What do my chances look like?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>As of now, I have absolutely no idea what I want to major in (yeah I know, that's a problem), but my ultimate goal is to be accepted into either Harvard or MIT. I know my ECs are extremely weak right now, but that's why I'm here to ask you guys for help!</p>

<p>I'm currently a sophomore, but here's what I know I'm gonna have under my belt by the end of my high school career:</p>

<p>~2200-2300 SAT Score
All As so far.. planning on having a 4.0 GPA</p>

<p>AP classes: 9 or 10 of 'em, as well as self-studying for stats, enviro, and maybe psych.
***I haven't taken any AP classes yet because my school generally doesn't allow any kids to take AP stuff until junior year :(</p>

<p>~200 hours community service from tutoring, distributing food to 100 homeless people around the city every month or so, and volunteering/interning at a lab.
Although it's quite unlikely, I plan on getting my name into a research paper or two after working in the lab for a couple years.</p>

<p>-Chinese club (with leadership positions) and a year of Chinese 5 after AP Chinese. And I'm not even Asian.
-Math club (50/50 chance of getting a position)
-Math and Science tutor.
-Next year I plan on starting a weightlifting club. Regardless of whether or not that happens, I want to write a book on weightlifting and athletic conditioning for teens (the chance of it becoming important enough to list on my application? little to none).
-1 or 2 varsity sports every year (no chance of being recruited lol)
-Mu Alpha Theta competitions and maybe some other random stuff like HMMT or ARML
-AIME, and possibly USAMO
-Chinese exchange student + a yearly Chinese competition
-A bunch of assorted honors society's
-I love singing, acting, and playing guitar... but my schedule won't allow for it. My school has a REALLY good arts department as well as phenomenal teachers and curriculum, but it doesn't have any sort of plan for kids who are good at both academics and arts. I doubt I'll be able to include any art-related stuff on my college apps.</p>

<p>I'm a white male going to a very competitive private school. I have another 2-3 years to do whatever I can; any tips? Thanks!</p>

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<p>It’s too early to chance you, as junior year grades and activities carry a lot of weight in admissions. That being said, you’re on the right track! Keep doing what you’re doing! :)</p>

<p>Chance back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1536207[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1536207&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>High school students don’t typically suggest the best things for college on this forum, but you have time on your hands. Here’s what you should do to maximize your chances.</p>

<p>-Work with, like, two or three adults very, very closely at your high school. Get them to love you. Stay after school on some days and discuss academic subject with them — more in depth than what you just discuss in the classroom. Participate in the clubs they are the mentors for. Whatever. Good recommendations are never emphasized enough here, but they’re probably the things that matter the most in college admissions. Sure as hell in grad school admissions.
-Do academic research. Look into whatever local schools or whatnot have professors doing research into your favorite subjects. Make it an after school activity. Email some professor and ask him if it would be okay to help him with his academic research. Bus there. Use him for a rec.
-Get extremely involved as the leader of, say, one club. Make sure you’re working with an adult closely (see above). More impressive to see a guy dedicated to one thing than be involved in a thousand honors societies.</p>

<p>Do these things and you’ll get into any school you want, assuming your stats maintain like you say.</p>

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<p>I hope you realize that the OP could do all those things you mentioned, and the OP could still be rejected.</p>

5

<p>Could be, yes. But I just illustrated an admissions officer’s wet dream. If he’s talking about 9 or 10 APs, with self study for two or three more, a perfect 4.0 on everything, and amazing recommendations, the admissions officers would love the guy. Even trying your hand at academic research in high school is touching on a resume line that usually doesn’t enter the sphere of a high school student. Coupled with a compelling essay and the rest of his application (assuming what he says and predicts is true), you’re giving even the shiftiest of admissions boards very little reason to believe he won’t succeed in an intensive academic environment.</p>

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<p>I might as well ask go over two extremely important points now that I’ve started this thread…</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I’m not a very strong essay writer. I once wrote an essay that was one of the best my English teacher had seen for quite a while, but other than that my writing is iffy and inconsistent. I’m positive that I can improve this in the span of 2 years, but is there anything I can do to become a better writer immediately?</p></li>
<li><p>This question is going to be a little more complex. When I was in middle school (my school is a K-12 school) I gained a very, very bad reputation as being a troublemaker and a general annoyance to everyone around me. I’ve completely changed, but for whatever reason, most, if not all teachers still treat me the same as they would have 3 or 4 years ago. This means that whenever I make the slightest outward mistake or disruption (something that anyone else would do on a regular basis), I get in a huge amount of trouble. I try my hardest to behave myself as best as possible and never do anything more ridiculous than any other smart student, but my motives are often misunderstood. For example, making a funny yet appropriate joke during class is accepted by essentially all of the teachers at my school. A few of my peers and I used to do this quite regularly, but I have personally had to tone it down a LOT due to the negative responses of the teachers that were directed towards me. In addition to this, one teacher that I had a great relationship with would have written me an outstanding rec without a second thought, but recently she transferred to a different school… so basically I’m back to square one.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>This problem has gotten gradually worse, and I fear that if I don’t do something to turn it around soon it may even affect my college choices, or even worse… force me to go to a local college :disgustedface.jpg: Any tips for this would be appreciated beyond belief. I’ve tried so hard to make up for the annoying little chode that I was in the past, and I don’t want little stupid mistakes that I’ve made over the years to govern the rest of my life.</p>

