A dreamer in need of help

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>Intended Major: Electrical Engineering & Management/Business</p>

<p>Grade: Senior (School starts Monday.)</p>

<p>GPA:
UW: 3.87
W: 4.3?</p>

<p>Age: 16 (June 28,1990)</p>

<p>Gender: Female</p>

<p>Race: Indian</p>

<p>ACT: 25 (retaking in Sept.)</p>

<p>Rank: 29 / 595</p>

<p>Senior Year Courses: 1st semester & 2nd Semester
Adv. Writing & Public Speaking (I don’t take any more honors. No space.)
Spanish Year 4 Honors
AP Biology
Trig/Pre-Cal Honors
AP Chemistry
AP Physics</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Octogan Club (Community service thing) 9-11
Ecology Club 9-10
Spanish Club 9-12
Spanish Honors Society 11-12
National Honors Society 11-12
Library Assistant 11-12
X-care (Promotes Character in school) 11-12</p>

<p>Awards:
Student of the Month - 9th
English Departmental Award - 10th
Youth Salute (leadership) - 11th</p>

<p>Community Service:
Hospital Volunteer: 300+ hours.</p>

<p>I can’t get a job because of my age. I applied when I was 15, but got rejected because of my age. I applied when I turned 16, but no one was hiring. Now, I’m applying again so hopefully, I’ll get a job.</p>

<p>Am I average or below average? I’m getting scared because I haven’t joined many things or did something completely awesome. I don’t have many awards because seniors get most of the awards at our school in like April. </p>

<p>I live in a small town, and not many opportunities. I spent the first 11 years of life trying to learn English and become normal or even with other American students. Then, when I was 13, I went into the honors world and here I am now when I am 16.</p>

<p>So help me. I’m a hard worker. I don’t mind studying. I don’t mind working. I don’t mind if I don’t have a social life. I like to work. I like to study. I like to keep my time occupied by various things. So, could you suggest come colleges for me?</p>

<p>Now, I have done my college searching. I have like 10 colleges on my list. </p>

<li>MIT</li>
<li>Stanford</li>
<li>Northwestern</li>
<li>University of Illinois- Champaign</li>
<li>Univeristy of Chicago</li>
<li>Purdue- West Layafette.</li>
<li>UMKC- 6 year med program.</li>
<li>University of Penn,</li>
<li>University of Michigan- Ann Arbor</li>
<li>Carnegie Mellon University</li>
</ol>

<p>I know MIT & Stanford are impossible, but if I raise my ACT scores and get SAT IIs done, I wish to apply. Or do you think even without the tests, it’s impossible? </p>

<p>I don’t know. But I don’t have to lose hope. Just be honest and tell me please. Thank you.</p>

2

<p>Well you do have a good GPA, and that is enough to show that you are hard-working. Do raise your ACT, that is the main thing bringing you down. Also, you’ve got to show the school something unique about you. At least for the more selective ones. Do something that will stand out when they are reading thousands of applications and get to yours.</p>

<p>What state are you living in? I’d apply to that state school for sure…it may serve as a good safety school for you.</p>

3

<p>I live in Illinois. I’m applying to three state colleges.</p>

4

<p>Good. You have a fair chance at most of these schools I think. The best thing you can do though is raise the ACT.</p>

5

<p>how much do you think I should raise it by? I want to raise it up to 32. Hopefully, I’ll be able to.</p>

6

<p>An ACT of 32 would be good. With your current ACT, I would call Northwestern and U Penn major reaches. U Mich Ann Arbor is probably a reach, too. You might be the type of person who does better on the SAT than on the ACT. Maybe you should take it. Unless your scores go way up, I would call your list a little unbalanced- too many reaches, not enough matches. Your ECs are mediocre- that will also not help. They are OK, but not the thing to impress top schools. I’ve heard that UIUC has actual firm quotas on acceptances from certain good high schools in the Chicago area, so unless you live in an outlying part of the state, you may have a problem there. (Or unless they are treating your ethnic group as underrepresented at the school.) You do have a good GPA/class rank, and that is the most important criterion. I’m just being cautionary, not negative.</p>

7

<p>Given your current ACT score and other stats:</p>

<p>MIT - Very Big Reach
Stanford - Very Big Reach
Northwestern - Big Reach
University of Chicago - Very Big Reach
University of Penn - Very Big Reach
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor - Big Reach
Carnegie Mellon University - Big Reach</p>

<p>ACT of 25 is approximately equal to a cr+m score of 1140 on the SAT. Realistically, this is way too low for any of the schools listed above. To be competetive at any of these schools, you’d need at least a 32 or a 33 on the ACT (around 1420 to 1470 cr+m on the SAT). Get your ACT up to that level and, given your GPA and class rank, you’d be competetive at Carnegie Mellon, UMich, Northwestern, and maybe UChic. MIT and Standford would still be reaches though.</p>

8

<p>No, even a 30-31 is competitive.</p>

9

<p>I’ll try to raise my ACT score as much as I can. That’s like the only thing brining me down majorly. I think I’ll give up on MIT and Stanford. Wonderful colleges, but I know I won’t be able to since I haven’t done much in my life. ^^;</p>

<p>So will an ACT near 32 be good for Northwestern, CM, UofC, and UIUC? Or not?</p>