Hi, I am a junior at an Early College in North Carolina and I would like to know if my stats and accomplishments are good enough to get into a top school (looking especially into Duke, University of Chicago, Stanford, or Harvard). If not, then what would be the highest school that you think I could get into? I wanna make sure applying to the schools in the next year would be worth it or a waste of time and money.
SAT/ACT: SAT-1440 (new SAT, so out of 1600) , essay 5 (out of 8) ACT- 27 (out of 36), essay 3 (out of 5)
GPA/Grades: Straight A’s whole high school career and GPA UW 4.7, W 3.9. (2 B, but it was a 92 and other was 89)
AP classes: School offers none, but being in an early college, all my high school classes are honors and I have been taken at least 3 college courses every semester. In the end of early college I will have my high school diploma and an associates of science.
Talents: I speak 2 languages completely, English and Spanish, and I can hold a conversation in French and Chinese. Planning to learn Russian as well. I’ve been playing piano for about 7 years and play publicly twice a year in a concert. I am quite good at debates and am part of a Debate Club, but it’s not a real Debate Club where you travel and actually debate so that club Does Not Count.
Clubs/ Sports: My school offers none because they want me to concentrate on college work. However the my school does have National Honor Society which I am a part of and I am also about to join Phi Theta Kappa for the college. Also hoping to be accepted into Governor’s School of NC.
Volunteer/Internships: Doing an explorer’s program with boy scouts (sort of like job shadowing in a way), doing Wells Fargo, hospital system, and law. Planning to do internship in NASA, but that is subject to change. I volunteer largely with my school by tutoring kids in advanced mathematics and by helping plan school events such as Angel Tree, holiday events, dance, etc. I also participate in my church and do things like teaching recreational sports in VBS, mission trip to DC, and going to needy and old to cheer them up. (I have recently become agnostic though, and church participation may decrease in the future). I will also begin being a blood donor ambassador and smoke alarm installer for American Red Cross. Hopefully will do a DukeTip program.
Past activities: Used to do karate, sports (baseball and soccer), and Boy Scouts (Had to leave all do to parents having to work more and not being able to take me) Did Math Olympiad in elementary.
Future Plans: I really wish to major in astrophysics and minor in law or business and work for NASA in the future. I plan to do extensive research on specifically black holes and/or space travel and colonization.
What makes me special/life story: I was born in Peru and my parents had a great life with great careers. However, a problem in Peru occurred that I’m unaware of and we moved to the US legally but became illegal by temporary visa. I have learned to accept my life and faced struggles due to my status. Despite bad reputation of illegals, I have pushed those ideas beside and moved on ahead and being the best student I can be, encouraged by my parents. I saw both of my parents moving up in life despite their status and I can see that I can do that as well and I hope to repay them in the future for what they did and for raising me well. I have used my struggles as a strength and factor of encouragement to get good grades and participate.
I felt I needed to add this as well. (high school is HS) (C is college) *ALL high school classes honors
Courses taken:
Freshman Year: Earth and environmental, English I, Math II, English II, Math III, Biology, Freshman Focus, French I, PE ©, US history I, and CIS © microsoft word/computers
Sophomore Year: Precalculus Algebra ©, Precalculus Trigonometry ©, HIS 111: word history BC-1500s ©, Chinese I and II ©, Chemistry (HS), HIS 132-US History II ©, ENG 111: Writing and Inquiry ©
Junior Year: Calculus I ©, ENG 112: Writing in the disciplines ©, BIO 111: Microbiology, genetics, and evolution ©, and World History (HS), PSY 150: Introduction to psychology ©, Civics and Economics (HS), BIO 112: Life and systems ©, and ENG 243: American Literature II ©
Senior Year Future Schedule (so far): Calculus II ©, Calculus-based physics ©, COM 231: public speaking ©, and ENG 242: Major British Authors ©
Family earnings: about 30,000-40,000 per year
Degree that I want: Double-major in astrophysics and business