Chance me and my Polar Bear. Yale SCEA, Taking rec for other choices too?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>Greetings from AK. I am still trying to see Russia from my house, so far no avail. </p>

<p>Class of '10
Rank 1/500
UW GPA: 3.98 W:~4.3
Asian, international student
Intended major: Applied economics (finance), Psychology (double major)</p>

<p>Advanced Placement:
• AP Calculus BC: 5
• AP Calculus AB (sub-score): 5
• AP Physics B: 5
• AP U.S. History: 5
• AP Language and Composition: 5
• AP Psychology: 5
• AP U.S. Government and Politics: 4
• AP Statistics: 5</p>

<p>SAT:
• Math: 800
• Reading: 760
• Writing: 780</p>

<p>SAT Subject Test:
• Math Level II: 800
Taking US History next week. Then Chem in Nov.</p>

<p><em>Currently Enrolled
Mathematics: Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, AP Statistics, Calculus 1 (UAF), Calculus BC, Calculus 3 (Univ.), Ordinary differential equations (Univ.)
Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Chemistry</em>
Society Studies: AP Art History<em>, U.S. History, AP European History</em>, AP Psychology, AP Economics*
Foreign Languages: Fluent Chinese Speaker, AP Spanish*</p>

<p>Academic Honor
Outstanding Math Student (2006)
Alaska Statewide Science Symposium, Participant (2008)
Alaska Statewide Science Symposium, State Winner (2009)
• State of Alaska, Governor’s Certificate of Recognition
• Alaska Science Consortium, Relevant Regional Science and Scholarship Award
• Society of American Foresters, Yukon Rivers Chapter, Forestry Related Contribution
National Junior Science and Humanities Symposia, State Representative (2009)
• United States Army, Navy, and Air Force, Participant Recognition
Alaska State Science Fair, Category Winner (2009)
• Sigma Xi Society Alaska Chapter, Outstanding Research Award
• United States Army, Certificate of Achievement
• American Society for Microbiology, Alaska Branch, Outstanding Project
• Society for in-vitro Biology, Certificate of Outstanding Achievement
• [Yale University Science & Engineering Association, Most Outstanding Exhibit]
Alaska Statewide DECA Marketing Conference, 2nd Place in Retail Merchandising
National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist (2009)
AP Scholar with Distinction (2009)</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activity
Chinese Student Association (2004-2008)
• Coordinated and hosted annual public Spring Festival celebration
• Fundraised over $4000 for the earthquake in Sichuan, China in 2008
Key Club, Member(2006-2008)
Book Club(2006)
International Club, Member( 2007)
Track and Field Team, Member(2007)
Varsity Tennis Team, Member (2007-2009)
• Most Improved Player(2007)
DECA Club Chapter, Member and President(2008-2009)
Alaska State DECA Association, School Representative, Communications (PR) Officer (2009)</p>

<p>Work Experience
Web Coordinator, *A dept. in university(2007)

  • Maintained news updates
  • Managed a dynamic content management system, built with MySQL and PHP.
    Laboratory Researcher, Univ. Bio dept. (2008)
  • Researched bioremediation of diesel for 3 month.
  • Compensated by the Research and Engineering & Apprenticeship Program (REAP) Grant sponsored by the US Army Research Office</p>

<p>***Most proud EC is my having finished more than 100 books (wide range of world classics, philosophy and some nonfictional work) during high school. I consider myself a relatively “learned” person. I spend a ton of time reading and my essay is going to probably about my beliefs and my view of myself in the world’s context. My reading and learning has influenced me tremendously as far as my personality, ambition, and even demeanor. I wouldn’t mind what else I have done in this high school but my reading.</p>

<p>My family is also not very well off until last year. Our struggle with immigration status has given me a lot of headaches, but it’s probably not something to complain about. I will definitely demonstrate my unusual amount of growth in my essay also.</p>

<hr>

<p>My interest in Yale SCEA is that I got an award from one of Yale’s organization and it has a generic letter which recommended me to apply to Yale. I really enjoy the school anyway and I was glad to have something from the school to which I am applying.</p>

<p>As you can see my only “hook” is the research project I have done, for which I won a long list of honors.</p>

<p>I don’t feel very competitive among the rest of the nation, but I think I am rather competitive in my region. As you can see my relatively low GPA can get me such a decent ranking in my school.</p>

<p>My school of choice is Yale. I am working on a list of back up schools. I am probably only going to apply schools with Common App, so I will just recycle my recommendations. </p>

<p>Schools I am considering to apply for RD are:</p>

<p>NYU Stern (not need blind)
UPenn Wharton (not need blind)
Harvard and Princeton (need blind, gladly)</p>

