What's missing in my profile?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi, I am currently a high school junior. Here are some of my stats/info:</p>

<p>current SAT score: 2180 ( I know I can get above a 2300, as I have been scoring between 2320 and 2370 consistently on practice exams, my first time actually taking it was a fluke)
PSAT score: 228
SAT Subject tests: 800 Math II, (I’m going to take Chem, USH, and Physics in June)
expected GPA: unweighted: 96/100
AP Calc AB: 5</p>

<p>Classes:
Freshman year: Journalism, Honors Bio, Honors World History, Honors English, Honors Precalculus, Honors Spanish II, Gym
(Honors Chem over the summer through CTY)
Sophomore year: Symphonic Band, Honors English, AP Calculus AB, Honors Physics, Honors Spanish III, Honors US History, Gym
Junior year: APUSH, AP Lang, AP Chem, Computer Programming, AP Stats, Gym, Wind Ensemble
Expected senior year schedule: AP Physics, AP Euro, AP Lit, Gym, Wind Ensemble, AP Computer Science</p>

<p>ECs:
-I sing Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. I have performed in India three years in a row, and have won several awards in national competitions.
-I am the drum major of my high school’s marching band, and I play clarinet.
-I am captain of my school’s mathletes team.
-I am a Spanish Honors Society member and Tri-M Music Honors Society member.
-Other clubs: FBLA (qualified for nationals), Youth and Gov, Model UN, Academic Team</p>

<p>Volunteering:
-I have started a program in my library that pairs high school students and younger middle school students who are really passionate about particular subjects, in order to allow the middle school students to get ahead and to allow high schoolers to share their passions.<br>
-I volunteered for over 80 hours at a nursing home.
-I volunteered for about 20 hours at my school’s library, tutoring children in math.</p>

<p>Other stuff:
I’ve applied to the NJ Governors’ School of the Sciences, and I’ll know in March whether or not I’ve gotten in.
If I don’t get in, I’m thinking about going to India to teach kids in a particular blind orphanage how to sing Carnatic music, and I’m thinking this would be a better use of my summer anyway.</p>

<p>What’s missing in my resume if I’m shooting for schools like MIT, UChic, UPenn, Princeton, Duke, etc.?
I know a lot of people who harp on research experience before college. I am concerned, since I haven’t been exposed to any such research, besides in my AP Chem class. I have time to apply to a few internships, but I’m still evaluating whether or not it’s worth the time and effort.
Does an internship boost your resume that much?</p>

<p>So yeah, I have between now and September to fill in the gaps before I start applying, and I guess the main thing that I’m concerned about is what to do with my summer. I would also like other advice as to what areas I need to improve to have a legitimate chance of getting into top-notch schools.</p>

<p>Please help?</p>

2

<p>You look like a strong applicant. The only gaps I see in your transcript are a foreign language and AP Bio. Your ECs seem fine to me; I see no reason to gild the lily or reinvent yourself.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

3

<p>Thanks! Do you have any advice on the topic of summer internships?</p>

4

<p>Why are you ducking out of AP Calc, you seem like a smart kid. Also, why are you taking 4 years of gym- required…?</p>

<p>Anyways, good profile. “I sing Carnatic music” is probably the most interesting and appealing part. </p>

<p>As far as internships, the experiences does boost your profile quite a bit, if you intern at a respectable place. If you’re looking for an internship, it should really be in an area that you are interested in, and may pursue a career in. The experience will be far more valuable than the line on your resume, so it’s certainly worth your time, if you can find a good opportunity. Don’t do it just because other people do it!</p>

5

<p>oh no I’m not ducking out of AP Calc, I took it over the summer, so I’ll be taking the exam this May. Sorry, maybe I didn’t make that clear. And I’m self-studying mutlivariable this summer.</p>

<p>And yeah, I guess this really boils down to a conflict of doing stuff for college and doing what I sincerely want to do. As long as my profile is decent as of now, I think I might do some meaningful voluntary work in India instead of applying for internships.</p>

6

<p>Tons of kids with great grades and test scores, lots of volunteer work and music also do research over the summer. It’s hard to tell them all part - and being Indian doesn’t help (although national level awards for Carnatic music are very impressive and that does differentiate you.)</p>

<p>Do research if you are interested in that, but if not, doing something that really reflects your interests. If music is it, do something interesting with music (teaching music in India is one possibility). It could be life-changing at best. At worst, it will give you something interesting to talk about when you interview and/or write your college essays. As an interviewer, I’m starting to OD on the number of kids who are doing things because it’s “missing from (their) profile”.</p>

7

<p>Yeah I completely agree m’s mom. It’s just that there is so much competition nowadays that it almost seems like the most practical approach to try to do things that have worked for others in terms of getting into top colleges…I guess it gives students a sense of security and structure in their pursuits. As I mentioned one of the reasons I am posting this is that I have been facing a lot of pressure to get into things like internships because so many kids who have had internships have ended up in great colleges. But after hearing all of your comments, I’ll probably plan to do something more fulfilling and less generic.</p>