here are my stats! thanks for everyone who comments. sorry for the long text block!
GPA: 4.31 W on a 4.0 scale, 4.0 UW GPA
SAT: 2360 (1 sitting - 800M, 800W/10 essay, 760CR)
SAT Subjects: World History: 800, Math II: 780, Chemistry: 770
AP Scores: Chemistry (4), US History (5), English Language (5), World History (5)
Senior Courses: AP Spanish Language, AP Literature, AP US Government, Leadership (student government! gotta have the class to be in it though), AP Physics 1, AP Calculus AB
College Courses: Took Fundamentals of Computer Science & Introduction to Human Development over the summer (A+s in both)
Ranking: 2/390
Ethnicity: Filipino, Chinese
Legacy: Nope! (Dad went to MIT!..in the Philippines lol. Mapua Institute of Technology, what whaaat!)
Awards: AP Scholar with Honor, National Merit Commended, Science Olympiad medals Regionals, NHS (?), couple of school academic/community service awards, Best Freshman Girl in cross country, couple of awards for stories in school-wide writing contests, Congressional Merit Award (award for seniors in 10th Congressional District in CA)
Specifics
Extracurriculars:
Science Olympiad (11-12): placed in regionals, part of first team. I learned Jmol and protein modeling for protein modeling and it is HANDS DOWN my favorite event! I’m so sad that it’s not a regional event for us this year.
Performed (Ensemble) in school performance of Aladdin (10). I wish I was in another musical lol - music is life!
Performing in talent show (11) + general music - Music Club member (10), write own songs + have active Soundcloud/Youtube channel, sang national anthem twice, performed at local festival, self-taught guitar, ukulele (9-12)
Cross Country/Track (9), continual recreational running, awards in local race (9-12) (I WAS LW VARSITY XC DURING FRESHMAN YEAR BUT I STOPPED RUNNING HAHAHA RIP)
Key Club - served as Secretary (12)/Treasurer (11) (10-12). First experience working in an officer team!
Help tutor students in HYPE (tutoring club); tutor (10-12) & VP (12); made a website, various advertising materials for club (10-12). I love this ahh! It’s helped me a lot with public speaking skills.
Served as freshman mentor (like a Link Crew leader) (11-12)
Commissioner in KHS Leadership, helped with rallies (esp backdrops, PLANNING - e.g. writing scripts, creating games, assigning jobs, etc.), posters, and promotion for the school; designed senior shirt (11-12). I love Leadership more than I can express, it’s probably the thing I’m most glad I joined in HS because it’s both brought me out of my shell and helped me learn organizational/leadership/time-management/socialization skills.
Babysitting sister (throughout HS, lol - I’ve helped teach her how to read/walk! Having a sister WAY younger is in turns insane and awesome and annoying)
Summer activities:
Interned last summer (11-12 summer) at my local newspaper! Super rad because I got to understand the workings of journalism, publish articles, interview people, and learn how to call adult coworkers who are decades older by their first names, lol. Also, I was exposed to the journalistic style of writing, which was pretty interesting, and it changed my entire view on my city.
Recommendations:
English teacher: Had him for Lang. Apparently he calls me “great” and talks about me a lot BUT HE’S TOTALLY OVERHYPING ME :’) He was super pumped to write me a letter, plus he serves as a sort of mentor to me.
Calc teacher: Had him for 2 years (Algebra 2 Pre-AP, AP Calc AB). He speaks really highly of me at parent-teacher conferences, according to my mom. Idk how personal it’ll be though?
Editor of local newspaper I interned at: Extra rec! He seemed excited to write me a letter, but he was very impartial and not too close to me while we worked together.
-Counselor: I think it’d be okay, he’s talked to me a fair bit while I straightened out my schedule for this year.
Essays:
Yikes. Haven’t started UC/Common App, but am done w/MIT supplements/essays. I really liked them, though! Even if I don’t get in, they showcased my personality fairly well (talked about how much I love music/role it’s played in my life; sig. challenge - learning how to adapt to having a sister after being an only child for ~12 years; talked about how much reading and writing have been in my life and tied that into me wanting to study genes/tell the story of genetics (IT SOUNDS CONFUSING BUT IS SO MUCH BETTER I HOPE); wrote about puns and how they’ve helped connect me to people/organizations/broken me out of my shell)
Prospective major:
I’m applying to communications/journalism (or linguistics/English majors, barring either of the aforementioned) and molecular biology/genetics/biotechnology/bioengineering majors. (LOL THAT WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE. I’d appreciate suggestions for clearing up my major choice/s too!)
