Boston College vs UCSD-Chance Me Please! Pinky Promise to Chance Back!

luckycharms07 · November 22, 2010, 8:27pm

Please chance me!

SCHOOLS TO APPLY:

Drexel University (accepted, just got notified today)
California State San Louis Obispo
UCLA
UCSD (my dream school #1!!)
UC Davis
UC Berkeley
USC
UC Irvine
UC Santa Barbara
UC Riverside
Boston College-Early Action (my dream school #2!!)

MAJORS

putting in as undecided, but if I must: English

FAMILY

less than $40,000 a year
dad came out of USC
mom didn’t graduate from Cal State Long Beach
very good parents (not typical korean/asian parents-thank God!)

GRADES (yuck)

I go to a very good high school (ranked 84? in the whole nation), but just did poorly in my junior year
Unweighted: 3.64
Weighted: 4.4

FUTURE PLANS

major in English in college and go on to medical school, become a pediatrician (known this since I was 7)

TEST SCORES

SAT: 2050 (superscore: 2060)
CR: 580 (yuck!)
W: 730 (11 on essay)
M: 750

Math 2C: 710 (taken in June 2010, planning to take again in November 2010)
Korean: 670 (take again in November?)
Chemistry: 660 (taken in June, planning to take in November)
Literature: (taken in november, waiting till Wednesday!!)

ACT

Composite: 29 (not planning to send)

RECOMMENDATION LETTERS

counselor (of course), spanish teacher, science research/chemistry 2 AP teacher, club advisor (who was my English teacher in sophomore year)

CLASSES (not in order of classes)

Freshman year:
chamber orchestra (1st chair oboe)
English 1H
Biology 1H
Spanish 2
Cross Country
Geometry H
Health (over summer)

Sophomore year:
advanced orchestra (moved up)
English 2H
Chemisty 1H
Spanish 3H
Cross Country (JV)
Algebra 2H
Speech and Debate
Science Research
World History (over summer)

Junior year (I regret this year, shouldn’t have slacked off, should have taken more APs):
advanced orchestra
English 3H
Chemistry 2AP (should have taken environmental science AP)
Spanish 4
Pre-Calc H (worst math class ever)
Science Research
US History
TA for handicapped kids

Senior year:
advanced orchestra
English 4 Lit AP
Biology 2 AP
Calculus AB AP
Science Research
Goverment AP/Economics AP (block)

EC (have a lot, thank goodness!)

Freshman year:
Volunteering at local hospital in Labor and Delivery
Piano CM (Level 9-passed)
Pediatric Service Association (PSA) club (at school-most dedicated member)

Sophomore year:
Volunteering at hospital
Piano CM (Level Advanced-passed)
PSA club (commissioner of publicity, most dedicated member)
Best Buddies (club at school)
church homeless feedings
CURE club (at school, president-I made it myself: a volunteering club that helps kids who have/had a family member with cancer, volunteers with an organization)

Junior Year:
volunteering at hospital
PSA (vice president)
Best Buddies (Peer mentor)
CURE (president)
church homeless feedings

Senior Year:
volunteering at hospital
PSA
Best Buddies (peer mentor)
CURE (president)
New Life (Christian club at school)
Church student council (Leader)
Church volunteering (hope to start after college apps)

JOBS

worked at Noonoppi (tutoring center) for summer during my junior year

AWARDS

Freshman:
Most dedicated (PSA)
CM-Level 9
Principal’s Honor Roll

Sophomore:
Most dedicated (PSA)
CM-All levels passed
SYMF 4th place (music festival)
Honorable Mention for science research (regionals)
Principal’s Honor Roll

Junior:
3rd place in science research (regionals), Yale Science and Engineering Award, 3rd place in LA County Science Fair, Finalist at state science fair
President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold Lvl)
Principal’s Honor Roll

Senior:
?

ESSAY TOPICS (done! And they’re pretty strong…)

hospital volunteering (met a drug addict there and became friends with her)
hands- the many hands in my life (that have helped me, encourage me,etc)
science research (winning 3rd at LA County)
beaver similarity (builder, story of helping a stressed friend with parent problems

COMMENTS

I really appreciate anybody who read all of this! I can’t believe there’s so much! Then again, they’re all pretty not important (the ECS). My mom always told me to focus on my studies, not on my ECS, should have listened to her…

I don’t know where I’m likely to go to college, and I’m so stressed out!! I though I was going to do well in senior year, but my grades are killing me right now because I slacked off during 1st quarter!! I currently have all B’s right now and A’s in science research and orchestra. But, I think I’m going to get all A’s and B’s in 1st semester (the grades that show on my transcript) except a C in Economics AP, Calculus AB/AP, and probably a C in Biology 2AP. Will I get rejected because of my fall in senior year??

