This...is...Wyoming! (sparta? sigh...i wish.)

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>Please Chance me?</p>

<p>Gender: M
Ethnicity: Sri Lankan
College Class Year: 2008
High School: Public
Location: Wyoming, USA
High School Type: rarely (like really rarely) sends grads to top schools
Will apply for financial aid: Yes</p>

<p>Academics:</p>

<p>GPA - Unweighted: 3.98
GPA - Weighted: (school doesnt weight)
Class Rank: unweighted, top 9%, if weighted, prob top 3%
Class Size: 297</p>

<p>Scores:
(Sat scores are predicted, ACT is real.)
SAT I Math: 800
SAT I Critical Reading: 710
SAT I Writing: 740
ACT: 32, I might retake.
SAT II Math Level 2 (IIC): 780 (have taken, rest are to be taken)
SAT II Bio M-prob a 740-760
SAT II Physics-prob a 760-780</p>

<p>AP Calc AB-5
AP Calc BC-Yet to take (prob a 5)
AP Phys C Mech and E&M-Yet to take (prob a 5)
AP Gov’t-Yet to take (prob a 4 or 5)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
-AMC 10 2006 1st in state (score : 114)
-AMC 12 2007 2nd in state (score: 91.5)
-Wyoming State Math Contest (either first place or second place for five years)</p>

<p>-Baseball-American Legion (I would consider it above Varsity level, as it is a feeder to college recruiters)
-Tennis-JV-3 years
-Swimming-JV and V-2 years
-Track-JV-2 years
-Coaching Little League this summer</p>

<p>-Member of Society of Physics Students (at the university)
-Member of the Indian Students Organization </p>

<p>-Summer Research Apprenticeship Program 2006 (a program at the University of Wyoming where I studied Computational Relativity)
-I am self employed as an Amateur Jeweler
-Doing independent research this summer on Stochastic Dif-eq’s and Waves</p>

<p>Sophomore Classes:
-Concert Band
-Spanish 3
-AP Calc AB
-Adv American Studies (a dual black class of US History and American Lit.)
-P.E.
-Physics 1</p>

<p>Junior classes(this year):
-AP Gov’t
-Chemistry 1
-Intro to Art
-Writers Workshop (sem1)
-Survey of Fiction (sem2)
-Physics 2
-AP Physics C-Mech and EM-Ind. Study
-AP Calculus BC-Ind. Study
University classes:
-Foundations of Geometry (Fractals and Projective Planes) (semester 1)
-Classical Mechanics (Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Mechanics) (semester 2)</p>

<p>Planned Senior Classes:</p>

<p>note: college classes are dual enroll at University of Wyoming.
-AP English Lit
-Chemistry 2
-Advanced Art (independent)</p>

<p>College Classes:
Semester 1
-Calculus 3
-Applied Differential Equations
-Linear Algebra (stuff like eigenvectors and calc based matrices)
-Circuits Analysis w/Lab</p>

<p>Semester 2-
-Vector Calculus
-Applied Dif-Eq 2
-Circuits and Systems
-Topology or Probability (not sure yet)</p>

<p>Schools (in no order):
Caltech
MIT
Princeton
Brown
Stanford
Harvard
Harvey Mudd
Carnegie Mellon
Rice
UC Berkeley
Cornell
UCLA
UCSD
U of Wyoming</p>

2

<p>There’s not much to complain about, period. Lots of grade inflation (top 9% with a 3.98 unweighted, yeah?) but you back everything up.</p>

<p>You’re from Wyoming, which helps, (planned) SAT scores are okay, ACT’s okay (okay as in good, but okay for the colleges you’re looking at). While you wouldn’t be first in state at a lot of other places for math, the scores are still likely higher than a lot of the other applicants for your schools, period, and it’s plain cool.</p>

<p>You do research and you’re taking a lot of classes at the college near you.</p>

<p>The only things I could think of would be:</p>

<p>-Boosting standardized test scores. Not that they’re bad, and I’d actually put your time into other things, instead, but if you ever had the time you could probably stand out more there.</p>

<p>-More research. Your schools indicate you’re going into math or science, as do the classes you’re taking, as do your math results -you’ve said you’re doing research already, but why not enter competitions? I realize it’s going to be your senior year, and you won’t get to competitions in time for applications, but maybe you can get a recommendation from a professor you did research with. Maybe it’s more of what you want to do anyway, I’m not sure. But research should be huge.</p>

<p>-Talk to the coaches. If you’re good enough at baseball, and you’ve already said you’re in a feeder program, somewhat, make sure they know who you are. Being recruited helps. A lot.</p>

