Chance Me: ED1 Duke, ED2 Rice/WashU, EA: UMich, UTA, UNC, and all UCs [WA resident, 3.96 UW, 1580 SAT, Environmental Engineering/Policy/Science]

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Demographics
US permanent resident (WA resident)
Asian
Came to US during middle school
Private high school (Catholic)

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • SAT:1580
  • toefl waived
  • GPA:3.96/4.0 (School doesn’t offer any APs/honors, so there’s no weighted. )
  • Rank: not provided

Cost Constraints / Budget
No budget according to my parents

Intended Major(s)
environmental engineering/environmental policy/environmental science

List your HS coursework

  • Math: (including highest level course(s) completed)
    Calc 3: Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations
  • Science: (including which ones, such as biology, chemistry, physics)
    Bio II (ecology)
    Physics II: Mechanics & Waves
    Physics II: Electricity & Magnetism
    Chem I, Phys I, and Bio I all completed already.

intro to psych, engineering, neuroscience, data science etc.

  • Visual or performing arts:
    advanced handbells 2 yrs, beginning 1 yr

Awards

  • Global Silver (Top 5%) in Kaggle Data Science Comp. (RSNA Lumbar Spine Degenerative Classif.) (related to engineering)
  • Global Bronze (Top 10%) in Kaggle Data Science Competition (LLM Programming) (related to engineering)
  • Global Gold (Top 2.5%) in Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest (wrote about carbon credit policies)
  • Gold Key in Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards Critical Essay Category
  • Gold Key in Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards Photography Category
  • First Prize in “Smart Shenzhen” Innovation Award, Technologies Design Section, (sustainability relevant)
  • Rising Star of Science Popularization, honored by Shenzhen Young Science and Technology Talents Association, (sustainability relevant)
  • Teen Pioneer in “Together For A Better City” Youth Action on Climate Change, (sustainability relevant)
  • Judges’ Choice Award in FTC Robotics Competition “Zero to Hero”,
  • 1st Place in WIAA 1A State (WA Interscholastic Activities Association) Golf Championship
  • 2nd Place in WIAA 1A State Golf Championship
  • 1st Place in WIAA Bi-district Golf Championship, Apr. 2024 & 2023 & 2022
  • 1st Place in WIAA ESC (Emerald Sound Conference) Golf Championship, Apr. 2024 & 2023 & 2022

Extracurriculars
(Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)

  • Pioneer Academics Research Program, Conservation Biology, Researcher
    Mentored by Colgate University professor X and received 4 college credits; Explored mitigation strategies employed by scientists and policy-makers and grasped the complex nature of the biodiversity crisis; Completed a 19-page paper “Rising Salinity Level due to Climate Change in the Everglades: Bioindicators Analysis and Enhanced Mitigation Strategies”
  • Hainan Yiran Environmental Tech, Online Research Intern
    Support the research team by conducting ecological surveys and collecting water samples;Evaluate prospective environmental consequences associated with projects and operational endeavors.
  • Research on Hydrothermal Processes at Cornell University, Research Assistant
    Assist Professor X in investigating and cataloging various hydrothermal processes, particularly those that may hold potential for optimizing waste treatment or energy production;Perform comprehensive literature reviews to understand the latest advancements related to waste management solutions and hydrothermal technology applications; Collaborate with engineers, biologists, chemists, and environmental scientists
  • Urban Water Quality Investigation, Researcher
    Studied the quality of water resources at Ellis Pond in the neighborhood
    Completed a presentation addressing contaminated drinking water
    Created and displayed educational signage, cautioning the community on the negative repercussions of overfeeding wildlife and advocating for responsible interactions with our shared environment
  • STEM.E Youth Career Development Program, Editor, Host, Outreach Coordinator
    Compose monthly articles that delve into current topics and advancements within the fields of STEM; Attend bi-weekly meetings for peer review, constructive feedback, and dialogue on articles’ themes; Organize and host monthly talks featuring esteemed scholars from a diversity of STEM fields
  • Pioneer Student Council, Co-host & Activity Organizer
    Co-hosted university application workshop series, offering valuable insights from Pioneer alumni about their college experiences and the application process, while building an alumni network; Co-hosted research seminars, engaging alumni from various fields, including environmental science and economics, to guide new students on conducting research in their respective areas; Contributed to Pioneer’s official Instagram accounts by editing and posting tips related to research and extracurricular activities, addressing topics such as mental health and work-life balance
  • Environmental Science Comic Book, Author & Editor
    Draw comics for children about rudimentary geological, astronomical, and atmospheric knowledge; Organize the knowledge in a format that is accessible and relatable to children’s knowledge level; Raise awareness among the public, including children, about the importance of environmental science
  • Environmental Club, President & Speaker
    Cultivate a variety of vegetables in the Fridge’s Garden on campus, involving sustainable gardening practices and promoting local biodiversity; Offer weekly lectures on environment-related issues, such as the complex subject of lithium batteries, serves an educational purpose for the community.
  • Women in STEM Club, Member
    Wrote unrecognized women in STEM biography Book; Conducted interesting science experiments such as Borax snowflake crystals to intrigue younger females’ interests in STEM
  • Philosophy Club, Co-founder
    Explore philosophical questions surrounding concepts like free will and the essence of happiness;Organize workshops and online activities to connect people in the X; Manage the club’s social media accounts and host promotional events
  • SALT (Student Athletic Leadership Team) School Ambassador, Student Leader
    Organize sports-related events monthly and serve as the chief organizer of the golf PGA activities; Deliver speeches and host events to inspire female students to get involved with competitive sports; Host orientation parties for new students across grades and write welcome notes to admitted students; Help to connect international students with others who are also from a similar cultural background
    Host both virtual and in-person visit events for prospective students and families
  • Golf Varsity, Top Player
    Selected to be the varsity’s top player for 3 years consecutively; Represented the school in competitions and won multiple state-level awards; Spoke as a representative for golf-related events
  • Tree House, Volunteer
    Dedicate two hours weekly to assist with donations and sales services at a
    charity shop;Try to help minorities get their desired item in a more accessible way

