Match Me: Asian creative writing student from CA, 3.9 UW, band kid, scattered ECs (I have no idea what I'm doing)

Chance Me / Match Me
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hihi this is my first post haha I don’t really know what I’m doing right now… I’m a junior right now hoping to go into creative writing but I want to have the freedom of changing it and experimenting (considering enviro sci, marine sci, or asian studies!). I also want diversity at my school + lots of nature!! But at the same time not be too rural (because I want to network…) anyways…! here we goo

Demographics

  • US domestic, CA
  • Semi-competitive public high school
  • ASIAN…!
  • nothing special

Intended Major(s)
Creative Writing/English (?) - would love to try things out different majors

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.9 (3 B’s…)
  • Weighted HS GPA: We don’t do weighted GPA
  • Class Rank: Not given, but most likely top 10%
  • SAT Scores: 1490… I have time to get it up ok!!!

Coursework

  • APCSA (I got a B… still so salty ab this), AP Lang, AP Bio, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Econ, AP Physics, AP Gov, 3 years of Spanish, 5 honors classes, wind ensemble!, 5 DE classes, yearbook in jr yr, golf in fresh & soph

Awards

  • Literally NOTHINGG… (crying)
  • Scholastic writing gold key
  • 3 published poems (REAL LIT MAGS)
  • school awards (meaningless)
  • NaNoWriMo “winner” if this means anything

Extracurriculars
Not gna go into TOO much detail.!

  • Founder & EIC of lit mag for niche genres & AAPI activism + 2 editorial positions at other lit mags (10, 11, 12)
  • Editor & Secretary of school lit mag (10, 11, 12)
  • Pres of a community service club (10, 11, 12)
  • Pres of another community service club (10, 11, 12)
  • Pres & Founder of ANOTHER community service club (all 3 have diff areas of focus) (11, 12)
  • Marching band, pep band, indoor drumline (9, 10, 11, 12)
  • Summer camp counselor - outdoor day camp that teaches survival stuff (9, 10, 11, 12)
  • Local museum volunteer (250+ hours) + designed an AAPI exhibit (10, 11, 12)
  • 2 different internships - one is for AAPI community (very high impact), other is fashion/business (super lowkey) (10, 11, 12)
  • Co-founded nonprofit, community service - three diff chapters at local school districts (11, 12)

Some more stuff I will mention

  • volunteer tutor - almost 100 hours
  • student gov, general member
  • jv golf captain
  • co-wrote children’s book

Essays/LORs/Other

  • Uhh… haven’t really done of this yet but will probably be decent?
  • Gna write about how floptok changed my life (joke…?)

Cost Constraints / Budget

  • No constraints

Schools
CHAT HELP ME ON THIS IM SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP

  • Safety
    Not really sure… cal states !
  • Likely
    Also cal states !
  • Match
    UCs - davis, sd, sb
    cal poly
    UW
  • Reach
    ivies if I’m feeling it
    stanfordd
    mit
    ucla
    berkeley
    bu
    stuff like this (help me please)

OK THIS IS ITTTTT ermmm i would love to know what schools might be a good fit !! thxx everyone <3
just so ygs rmbr- LOVE nature LOVE diversity LOVE experimentation HATE rural HATE partying (actually, this just depends… don’t want too much greek culture though!)
would luv to stay in california or go oos ! east coast rocks !

toodaloos !! xoxoxoxo

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Based on your interest in creative writing, a few of these colleges may be suitable for you:

Beyond the schools in the site above, consider Vassar and Skidmore as well, which match some of your general criteria; and If you can overcome your aversion to rural settings, look into Kenyon.

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thx girly!! luv the vibes at vassar n skidmore (ive always wanted to go to ny!) - not too sure ab the high population of white students though - luv u ! <3

bee tee dubss, something i forgot to mention - i would luv it if i could join a band program at the school, specifically a marching band (or at least have some neighboring college with a marching band i could join !)

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Are these schools that you would happily send in your enrollment deposit and then attend for 4 years? If not, you need to find schools that will meet this criteria, as your safety schools are the most important ones on your college list.

The first school I’m going to suggest is Western Washington. It has one of the biggest creative writing programs in the country, it’s great for marine sciences and environmental studies, and there’s lots of nature around. But Bellingham is definitely a populated area, so nothing rural here. And as an additional bonus, even though you don’t have any cost constraints, WWU is a WUE school which means it will be quite affordable for your family (which could mean money spent on other things, like grad school, a house down payment, etc). Though there’s no marching band, it does have a large pep band.

