholar (hopefully later this year)
Who's Who Among All American Scholars (11)
Inclusion of 2008 U.S. Achievement Academy National Yearbook (Who's Who in Minority Leadership) (11)
National Society of High School Scholars (11) (does this mean anything?)
Recipient of Sigma Theta Delta In-House Scholarship at UW-Madison (does this mean anything?)-not mentioned in any applications</p>

<p>ECs:
Researching Influenza A (H1N1) virus to suggest potential ways to improve people's health, 60 hours (12)
Shadowed a gastroenterologist 30 hours (12)
Volunteer at a nursing home 40 hours (11)
Volunteer at a hospital in guest services 60-70 hours (12-I start tomorrow)
Tutoring a student peer in AP Chemistry and AP Calculus BC 50-70 hours (self-studying for both, but in Calc AB)
Track (no leadership roles) 9,10
Math Club (no leadership roles) 9, 10, 12
Varsity Academic Team 9, 10, 12
SOS (Students of Service) (no leadership roles YET-probably will be the committee chairman for 1-2 events) 12
Robotics club (no leadership roles) 11, 12
Indian Club (no leadership roles) 12
Future Doctors of America (Founder and President) 12
-this club will take about another month before it is established</p>

<p>Essays:
at least great, if not excellent</p>

<p>Counselor recommendation:
great, also mentioned my struggle during the first semester of my junior year</p>

<p>Teacher recommendations:
Excellent
-AP Biology teacher: I am the top student in AP Biology out of 60-70 students, and this is reflected in the letter
-Honors Sophomore English teacher: One of his favorite students, exhibiting a "mastery of the English language"
-Honors Physics teacher: Not only comments on my work ethic and "good student" qualities, but elaborates on good character (polite, respectful individual)
-all comment (to my surprise) that I am a rare student who wants to actually understand the material and that I grasp concepts most other students miss, that I think through problems rather than rely on formulas, that I have gained the universal respect of my peers who come to me for guidance </p>

<p>Will send either the biology or physics one to (don't want to trouble my English teacher too much; I had him mail 7 envelopes, only 4 of which had stamps!-hard to give to a teacher at a different school) University of Michigan-Ann Arbor </p>

<p>Work experience:
Physicians administrative assistant (basically a secretary)-summer, 06/2009-08/2009, 10 hrs/wk
-checking and responding to emails, answering phone calls, typing of letters</p>

<p>Optional info (if there is a section on the application):
Math team-if not enough space for EC's
Track and Field-if not enough space for EC's
FDA (forming it)
Self-studying for AP Physics B exam
Presently learning Arabic and Mandarin Chinese, both of which I commenced learning last summer.
Intro to Psychology at community college, received A</p>

2

<p>

lololololol</p>

3

<p>why is that funny?
That’s what he wrote!</p>

4

<p>Ah, I misread that then. I thought you just had a very high opinion of yourself, heh.</p>

5

<p>where r u applying to?</p>

6

<p>Applying to:
Northwestern University (Recommends 3 SAT Subject Tests)
University of Chicago (Considers SAT Subject Tests)
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Considers SAT Subject Tests)
Johns Hopkins University (Recommends 3 SAT Subject Tests)
Washington University in St. Louis (Considers SAT Subject Tests)
University of Notre Dame (Considers SAT Subject Tests)
University of Wisconsin Madison (Considers SAT Subject Tests)
University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana</p>

7

<p>i only know the stats on
university of illinois- reach
norte dame - good match
john hopkins - good match
good luck:)</p>

8

<p>^did u just say reach on uiuc? lol :)</p>

9

<p>my friend was telling me about uiuc, sorry if i was wrong:(</p>

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<p>errrr, not to call uiuc a safety,but OP can get in pretty safely, whereas the other ones u mentioned are slight reaches at least.</p>

11

<p>square, will you chance me?</p>

12

<p>I don 't know much about your other schools, but for UM your ACT scores are pretty good, your GPA can be better, but your course curriculum is good. Your E.C’s are like a grocery list…
Ultimately, you have a decent to a slight reach chance for UM since you are a OOS applicant and since you missed EA deadline. Having both of those disadvantages make your stats seem less likely of an acceptance then compared to if you were a instate applicant and had made EA deadline.</p>

13

<p>You should have applied EA because they may now think you are applying as a “safety” after thought. I would think your best chance is UIUC since you are instate and that is a great engineering school if that is what you are going for.</p>

14

<p>Well, my essays are going to be excellent, well above the average student whose been accepted. Those will be proofread by an English major and a creative and talented student at Harvard. I know essays play a huge role in Chicago and a significant role at most other schools.</p>

<p>I am going into premed.</p>

<p>UIUC and UW-Madison are my safeties, followed by U of M. I know that U of M values the course curriculum the most (categorized as very important), followed by GPA, standardized test scores, essays, and recs (categorized as important).</p>

15

<p>

They can’t be that good if you don’t know the difference between “who’s” and “whose”…</p>

<p>Look, I don’t mean to judge where I shouldn’t, but you sound like quite the elitist. Your list of colleges, to be frank, has no “safeties”. UIUC (and maybe UWisc) is the closest thing you have to one. While your resume is incredibly impressive, you really have no right, academic or other, to be so coy and cavalier. </p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck in applying to schools, but I think you’re going to have a tougher time with a couple of them than you’re anticipating.</p>

16

<p>whoops, you’re right. I mean’t “who has”…</p>

<p>I am hoping that out of all the colleges to which I am applying, I get in to:
University of Wisconsin Madison
University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana</p>

<p>and at least one of the following (what are chances that I get into just ONE?):
Northwestern University
University of Chicago
Washington University in St. Louis</p>

<p>My motto is “do your best, and expect the worst.”
So, if I end up getting rejected from every single school I apply to, even including UIUC and UWisc, then I’ll just go to Loyola University in Chicago and not cry about it.</p>

17

<p>Northwestern University - Slight/Mid Reach
University of Chicago - Mid Reach
University of Michigan Ann Arbor - Low/Slight Reach. Possible match, but I’m not sure.
Johns Hopkins University - Mid/High Reach (more of a high reach)
Washington University in St. Louis - Mid, possibly High Reach
University of Notre Dame - Mid/High Reach (more towards mid)
University of Wisconsin Madison - IN
University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana - Low Reach/Pretty Much In (like 99%)</p>

18

<p>What are my chances that I just get into at least one of the three aforementioned colleges?</p>

19

<p>Thank you, bunbun24, funnypunjabi, CronoTriggerFan, and Vhiremath4</p>

20

<p>Michigan is definitely not a safety for you. Course curriculum is important, but not most important. GPA is generally thought to be the most important followed by test scores, course rigor, then essays, EC’s, and recs. I’m not saying you won’t get in but I wouldn’t fool myself into thinking it’s a safety with a 3.7 OOS applying late. Illinois and Wisconsin won’t be as difficult. Good luck!</p>