What do you guys think?

<p>During the end of my sophmore and through my junior year my father was deported because he was technically an illegal immigrant. I had to see him in jail for 2 months for just trying to keep food on the table for us. He is still gone and we don't anticipate him to have paperwork done until i graduate. Since then, my mom and my 2 brothers have moved to a smaller apartment and our income has been cut to about 30,000 a year. My mom has taken a lot more load and that meant i had to take care of my brothers significantly b/c i was the oldest. I also got a hardship license at the age of 15 b/c my mom needed me to drive. This extra time providing for my brothers has taken a toll on my academics those years. I had a 3.4 and 3.7 weighted GPA. However, I've managed to get my head straight during Jr. Year despite the circumstances and responsibilities and get a 4.55 both semesters. Here's my resume</p>

<p>3.6 weighted GPA
Top 10-13 (estimate) percent of class (I go to Plano one of the hardest school districts in Texas)
34 ACT
1450 SAT out of 1600
4 years top orchestra
4 years All Region Violin
All state Violinist
Secretary and President of Orchestra (senior yr)
FBLA (nationals)
Model UN officer
Key Club
200 hrs of volunteer service
Big Brother and Big Sisters volunteer
Church Praise Band for 9th and 10th grade
2 jobs during highschool yrs (umpire and cashier)
SAT II:
US history: 780 French: 750 Korean: 780 (not native speaker, but parents are)
I have taken 9 AP courses and have progressively done well</p>

<p>How would the supplemental music materials help me in my admission?
Because I am very interested in playing in the orchestra there. Hopefully this would be and advantage for me right? because with all due respect to the school its not Julliard in music so hopefully my musical prowess would help me?
Also JV baseball for one year</p>

<p>You could have been a fine applicant for Questbridge. I don’t know about chances, but I admire your character and dedication to extracurricular activities. Indeed, your grades are low, however you should talk to your guidance counselor about perhaps explaining the factors that affected your academics. Some students manage the same situation with a perfect GPA in tact, but few do, so talk to an experience adult, see what they think and set your eyes on other reasonable schools to apply to as well. Good luck!</p>

<p>PS: Also keep in mind, you might need to start on paperwork early. Financial aid forms usually like to see two parents submit their income/tax documents, but you might need to fill out a Noncustodial parent form for applications like CSS.</p>

<p>Thank you so much for mentioning questbridge (:</p>

<p>Actually my friend, if you are a senior it would have been too late to apply to QB unless you did back in Sept-October and made finalist status. Now if you are actually a junior, that is a different case! I said you would have made a great QB applicant, if you had already applied. Just clarification.</p>

<p>I am actually a junior so would it still work out?</p>

<p>Yes, apply to the Match next year. I was under the impression that you were a high school senior. Try your best to improve your GPA, you may also apply to the College Prep scholarship with QB if any programs there interest you.</p>

<p>My GPA looks like this </p>

<p>9th grade 3.4
10th grade 3.7
11th grade so far 4.4</p>

<p>Will this rise help me?</p>

<p>First, Stanford doesn’t look at your grades in 9th grade, so your lower GPA that year won’t hurt your chances. Second, an upward trend is good. Third, are your parents college graduates? If not, you have an opportunity there - 15% of Stanford’s matriculating students this year came from families where the parents had not attended college. And finally, you have a compelling personal story which is likely to earn you the respect of both your teachers and guidance counselor (assuming they know about it) and the admissions committee.</p>

<p>definitely apply through questbridge!
even if you are not matched with stanford, you will likely be matched to a great university (if you are open to other options)</p>

<p>My dad finished college in korea and my mom only has a high school diploma. And thank you guys for the input i really appreciate it.</p>

<p>You have an extremely impressive resume (especially the all-state part, which is hardest in Texas! Congrats on that!)
The fact that your dad was deported and you had to work to support your family are actually EXTREMELY BIG selling points that you could use. Overcoming hardship is one of the things Stanford looks for. I would recommend writing the big essay about it.</p>

<p>Stanford always meets 100% of your demonstrated financial need. I bet you can get outside scholarships too because of your community service.</p>

<p>I think you have great chances and good luck!</p>

<p>any1 else?</p>