Schools
Duke
Rice
Darthmouth
Washu
Emory
UCLA
UCB

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female btw dont know if that will play a role

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Impressive. Good luck. You will receive many acceptances.

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Congratulations on your achievements.

First things first….studying environmental engineering is different than environmental science and environmental policy and will likely lead to different career opportunities. If environmental engineering is important, apply to schools with that major.

Calculate your UC GPAs here: GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub

Your list is all reaches. Do you have targets and at least one affordable safety/highly likely on your list?

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I was going to say the same thing. If you are interested in env science and policy, env engineering might not be the right major for you.

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I agree that you are highly accomplished and a very qualified applicant.

I will only address the 2 UC’s. Both UCLA and UCB are test blind so your excellent SAT score will not be considered for admissions or scholarship purposes.

Below are some major admission statistics and GPA admit ranges for each school (25th-75th percentile)

UC Berkeley:
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 4.15-4.29
Unweighted UC GPA: 3.89-4.00
Weighted Uncapped: 4.31-4.65

Admit rate for Civl and Environmental Engineering: 14%
Admit rate for Environmental Policy/Science: 17% College of Natural Resources does not admit by major

OOS admit rate: 7.3% overall

UCLA:
Capped weighted UC GPA: 4.20-4.30
Unweighted UC GPA: 3.90-4.00
Weighted Uncapped: 4.40-4.74

Civil and Environmental Engineering admit rate: 7.7%
Environmental Science: 11% College of L&S does not admit by major

OOS admit rate: 9.3% overall

Good luck.

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Meaning “no limit” (some schools may be $95k/year) or “no money”?

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Environmental engineering is often a subarea of civil engineering, with focus on such things as water quality, pollution control, etc…

Environmental science and policy tend to be related, but with different levels of emphasis on science versus social science when they are separate majors.

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no limit

10

Hi,

My target is uiuc/UW (in state)
My safety would be Santa Clara university and OSU

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Yea

I chose these 3 because I don’t really know if I want to go for the more social science one or the more mathematical involve one rn. Hence, I’m just choosing environmental mainly

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Thank you so much!

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I totally understand and thank you so much for the thoughtful response. I’m just currently not sure if I want to do the more social science one or the more mathmatical involved one. But imma pretty sure that I want to do something related to the environment

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Nice list for target and safety. May want to add UC Davis to target. UCD is one of the top Environmental Science college in US. Good Luck.

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I think my UC GPA would be around 3.98

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Thank u for the suggestion. Yea, imma applying to all the UCs

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unweighted

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okayyy! got it, thank you so much :wink:

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The University of Washington is a very good university both overall, and for your intended majors. I do not know whether it is a safety for you, but given your excellent stats and ECs and the fact that you are in-state I hope that it is. I know a small number of people who went all the way from the east coast and/or Montreal to UW because of how strong it is.

UBC is another school that is very good for environmental subjects and might be worth considering.

I think that you are doing very well. I do not think that you need to go very far from home to get an excellent education.

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With clarity supplied about your budget and Target and Likely colleges, I think you have an excellent overall application plan, and will likely have some interesting offers to consider.

Just a few random notes on specific colleges.

Rice is super into people who are super into Rice. And off hand I think it could in fact be a great college for you. ED2 would be one way to demonstrate you are into Rice, but it actually goes beyond that–they will really want to see in your application that you have carefully studied and considered what Rice is all about and value it yourself. Again, totally doable, I just always think it is worth mentioning this about Rice.

WashU also seems like a potentially great fit for you, and I note they are super good for people who want to explore different options, or indeed for combining different stuff you end up wanting to study. They also have a reputation for being into high numbers kids, which you are, so that is good. They also have a small but high value merit program. Hard to get but you never know.

Finally, I agree with what another poster was saying about the University of Washington. There are some people who would see that as their ES dream school, for good reason. Just echoing that even if it is not your hardest admit, that doesn’t mean it can’t be high on your list.

And actually, that leads me to my final point–are you sure you want to ED anywhere? If you can afford it, it is up to you. I just wonder if you might benefit from keeping your options open until you have all your offers in front of you.

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