[mojomunkeez]

GPA: 4.0 (unweighted)/ 4.2 (weighted)
SAT I: 2020
SAT II: Math 2 (700), Chinese (800), US History (780)

School Activities:
Chinese Club (Treasurer senior yr.)- 3 years
Speech and Debate Club (Vice president senior yr.)-3 years
Wildlife Conservation Club (Vice President)- 2 yrs
California Scholarship Federation Club (Junior Class Representative)- 4 yrs
Amnesty International (Club blogger/ member of leadership team)-2 yrs
Swim Team (3 yrs girls varsity)

Volunteer:
Library
Wildlife Center
*I also draw images for children magazine publications by CWA (California Waterfowl Association). It's a nonprofit organization which works to conserve wildlife and wetlands.
( I probably will have at least 200 hours total in volunteering,....I hope ><)

Awards:
1st Place California Jr. Duck Stamp Competition 2007 & 2008
4th Place National Chinese Cultural Competition
(and more little art awards....xD)

Other Activities:
Drawing: 10 yrs+
Dancing (ballet& lyrical): 10 yrs+
Chinese School: Uhh...since kindergarden..haha
Church:
Work (tutoring)

Internships:
Interning this summer at Santa Clara County Office of Affordable Housing (government office =p)
Ooh..I'm also planning a community event with VNA (Vision New America) for a neighborhood community.


Reach Schools: UCLA, USC, Cornell
Safety: UC Irvine

My main concern right now is that I only took 2 AP classes and 1 Honors Class so far....I'm planning to take 4 AP classes senior year though. >< Dunno how bad that will affect my application. My SAT 1 scores aren't high enough for the schools I'm hoping to be accepted into either...so I'm thinking about retaking it a 4th time..-__-;

If anyone could give me some feedback, that would be very very helpful. Thanks in advance!

Don't worry about the classes you're taking. It actually doesn't matter too much, as long as you get As. Putting Chinese school on an application is pretty worthless and shows that you're desperate for something else to put on it. If I were you, I'd raise my SAT score to at least 2200 (of course, shoot for 2400), because you are exactly like all the other applicants who apply to the schools you're interested in. Your Math IIC score is a bit on the low side, try taking Math IC if you can't get it up. Colleges look at the percentile of your scores, not the actual score itself, and a 700 is maybe a 70 percentile. It looks pretty respectable, but everybody and their mother gets 800s. Especially Chinese people. Your extracurriculars seem a little sparse, but I don't think there's much you can do about that, now. At any rate, UC Irvine is no problem for you. UCLA.... would be a relatively long shot. Cornell will be an even longer shot because Cornell is a private school and you are a stereotypical Asian on paper. USC is iffy, it will depend on your major. A good school to shoot for and that you have a fair chance of getting into with your qualifications is UC San Diego.
But I ask you: why aren't you applying to Berkeley? It has the same acceptance rate as UCLA, though it's an exponentially better school.

[YO ITZZ JASONN]

um i'm asking this for my friend (upcoming junior)

well as u can see, his final academic gpa for his freshman year was a 1.91

he just finished his sophomore year and his final academic gpa was a 1.9.

is he screwed for college or is there still a lot of hope left for him? like even if he stayed away from every distraction next year and got straight a's junior year, his final gpa of his high school years combined would still not reach a 3 XD he's asian btw ... (not saying all of them are supposed to be smart)

plus his parents are strict as hell .... won't even send him to a community college cuz they think it's a waste of money since really anyone at any age can go to community college..... (if he can't make it to a regular, decent 4 year college ....)

[asianami]

um i'm asking this for my friend (upcoming junior)

well as u can see, his final academic gpa for his freshman year was a 1.91

he just finished his sophomore year and his final academic gpa was a 1.9.

is he screwed for college or is there still a lot of hope left for him? like even if he stayed away from every distraction next year and got straight a's junior year, his final gpa of his high school years combined would still not reach a 3 XD he's asian btw ... (not saying all of them are supposed to be smart)

plus his parents are strict as hell .... won't even send him to a community college cuz they think it's a waste of money since really anyone at any age can go to community college..... (if he can't make it to a regular, decent 4 year college ....)

