Chances for Math Degree in MIT (Reach), UCLA (Meet), or Chico State (Safety)? Suggestions Accepted

Chance Me / Match Me
1

For a general background, I am at a charter school that I have attended since 7th grade fall semester. This school has a two-day system that switches from the first four classes to the last four daily. My main interests at this point are playing the flute (four years) and mathematics. My school is generally centered around the drama department, but a significant amount of resources are put into many other artistic/creative classes. While there is a very low amount interest in mathematics in the school, I have found this school to be a good fit for its accessibly to higher level classes and a rather large selection of elective choices. I started out with very low grades in 7th grade, but my general trend is upwards and my current status is a good match for a University of California (UC) in my opinion. I am planning on graduating this year, which is my Junior year.

Demographics- straight white male living in California

9th through 12th (9th and 10th) academic GPA:
Unweighted: 3.67
Weighted: 3.80

10th through 12th (10th) total GPA:
Unweighted: 4.00
Weighted: 4.14; This GPA factors in electives. It also doesn’t factor in my latest college English class yet; it should go up to 4.17 when it does. It should stay at 4.17 at the end of the Fall semester, and it should go up to 4.19 at the end of the Spring semester as long as I maintain all A’s.

10th through 12th academic GPA:
Unweighted: 4.00
Weighted: 4.25; This GPA does not factor in electives. It also doesn’t factor in my latest college English class yet; it should go up to 4.33 when it does. It should lower to 4.31 at the end of the Fall semester, and it should go up to 4.33 at the end of the Spring semester as long as I maintain all A’s.

Class rank:


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7 out of <100; I am unsure of the most recent numbers, but I am certain that they are above these ranges.

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SAT- I have not taken it yet and the test is scheduled for the soonest date available. I will likely do great as I have studied for the AMC/AIME tests and have taken significant efforts into my English skills.

SAT Subject Tests- Same as above for Math II. I will likely do Literature and Physics later in the year when I am sure that I will do well enough.

ACT- I am unsure if it will help at all to take it, and I have not looked into it.

Honors/Awards:
B Honor Roll (3.00 - 3.50) for 9th grade first semester
A Honor Roll (3.51 - 4.00) for 9th grade second semester
Principles List for 10th grade both semesters
Possible others

Extracurricular activities:
I played guitar from 7th to 9th grade (three years total).

I have played the flute for four years currently.

I have participated in the school productions of the “Oliver” and “Legally Blonde” musicals. I played the Flute II part for “Oliver” and the Reed II part for “Legally Blonde” while using the flute exclusively for each. The music was the same as the Broadway showings and they both held two full weekend showings including Friday.

I have participated in all the semi-annual parades for band since 8th grade except for last year (4 total). There are two parades each year with new songs each time. I couldn’t play last year due to strep throat (first semester) and rain forecasting (second semester). I am unsure if this is an extracurricular since every band student attends.

I have played in all of the Fall and Spring band performances since 7th grade. Like the parades, I am unsure if this is an extracurricular.

I performed two solos with the flute during French Night last Spring.

I have been a member of the chess club every year and have won the several of the tournaments held (this isn’t really that big of a deal though honestly).

I am taking a part in MESA at my community college this semester. I am unsure if this is of any importance to a college application.

I will likely be taking the AMC/AIME/USAMO (whatever I qualify into). I have studied the first book of the Art of Problem Solving competition book series over the summer in preparation.

Extra academic classes / tests:
Geometry Summer after 7th grade- A-; This class was taught individually to me by my father; he is a credentialed math teacher.

High-School Biology Summer after 8th grade- B+; I took this class so that I could take Chemistry the next year.

Calculus AB Sophomore year- A+; this is the highest math class offered at my school. There were three people enrolled in the class.

Calculus BC test (5) Sophomore year; I was the only person who took the test that year. No-one took the AB test that year either. Also, I have heard that no-one has gotten a passing grade from either of the tests in the last 5 or so years.

English 101 (equivalent to AP English) Summer after Sophomore year- A; This class was taken at the community college.
Multi variable Calculus Junior year Fall semester (current); I take this class in the middle of the day and transport by bus to
the community college.

Linear Algebra Junior year Spring semester; I will have to switch out of band to join this class, but I plan on playing in the parade, Spring band performance, and the musical as long as I have time to spare.

English 102 Junior year Spring semester; I have to take this class in order to graduate early. I will be able to drive then, so transportation will be a non-issue for me (unlike this semester).

Both Physics C tests Junior year Spring semester; I am taking algebra-based physics non-AP (highest science class at my school) currently, so I will self-study throughout the year.

Colleges (stated in title):
Reach- MIT; I know that applying is a crap-shoot, but I may as well apply to the school. I would be stoked if I got in though.
Meet- UCLA; I am looking forward to getting into the college, but it would be nice to hear a reaffirmation on its meet status from others.
Safety- Chico State; I live in the area of the college and I have qualifying stats, so I will definitely get in.

I hope that this doesn’t contain too much more information than usual, as I don’t really know which factors are unnecessary input. Let me know if you need to see any of my grade 7 - grade 10 transcripts, my A - G requirement statuses, or anything else. Finally, let me know if I should add or replace any colleges on my list.

2

I just found out that I don’t actually have to graduate high school in order to apply to any of my colleges, so I will likely take AP English instead of English 102 to meet the A - G requirements. I will actually have room in my high school schedule to take it now, so I will take Stat 101 and graduate from my community college with an associates degree in mathematics.

3

Here are two excerpts from ca.gov (http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/hsgrfaq.asp) on graduation from high school:

  1. "I have completed all of the courses required for high school graduation but the school says I must complete a senior project in order to graduate. Is this a state requirement for graduation?

