chance a n00b?

awkwardness
Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:12:35 +0000

hi i’m new on CC, and i’m going to be a HS senior in the fall. starting on my college apps, so do you think i have a chance at these schools?

HYP, Stanford, UPenn, Columbia, Rutgers, WUSL, UChic, Berkeley, Northwestern, Georgetown (i hope to narrow this list down a bit… are 12 applications too much?)


SAT I: 2390 (one time)
SAT II: 800 US history; 800 bio M; taking math II in october
GPA: 4.13/4.33 UW, 5.57/6.33 W. <<misleading, because the highest weighted GPA in our school was like 5.9. (Yeah this is straight off my report card b/c my school has a stupid GPA system, so i’m not sure how to calculate my GPA normally. fyi, i have straight A’s except for 2 B+'s.)
*Rank: dunno, but i think Top 10%
AP: US History (5), Eng Lang (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Eng Lit, AP Euro, AP Gov, AP Calc, AP Stats, Physics
Awards: two writing awards from local universities/newspapers, published in student poetry mags, NMSQT Commended Scholar


Subjective:


Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): school newspaper (EIC), lit mag (Mag Director), Natl English Honor Society (treasurer/historian), yearbook, quiz bowl
Job/Work Experience: Exec editor for community newspaper student section (should I put this as an EC or as work? I get paid, but less than minimum wage); Intern at Science Center for 200 hours last summer; secretary at doctor’s office 5 hrs/wk
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at Science Center- 180 hours; Hospital- 100 hrs; summer camp counselor since middle school til 9th grade- 500ish hrs (does this count?); i carry a garbage bag and pick up litter on the streets as i’m walking to work
Summer Activities: drove to Florida with the 'rents, NYU’s Journalism Workshop, AAJA J Camp, Women’s Leadership Program, getting through my “50 Movies to Watch Before I Graduate” list
Essays: haven’t started yet fail
Recommendations: I want to get them from my english teachers but would have 2 recs from english teachers be bad? should i get my math teacher, who is super nice, write mine even if he doesn’t know me that well?


Other


State (if domestic applicant): NJ
School Type: Public, 2200+ kids
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation college, immigrant


i’d like to go to colleges that have good journalism and/or law programs, or at least are located in an area with many media outlets, since my dream is to become a media lawyer or a journalist covering the courts. you don’t have to major in journalism to be a journalist, though, so i’m thinking of majoring in econ with a minor in communications.

any advice on how to improve my application, career dreams, prospective schools list, etc. is appreciated. thanks!