Is my "Profile" good enough for Ivys and other selective schools?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Hi,

I am a junior in high school, and I am going tell you guys my schedule, grades, and activities. Can people let me know if what I have done will give me a good chance of going to an Ivy league school (Cornell and some others) and also selective public and private schools such as U of Michigan, U of Chicago, Northwestern, and Duke. Thanks!!! Also, should I self study for APES this year or will that not matter in apps. I want to take it because I have no time in my schedule next year and I really want to take it, and I think I need more APs before I apply. Also, do independent studies look good on apps? Will not taking Brit Lit or AP Lit negatively affect my college app?

ACT: 1st time: 32 and writing 10
2nd time: 35 and writing hasn’t come out yet
SAT: Retaking it in April since my first one was’t that great

Cumulative GPA (unweighted I believe): 4.021

Freshman year: C+ and then B in math but otherwise all As and A+s (Our school has 2 semesters)
Sophomore year: A- then B+ in math but otherwise all As and A+s
Junior year (so far): All As and A+s

Schedule:
Freshman: Honors english, Honors Geometry, Interior Design, French 1, Honors Earth Science, Acting, Business Explorations, Honors World History, Free Period

Sophomore:
APUSH, Honors Algebra 2, Honors Bio, Stem bots and Coding, Debate, Honors English, Honors Journalism then Advanced Journalism 1 (got promoted to staff in the paper half way through the year)

Junior:
AP Bio
AP Psych
Forensics Science
AP Lang
Honors Chem
Honors Pre-Calc
French 3
Advanced Journalism 2 (I am on the school paper and it takes up a class)

Senior year (planned schedule)
AP Chem, AP Calc BC, AP Gov (online), AP Microecon (online), AP Art History (online), AP Lit???
Honors Physics (maybe AP Physics if I take regular during the summer)
Advanced Journalism 3 (highest level)
Science Independent study where I create something to help the world (STEM and Science oriented)
Anatomy and Physiology
Investigations in Medicine
Organic Chemistry

Activities and clubs:
NHS
Volunteer at a hospital and older citizens home (5 years)
Science olympiad (1 year)
Mock Trial (2 years)
Biology club (1 year)
Asian culture club (Founder and president)
Solar Car team
Rowing (4 years and a varsity member with a letter)
Color guard (marching band) (3 years and varsity letter)
Philosophy club (president and 2 years)
Research help and observer at a hospital (past few months)
Newspaper writer and copyeditor
Linkcrew (Leadership club to help incoming Freshman)
Peer to Peer
Diversity Society

Awards:
Alliance Francais Award (Highest achieving french student in 9th grade)
Martin Luther King Jr Essay contest Honorable Mention (10th grade)
Scholar athlete Award (11th grade)
Nomination for journalism award (11th grade)

Background:
I am fluent in 3 languages
I moved to the US eight years ago
I am Asian

What I’m doing this summer:
Foreign trip to help elephants
Summer school at Cambridge University (UK)
Summer School at an Ivy league school??
Community college and a research internship if those don’t work out

Thanks!!!

2

I know this is a super long post, but I have been stressing out out college apps for the past few weeks, and I would love to get some advice about it. Thanks!

3

Don’t bother with the SAT. Your 35 ACT score is great.

What you will need for some of the schools on your list, are SAT II subject tests.

Don’t bother with APES self study. Not necessary.

All these schools are reaches for all students and no one has a “good chance” but your stats will at least put you in the ballpark. Be sure to have match and safeties too.

4

Yes I am planning of applying to state schools and some private schools with stats lower than mine to give me better chances. Thank you for your help! I am taking SAT II subject tests in June. I’m taking Math 2, US History, and Bio. Any advice?

5

Are you sure you don’t need to take English senior year to graduate? You don’t need a specific English like British lit or AP lit but you do normally need to take English every year. Our high school has several honors options. Even if you don’t colleges will be looking for 4 years of ELA for admissions.

6

I am taking Advanced Journalism (my school newspaper) which is an english credit, but I’m worried it won’t look good to not take AP or just regular Brit lit or something. Do you think it will be held against me if I don’t take either of them? I am going for a more math and stem based year as I want to major in bio or something like that in college. I’m not sure so please let me know what your think!

7

@momtogirls2

8

Academically, you look pretty okay (you can’t have an unweighted GPA above 4, though). Your grades at first weren’t great, but if you are a straight-A student this year and next, that should be good. If a college sees an upward trend like this, they will probably disregard your earlier poor grades. However, the improvement must be sustained. They need to see that it is not a fluke. Also, make sure you do well on your AP exams. It might be wise to self-study an AP to bolster your academic resume and to show that you are intellectually interested. Only do it though if you are confident that you can score well.