Anyways, please chance me! I pinky promise to chance back anybody who chances me, and I don’t break my pinky promises!! :)

Nefari · November 22, 2010, 10:16pm

Heya! I think you have a very good chance at UCSD. I couldn’t really tell you about BC as I’m not too sure either haha. Your weighted GPA is very good even if you slacked a little junior year and your SAT score is solid. Along with that, your EC’s and awards are extremely good (wish I had them!). Good luck at everywhere your applying, You are a lock at Davis and below and I would be very surprised if you didn’t get into UCSD!

bluebayou · November 22, 2010, 11:06pm

UCSD and BC are so dissimilar, I can’t figure out how they could be your top two choices… :)

In any event, Cal and UCLA are high reaches, and will depend on your essays.

SD & D are reaches, since both are point-based and gpa is the largest component of the total points.

Likely in at the other UCs.

'SC loves high test scores, so November scores could help. 'SC also favors legacies, so that’s a plus as well. A probable spring admit.

I can’t comment on BC (since I’m not knowledgeable enough).

Good luck.

vinceh · November 23, 2010, 10:37am

I agree with bluebayou, it’s hard to find similarities between BC and UCSD, but as far as BC EA goes, here’s my analysis:

THE GOOD

<ul>
<li>Solid profile for leadership, sports and other ECs</li>
<li>Approximately 50th%-tile SAT</li>
</ul>

THE BAD

<ul>
<li>Average to slightly-below average GPA with a “poor” junior year</li>
</ul>

THE UGLY

<ul>
<li>580 CR Score for a planned English major</li>
</ul>

To me, you’re counting on a strong EC profile to make up for a slightly below average (statistically) academic position. My guess is you’ll be deferred in the EA round.

jshain · November 23, 2010, 10:57am

BC will be somewhat of a reach, mostly due to your GPA, but you still have a shot. Your SAT score is okay overall but that 580 isn’t going to look good. I think your EC’s are actually really solid. BC loves high GPA and EC’s above test scores to some degree and, unlike many schools, being Asian won’t hurt your chances at BC. Good luck!

luckycharms07 · November 23, 2010, 3:14pm

Thanks everybody so much! I know my SAT CR is really bad, but I hope I get in. About BC vs UCSD, I don’t know how I got interested in BC either, lol. I guess it’s becuase my friend’s older sister went to BU and always talked about how great BC was (she got rejected from BC). Ever since, I researched a lot about BC and was especially interested that the best children’s hospital is in boston, near BC. As for UCSD, I just liked it but fell in love with after the campus tour last Saturday.

I just got back my SAT subject scores, and… ~sigh~. Only my math score went up 10 points to 720, and I got 630 on chemistry and 540 on Literature (yuck). This will probably not help me at all… As for the English major, I am only using that as a backdoor way to get into med school because I really want to become a pediatrician. I know it’s a long shot, but I just didn’t have the grades and nerve to put a science as my major. That will just make my application look even worse… I guess I could have put environmental science as my potential major because of science research, but I didn’t even take environmental science ap here in high school. I’m so scared…

vinceh · November 23, 2010, 4:52pm

<ol>
<li>I went to BC and have toured UCSD twice; I have a hard time finding any similarities between the campuses. UCSD is spacious and the architecture is modern to say the least (seeing the “Seuss” library is worth the visit alone). By comparison BC is cramped and very Gothic. </li>
<li>Your logic of using an English major to “back door” your way into medical school is completely lost on me. Your SATs support science and math, you want to pursue a career in the sciences yet you choose to list a major that certainly has a standardized testing weakness. If you’re incapable of handling high school level science classes what makes you think you will be able to perform well in their college equivalents? If you want to study the sciences, then study the sciences; trying to “game” your way into any school by listing a major you perceive as easier truly is a recipe for long term disaster.</li>
<li>I’d concentrate on getting your grades up. Right now I think you’ll be deferred in the EA round but submitting a mid-year report wherein you’re “getting all As & Bs except for Cs in Econ, Calc & Bio AP” will likely scuttle your application to BC and UCSD.</li>
</ol>

luckycharms07 · November 23, 2010, 5:31pm

vinceh,

<ol>
<li>i’m not trying to compare ucsd and bc; i’m just stating that these are the two colleges like the best. they might not be very similar as one is on the west coast and one on the east coast, but really, it’s my personal opinion of the matter, isn’t it?</li>
<li>as for the “backdoor” logic, i was recommended by my english teacher to use it. as an english (of course) major himself, he highly recommended that future aspiring doctors to major in english for future medical school as a possiblity. majoring in pre-medicine, biology, and biochemistry is very difficult, and my teacher was giving advice on how to ease stress on us in college. and also, english as a major for me is a possiblity! i am applying to everywhere as an undecided except for Cal Poly SLO because that school requires a major and Drexel for the co-op program. in that (SLO) case, i applied as an english major and my second major as envrionmental science. and i really do enjoy english, especially literature and composition. i’ve always been praised for my essays and writing since middle school and have been used for model essays, so please don’t judge me on my english skills based on standardized testing!</li>
</ol>

