Yet another ivy league chance me....but I'd really appreciate it :)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>White Female Sophomore (don't stop reading bc I am a sophomore...I'd love tips on ways I can imporove!!!)</p>

<p>*from a very small rural public school...</p>

<p>GPA: 4.00 UW
PSAT: 218 (will retake in 11th)
Rank: 1 / 130
Most challenging courseload available at school
Dream School: Princeton*
Pre-Med</p>

<p>Extracirriculars:*
(Included intended years and leadership positions by senior year)
Academic decathlon
** * (9,10,11,12) Captain
** * <em>This is my main ec...I placed 2nd in * * * the state of PA as only a sophomore
Student Council
</em> * (9,10,11,12). President.
NHS
* * (11,12)
** * <em>President
Orchestra
</em> * (9,10,11,12)
* * <em>Principal flutist
Gum Anonymous (peer mentoring and tutoring group)
</em> * <em>(10,11,12)
*</em> * <em>Founder & president
Track and Field
*</em> * (9,10,11,12)
Biology Club
* * (9,10,11,12)
** * <em>Leadership??
Spanish Club
</em> * (9,10,11,12)
* * Leadership likely
Ski Club
** * (9,10,11,12)
** * Founder & president
** * *this is sort of an informal, nonschoolrelated activity so not sure if I should list it</p>

<p>Volunteering:
** * <em>Prbly around 350</em>hrs at the local hospital by the time I graduate</p>

<p>Courses: most rigorous available at school (like I said I come from a very small school so I don't have many options which worries me that will hurt my chances of getting into ivy league but I hope to stand out by extensively studying AP)</p>

<p>*only listing AP tests planning to take, not all classes</p>

<p>10th grade APs:
US history
microecon (self-study)
macroecon (ss)
human geo (ss)</p>

<p>11th grade APs:
AP Bio
physics B (ss)...taking reg physics course
AP Euro
AP world (ss)
Pysch (ss)
Lang (independent study class hopefully)</p>

<p>12th grade APs:
Spanish
Calc AB
Lit
Chem
Gov (ss)</p>

<p>Awards:
-National AP scholar by junior year
-Many academic decathlon awards (includ national)
-Entered into several international and nationals essay contests....haven't heard back from them yet (AFSA, Ayn Rand and a American Legion one)
-planning on taking qualifiers for IBO next year
-most likely valedictorian
-most likely National Merit Finalist</p>

<p>Summers
After 10th;
** <em>Either taking university courses and volunteering or attending harvard ssp (advice?!?)
After 11th:</em>
** * *An internship like NIH or a research program</p>

<p>SAT II:
** * None taken yet. *(taking US history this May)</p>

<p>Thanks so much!!! Although this is a chance me thread def tell me ways I can improve if you think of anything! And let me know if I'm missing anything :)*</p>

2

<p>You’ve got a hell of an application. But if you’re gonna apply to Princeton, you should show a interest in something in the sense that the ADCOM’s can understand your passion through your EC’s. In short, your EC’s are diverse, not focused. Hey, who am I to judge? But that’s just the feel i’ve been getting on this forum as the top priority when choosing which EC’s to participate in/outside of school. Anyhow, you’re doing good! keep up the good work!</p>

3

<p>If you apply ED somewhere, demonstrate interest to a number of schools, I’m sure you’ll get into an Ivy somewhere.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/904549-illegitimate-acceptance-ethical-dilemma.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/904549-illegitimate-acceptance-ethical-dilemma.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>^^^Could use some help here.</p>

4

<p>Just saying…Princeton for pre-med is def a bit iffier…grade deflation and no affiliated medical school on campus. Just saying.</p>

5

<p>I don’t have many ec options where I live so I’m trying to take full advantage of what I am offered (that interests me of course) but I was hoping that I could show an interest in medicine with volunteering at the hospital, biology classes at a university, an internship after my junior year (wasn’t able to this year bc I won’t be 16 until next summer) and I will be attempting IBO. Is there anyway that you think I could improve my focus besides that? :slight_smile: focus is one of the things that def worries me… Thanks for your help!!*</p>

6

<p>Oh and in response to disagreement… I know that no school is perfect but I love pton’s small community, campus, focus on undergrads, its amazingly extensive libraries, and it actually has one of the highest admit rates into med schools in the country!</p>

7

<p>Bump thanks!</p>

8

<p>Shamelessly bumping again :)…</p>

9

<p>Being from a rural school and having all of those leadership positions will be good for you. Do well on the AP tests you self study and work your butt off trying to find medicine-related ECs. You have a pretty good shot at Princeton, especially because adcoms are now looking for people from schools that traditionally don’t send to HYPSM.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/904772-chance-brown-kid.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/904772-chance-brown-kid.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

10

<p>Thanks oohindu!! I chanced you back btw.</p>

<p>Any suggestions on how to find med related ecs? I would consider starting a club but I doubt anyone at my school would be interested.</p>

11

<p>Pretty please? I’ll chance back :)</p>

12

<p>Bump :wink: will chance back</p>

13

<p>You’re not expected to have the same ECs as someone from a tri-state prep school, but I still don’t see a specific personality coming through. I’d recommend entering contests (science, math, writing, whatever), starting a large-scale community service program, or doing a summer program like TASP/RSI (check out the summer programs forum for specific ideas).</p>

