Would it be worth applying Yale / Amherst?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey everyone, I'd really appreciate any sort of advice.
Not to mention that I'll DEFINITELY Chance back (with whatever meager knowledge I possess) if you post a link.</p>

<p>Well, I'm applying from South Korea, which is virtually crawling with semi-psycopathic students with 2300+ SATs, overwhelming APs and ECs. I don't really know if I'd be able to differentiate myself or even compete. My family isn't that well off, either, and I would really appreciate some tips on financial aid as well, thanks </p>

<p>My SAT Scores are:
SAT I - CR 800 Writing 780 Math 800
SAT II - French with Listening (800), Chemistry (780), MathIIC (780), Chinese with Listening (720)</p>

<p>I've currently had 5 AP exams:
- European History (5)
- Calculus BC (5)
- French Language (5)
- (the now deceased) French Literature (5)
- Chemistry (5)</p>

<p>I'm planning on taking Music theory, US History, English Language, Chinese and World History this May.</p>

<p>As for Extracurriculars,</p>

<ul>
<li><p>I've been the chief/condctor of our school orchestra since 2008, holding various (but none too large) concerts. We also do a lot of community work, and privately aid a house for orphans and disabled children with funds we've raised. I've also played the violin for around 12 years, and held a couple of personal concerts - but again, nothing too fancy, and I don't think listing them on my application would help me very much.</p></li>
<li><p>I've won several national/international awards; 1st place in the Korean National Environmental Project Olympiad, 1st place in a state science competition, gold medal in the International Environmental Project Olympiad, and 2nd place in the International Student Science Fair. I've also won a silver and a bronze medal respectively during the last two years in a state rowing championship.</p></li>
<li><p>I guess I have at least some knack at grasping some languages; I speak fluent french, somewhat proved by my DELF C1 certificate, and the French Embassy officialy recognized me as a translator. I also speak Chinese (honestly, extremely poorly - but I have an HSK certificate) and Indonesian. Also won a private scholarship for linguistic capabilities.</p></li>
<li><p>Er... I've had some internship experience under the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, particiapting in projects studying the welfare/environmental policies of France and England, and another one concerning the implementation of sustainable development projects in France.</p></li>
<li><p>held a position in the school student council, and was representative of our school's sports clubs.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>What really makes me nervous is my GPA. I used to attend a French school for 4 years before returning to my current Korean school and I had some difficulties adjusting at first - including laziness. I probably have weighted GPAs of: 3.2 -> 3.6 -> 4.1 -> 4.3 and have two semesters remaining, on which I <em>sigh</em> would like to get something around 4.3. Even then, my total unweighted GPA won't be over 3.6, I guess.</p>

<p>I guess this is a long list. I really appreciate that you took the time to read the whole thing, and would appreciate it even more if you would have something to say about it.
My EC list is a jumbled mess, and quite honestly I don't think it holds much appeal.</p>

<p>I would fancy myself applying to Yale, but... <em>sigh</em> who doesn't? What colleges would you recommend for applying?</p>

2

<p>Yes, they are absolutely worth applying to. As you know, you're competition is other Koreans, so who knows. I have to think Amherst is considerably less popular with Koreans because after all, even Americans have never heard of it!</p>

3

<p>Quite frank, I think your chances at Yale are strong. The valedictorian of my school, who is Chinese and interests in science, was accepted into Yale this year. You have somewhat similar stats as he does, so I think you have a strong chance of meeting a similar "fate." As for Amherst, I think that you're already in. It all comes down to the question-- Is it worth applying? I strongly believe that the schools are worth applying. Why not?</p>

4

<p>Hmm... does it always boil down to competition with other Asians?</p>

5

<p>tsarbucks,
It's only using statistics and seeing how others get in. It plays out that different ethnic groups have different chances at different colleges. Asian against asian? Maybe. But it's only a statistic to use to see repeating patterns.</p>

6

<p>hmm... thanks everyone. Could someone recommend what I could do to improve my ECs?
And seriously, does an upward trend matter that much?</p>

7

<p>그정도면충분할꺼에여 ㅋㅋㅋ
Yale정도는들어갈수있으실듯 ㅋㅋㅋ</p>

8

<p>Absolutely. At this point, you have an amazing shot anywhere! your only problem is going to be the other asians that are applying. Take advantage of the essays etc. good luck</p>

9

<p>Thanks...</p>

<p>Would it be worth taking more than 9 AP tests?</p>

10

<p>First of all, hi to a fellow Asian and Chinese speaker !
From what I see on this website, I guess yes...
But you are amazing....seriously, you scores are really good. and APs. I wish I can take APs... :-( I think you should go ahead and apply anywhere you want.
Chance me back!
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/657846-chance-international-sophomore-weird-stats-2.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/657846-chance-international-sophomore-weird-stats-2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

11

<p>LOL I laughed at post #7.
앰허스트는 들어갈수 있을꺼에요.
경제때문에 Liberal Arts가 application 숫자도 떨어지고 enrollment도 떨어져서
합격률이 오를거라는 전망을 봤거든요~ 하지만 믿거나 말거나 ㅋ.ㅋ</p>

<p>그리고 예일/하버드는 너무 competitive 하기때문에 확실하게 말은 못하겠지만
가능성이 있어보이네요~</p>

<p>화이팅~ 둘다 apply 꼭 하세요.
apply 안하면 chance는 0이지만
apply 하면 어느정도라도.. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ</p>

12

<p>whoah… hi to all fellow Koreans :)</p>

<p>but I guess I asked the wrong question…
by ‘worth’, I didn’t mean whether these schools were worthy themselves (oh god yes)
but whether applying would be worth the effort
because, well, I’d like my expectations to be realistic.</p>

<p>P.S. Any advice on my GPA, please? everyone has been really helpful
but I’m still not convinced… seriously, an unweighted 3.6 troubles me.
Does anyone have any info on admissions for people with similar stats?</p>

13

<p>your gpa is not that bad. your amazing sat 1’s and 2’s probably counteract that. you also took a really rigorous schedule. if you are highly ranked in your class, the gpa won’t hurt you at all.
i’d say:
yale- reach (good chances with those ec’s, sat’s, and ap’s though)
amherst- match/high match</p>

<p>chance me back? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/683685-chance-me-plz.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/683685-chance-me-plz.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

14

<p>hmm… people have actually told me that my GPA crushes any chances
I might take at the top ivies.</p>

15

<p>I agree with others. If you articulate your ECs, you have a shot at both.</p>