The California Education Code currently does not require that students complete a senior project. However, in California, local school districts have the authority and responsibility for determining graduation requirements. Therefore, local school districts do have the authority to require students to complete a senior project in order to receive a high school diploma."

  1. “A person may take the CHSPE if he or she is at least 16 years old, or he or she has been enrolled in the tenth grade for one academic year or longer, or he or she will complete one academic year of enrollment in the tenth grade at the end of the semester during which the CHSPE regular administration (i.e. spring or fall) will be conducted . . . While the UC and CSU recognize the CHSPE as the equivalent of a high school diploma, to be eligible for admission, applicants must also have successfully completed the full set of required high school course requirements and standardized admission tests.”

My only requirement that I have an issue with is the vocational requirement in my district. If I can successfully contest that (if that is allowed), then I will obtain a high school diploma in my district. Then, whether I contest successfully or not, I have to take the CHSPE in order to either graduate high school or gain an equivalence to graduation in the UC’s eyes.

EDIT: I should clarify that in the second quote it is referring to the universal California graduation requirements as seen here (http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/hs/hsgrtable.asp) instead of my district requirements.

4

UC GPA? https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

Why the rush? Stay and finish your HS graduation requirements and if you accomplish all that you set out to do and graduate on time, you will have a stronger application.

Although you look like a very qualified applicant, until you have valid test scores, predicting chances is impossible.

Plus having to take all your testing in the Fall does not give you much time for retakes prior to application.

Other than these 3 schools, what other schools are you interested in attending?

5

I am unsure of my exact UC GPA, but I believe that it is 4.27 currently and includes three (3) honors points. I am excluding two semesters of a study skills class, a health/careers class, and a martial arts 1 (PE) class in my calculations.

My main reason for graduating early is academics. I will have capped out all of the available math classes at my local community college by the end of Spring semester 2017 and will not have any new high school classes to take other than a single year of a vocational class. That is the only requirement that I will be missing when I graduate, so I don’t think that it will be too much of a big deal for me not to take it (I may be wrong though). I can either obtain a high school diploma or I could obtain an associates degree in mathematics from my local community college and gain an equivalent to a high school diploma through the CHSPE. I am unsure about which path would be the best one for me to take, so I will have to gain more of an understanding of the benefits and repercussions of doing either.
One important thing to note is to decide to take a TA for integrated math 1 or Civics / Economics. I have been considering on helping the teacher by helping teach the class (as long as it is allowed at the high school level), but I may end up having to take Civics / Economics in order to meet the basic requirements of high school. I will have two history classes by the end of the year without Civics / Economics, so I will meet the A - G requirements to apply to a UC. Of course, I will only need to consider this if there is a lack of an important advantage of graduating through the district.

If completing all of the classes that I have planned so far is a major strength for my application, then I would have to take a single year of Chico state after high school and transfer to a better school the next year. However, if I would apply to Chico state, then I may as well apply for my other colleges as well this year because I would prefer to start in one of them instead of Chico due to personal preference.

I haven’t really looked too much into the SAT or the SAT II, so I don’t know how much it it is weighted on applications. I am certain that I will obtain great scores on the tests since the material that they cover is relatively simple. I have not taken the practice test for either test, so I will take those to see if I will do well.

I am interested in attending any school with a great pure mathematics (general mathematics?) program. I am not quite as interested in Berkeley than I am with UCLA because it has less of a focus on pure mathematics (I may be completely wrong though). I am also interested in any school that allows me to transfer my units and classes from my local community college, and I will not bother applying to any school that does not. As for MIT, if they don’t accept my Multi variable class that I am taking right now, then I won’t attend the school; MIT’s program uses a different book than mine and they only accept transfers if the classes are “substantially equivalent” to theirs. So, if there are any other great pure mathematics schools out there, then I would love to hear about them!

6

I am currently a Junior.

7

I won’t have any classes to take during my senior year though. See my reply to Gumbymom five (5) posts up.

8

Why not back off your current pace and focus on things outside the classroom, ECs or a job to make your application more rounded. Save a class or two for next year though, not having any classes you have to take sounds kinda fun to me…
You are only 17 once -

9

Looking at your great scores and ECs, I must congratulate you on those fine achievements. It must have been hard managing all those things. I think UCLA and Chicago State are very possible for you to get in. You’re a great fir there.

However, when it comes to MIT, I’d worry a lot. You see, getting into MIT is not impossible but INSANELY tough. Even if you were a world Champion or eliminated the Ebola from Africa, I’d still say that you cannot be sure for MIT. It is utterly unpredictable. Sometimes they select people who really haven’t got much on their app (A friend of mine here in India got into MIT without any decent ECs. He had perfect scores and attended a reputed summer school. But that was it. No other worthwhile achievements - And he still got in). My other friend was a finalist in debating (world championship) and he was waitlisted at MIT! Can you believe that?

So best advice - You never know! Therefore apply! Who knows, you might be lucky enough to get in!

Hope that helps!

Chance back?: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1914041-please-chance-me-for-amherst-college-id-really-appreciate-that-p1.html?new=1

10

Yeah, I am not actually sure if I actually even want to apply to MIT at this point. I wouldn’t likely receive as much financial aid as I would inside of UCLA, and the mathematics program is just comparable - not miles better. The low admission rate just piles onto the problems. Really, the only use that I could find for applying to MIT is its name for when I apply for jobs later on.

I think that I am also going to apply to UC San Diego and UC Berkley as a second and third option for attending respectively. They both have great mathematics programs and are much more likely to get into. Also, I have a better chance for more financial aid when I apply to more schools.

I think that you are almost guaranteed at being accepted at Drexel, and Harvard is as unpredictable as all Ivies are. I have not heard of the other schools that you want to apply to, so I end with a wish of good luck to your future.