Look into U Rochester. With their curriculum, you could explore all of your areas of interest. When D and I visited recently, the impression we got of their student body was fun, quirky, collaborative, and crazy smart.
Your stats look great! I agree that Rochester and Oberlin would be good matches that fit your eclectic interests. You might also want to take a look at Case Western, which is strong in engineering and arts and sciences (with no barriers across programs) and also has a good music program.
You sound like a good fit for Chicago, IMO, but given their low acceptance rate and the introduction of ED this year, I think you are wise to add some less competitive schools to your list.
While still a reach for anyone, you have a good shot at Chicago - they have a molecular engineering program you might like.
Matches: Reed, Bard.
I don’t know about “quirky” - which can mean different things to different people - but Rice has the reputation of having a very nice student body. Excellent school that you’d have a good shot at getting into.
Among California publics, UC Santa Cruz and Humboldt State have quirky reputations, but you need to see if they are the kind of quirky that you like, and whether their academic offerings are what you want.
I think Carleton would be a realistic match for you, and U of Rochester would be a safety. (If you have some UCs to pick from, I don’t think you’d need anything safer.) Both are the kind of school I think you’d enjoy. I think you have a reasonable shot at any of the Ivies/Stanford/MIT/U of C, all of which you would likely enjoy, but of course they are all in the “reach for just about anyone” category due to the super-low acceptance rate. But don’t let that hold you back from applying!
You don’t have to make up your mind about what to major in before you go, you just have to make sure that whatever school you choose has the breadth to accommodate your interests. (Personally, I would nix the Communications thing. Not a major you are likely to find at most top schools. You can work for the student newspaper, take writing courses, do internships, and major in whatever you want.)
The big question for me is $$. Have you and your parents discussed your budget? Do you need FA if you go to a non-UC? Make sure to run the NPCs everywhere. For some students, it is cheaper to go to an Ivy or equivalent than to their state schools. Don’t make any assumptions about what kind of aid you might qualify for before investigating.
Carleton is need aware in admissions so if you’re full pay then it’s likely a match but if you need significant financial aid it goes to a low reach. Still sounds like a great fit for you though. Grinnell is a good match and also sounds like a great fit. You’d probably score a merit award. Reed and Haverford to pull in the coasts.
It’s late but try to get interviews or visits if possible. Make contact with them somehow.
Thank you all so much for your suggestions!
A few additional points/clarifications:
I won’t be getting lots of need based aid - for 2015, our income was in the low $100,000s, but this year it’s gone up to around $200,000 (before taxes) because my mom got a new job.
I am interested in east/west coast schools primarily, and I know my parents would prefer me staying close, so any suggestions for CA schools are really appreciated!
Also, this is a little bit of a moot point, but how does the name of the school affect my job search if I’m interested in journalism and genetic engineering?
Carleton, Grinnell, Reed, Vassar, Haverford
Swarthmore and Brown-- a little harder to get into
My one family member who went into journalism went to Vassar for undergrad and Columbia for grad.
Your post screams “Carleton” to me, except for the fact that it is not on a coast.
Swarthmore and University of Rochester - out of all the awesome suggestions that have been given - seem to fit my interests best, from the research I’ve been doing Thanks, everyone!
UCSC also seems like it might be a good fit, as for California schools - since I’m planning on double majoring in engineering & humanities, I’m also looking for a school with a flexible core curriculum that isn’t too rigid (unfortunately, UCB - which I was initially interested in - doesn’t seem like it would be a match. Thoughts?).
Not to mention the UCSC campus is beautiful, nestled into the forest, and Santa Cruz is a great place to spend 4 years. Would be a solid and affordable safety.
Quirky match schools west of the Mississippi:
Colorado College, Grinnell, Macalester, Reed. Whitman is another good match (but maybe not as “quirky”).
Carleton is nearly a reach for everyone but need-awareness in admissions might drive it down to a match in your case.
Many big state universities (such as Washington or Colorado Boulder) would be admission matches and less expensive than private LACs (with broader course and major selections). But they’d be more expensive than the UCs.
I like LACs but the UCs are hard to beat for net cost, quality, course and major selection, and distance from home. They’re also big enough to find “quirky” if you look for it.
