Low GPA, High Test Scores (Somewhat)

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>Chinese Male.</p>

<p>**GPA: 4.33 Weighted **/ 3.62 Unweighted (not so great :()</p>

<p>**SAT I: 2340 **= 800 Math + 750 CR + 790 WR</p>

<p>SAT II:
800 Math 2C
790 Physics
760 Chemistry
690 Biology E (took BEFORE freshman year -_-)
670 US History (no excuse here…)</p>

<p>AP:
5 Calculus BC
5 Calculus AB Subscore
5 Chemistry
5 English Language
5 Computer Science A
4 US History
2 Macro Econ (probably will pay money to “erase”)
(sr. year) English Literature
(sr. year) Government
(sr. year) Physics C - **both<a href=“sr.%20year”>/b</a> Statistics</p>

<p>Senior Classes:
AP English Literature
AP Statistics (Maxed out Mathematics in 11th grade with Multivariable Calculus)
Advanced Topics Physics Honors (No AP Physics in our school - equivalent)
AP US Government
Chinese 5 Honors
Independent Study in Computer Science (Independent research curriculum, mentored by CS A teacher)</p>

<p>In-School EC’s:

  • Chinese Club (3 years)
    Chinese Club hosts “China Night” every year, usually a 2-hour performance that brings over 1,000 audience members to the school. It has been a 19 year tradition and on-going.
    I was a Director of the Opening Ceremony performance during 11th Grade, and was also an Officer of the Club, as well as performing in the event myself. Unfortunately, this is being cut during my senior year due to budget cuts.
  • Red Cross Club (4 years)
    Participant in various community service activities. Helped out at all blood drives in our community, and gave blood myself once.
  • JSA (Junior Statesmen of America) School Chapter (1 year)
    JSA is a program where students debate with each other about controversial topics (ie. gun ownership, legalizing marijuana, etc…).
  • Relay for Life / American Cancer Society (3 years)
    Fundraised and participated in “Relay for Life” events (overnight at the school) to support research for cancer.
  • Science Club (3 years)
    Participated in the State “Science League” competitions as an Alternative Tester for our school team, all 3 years. (2 people are Primary Testers, 2 people are Alternative Testers).
  • Math Club (3 years)
    Participated in the AMC 10/12 and other Math Competitions.
  • Winter Indoor Track (2 years)
    Junior Varsity Winter Track member.
  • Spring Outdoor Track (2 years)
    Junior Varsity Spring Track member.</p>

<p>Out of School EC’s:

  • Volunteering at HuaXia Chinese School (1 year)
    I volunteered there as a Math Counts 2 teacher. I taught a class full of middle school students who excelled at mathematics for an hour every Sunday.
  • Statewide Piano Auditions
    Won “Honors” awards 7 years in a row.
  • ABRSM (Assoc. Board of the Royal School of Music) Grade 8 Piano Practical Exam
    Certificate from passing Grade 8.</p>

<p>Academics Out of School:

  • John Hopkins University - Center for Talented Youth (2 summer, 5 summers if counting before HS)
    Center for Talented Youth is a 3-week intensive summer program where students learn an advanced course that would normally take a year.
    I took courses including Creative Writing, Mathematics Logic and Reasoning, and Fast Paced Chemistry.
  • Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) at Princeton University (1 summer)
    5 week program at Princeton University. I took a Speech Communications course, and debated against fellow students about controversial topics, similar to the JSA School Club mentioned above.
  • Columbia University’s Science Honors Program (1 year)
    Will take CU’s SHP during my Senior Year. I will take advanced courses in Math and Physics, such as Measurements of Black Holes, and Linear Algebra.</p>

<p>Work Experience:

  • Lifeguard / Swimming Instructor (2 years)
    Worked as a Lifeguard and Instructor for swimming classes at the local YWCA pool.
  • Internship at a trading company in Beijing, China (1 summer)
    The company was traded parts for “refining machines,” which were used to refine automobile parts. I worked as an intern for a month, and learned about the trading, bidding, closing, and meeting processes.</p>

<p>Volunteer:</p>

<ul>
<li>Mission Trip to Ensenada, Mexico (1 summer)
Fundraised my own fees, and went with our church youth group to Ensenada, Mexico. While there, we built 4 garage-sized houses from raw materials, and added a second floor to a local church, to help out the local people who were in need.</li>
<li>Performed Piano Recitals at Senior Homes (Various Holidays)
Performed beautiful piano music for senior citizens at their retirement homes during the holidays. They loved it, so we came back several times.</li>
<li>Clothes Drive for Trenton (1 summer)
Lead and organized a clothes drive for a charity in Trenton. Donated a total of 7 large garbage bags full of clothes to the charity.</li>
</ul>

