<p>I’ve always wanted to do this. (Just for fun.) But I’m also wondering if I should apply to more safeties since most of the schools I’m aiming for are all reaches for me. I would also appreciate any advice for next year. Thanks!</p>
<p>Background:
Asian (Vietnamese)/Female/CA/First Generation (???) - Dad went to college in Vietnam, never finished because his professors got arrested for treason. I’m not sure if that counts for first generation or not. (Oh, and totally random: I asked my dad which university he went to, and I found out that his professor has connections to Princeton, Columbia and Cornell, and was buddies with Martin Luther King Jr. MLK nominated him for a Nobel Prize. I’m related to somebody who knows somebody! =o Okay I’m over it, I just had to tell people.)</p>
<p>Will apply for financial aid — EFC is probably zero or something very low.</p>
<p>Test scores:
SAT: Too embarrassed to say, haha. I’m retaking the test in May and am busting my butt off for 2100+ (hopefully 2200, on a good day). I will probably end up submitting the ACT, though.
SAT IIs: Math II, US History, World History. Knowing me, I’ll bomb Math II and will retake again in October. I’m extremely confident in US History and World History.
ACT: I’m much more confident in this than the SAT. My practice tests have been 32-35. I am taking this in April.
AP scores: None yet (I know, and I’m on CC!), but I’m taking APUSH and AP Lang this year. From practice tests, I’m thinking a 4 in APUSH and a 4/5 in AP Lang.</p>
<p>Transcript:
High school: Not a top school, but we send students to good universities every year. (Stanford adores us.)
GPA: Unweighted: 3.86 / Weighted: unsure, but around 4.5 (valedictorian will probably get over 4.7/4.8)
Rank: Currently, 8/500+. After all the college classes credit gets factored in for everybody, 10-15/500+. There’s no way I can drop from the top 5% (even if I get straight C’s this semester … yes I checked).</p>
<p>9th:
Honors English - B/B (Bad memories! My teacher hated me! He called me stuck-up in front of the entire class and told me I had a cynical view on life. I know, I know, teachers don’t show favoritism. … But he didn’t allow me to see a print out of my grades. I asked him and he said no and looked at me like he was Regina and I was Cady in Mean Girls before the bus death scene.)
Honors Geometry - A/B (That B is the bane of my existence. I got a 99.2% second semester and you had to get 100% or more for an A. If I had just shown up for the Pi Digit Contest …)
Spanish 1-2 (highest level) - A+/A+
Honors Biology - A/A
Honors World History - A/A (I think one might be a minus, unsure which)</p>
<p>10th
Honors Spanish 3-4 - A/A
Accounting - A/A
Honors Algebra 2 - A/A
Honors English - A/A
First semester TA - Pass (it’s basically like a free period but you get elective credits)
Second semester Horticulture - A (and pretty corsages)</p>
<p>Yes, I do like taking useless classes for fun, even if they lower my GPA.</p>
<p>11th <em>predicting second semester grades, but we have one quarter left and all of them are solid</em>
Academic Physics (highest is AP, nothing in between, couldn’t take AP if I wanted to do Honors Spanish) - A/A
Ceramics - A/A
AP English - A/A
Honors Trig/Precalc - B- (yes, minus)/B(+?)
Honors Spanish 5-6 - A/A+ (!!! Sorry, I was just really proud of that A+, lol.)
APUSH - A/A
Second semester at a junior college (one of the best in the nation they keep telling me): German 1 - A</p>
<p>12th grade classes, if scheduling doesn’t mess it up:
AP Calculus AB <em>might end up dropping if I continue to fail in PreCalculus</em> (there’s no lower 4th year math)
AP Statistics
AP Spanish Language
AP Literature
AP Chemistry
AP Econ/Gov
First semester: German 2 at the junior college
I might end up taking Literature or Econ/Gov at the junior college.</p>
<p>Application:
Major: (will declare it on all apps.) International Relations/Affairs/Studies
Teacher Recs: Seeing as how each college has specific requirements for recs. it will be
A) AP Lang Teacher - amazing rec I’m predicting
B) AP Lang and Spanish 5-6/AP Spanish teacher - both praising.
or C) AP Lang and Honors Trig/PreCalc/AP Calc/AP Stat teacher. (For the ones that want math/science and English/humanties.)
Counselor Rec: She loves me. We are like this. <em>weird crossing of fingers</em>
Essays: I’ve only got my essays outlined but <em>EGO ALERT!!!</em> I am amazing at writing essays. <em>END EGO ALERT!!!</em> I’ve also planned out all my “Why _______” essays. (Okay … I wrote them … and rewrote them. It was a really boring winter break. I am a loser.)
Academic Awards: Besides Honor Roll and CSF, which I’m unsure if I should even bother to write it on my app, I have Student of the Year in Accounting (yeah baby!) and I was a Girls State finalist (my counselor got to pick one person and she picked me, so I guess that’s good?). I also got into the WorkStudy program because of Accounting, which may or may not be an Academic Honor. Unless I kill somebody, I can basically get a job anywhere on a list of participating companies (which is really vast). Otherwise, I got nada. I’ve been making pretty eyes at my AP Lang teacher for Student of the Year in English though. Will probably not get it. =(</p>
<p>ECs:
Key Club 9-12: Member Involvement Award '06-'07, December '07 Member of the Month, Vice-President '07-'08, Divisional Secretary '07-'08, and Lieutenant Governor '08-'09 (just elected!). I will probably also be on many District Boards. (By the way, I’m in the Cali-Nev-Ha District and my Division is 15 clubs and spans 150 miles.)
Junior Statesmen of America 11-12: co-founder
Online Literary Magazine 11-12: co-founder, editor, moderator
Online Graphics Designs, Communities and Contests 9-12: Nothing famous or money-winning, but the apps. also ask for your hobbies, and I spend a LOT of time on this. At least five hours a week, every week.
Science Symposium (part of GATE) 10-12
Math Club 9-12</p>
<p>Other ECs that I might not even put on my app. Should I bother?
Interact Club (basically it’s a part of Key Club) 9-12
Invisible Children 10-11 - The club totally went downhill this year and then they changed the meeting date to when I had another club.
Rebuilding Together (sort of a Habitat for Humanity thing) - Now, I do it through Key Club, but before 10th grade, I did it of my own accord. Should I mention it separately?</p>
<p>Until mid-10th grade, I was basically a stay-at-home nanny to my brothers while my parents worked (even on weekends). That’s why I couldn’t do sports or more ECs. Should I bother with the sob story on my apps?</p>
<p>Work: This summer at Target or Barnes & Noble. (Or some other high school student-friendly place.)</p>
<p>Colleges:
Safeties
UC Davis (ELC people at my school gets into Davis and Merced)</p>
<p>Matches
Lewis & Clark (EA)</p>
<p>Reaches:
Brown
Stanford
Middlebury
Vassar
Wellesley
UChicago <em>might not apply because I’m still iffy on its core</em> (EA)
Georgetown SFS EA</p>
<p>Thanks again everybody!</p>
<p>EDIT: WOAH that was long! Sorry!</p>