3.yes, i’m really concentrating on bringing my grades up. i just got back my last econ test and i scored a high b, so that should def bring the grade up. i don’t know about calc because i usually do poorly in my math classes, but as for bio, i should be able to bring my grade back up to a b through labs.

but really, all i was asking you was to chance me; you don’t really need to criticize me on my opinions and dreams for college. but, i do appreciate you opinion, thanks! :)

luckycharms07 · November 23, 2010, 5:43pm

bluebayou,

isn’t sd on a point system, which involves a more comprehensive view of the application compared to the holistic views with ucla and berkeley? i though ucsd was more lenient that way…

bluebayou · November 23, 2010, 7:04pm

^^negative; SD is the most point-oriented of the UC campuses. They add 'em all up, sort 'em in descending order, and draw a line after ~7,500 points. Everyone above the line is accepted.

You will receive bonus points for being low income and if you attend a low income HS. You can also earn bonus points for overcoming “adversity” if you write about something in your essays. But that is only 150 points here and 300 there. In contrast, gpa is worth thousands (4,000 for a 4.0). Test scores are also worth a couple of thousand points.

Agree with Vinceh. Colleges don’t take kindly to senior-itis and really look hard at those AP grades to project how you might fare on their college campus. 2/3 C’s will all but eliminate your chances for BC and USC. Moreover, C’s will likely result in rescission at Cal and UCLA (if admitted), both of which require no course lower than a B senior year. The other campuses only require a B average senior year. (But not sure about SD.)

As a parent, I would ask you ‘Why Premed?’ if you are only pulling a C in AP Calc and AP Bio, both of which are much, much easier than you will ever experience at UCSD. (And, yes, I know most of the really competitive high schools in SoCal.) Just suggesting that you enter college with open ideas…premed is a brutal route. Most matriculating Frosh never make it through the required courses.

scottj · November 24, 2010, 9:24am

Dear luckycharms07 : The advice you are receiving about english/written skills is extremely valuable as a life-skill, however this is not what will be reviewed by a medical school where your science and full academic background will be everything. To be fair, now is the time for you to grow and start questioning what you are hearing, not only from me and our college confidential colleagues, but also from your english teacher : specifically, what does an english teacher actually know about medical school admissions?

Like vinceh and bluebayou have posted previously, it baffles the reader as to why you would gravitate your application towards your known weakest areas. This is not a criticism as stated to vinceh, but the overall picture does not “hang together”. For example, it might be the case that your current english teacher is an extremely valuable mentor in your life, but you must be able to discern advice and ideas from a teacher from the collegiate career path that you yourself will need to carve.

Next, a few words about other elements of your application/profile.

First, I question whether you have actually seen Boston College and spent a day or two on campus. The school selections that you have put together are such an ecclectic collection that one just has to wonder whether this is a random walk among out of state schools.

Second, if you are attracted by Drexel, remember that they have tri-semester academics; I note that as you will be traveling from California and the Drexel schedule will put you out-of-synch with many of your friends. We know students at Drexel and this is a commonly heard complaint.

Third, students typically interested in internship programs usually gravitate towards Northeastern although that option does not appear in your listing.

In closing, now is the time to do some serious soul searching as to what is important to you moving forward.

bluebayou · November 24, 2010, 11:00am

^^Scott:

as an fyi the quarter system (or “trimester”) is quite common on the Left Coast…Stanford is on that schedule, as are many/most of the public colleges.

vinceh · November 24, 2010, 11:19am

Whether you realized it or not a “chance me” thread is a request to be critiqued. You are asking a group of anonymous posters to evaluate your profile and to provide insight as to how it stacks up vis a vis other applicants to the schools on your list. By asking for a “chancing” you’re asking people to highlight where you are a strong applicant as well as point out weak points and flaws in logic. Useful feedback is not all sweetness and light, it should also contain insights that you have over-looked or criticism of positions that are essentially indefensible. Complaining about criticism in a chance me thread is like ordering hot coffee then squawking when it burns your mouth.

