When things don't go your way....

<p>Oh man. I got my SAT scores, and…not at all happy.</p>

<p>Stats-
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 7-8%, if weighted, prob top 3%
Class Size: 297
School Size- 780-ish</p>

<p>Scores:
SAT I Math: 710
SAT I Critical Reading: 660
SAT I Writing: 580 (W…T…F. WHAT!?)</p>

<p>ACT: 32 (34 M, 30 W, 29 R, 35 S)
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-(prob a 4 or 5)
AP Phys C Mech and E&M-(prob a 5 on both. I raped these tests.)
AP Gov’t-(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)
-AP Calculus Competition, 2006 1st place in state, 2007 2nd place in state.
-Calc Bowl, 2007 1st place team in state
-JETS-TEAMS competition, 2nd place Nationally (in our economic division) </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</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>-I am on a six person hiring team that hires new staff at our school. The team consists of two teachers, a principal, a site council member, a parent and a student. I have so far helped hire a physics teacher and a geology teacher.
-Mock “We the People Judge”
-Indian Radio Show Co-Host</p>

<p>Sophomore Classes:
-Concert Band
-Spanish 3
-AP Calc AB
-Adv American Studies (a dual block 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</p>

<p>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 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 order of why I’m applying):</p>

<p>Because I want to their acceptance rate plunge:
Princeton
Brown
Harvard</p>

<p>Because I want to, but have little chance of making it:
Caltech
MIT
Stanford
Columbia</p>

<p>Because I actually want to go here…and might have a shot:
Rice
UChicago
Northwestern
UC Berkeley
UCLA</p>

<p>Where I have a chance:
Cornell
U of Wyoming
UT Austin
NYU
Boston U
UCSD</p>

<p>I really don’t want to hear that I’m screwed…but I need to be reasonable.</p>

<p>bump…</p>

<p>If you want to, apply to ONE of the first seven schools you listed. 1310 old SAT and a 580 writing WILL NOT get you into a school that rejects about 75% of 2400 scorers.</p>

<p>Look into smaller LACs. There are some great ones in the midwest (Grinnell, Carleton, Macalester, etc.).</p>

<p>And honestly, I’d be worried about UT Austin out of state and Cornell and NYU and MAYBE BU. Fix your list. Being from Wyoming will help but only so much. Talk to your counselor and look at other options. You shouldn’t have to go to UWyoming, so add some better match schools.</p>

<p>ok thanks ses.</p>

<p>hmmm. but what if i use my act score instead?</p>