Will ECs kill me?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I have the grades, maybe, but doesn't everybody? The more I read, the worse I feel.</p>

<p>High School: Public
City, State: suburbs of Memphis, TN
GPA: 4.0 unweighted
Rank: 1 or 2/595 (haven't recieved last semester's ranks)
Gender: female
Race/ethnicity: Chinese</p>

<p>SAT: 800V/730M/710W (Ugh... definite retake. I can't believe my math was so low.)
SAT II: 780 Chem, 780 US History (It looks like most people have 3, so I guess I should take another. Is it worthless that I took SAT IIs for my APs? I mean, the APs and the SAT tests are made by the same people so what is the use of showing them you're good at it twice? Any suggestions as to what SAT IIs I should take? And I have it somewhere in my head that you can't take SAT IIs the same day you take SAT I. Is that remotely true?)
ACT: 35</p>

<p>APs Junior Year (This is all we had. Figures they start adding APs for sophomores my senior year.)
Chem 5
USH 5</p>

<p>APs Senior Year
Macro-Econ
USGov
Cal BC
Physics B
Latin Vergil
English</p>

<p>I've taken as many honors as possible (with the exception of a slot in 3 years for Choir).</p>

<p>Awards:
Top 10 in local Chemistry Competitive Exam by ACS (10); 2nd place in Memphis Section Chemistry Olympiad by ACS (11); awards from local Foreign Language Fair by UMemphis' FL Department (in vocab, translation, recitation) (9-11); TMTA participant (9-11); UT Pro2Serve Math Contest Participant (11); National Merit Semi-Finalist; Superior in GMMTA (annual piano evaluation) (9-11); All-West Orchestra (9-11); All-State Orchestra (11)</p>

<p>ECs:
piano (11 years)
cello (6 years)
Memphis String Orchestra (9th)
Memphis Youth Symphony (10th, 11th, 12th)
church sanctuary orchestra (9-12th) (practice every Wed., play every Sun.)
accompanist for Friday Night Bible Study singspiration (12th) (student-led singspiration just started over the summer by our new youth leader)</p>

<p>I've been a member of some school clubs, but I never held an office or spent very much time on them outside of school. Should I even bother to include them when I apply?
Mu Alpha Theta (10-12th)
Half Life (Chem Club) (10-11th) (not taking Chem this year, so debating the point, although club sign-ups are still open)
JCL (9-12)
Student Life Impact (Christian Club) (9-12th)
Beta (10-12)</p>

<p>I've been active at church and in my youth group, but I would have to think hard to write something specific down.</p>

<p>So that's it. No jobs, no leadership positions. My college search has been mostly concentrated around cities where I have family/friends (Cleveland, Toledo, Memphis, Charlotte, Chicago, NYC, Atlanta, Dallas), for the lack of something else to limit the search, but the ultimate factor will, of course, be cost. However, it seems most scholarships are based on community service (since everyone applying will already have awesome grades), so am I sunk? I am thinking some kind of engineering, but would also like to continue lessons (pretty unrealistic, no?) or at least be in a decent school orchestra. </p>

<p>Currently Looking at:
Vanderbilt
UTKnox (definite safety, especially since I've worked with the cello teacher there)
WashU
Case Western
UMich
Hope College (Holland, Mich)
Davidson
Mercer (haven't gotten a chance to really look at yet, but a friend mentioned it)</p>

<p>Pretty short list. I am open to any suggestions for colleges, whether or not they are around those cities. There are some colleges that only offer finaid, not scholarships, which I've mostly crossed out, but I'm wondering it I should reconsider, in case I don't get any scholarships at the other ones I apply to anyway, so the cost would actually be about the same...</p>

<p>I apologize for the length and mess.</p>

2

<p>Whoa, Amazing ACT score. Same with grades and all that. Test scores + GPA are the two most important things on the transcript. It's true that your extracurriculars aren't that great, but good essays can rescue you. You seem capable of writing excellent essays if you put your mind to it.
Your ECs aren't terrible--just nothing stellar.
I think you should aim higher! Davidson is a lot like Dartmouth...try there if you're willing to move far away. Duke is also a good reach and it's not impossibly far from Charlotte. Also try UChicago and Northwestern for excellent Chicago schools that might interest you.</p>

3

<p>Your stats look good- I wouldn't bother retaking the SAT, your scores are high enough. Once your scores are in a certain range, they don't make or break the app.</p>

4

<p>jd -
I understand about the SAT, but isn't 730 Math a bit low for engineering? </p>

<p>And thanks a bunch to Mallomar for the encouragement. I'll look in to UC and Northwestern.</p>