<p>Misc:

  • Personal Online Marketing Venture
    Connecting the Computer Science I learned in school with entreprenurial ideas of my own, I decided to code a “viral script” rewards site on my own. The site involved rewarding members with Xbox Live subscriptions, in return for their referring their friends to the site. After putting the site up, I generated $600 in PROFIT over the course of just 2 months. This project involved planning, both technical (coding, site maintainence) and business-related (traffic, profit predictions).</p>

<p>My Schools:
University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School (reach) - ED
Cornell University (reach)
University of Chicago (reach)
NYU (match)
University of Michigan (match)
Unversity of Illinois - Urbana C. (safety)</p>

<p>What are my chances? :S
Rutgers University in New Brunswick (safety)</p>

2

<p>I think it could depend on your school. Do you know your class rank? If you have a very high class rank it would help.</p>

3

<p>If you’re in the top 10% of you’re class, I think you’re a match/high match for Penn ED. Cornell and Chicago RD are probably low reaches. If you’re not… well, it’s going to be a lot tougher.</p>

4

<p>Unfrtunately as you guys can see, I’m pretty bad in terms of GPA… I would put myself in maybe top 15-20% in terms of GPA. Our school does not publicize rankings, so idk for sure. My courses are a lot more challenging than the majority of students; I took BC as a sophomore, etc.</p>

5

<p>does your school has “naviance” system?<br>
if yes, use it.</p>

6

<p>Penn takes 2% that were not in the top 10%, probably zero into Wharton. Those 2% have a major hook. Don’t waste the ED, it could really help you where you do have a shot.</p>

7

<p>Redroses, can I see where you get those statistics for Wharton? I haven’t seen them anywhere I searched @_@.</p>

<p>The Naviance system says the average WGPA for UPenn is around 4.45.</p>

8

<p>Welcome to CC, waterBottlez! Redroses is one of our better chancers on here, so I’ll leave him to give you an idea.</p>

<p>Anyways, straight off the college board college info about UPenn in general:
96% in top 10th of graduating class.<br>
Wharton is another step up though, given its reputation as a business school.</p>

9

<p>Is your school really competetive?
BTW…do you live in Houston? LOL I know it sounds really creepy but I don’t know of any HuaXias outside of houston.</p>

10

<p>My school is pretty competetitive, I guess. It is somewhere between the 15th and 20th ranked public school in the state, so yeah.</p>

11

<p>OH MY GOD waterBottelz I AM LIKE THE SAME PERSON! 2300+ SAT, 3.62 GPA, and I took multi-calc sophmore year… and to top it off
we’re both applying ED to Wharton…
man we gotta send each what the decisions were in December xD</p>

<p>Good luck I hope we get in hahahah</p>

12

<p>@Redroses that’s not true if you factor in the schools that simply don’t rank…</p>

13

<p>I’d say you’re chances are next to nil at the first few schools and better at the latter ones, but what do i know–I’m just a high school kid, too! Anyway, good luck!</p>

14

<p>I hope you’re wrong lol</p>

15

<p>@Euroazn omg XD</p>

<p>Hope you have the best of luck too!</p>

<p>I’m really worried about the GPA :X…</p>

16

<p>If your school ranked, it would definitely help you. Otherwise, you should look into more match schools.</p>

17

<p>@Spatula, our school does not publicize ranks, but I’m sure there is a ranking system. That being said, I am probably within the top 10%-20% out of a class of 400.</p>

<p>According to our Naviance system, I am in the middle of a bunch of waitlists for Penn, right underneath the solid line of acceptances -__- (GPA wise). SAT score is on the highest end though.</p>

<p>I’m hoping my essays (which were phenomenal, according to my literature teacher) will help me shine through.</p>

18

<p>Wharton seems like a bit of a stretch. Even if they don’t have your class rank, they will have a general idea of where you fall from your school’s past applicants. Also, Wharton looks for major leadership in your ECs, which are kind of lacking although there is the life guard instructor. Chances at wharton seem not too likely. However, I am applying to wharton ED since wharton is my dream school so I recommend you do the same if you really want to go there.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1016635-chance-me-will-chance-you-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1016635-chance-me-will-chance-you-back.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;