I’ll cut right to the chase:
Short Story:
I am graduating my junior year. Essentially, I’m doing this because I’m maxing out of my school’s course load. So because my senior schedule would be so lacking of rigor and of essential classes, my guidance counselor and I determined it would be best for me to graduate early.
Long, Complete Story
The reason I’ll be maxing out of classes is that I started taking high school level classes in middle school and because I am also taking courses at the local community college. My senior year schedule would have Anatomy and then maybe I could take AP Euro and AP Lit (but my school doesn’t have these classes every year due to low AP enrollment, so it’s really a gamble). This leaves 4 open blocks for me to take “blow off” classes. I wouldn’t have a math class or a science class. Being I want to enter the stem field, I feel that my senior year would leave me unprepared and would raise red flags with admissions officers
Credits and Course Load:
Note: I don’t expect the community college credits to transfer. I’m taking the AP Tests for the subjects I studied at the comm college to maybe earn some credits or to show the colleges that I’m serious about my learning
When I graduate I will have 60 credits and will likely be Summa Cum Laude (we don’t have Val or Sal, but this is the schools highest distinction, requires a 4.0 or higher weighted GPA and 55+ credits)
My courses once I have graduated:
Math: up to AP Calc at my high school, with Statistics at a local community college (will take the AP test)
English: Classical Literature class, AP English and Comp, and AP Seminar
Science: Bio Honors and Chem Honors (pre reqs and my school), Physics 1 (we don’t have honors, AP, or any higher level physics, but I’m taking the AP test), AP Bio, AP Chem, a biomedical sciences class and a medical interventions class
Social Studies: Geography, APUSH, US Gov and Econ (my school doesn’t have AP’s for these) and Psych (taken at comm. college, but will take AP test)
Foreign Lang: Up to Span III Honors. Will be taking the Spanish AP Test, as I am fluent.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1440 first attempt. 730 RW, 710 Math. I will be retaking this in May and expect my score to improve a lot, as I’ve studied a lot more this time.
SAT II: Will take in June. Plan to take Math II, Spanish, and Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 thus far, around a 4.4 unweighed so far but this will go up next year as I’m taking more AP classes
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not given to us, but I would guess in the top 5%
AP: I’m a sophomore right now, so I will be taking my first round of AP Tests in May (we weren’t allowed to take any as freshmen)
Junior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Chem, AP Bio, APUSH, AP Seminar, Medical Interventions,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
•I went to Duke for the summer and won a grant and award for my nonprofit through their entrepreneurship program
•2nd in the state for academic decathlon, 1st at regionals
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Theatre (fresh and soph year, was on cast), Show Choir (fresh, soph, and jun), Spanish Club (founder, soph jun year), Academic Decathlon (1st starter soph, jun year), Academic Superbowl (starter, soph, jun year)
Job/Work Experience: I do makeup freelancing around homecoming and prom. I’m not sure if this is what they want as a job, but I enjoy doing it and I get paid.
Volunteer/Community service: I founded my own nonprofit which helps Alzheimer’s and dementia patients and their families by teaching them music. Right now it’s in its beginning stages, however, it’s something I’m incredibly passionate about. I also do misc activities such as organizing 5k’s and things in my community, but most of what I do is for my nonprofit.
Summer Activities: This past summer and this upcoming summer I will be studying at Duke. Additionally, this summer I will be going to Puerto Rico to visit my family who I haven’t seen since the hurricane, as well as doing some volunteer work most likely. I also do a lot of work for my nonprofit over the summer.
Hobbies and things: I play various instruments, such as piano, guitar, violin, etc, I do makeup and make some money from it, I have a large passion for language. I grew up in a very diverse place surrounded my language, which really sparked my desire. I’m also super into neuroscience and how language and music tie into neuroscience.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
Intended major/minor(s): Neuroscience, maybe a linguistics related minor???
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
•Hispanic female going into the stem field
• a lot of the other schools that I want to apply to (such as Northwestern and Boston University) my parents have attended either as undergrads or for grad school
• I don’t know if this is a hook but most people at my school don’t really apply to schools like these, plus my school isn’t very prestigious or high achieving, so I stand out there.
I will be applying to Duke for ED I. If I don’t get accepted, I will apply to Vandy for ED II. I will be applying to Emory and quite a few other schools RD, assuming I don’t get accepted to any of my ED’s
My Questions:
What are my chances at Duke, Vandy, and Emory?
How can I improve my chances?
Will my early graduation hurt my chances?
What schools might be a good fit for me, if I don’t have a chance at either Duke, Vandy, or Emory?