As for your specific complaints…

Go back to my post #7. Where do I criticize either of the two campuses? I merely point out that UCSD is a large California public university - sprawling, relatively modern, replete with towering eucalyptus and numerous outdoor spots ideal for studying. BC is in many ways the prototypical Northeastern private college - compact, green, Gothic and ivy-covered, even the new buildings are built and designed to look old. Where is the criticism?

As for your strategy of applying to BC to study English in order to get into medical school, yes I am critical, but probably not as much as you read into it. I simply do not understand the logic. You are applying for a major that you say you are good at but isn’t supported by repeated standardized tests. You ultimately want to pursue a career in medicine which is almost exclusively science and mathematics based, yet you are by your own admission performing poorly as a senior in these subjects. I just don’t get the connection.

If you want to major in English, then by all means major in English. However, if you truly want to become a doctor, it’s reasonable to assume that any medical school is going to ask the questions: Why didn’t this person major in one of the sciences? Why didn’t they take more than the minimum classes to get into med school? It’s true that a person’s job prospects go up the more effective a communicator they are, but those skills don’t replace proficiency and depth of study in the technical side of their profession. If I’m hiring an engineer to build a bridge, while it might be interesting if she was a History major, it’s more likely she’ll be hired if she shows that she’s mastered the rigors of structural design.

bluebayou · November 24, 2010, 11:36am

Actually, vince, with the exception of the top research powerhouses – top ~10 – med schools do not care about anything more than the minimum math/science requirements. Bio majors are 'a dime a dozen"… On a percentage basis, music majors have (one of?) the highest acceptance rates to med school. Philosophy majors have high acceptance rates as well.

Moreover, 33% of the MCAT is Verbal, so taking reading/writing courses can only help, particularly since there appears to be a VR floor score which is a near auto-reject for any non-hooked candidate. (Many science geeks lose admissions based on their VR score alone.)

OTOH, your point to the OP is well taken. An application has to make sense to the reader: someone who expresses an interest in Math as a major but bombs the SAT-M or ACT-M and Math subject test is going to raise an eyebrow or two, as in ‘Huh?’

luckycharms07 · November 29, 2010, 3:20pm

vinceh and bluebayou,

i’m really sorry if i was harsh to both of you to any way; i’m just really stressed out right now, and i feel really guilty in pouring out some of my stress and anxiety into others. especially, you guys, who are such a huge help to me on this forum; i really can’t thank both of you enough for your efforts, critiques, and advice. i really don’t know if i will/want to go to medical school, but it has always been just a dream. i guess it’s time for me to go to college, take some classes and realize my strengths and weaknesses, and to wake up from this dream, right? thanks again for everything, and thanks to all those who have given me feedback as well! good luck to all those applying to usc, ucs, and cal states! they’re due soon in a couple of days, so don’t procastinate!

luckycharms07 · November 29, 2010, 3:22pm

scottj,

i am not really into drexel that much. i just received a free VIP application and decided to go along with it. also, i heard about their co-op option but am not too familiar with it… drexel is just a back-up school for me, i guess

Shacoria · November 29, 2010, 6:15pm

You and I are very very similar academically. It’s kinda funny because I just got accepted to Drexel like last week(with their $15,000 per year Dean’s Scholarship). My SAT score was 2060. My ACT score was 29. My weighted cumulative GPA is around 4.3 because I messed up my junior year. I took Math and Literature subject tests. I don’t have as many extra curricular activities as you but I am a National Merit Commended Student and a National Achievement Semifinalist. I also applied to Boston College as one of my top choices and I’m interested to know what my chances are. I think your chances of getting accepted to Boston College are about the same as mine probably. lol

Side Note: I can’t even check on the status of my application to Boston College though because I can never log in to the Agora Portal properly. It sucks.

bluebayou · November 29, 2010, 6:41pm

As a Nat’l Achievement Semi with decent essays and recs, your chances of admissions to BC are extremely high, sharcoria.

If you are having trouble logging into agora, call the tech support team; they are usually quite helpful.

Good luck.

Shacoria · November 29, 2010, 8:21pm

That worked well. I called them and now the problem is solved and now I can also see that I still have to send in my application fee waiver for my application to be complete.

luckycharms07 · November 30, 2010, 2:59pm

shacoria,

we are very similar! what is your unweighted gpa? it should be higher than mine, right? however, i agree with bluebayou. you have higher chances of getting in as a national merit scholar than i do, lucky! i’m really mad because i received a 199 on my psat, and the cutoff for our year was 201! but, good luck though and you applied early, right? well, update me if you got in around the 15th! :)

Boston College vs UCSD-Chance Me Please! Pinky Promise to Chance Back!

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