I’ll keep on thinking about other possibilities for you.

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With no cost constraints, if a CSU campus is not campus-impacted (16 out of 23) and your major is not impacted, then it is a safety if you meet minimum CSU admission requirements (completion of a-g courses with a 2.5 HS GPA as recalculated by CSU).

You can check here for whether a CSU campus or your major is impacted:

Here is CSU’s HS GPA calculator:

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Below are schools that you may want to check out. I’ve focused on extremely likely schools, as that’s the most crucial part of any student’s list, plus you already have a number of reach schools you’re considering. By the way, why are you thinking about applying to MIT? It’s definitely not the first school I would think about for a creative writing major.

These schools were gathered based largely on their creative writing programs (reputation and/or size), but also the fact that they’re strong in a number of areas. There are several of these schools that are based along a body of water, which is quite helpful for people interested in marine sciences, too. I also tried to make sure they had relatively diverse student bodies, although you should understand that very few areas of the country have racial diversity the way California does.

There are small, mid-sized, and large schools here, as so far you seem open to anything.

Extremely Likely (80-99+%)

  • Agnes Scott (GA) – women’s college in a walkable and charming area of Atlanta. It’s in a consortium with other Atlanta area schools like Georgia Tech, Spelman, and SCAD so you can take classes at other schools in the consortium.

  • Chapman (CA)

  • Ithaca (NY): You can also cross-register for one class/semester at Cornell

  • Loyola Maryland: Part of a consortium where you can cross-register for classes at other area schools like Johns Hopkins, MICA, Goucher, etc.

  • U. of Arizona: Has an extremely well-regarded honors college

  • U. of Cincinnati

  • U. of Puget Sound (WA)

  • U. of Redlands (CA)

  • Western Washington

Likely (60-79%)

  • Fordham (NY): There’s two campuses, the more verdant and picturesque Rose Hill campus and then the Lincoln Center campus (not so green)

  • U. of Pittsburgh (if you apply early…like August or September)

Toss-Up (40-59%)

  • Binghamton (NY)

  • Loyola Marymount (CA)…leaning towards likely

  • Oberlin (OH)

Lower Probability (20-39%)

  • William & Mary (VA)

Low Probability (less than 20%)

  • Emory (GA): In a consortium with other Atlanta area schools like Georgia Tech, Spelman, and SCAD so you can take classes at other schools in the consortium.

  • Wesleyan (CT)

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Are you in the Bay Area? The current band director at SJSU (who is fabulous; he taught at my kids’ Bay Area high school before getting his doctorate) is heading back to UMiami next year, where he did his PhD, to replace their retiring director of bands. I can guarantee the marching band program is going to be amazing! https://bandofthehour.miami.edu/ Of course, you’re not picking a school just for the band, but it seems to me that UMiami ticks several other boxes for you as well. Suburban campus, but great access to a major city. Coastal nature and, as you’d expect, great marine/enviro science opportunities. Diversity! (<40% white, although Asians aren’t as heavily represented as you’re probably used to out here, and Asian language/culture offerings are a little sparse.) A creative writing concentration in the English major (and there’s also an MFA program, so plenty of creative writing focus going on) English Major with Creative Writing Concentration| Department of English | University of Miami There’s club golf, too! It might be a little more of a party school than your ideal (1/3 Greek - but that means 2/3 aren’t!), but there are plenty of serious students, and some cool honors programs. Would likely be a low match for you (can’t really call a school with a sub-20% acceptance rate a safety, but I think acceptance is pretty likely, esp. if you apply EA).

UCSB CCS (a separate application in addition to the UC app) could be great for you academically Writing & Literature | UCSB College of Creative Studies, but the pep band there doesn’t march.

Vanderbilt?

Of course, U of Iowa is known far and wide for creative writing, and they have https://hawkeyemarchingband.uiowa.edu/

The BU marching band is relatively low-key but it does exist - seems like more of an urban setting than you want, but the academic variety is there for sure. BC also has a marching band and might be more appealing to you setting-wise, and they have a creative writing concentration in the English major.

The Weber Honors College at SDSU could be worth a look.

Good luck!