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<p>You’re right, that does complicate things.</p>

<p>For context, I’m in college. I hang around academics a lot and I have a good idea of what they value. I know one admissions officer and a lot of PhD’s. So, I’m suggesting what I would do in your situation, and it’s not the strategy most high school students would have the time or commitment to do. I’m also trying to account for the difference between hardcore researchers and high school teachers.</p>

<p>Okay, first — do you have a car? A solid means of transportation home that will allow you to stay after school for an hour or two consistently? And allow you to potentially do the research thing (I cannot stress enough how good that would look, but if you can’t…)? If so, good.</p>

<p>First, don’t joke in class. Or act annoying. Pay attention, <em>sit in the front row</em> (if it’s an option), and try to ask intelligent questions. Basics first.</p>

<p>Second, keep in mind that most high school teachers want you to succeed. Even if you were a little ****, they care about your future and usually want the best for you. It doesn’t seem like it sometimes, but it’s true.</p>

<p>Now, think of a high school teacher you have that is passionate about their subject, and whose subject you like and do well in (seems like Chinese is solid). Not a paycheck worker, but someone who is genuinely interested and excited about what they teach. And who cares about students. Do you have a person like this? Good.</p>

<p>What part of the subject did they seem interested in that isn’t really covered in class? There must be an extension of their knowledge, or a field of their expertise, that they cannot cover in an AP curriculum. Maybe. Anyway, refer to Amazon.com and start browsing through books specifically concerned about that subject matter, or just something outside of the high school curriculum. If it’s Chinese and you have a professor that formerly lived in China, get a book about the Boxer Rebellion, or…some…grammar book about it…I don’t know anything about Chinese. Maybe for Math, get a “For Dummies” book about infinite summations and multivariable calculus (Calculus II and III, essentially), or just read ahead in the textbook. You know your situation better than I do; think of something.</p>

<p>Anyhow, get two or three books like this, for that subject. Now, during your junior year, you’re going to have a talk about once every two weeks after school with this teacher about that subject. Or just, subjects outside of the classroom. Approach them when nobody else is there, when they’re just grading papers or something, and pull out the book. “Mr. Doe, I was very interested in the subject matter, so I bought this and I was wondering if you could explain some of this stuff to me.” No matter how annoyed they were with you before, they will be happy to explain this with you or talk with you about the subject. Ask about real-world applications for mathematics. Write questions down beforehand. Email them about it, if need be. Come up with a new book every month and a half or so. Oh, and read these books. Involve the adults in your new academic pursuit. You dig?</p>

<p>Once. Every. Two. Weeks. All. Semester. For one or two teachers. More often if you like. This should be enough. Now, what are you doing? You’re taking a genuine academic interest in a subject matter. The teacher will warm up to you after this; you’ll be perceived by them as a student who is secretly passionate about a subject they teach. It’s awesome!</p>

<p>Anyhow, recommendation writing time comes around. What do you do? Most students ask teachers “Can you write me a rec?” No. Ask them, and then try to set up a time to meet up and talk about it. Sit down with them. Say that you’re applying to Harvard. Say how important it is that this not be a cookie cutter recommendation. If you did the above, this might take care of itself, but who knows? Either way, feel out the situation, write down things they should mention in the recommendations (hopefully the teacher recs aren’t redundant).</p>

<p>If you do decide to do research in something at a local college and you’re doing well, the professor’s recommendation would be indescribably helpful.</p>

<p>As for essays, try writing a draft out now or next summer and refer to successful examples of college admission essays on the internet. Read a lot of those. If you think I know what I’m talking about and want me to critique it, PM me a copy or something. Tearing apart essays is fun.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much for that. I know it won’t be easy, but my current relationship with the AP math teacher (who’s known for writing great recs) isn’t so great, and math is one subject that truly, genuinely interests me. I’d love to spend some extra time with him to learn about it.</p>

<p>I’m not sure if you would be able to answer these, but I’ve got two more questions lol: The lab I work at isn’t a college associated lab. It’s a full-fledged, “real lab” with more than enough super-qualified geniuses. Is there a chance that they’d let me do a research project, or should I also try to become associated with a college lab? And am I allowed to get a recommendation from one of the people at my current lab, or does it have to be some sort of teacher/professor? Thanks again!</p>

