<p>@Duke
Maybe retake the ACT in June? Also where are you applying? Check their testing requirements to see if you have to take subject tests regardless.</p>
<p>I’m done with ACT/SAT testing, but I still have 7 more tests to take. 5 AP’s and 2 Subject Tests :(</p>
<p>I just got 2 AP prep books. Barron’s for Spanish Language and REA for APUSH. Any recommendations for AP English Language?</p>
<p>@Duke I have the same exact scores for the ACT multiple choice and writing tests, oddly enough. I’m taking it again this month when my whole school is required to take it. I have no plans to take the SAT though. </p>
<p>I think your SAT is considered the better score, and if you’re applying to Duke and other east coast schools the SAT would probably be preferable anyway.</p>
<p>@TheKongo at school we use Cliffs AP which is great and I have heard great things about Barron’s book as well.</p>
<p>I’ve heard good things about Cliffs! I couldn’t find it at Barnes & Nobles though. I’m most worried for Spanish though; my school wouldn’t let me take it, so I went behind their back and registered for it at another school :eek:</p>
<p>^You’re like some kind of James Bond or something! :P</p>
<p>@TheKongo maybe amazon would have Cliffs, continue to search. Any language AP is difficult , I have heard the Spanish is like taking an SAT in Spanish, but I take French and will be doing AP next year. I’ve also heard that native speakers do a lot better. This genius who graduated last year got 5’s on every AP he took except for Spanish. Good luck though!</p>
<p>Oh good call on Amazon. I’ll order it tomorrow. Honestly, I have no idea why I’m taking Spanish. It’s not like a 5 will make or break my app lol.</p>
<p>This is unrelated, but how do you decide if you want to ED or not? For me, it’s really hard… I want to EA MIT but it’s a HUGE, UNREACHABLE reach due to my horrendous GPA. And then my second choice, University of Rochester, only has Early Decision… I have a much higher chance getting in there… What should I do?</p>
<p>Can we get some numbers to work with quidditchcat? Usual stuff: GPA, SAT, rank…</p>
<p>3.4 UW, no trend 
</p>
<p>SAT: Took it twice
October: 680 M, 670 CR, 800 Writing (2150)
March: 700 M, 780 CR, 740 Writing (2220)
Superscore = 2280</p>
<p>Subject tests: retaking, first time was total crap. </p>
<p>Rank: My school doesn’t rank.</p>
<p>Course rigor: This year, taking 5 APs. Next year, 4 APs with one community college class. </p>
<p>ECs: Not sure that it matters, because my GPA sucks.
Anyways:
I’ve done science fair all grades, won Siemens semifinalist this school year.
I will be Science Olympiad Vice President next year, joined sophomore year.
NaNoWriMo finisher for past three years.
Cello
Erratic track and field (health problems, injuries, time conflicts, etc.) but have a 2:30 800m.
Volunteering (150 hours, concentrated at two places)
Illustration Club co-founder, treasurer
I sell origami jewelry on Etsy.
Currently making an iPhone app to combat use of phones while driving.</p>
<p>I would go with Rochester if I were you.</p>
<p>I don’t know if money’s an issue, but Rochester gives a lot of aid</p>
<p>Thanks. If it makes any difference, my intended major is neuroscience.</p>
<p>I also know Rochester is great for science and has good research opportunities. What about Cornell?</p>
<p>Cornell? I don’t know… My mom said if I wanted to go to Cornell I might as well go to a UC. Well, unless I could go for cheaper than a UC.</p>
<p>I want to say ED at Rochester, but if you REALLY REALLY REALLY want to go to MIT, I wouldn’t ED. Your call.</p>
<p>Changing the topic, but has anyone visited these schools, and if so, what are the pros/cons of each?</p>
<p>MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, CalTech, Berkeley, Michigan, Northwestern, Duke, Johns Hopkins, WUSTL, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Emory, and Georgia Tech</p>
<p>Okay…
I have visited Berkeley and Stanford, and I hated them.
Well, it depends on what you want in college, but they were too large for my liking. They are also a driving distance, which is totally not what I want. But that is my opinion. </p>
<p>For Berkeley, there are interesting courses such as “Physics for Future Presidents” that you would probably not see in smaller schools. On the other hand, introductory classes that everyone is required to take (i.e. OChem or Chem) tend to be extremely large, like 500 people in a class large. Berkeley’s campus is separate from the surrounding city, but the buildings are mostly cement/grey. If architecture and greenery is important to you, it may be a little boring. I have no comment on the food, as I did not eat at a dining hall. If, however, dining out, there are plenty of good food places for a variety of tastes. There is also a truck that makes liquid nitrogen ice cream and they make it right there when you order. Berkeley has plenty of stuff going on throughout the year, and it has a big LGBQT population. It is also a short Bart ride to San Francisco (~20-30 minutes).I don’t really have much else to say that I remember (I visited as part of a school fieldtrip back in freshman year but didn’t feel like going again). </p>
<p>Okay, so I don’t really know too much about Stanford. I’ve been on campus multiple times for competitions, visiting my sister, and the like, but I’ve never actually sat in on any classes. From what I hear (from my sister), the introductory GE courses in the sciences tend to be preprofessional track weeder courses. They are generally large, but not as large as at Berkeley. The surrounding town (yes, it’s more of a town than a city) does not have much crime, but it has a lot of construction going on. It’s like they decided "oh all these buildings are old. now let’s build new ones all at the same time). Stanford hosts many local competitions, and sometimes rents dining halls. The best dining hall is Arillaga (however you spell it. But it’s pronounced Ariyaga). They have vegan, vegetarian, and “normal” food. The architecture reminds me of a Spanish mission. A lot of people bike at Stanford, so if you think you are just going to walk, you should be careful. Otherwise some biker may run over you. The campus is pretty large, so most people bike. What else… idk.</p>
<p>But you can ask me about either school. I just put whatever I thought of. </p>
<p>Also, what major are you planning on? My sister is a mechanical engineering major at Stanford, so her experiences may be different depending on that.</p>
<p>I know a bit about MIT from what my sister told me after her visit. They have awesome underground tunnel for use when it’s raining, and there is a good view of the river. Also, there is an option to take humanities classes at Harvard because they tend to be weaker at MIT.</p>
<p>You may also want to check out CampusVibe. It has visit reports, though for some schools, the reports are quite old.</p>
<p>I been to Northwestern but I think I already told you about it.</p>
<p>I was planning on majoring in engineering; don’t know what field yet though.</p>
<p>Man, those places don’t sound like what they’re chalked up to be. And yea, you did tell me about Northwestern, so far it sounds like the best!</p>
<p>Okay… Well, keep in mind that I didn’t like Berkeley and Stanford, so that probably affected what I said about the schools. At Berkeley, electrical engineering is the hardest major to get into, along with computer science. At Duke and JHU, BME seems the hardest to get into.</p>