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thank u soo much !! im gna to look into all of these - they all seem amazingg
ive heard ab wwu before - def gna apply now! fordham too~

By the way, why are you thinking about applying to MIT?

just vibes ig; im a huge nerd at heart loll

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  1. You don’t need awards. You need to do things…awards are just recognition of doing things - but if you worked at a grocery store or walked dogs at the shelter - guess what - you did great things but you don’t get a reward. I mean look at your ECs - the reward is all you are doing (band, counselor, museum volunteer, starting clubs)…make sure not to embellish - not saying you are - but you list a lot and a lot of hours.

  2. 3 BS - you don’t need to justify. You got 3 BS and a ton of As…what you learn is what matters and 3 Bs is no problem.

So the first thing I see is a who who of big name schools - if you have no cost constraints and you have a big interest in writing, the gem of public schools (top flight and easy admission is U of Iowa). Ole Miss is another - it’ll depend on how important diversity is, etc. Then there are many LACs which people generally mention for creative writing - a Kenyon, Oberlin and a Vassar, Wesleyan type (a bit reachier). Also, in Tennessee you’ve got Sewanee. And Emory is known.

OK - there is partying at most every school - and I see the rural - so maybe scratch Kenyon and Sewanee.

That you have other interests - you can look at schools with open curriculums - from a Vassar, Rochester, Wesleyan, Amherst, Hamilton (rural), Smith (all female).

Give your major, costs is a factor - because you may find yourself in an under employed or underpaid field - so are your parents willing to spend $90K plus for that? The WUE is awesome -

Have you done any visits - to large, medium, small schools, etc- to get a sense of the campus type you like? BU is nothing like UCLA which is nothing like some of the Ivies. You have to be somewhere for four years, day after day - so you want to be in the right environment. And I’m not sure the name, so much, depending on what you utlimately do, will matter.

Just to give you an idea - for creative writing, the four year WUE schools are - and you may check their programs:

CSU SB
Adams State in Colorado
Colorado State
Boise State
Lewis Clark State College
Idaho
Montana
North Dakota
Southern Oregon
Oregon State
Portland State
Black Hills State
Weber State
Utah Valley
Western Washington
Central Washington

I get it - you mention UCB and I throw up Idaho. But look at curriculums - do they offer what you want? What are the class sizes - UCLA publishes a schedule. Look at class sizes (I just did - the intro class shows 15 - so that’s awesome. But in other classes (not saying English), it’s over 300. And when I wrote in creative writing only one class appeared - so does their English major have more? I’m sure it does - but look and ensure it fits your needs curriculum wise - each school.

Really - before you get too far ahead - figure out - what you want - size, campus (city, grass and traditional), weather. You say not urban - but again, BU is different than UCLA. Beloit (small, supposedly strong for your major, great merit) is different than Kenyon or Sewanee (rural).

And talk to your folks - because for you, college could be $20K a year or $90K+ - and multiply that by 4 - and are you sure cost doesn’t really matter?

Great record.

Good luck.

25 Best Colleges for Aspiring Creative Writers (thecollegepost.com)

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omgg i would luvv to go to miami !! sounds perfect for me :)) cant wait to continue marching hehe
def gna apply to ucsb ccs~ bc too
i was gna apply to u of iowa but im worried ill get bored in iowa… ill reconsider !
dont know much ab sdsu but i luv sd !! gna look into it n possibly visit soon

thank u sm for the advice!!

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Marching band - you might consider Alabama - dirt cheap with your stats - and the Blount Scholars. It’s one of the top bands. Over 1K Californians attend.

The Blount Scholars Program (ua.edu)

Curriculum – The Blount Scholars Program (ua.edu)

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okk wowww this is a whole lotta info i never considered - def gna do WAYY more research hehe

i havent even toured many campuses yet… all ik is that i dont want small - but thank u !!

and yeaa, gna have to reconsider costs… parents said they would pay for everything but i havent told them im gna major in eng yet…

thank u sm for all the advice !! def eye opening

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So not wanting small and not wanting rural - is a great start. Bye bye LACs :slight_smile:

Wherever you live, say mom - let’s go take a walk - and find - over a weekend - a nice hike and visit a campus nearby - or hike the campus. Doesn’t have to be one on your list - can be any - just to get a sense.

And different campuses feel different - for example, to my daughter, Denison (small school and not for you) but it seemed huge. She goes to a bigger population school - yet a much smaller campus…it’s more “compact, urban” - so go visit a traditional campus, a city campus if one is nearby, etc - just to get a sense.

You’re doing great…

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