<p>These all seem like reaches. I am not sure about a good backup. My family is willing to pay the full price tag, but I want to save my parents some money since we have almost nothing in equity, despite their high earnings. Perhaps if you can recommend some other international-friendly need-blind school or ones with merit scholarship, meanwhile appealing to my interest also?</p>

<p>Thank you guys.</p>

2

<p>Shameless bump</p>

3

<p>why would you want to major in psychology?</p>

4

<p>Personal choice. I am interested in the humanities, thought I’d like to expand with psychology.</p>

<p>I haven’t looked into this, but I think psychology can help with behavioral economics and finance.</p>

5

<p>Is it cold in Alaska right now?</p>

<p>Anyhoo looking good. I’m digging the under-represented state and the SAT score.</p>

6

<p>Wow, a hundred books! Yes, you are looking good on all fronts. I’d be surprised if yale doesn’t take you.</p>

7

<p>The book thing reminds me of that one Scholastic Art and Writing Gold Portfolio 08 winner and her short story/memoir “Something To Be Said For Storms”. She mentioned how when winter came she would curl up in her room with books written by the English and the Russian since “they were all too familiar” with the weather.</p>

8

<p>my eyes hurt,
which is an indicator that you will do well in w/e you apply to</p>

9

<p>Thanks for the positive feedbacks. Perhaps everyone missed my international/Asian status? Nonetheless I feel that my status in this state would do me a lot of good. My essay is about my life in AK.</p>

<p>@nick Yes! I started using that opensocial app on facebook sophomore year and I add a book every time I am done with it. I think I just went over that mark last month.</p>

<p>@James No it’s not cold yet but it will be. I moved from a more northern city to this town last year. From my friends’ facebook status, it’s probably around 0F and filled with 5in of snow already. Haha I did read Crime and Punishment when it was about -40. Needless to say I felt a compelling urge to go outside and finish the last part when Rodion was exiled in Siberia. </p>

<p>@Djokovic Actually if you look closely, I have only probably done one thing in high school, which is my research project. Compared to the stuff I have seen at JSHS national (and heard about at ISEF), those projects make mine look like a high school lab report. Nonetheless I got a lot of acknowledgment from various small organizations.</p>

10

<p>shameless bump, I still need some recommendation for safeties.</p>

11

<p>you are in very good shape, let’s put it that way ;)</p>

12

<p>Wait why did you say that you’re international? Last time I checked AK was still part of the US, as much as we would like to gift you to Canada :wink:
Anyways I think you have a great shot at Yale. The awards are impressive, and while your ECs arent very extensive, you have a great strength in one area. Plus you’re from an underrepped state…and your SAT/GPA are fantastic.</p>

13

<p>@fuzzy</p>

<p>I am international, moved from another country ~6 years ago. It’s quite strange that we picked Alaska.</p>

14

<p>You have a very, very good shot of getting into Yale SCEA. With those tests scores/ECs/GPA you’d have a great chance, but the fact that you’re from Alaska just makes your application that much more competitive and appealing.</p>

<p>EDIT: Please don’t ever again say that your UW GPA is “relatively low.” It’s a 3.98 … chill.</p>

15

<p>Yeah but if you’re living in Alaska, that makes you a domestic applicant, doesn’t it? Regardless of the fact that you HAVE lived in another country?
…Otherwise all the other Asian people who moved here at like age 2 would have to apply as internationals…which is just not true :P</p>

<p>oh p.s., chance me back please? :slight_smile: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/736548-chance-me-top-schools-ivies.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/736548-chance-me-top-schools-ivies.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

16

<p>@The Government:
I must say after being on CC for a while, we are all at top alert against the self-conceited ones. I, probably like you, also rage at those who say things like “gee my 2400 is so terrible.” I don’t know if I messed up but I was saying that my weighted GPA is relatively low. Mostly it’s due to the way our district does our GPA. I have seen like ~4.7 or even ~5.9s from Cali for Texas. Also I have taken a ton of unneeded electives, so my GPA is “relatively” low comparing to other applicants at my caliber.</p>

<p>@Fuzzyfirebunny
You are somewhat confused by what I mean by my being an “international.” If you have chanced some more people you’d probably meet more people like me. Anyhow my deal is that my family moved here about 6 years ago. That’s not long enough to get us “permanent residence” status, so not even close to “citizenship” you get by just being an American. </p>

<p>Some Asians, well it doesn’t have to be all Asians, gee, Europeans, South Americans, for instances. If they have came here early, at say, age 2, chances are that they have been here long enough for them to get a green card (i.e Permanent residency) some way, or most likely they have been deported back to their original country. My parents have gone some through pretty tricky bureaucratic loops to keep us stay in this country. </p>

<p>But I guess I am applying, no difference at all, like say one student who has been through high school in another country. Except for me my transcript is from an American school.</p>