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<p>Oh, sheesh. I totally missed the mention of the lab on your original post. Okay, you’re already doing research. Yes, ask them if you can participate in a research project. Insist on it. And, work closely with someone on it. Just show them your ambition to advance your knowledge of whatever it is you’re studying in the lab. They may require you to read scientific papers to prepare, blah blah — do this. It doesn’t matter if it’s in a college. It’s been a while since I looked at the Common App, but if you can get a recommendation from someone in that lab that you worked closely with, it will be the best piece of paper you can possibly glue to your college application. Since the lab people are less experienced with writing college recs than your teachers (I’m assuming — it depends on the lab), you’ll definitely want to have that “sit down” with the rec writer and hand them a written list of thing they ought to mention in the recommendation (talking about the difficulties you overcame in your research project, how you read primary texts, “I didn’t think he could do it at first, but AdmiralFury proved me wrong…”, mention of your future commitment to research and intention to get a PhD eventually). These lists and suggestions are very useful to recommendation writers, and they typically appreciate it. Specific anecdotes and stories about you are powerful in recommendations.</p>

<p>This is all only if your school allows for a non-teacher recommendation. Been a while since I looked at the Common App. Most good schools do, as I recall. Otherwise, you can write your essay about all the stuff you learned in the lab. A year is a long time.</p>

<p>This AP Math teacher…well, any passionate teacher will warm up to a student that is taking a genuine academic interest in and beyond their subject, and who is asking them about it. It’s just rare to see, at least in a public school. If you do it early enough, he won’t just think it’s a ploy for college. It depends on the person, but based on my general model for math teachers, this should work. Basically, go in there with the agenda of “I want to learn more about this subject, with this guy.” He may try to blow you off, at first, if he doesn’t like you, but ask what days he’s available to just talk about it. These things are fluid. Act very mature and very polite. Do the same with another teacher (Chinese? They require two, after all).</p>

<p>I guess I should explain the core of what admissions officers look for. Might clarify things. Admissions officers are people who have been around the block a few times. They know more than you. They can see through and read between the lines on an application. They are not naive, and they are not ones to be fooled. A lot of high school students don’t seem to be consciously aware of this (I sure wasn’t thinking it). Now, your application is a document that will convince seven or eight of these guys that admitting you to their institution is a good idea. They basically want future Nobel Prize winners. Participating in 20 extra clubs at the end of your junior year will make them roll their eyes (they see through that). If they see a person who has a perfect record and has consistently taken the toughest classes, that’s evidence to them that, well, you’re probably going to do well there. Maybe?</p>

<p>Ted: “Next applicant: AdmiralFury. Toughest APs and a 4.0. You think he’ll do well at Harvard, Bob?”
Bob: “I mean…just, everyone we admitted last year pretty much had that, and some of them are riding on a 3.1 now. Does he seem rich? Did his parents push him or what?”
Ted: “I…I don’t know. It is a private school. He volunteered in a lab.”
Bob: “What, was he cleaning out test tubes or doing research?”
Ted: “Yeah, I don’t know. It just says it here. His recs are…decent. I don’t think his teachers ever met him outside of the classroom.”</p>

<p>Okay, dumb example, but it illustrates the nature of the questions they will be asking. Now, with your self-studied APs and the whole “meet with your teachers” thing:</p>

<p>Ted: “Next applicant: AdmiralFury. Toughest APs and a 4.0. He self-studied for three APs and killed 'em. Teacher recommendations say that they spoke frequently about multivariable calculus and discrete mathematics after school and during lunch. Another one says that he took an interest in the life of Sun Tzu and talked with his Chinese teacher about it all the time. He read, like, three books on it. You think he’ll do well at Harvard, Bob?”
Bob: “Well, shoot.”
Ted: “Another guy in this lab he’s working at says that he’s carrying out a research project on protozlomium zyaton…well, I can’t pronounce half of these words. Sounds cool. He read a lot of papers by Dr. Fritzlaeung…all these long words!”
Bob: “Okay, okay! Just accept him.”
Ted: “He wrote his essay on his trip abroad in China and how it helped him connect his scientific interests with a deep seated desire to advance the country.”
Susy: “I don’t think he was in enough Honors Societies. And that lab wasn’t associated with a college.”
Bob and Ted: “Susy, shut up.”</p>

<p>I hope this helps.</p>

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<p>mfw: <a href=“http://i.imgur.com/j74SykU.gif[/url]”>http://i.imgur.com/j74SykU.gif&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Once again, thanks for all the help. Today is my last day of summer so your advice will be put to use immediately. Cheers!</p>