<p>Hi. Just visited Amherst and loved it. My tour guide was smart without being pompous, warn amd funny…I saw diversity, life, I saw myself there…I know how hard it is to get in…Here are my STATS so far:
CR 800
WR 800
M 690 (sound of a deflating balloon)</p>
<p>I am a good math student, really I am–taking calc in 11th grade and getting A+. I think I work too slow. and if you leave out only a couple of answers your score sinks like a stone. This is my second try,btw. First time got same on WR and CR, 670 on math. </p>
<p>I have an A+ gpa with hardest possible course load. Got a 5 on the AP Euro and taking APCHEM, APUS, APLANG and APPSYCH this month. hope I am ready.</p>
<p>I figure if I do better on the SAT MATH IIC it may offset my SATI. But I dunno. ( Also taking SAT II in chem). </p>
<p>I do play piano since I was 6 ( my teacher says I should make a tape for adcom–I think I am only so so) and started a tutoring service for free in my town which really took off. Also will lead model un next fall and head of other political and social action groups. But everyone who applies to Amherst has this stuff, right?
This year’s seniors got so beaten up with rejections, I wonder if these things I have matter…makes me so insecure. ALSO NO SPORTS. ZERO. NADA. Thanks for any help,hope, or advice.</p>
<p>Hey, you have good chances. Are you by chance a URM? If so, great chances. If not, I would write amazing essays, and, if Amherst is truly your #1, apply ED.</p>
<p>My son was also a strong math student in high school whose SAT math section was relatively weak (like yours, also 690). He did better on the Math2 SAT Subject Test, although still only a 730. (I’m not saying 730 is a weak score, of course, just that in the context of typical Amherst scores it’s acceptable, but not remarkable.)</p>
<p>Anyway, they let him in… so it’s not necessarily going to kill you. ;)</p>
<p>It’s a crapshoot, but no one is going to look at you application and say, “What was that kid thinking applying here???” You sound like an outstanding student in numerous ways.</p>
<p>Hey Leelo, thanks so much. You made my day. Really. I dk what a URM is tho. Sorry. I am a suburban upper middle class Jewish guy, actually.I do go to public school, a very good but not amazing one. So dude, whatever a URM is, I seriously doubt I am it. I’m one of way too many exactly like me.</p>
<p>I AM thinking of applying ED1, because it wasn’t just that when I walked onto the campus I was impressed with the place and the people, which I clearly was. It was more that I felt comfortable. I felt like I could so be with the people I saw in class and in the cafeteria.I know its a superficial take but on the other hand I trust my “gut” as they say. And the prospect of being DONE by December? Sweet. But I also know its a long shot for even the most unusual or stellar applicant. And then there’s me. But thanks. What IS a URM Leelo, or anyone?</p>
<p>URM = underrepresented minority. As an “upper middle class Jewish guy” you wouldn’t fall into that category. ;)</p>
<p>If you’re comfortable with applying ED, and your parents can pay (so you don’t need to compare aid packages with other colleges), then it’s probably a good idea to do so. It’s a way of telling the admissions committee that Amherst is your #1 choice.</p>
<p>Thanks 'rentof2. Good advice.</p>
<p>every second applicant has perfect sats or great extracurriculars or whatever. the essay is really important in showing what sort of person you are. don’t be false, i think they can detect that. write about something you care about. this will allow your personality to flow through your writing in the most natural way. i wrote my essays very very close to the deadlines so i didn’t have time to chop them up into more generic and predictable articles. i think this made my essays more natural and more ‘me’. worked for me, hope it works for you! ~~ good luck</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions for the essay. Yeah, the danger is to sound like every other dude. And sadly, I do. Like, I never thought Id be that guy asking:
What SAT II scores keep you in the running for Amherst? Im taking USHISTORY, CHEM and MATH II. I am told the percentile ranks are quite different than for the SAT I. True? Is there an acceptable range? ( I know scores are only part of the pic, but…) AND, finally… will this year ever be over?</p>