With regards to your summer plans, summer schools will not help your apps. In general, I really wouldn’t bother with them. Instead you should do something you are interested in, not something that you think will look good on a resume.

I might be unfamiliar with these awards, and might just be showing my ignorance, but these awards don’t look very impressive. I probably wouldn’t mention them on your apps.

With regards to your extracurriculars, some are more impressive than others. Try not to mention things that are less interesting or impressive. Also, right now, your list is too long. Long resumes are not good in college apps, especially for Asian students. It makes it hard to figure out who you are as a person. Colleges like to see a few sustained interests. Maybe try to cultivate one of your interests further this summer.

Essays will be especially important for you. Colleges need to see some personality. Long resume lists make it harder to see personality. Colleges also tend to discriminate

9

I really can’t answer your question. A journalism class is considered an elective at our school and would not replace a traditional ELA class where I am The common app has 10 spots for ec’s Start thinking about how to combine or reduce them - colleges aren’t interested in knowing you do tons of things. Ask your gc about your awards - our school doesn’t do awards except at senior night which is past college admissions time.

10

It would be better to take a core English in senior year.

On some thread, you said you have lots of ECs but are “passionate” about all. It’s not passion that distinguishes one. You need to try to learn more about what matters to top colleges. Do that and I suspect it will help you organize this list. And you’ll spot what may be missing.

Rowing/coxswain may be a tip, if you’re recruitable. But you need to research your targets and be able to self match to what they want, not just your own interests or desire to attend.

11

I agree with taking a core english senior year. Journalism was also an elective at dd’s HS. I would also recommend a 4th year of foreign language based on your school list.

You seem to have a lot of electives at school but many core courses on line. Why is that? I would look at taking courses like AP gov at school, not online.

12

Not 100% on topic, but are you sure about BC Calc for next year? You seem to have struggled in math in past years and BC is typically a significant step up from honors-level math classes. You have done an excellent job in boosting you math grade in junior year and I would hate to see your hard work be reversed senior year by being overly-ambitious in your course selections. Just something to think about.

13

@mathhappy thank you for the concern. There were some special circumstances surrounding my grades at the time. However I am past those issues and now in a good place. I talked to my math teachers in the past two years about it and they agreed that it would be a good challenge. Thank you for the concern! But I really want to challenge myself. Thanks!

14

OP, grades look fine, but I would recommend taking a core English class, as @lookingforward said; better to be safe than sorry when it comes to that stuff. The early grade issues are easily offset by stellar grades this year and (hopefully) next year. No need to take the SAT again, ACT score is very high.

My only concern is your extracurriculars. From everything I’ve heard and from what adcoms have told me, they’re looking for a story in your ECs. They want to know about you as a person from your extracurriculars, not what you think will impress them. From looking at your ECs, I have no clue what your main passions are; you’re doing “basic” extracurriculars in both science (SciOly and Biology Club), and your Mock Trial involvement confuses me. You seem to be involved in a variety of things across different fields, but based on how you’ve only spent 1-2 years doing a majority of them, your story does not become clear. Talk to your GC, and discuss which of those ECs you can use to craft your story. Also, please don’t list NHS very high on your activities list - it’s not that big of a deal to T20 schools, as a vast majority of their applicants are members. GL!

15

It’s not a story, per se. Lots of great applicants have varied interests. A good plan is depth and breadth. After all, colleges want to know you aren’t stuck in a little box. What they do want, besides that, is mature thinking and choices, a good understanding of the college, so you can hit any “Why Us” sorts of questions. (Imo, the whole supp is one big Why Us, to see if you get it.)

But for a possible stem major, OP is limited on the math-sci ECs. Are you currently in sci oly or that was in the past? And Mock? The rest seem here like just some hs clubs. Founding a club is no tip.

Seems some of the proposed senior courses could be swappped for more cores. A&P can be taken in college and who know what “Investigations in Medicine” is about. Sounds interesting, but not challenging. Independent study is best when it helps a kid who’s maxed out (already reached the highest levels of lab sci his hs offers) work closely with a teacher on a (very) high level, not as a novice substitute class. And all that journalism…

16

4 things to clarify:

  1. I’m taking British Literature
  2. These are the clubs I’m in and have been in. Also I have such a variety because idk what I want to do. I am think something in the sciences but I am completely unsure and just want to explore. This was not to impress colleges, but instead figure myself out.
  3. My school is very basic. It offeres “basic” clubs I guess. I’m just trying to take advantage of what I have and figure out what I want to do. 4.I have only spent one-two years because I moved here in 8th grade and some of the prominent clubs required summer work and involvement which I didnot know about.
17

Thanks for everyone’s help!