5

<p>jd still believes in santa. Retake if you know you'll do better. you look fine for all your schools. This is one of the few modest lists on CC. You could aim higher.</p>

6

<p>730 is low for engineering. Engineering also usually requires you to have taken math IIc, which is an easy 800 if you've passed pre-calc with an A. I'd go for the Nov SATII. Just review your trig and combinatorics, if you have a TI8x, you'll do fine if you know how to use it. SAT 1 math is harder to get 800 on because of the curve; SAT II's math2 has a very generous curve.</p>

<p>your sat kinda sucks for good schools, but your ACT is nearly perfect, so don't sweat it at all. ACT 35 means that you did well on the math subportion.</p>

<p>Your college list is not short, 7 schools is good. For those schools, I think you have quite a good chance. Like previously stated, aim higher. My last piece of advice is to apply to chem eng. if you want eng. if you go for EE or something, it will seem kind of random. plus chem background will help for chem eng.</p>

7

<p>um you're easily in anywhere on that list</p>

8

<p>You sound a lot like someone I know very well who goes to my school. If you are who I think you are, why are you worried? YOu are pretty much in where ever you want to go...and don't worry about school EC's you've done so much outside of school that it doesn't really matter....</p>

9

<p>It is quite a shame that you only got 2240 on the SAT. Just think about your pure Chinese blood during the test and you should get 2350 or more. </p>

<p>Good rank. Plenty of musical extracurriculars. I would kill for your extracurriculars. All I have is reading stock books in my free time and playing warcraft 3 (although I must say I am beastly good at it). </p>

<p>I am not too familiar with the schools on your list, but I know they are low schools to Chinese kids. Unless they are music schools or something, you are in I would think. Why not the usual Stanford, Caltech, MIT? You got an ok shot. I believe they will cover your need if you are low income, but if your parents are not willing to pay. Then that's another story. It has become a fad for Chinese parents to say "This is America. Americans do not pay for their children's college." I hear if you get married, it makes you an independent which helps in financial aid.</p>

10

<p>mit sucks for aid, stanford is so-so, caltech is a bit better. </p>

<p>*"This is America. Americans do not pay for their children's college." *
more leik "this is america, undergrad costs 10 time it does in every other country in the world."</p>

<p>btw you are a girl. with those grades and scores and ec's you have a rly good chance @ mit, caltech. not being sexist, but considering that tech schools are usually 75M-25F, they love sci-girls.</p>

<p>in other words googogogoogogogogogoogogogogogogoogogogogogogogogo!!!!
kekeke</p>

11

<ol>
<li><p>With your stats, you will be a strong applicant at any school you apply to.</p></li>
<li><p>Don't worry about the ECs. You've done what you enjoy doing, you're clearly a talented musician, you've won awards. Perfectly fine. The admissions officers will be suitably impressed.</p></li>
<li><p>Scholarship and grant money is not tied only to community service. Colleges provide merit scholarships, grants, and various forms of financial aid to help students and, often, to induce them to attend. Any college that accepts you will make an effort to make sure you have enough money to pay the bill. My guess, given your stats, that you'll be accepted at a bunch of colleges. Each will offer you a financial aid package, and you'll be able to pick the best one, maybe even play one school off against another to get a better aid package. Go on-line and check out the financial aid info for the colleges in which you're interested. Make sure you fill out the financial aid apps when you apply.</p></li>
<li><p>You're underestimating your potential. whoamg said it: "you are a girl. with those grades and scores and ec's you have a rly good chance @ mit, caltech. not being sexist, but considering that tech schools are usually 75M-25F, they love sci-girls."</p></li>
</ol>

<p>In other words, adding a few more reaches beyond Wash U would be a good idea. Northwestern, Columbia, even Princeton (not too far from NYC or Philly), and Stanford are not out of the question, and they've all got strong engineering schools. You also might want to take a look at Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh). It wouldn't be a reach for you, but it's one of the better engineering/tech schools.</p>

<ol>
<li>Pick up Rock Hard Apps and The Truth About Getting In by Katherine Cohen. Both books provide a lot of information about how to organize your accomplishments and how present them on your college apps. Ignore her advice to apply ED. Not something you should do if you need financial aid.</li>
</ol>

12

<p>You're aiming too low. You should look at schools like Dartmouth, Brown, Duke, Penn, Columbia, Caltech, as your reaches and you have none of these. A place like Northwestern is only a slight reach for you. I think you are WAY underestimating yourself, and remember financial aid is so good these days that more often than not the most expensive Ivy might be the best financial deal.</p>

<p>If you want merit aid, Emory, Rice, and WashU are the top schools that give out merit scholarships.</p>