14

<p>^ Thanks glassesarechic…here’s what I want to portray (sorry if this sounds conceited and most definitely tacky):</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I have taken every academic opportunity available to me: taken all APs offered by school (including petitioning for some), self-studied APs, Academic Decathlon etc. This has really shaped my love of knowledge because I had to work to get receive challenge I had - no challenge was a chore but something that I looked forward to instead. (Oh and in regards to the contests, I have entered several essay contests recently: an American Legion one, Ayn Rand ‘Anthem’, and AFSA … have not heard back yet)</p></li>
<li><p>Focus in Medicine: Volunteering at Hospital, Summer Internship/HSHSP/NIH, AP Bio, IBO (hopefully…), biology classes at a university</p></li>
<li><p>However, without being one-sided (“pointy” I think is the word I have heard): track, music, and various leadership positions at my school</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I know that I won’t be there to point that out to Admissions but I just wanted to say that so you know what I was going for and if there were anymore suggestions you had esp in the development of my medicine focus. </p>

<p>And also, does anyone on here know of a medical internship that they would recommend to me for this summer (w/out 16 age requirement)…I realize that it is very late but my summer plans fell through and I’m still searching and hoping.</p>

15

<p>Oh and I noticed some people were putting their GPA out of 100.</p>

<p>Mine for last semester was 99.66/100, but I think including last year it will probably end up being around 98.4/100 perhaps? Somewhere around there…</p>

16

<p>Thanks to everyone who has helped me!! But I really would lovvvvveeeee if some one could give me some more advice on

  1. Adding to my ECs
  2. Summer Programs
  3. And esp developing my medicine hook</p>

<p>Thanks!!</p>

17

<p>Bump yet again :slight_smile: sorry…</p>

18

<p>You will have to do significantly better on your SAT than you did on your PSAT to be competitive for Princeton.</p>

<p>As for ECs–your Decathalon performance is impressive, but Princeton has turned down kids with much bigger awards. The rest of the app seems like a laundry list, like you set out to attain as many leadership positions as possible. There are very few titles or awards that will impress HYPMS by themselves–these schools want to know what you have accomplished. That you are the president or the founder or some officer will not matter. What do you do there? How have you made the club better through your contributions? Your school? The community at large? </p>

<p>Ideally, you want to be able to answer all these questions easily, at least for one or two ECs.</p>

19

<p>^Thanks for chancing me!</p>

<p>Ah the infamous title of laundry list… Well I didn’t really elaborate on my ECs in my chance me but i do have significant accomplishments in some…for example, in my peer tutoring group we are holding a PSAT/SAT class for underpriveleged students in our community. </p>

<p>And about the PSATs…218 was taken cold and as a sophomore so I would def assume that they would go up.</p>

<p>And thanks for your help!! I will def keep in mind to make sure to give my ECs more direction. </p>

<p>Let me know if you need a chance back.</p>

20

<p>Hello. This is an impressive resume, but I’m just going to be honest with you. When applying to colleges (and I’ve seen this happen with so many kids at my school), most all school activities don’t matter. There is a logical reason for this: unless you are the ONLY person in a club/activity/sport/musical activity, then you are not unique to that activity. Showing commitment to a club is fine, but what ADCOMs are looking for is something that makes you stand out.</p>

<p>You are completely right in trying to find a medical hook. Most people don’t do that. They expect that showing a strong commitment to school clubs is good enough if they have enough on the list. But it’s not.</p>

<p>Right now, you look strong, but I’ll just be honest in telling you it’s not good enough yet for an Ivy League. If you can score an internship at NIH or a really impressive research position, then that’s awesome. That’s just one part of creating a medical perspective on your resume. To truly create a medical hook, you have to show that you are more committed to medicine than any other activity on your post above. Yeah, essay contests and Ac-Dec competitions are fine…but if I read this resume and someone asked me what field I thought you wanted to go into, it would probably be political science or international relations because of your leadership roles.</p>

<p>I’m not trying to pick on you. I went through the same process as you - I had all kinds of school things - speech, debate, band, orchestra, etc. - and then I realized: if someone had to tell me what I wanted to go into based off my resume, it sure as heck wouldn’t be medicine.</p>

<p>In terms of getting into NIH, all I can say if GOOD LUCK. I am going to be a high school senior this fall, and applied for it this summer. First, I have strong family connections there. Second, my medical resume was very strong. And I didn’t get in. I have heard from my family that is there that they rarely accept high schoolers, and in the off chance that they do, they are most likely from the Baltimore area.</p>

<p>If you don’t get NIH or some other snazzy internship, go to a local university and interview there. I have a strong belief that the BEST THINGS to do to create a hook are not arranged in a program, internship, or organization. The best activities are things that YOU create, find, and develop. That way, they’re YOURS! It just makes sense. And don’t worry about your chances about getting a research job at a university - most research directors are understanding that high schoolers have little to no true medical knowledge, and they will teach you all you need to know once you start.</p>

<p>Sorry for the novel-lengthed reply, but I rarely post on CC, so this was sort of an outpouring of long felt comments. Any other questions?</p>