<p>Go for it? I can’t imagine why recently, a lot of people with stellar qualifications really have to ask.</p>

<p>Good luck though. In your schools -I don’t know you, but still -I’d recommend MIT, if you love the academic atmosphere, Stanford, because it’s laidback, and still Stanford, or really any of the ones you listed except for Caltech. It’s absolutely wonderful for research, I used to live right next to it, but there’s no social life and it’s not as spectacularly quirky as MIT, for example.</p>

<p>Not to say that some people don’t get by, one of the people I met when I lived there was the happiest person I’ve ever met.</p>

3

<p>Caltech-Reach
MIT-Reach
Princeton-Reach
Brown-Match/Reach
Stanford-Reach
Harvard-Reach
Harvey Mudd-Match/Reach
Carnegie Mellon-Match/Reach
Rice-Reach
UC Berkeley-Match
Cornell-Match
UCLA-Match
UCSD-Match
U of Wyoming-Safety</p>

4

<p>Wyoming is a tip but not a hook. Your rank is low for a school that rarely send kids to top schools and your scores are also low. Every school on your list is a reach other than Wyoming. You need a more balanced list.</p>

5

<p>My rank WILL go up, I will make sure. However, I completely agree. Sadly the list is a conglomeration that my parents have created. Its not that my own wishes arent in the list (like harvey mudd), its that my choices are drowned out by places I really dont care about, like Harvard. My parents simply cannot believe that i simply woulndt have a chance some of the schools i have above.</p>

6

<p>It’s probably a better idea lto help educate your parents about college realities now instead of wasting time on apps for schools where you have little chance.</p>

7

<p>yeah. Any ideas as to what i can use (besides other people who got rejected) as a method to do so?</p>

8

<p>Show them the common data sets for those schools. Get Golden’s The Price of Admissions.</p>

9

<p>Ok, that sounds like a good idea. Any other chancers?</p>

10

<p>bump master punch.</p>

11

<p>anyone? bump</p>

12

<p>Ha, I bet you would get into some of those schools (as I’ve said before). But make the case to your parents that you wouldn’t, for any schools you’re not interested in!</p>

13

<p>bump…</p>

14

<p>Caltech-Uber Reach
MIT-Reach
Princeton-Reach
Brown-Match/Reach
Stanford-match/Reach
Harvard-UBER Reach
Harvey Mudd-Match
Carnegie Mellon-Match/Reach
Rice-match
UC Berkeley-Match
Cornell-Match
UCLA-Match
UCSD-Match
U of Wyoming-Safety</p>

15

<p>Coming from Wyoming definitely helps your application a bit, however, even without that, you’ve got a good ACT score, a solid class rank, a very good GPA, and excellent ECs. Your ECs are particularly good for schools like MIT and Caltech which like to see independent research and a true dedication to science/math. Due to the selectivity of such tier schools, however, I’d say they’re reaches for you (as you’ll see below). For chancing you, I’m going to use your ACT scores as they currently stand. Obviously, if your scores go up, your chances will improve.</p>

<p>Chances on a scale of: high reach, reach, semi-reach, good fit, likely, safety.</p>

<p>Caltech… REACH.
MIT… REACH.
Princeton… HIGH REACH.
Brown… SEMI-REACH.
Stanford… REACH.
Harvard… HIGH REACH.
Harvey Mudd… SEMI-REACH.
Carnegie Mellon University… GOOD FIT.
Rice University… SEMI-REACH.
UC Berkeley… GOOD FIT.
Cornell University… GOOD FIT.
UCLA… GOOD FIT.
UCSD… LIKELY.
U of Wyoming… SAFETY.</p>

16

<p>Wth…91.5 and 114 is state level? where i live in those marks wont even get u past top of class</p>

17

<p>you have the potential for any school.</p>

<p>Apply to PHYSICS.
Youll get into one at least.
Wyoming isnt necessarily bad. Schools likes to be able to say “students from all 50 states” . That means at least one from Wyoming! Go for it. Definitely dont be afraid because of these CC jerks who think NO ONE can get into the top schools without curing cancer.</p>

18

<p>quantumlight, thats cuz wyoming’s math standards are in the toilet. Its sad. But agriculture is very high (argh stereotypes.)</p>

19

<p>I think you have a CHANCE at the top schools, but bottom Ivies and beyond that, I think you have a VERY good shot at. Dont let anyone discourage you and talk to your parents about altering your list. gl!</p>

20

<p>great scores, great gpa, not so great rank, good ec’s, being from bumble f**k… looks like you have a chance at some lower tier ivies</p>