If he pulls his act together the last two years of his high school career, he could be a shoe in to a four year college. He's got to work like crazy to earn all those A's though. You know, start pulling his act together. Ace the SAT, take hard courses (if he can handle them) i.e. honors/ap, volunteer...

And if he wants to boost his GPA, he can consider going to community college while taking high school courses (also called duel enrollment). If he does well in the CC classes, I think it adds a boost to the GPA.

Good luck to your friend!

Oh and, YEAH CLASS OF 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MANGOx3]

mojomunkeex: Yeah...>__< I'm gonna retake my Math SAT 2..ugh. Wow, I didn't know that 700 was that low on the percent tile! I'm planning on retaking SAT 1 as well...though it will be my 4th attempt, which is pretty lame. I am actually going to apply to UCB and UCSD as well...it's just that I prefer UCLA and Irvine over the other 2. Haha. Gosh, it's gonna be a dream come true if I can even get to LA or USC at this point...T__T; Thanks so much for the response though!

[xsunsaysx]

Gah... please give me feedback...!!
I'm currently 15, and live in CA

My stats:

I attend Santa Monica High school.. population of 3500+. SOPHOMORE.
NOTE: I am graduating one year early due to personal reasons. CLASS OF 09

9th grade courses: (the average student has six classes)

Biology (at Santa monica college)
Honors Chem
English 9 Honors
Freshman Seminar (required)
Latin 1
Spanish 2
Algebra II honors
chamber orchestra (meets afterschool , course credit top players of symphony)
symphony orchestra( highest in school )
ISP P.E. (tae kwon do independant p.e.)
anatomy 1 (at Santa monica college)
World History (B.Y.U. online)

9th grade G.P.A. :
3.92 unweighted
4.27 weighted

10th grade courses:

AP Chemistry
AP Biology
AP Statistics
Symphony Orchestra
I.S.P. P.E.
Pre/A Calculus Honors
English 10 Honors
Anatomy 2 (at Santa monica college) (includes the individualized instruction of the dissection of a human cadaver)
English 1(at Santa monica college) (equivalent to 11 AP)
History 11 (at Santa monica college) aka US
History 12 (at Santa monica college) aka US part2
computer science(at Santa monica college)
Spanish 3 (at Santa monica college)

GPA:
4.00 unweighted
4.83 weighted


SAT:

SATI :

2170: 700 math / 700 cr / 770 writing (to be retaken (goal 2300))

SAT II:

800 math IIC
780 bio
750 Chem (no retakes)

ACT: to be taken


Extracurriculars/Work/Volunteer:

Cofounder and Co president of group called Art for a Heart that hand makes different fashion elements and sells them to raise money for the International Children's Heart foundation. This started in the middle of the 2008 year, and we have already raised enough money for a heart surgery for one child, named Ruben. Ruben, who lives in Nicaragua, was sucessfully saved and is now recuperating. The cost of the surgery was $1,500. We often put together events to raise awareness of Congenital Heart Defects. The founder of the ICHF flew in from Tennessee to meet us and thank us for our efforts. We are featured on their website at www.babyheart.org .

Fashion: Enjoys designing and sewing bags and dresses as part of the Art for a Heart club as well as separately.

Red Cross Volunteer: about 500 hours total. I have been a volunteer at the Red Cross since the fifth grade.

Work: Anatomy and Biology tutor at Santa Monica College. Paid. Teach / Tutor college kids and help them achieve the grade that they want in Anatomy and Biology.

Tae Kwon Do: winner of numerous international and national medals and trophies. Black Belt 1st degree, going on 2nd before the end of 2009. Assistant teacher, as well as referree in tournaments.

Violin: Section Leader/Principal of Santa Monica High School's symphony and chamber orchestra for two years. This orchestra is ranked #1 high school orchestra in the entire nation, and traveled to Europe on tour last spring. We have been adjudicated superior by every judge in history. In addition, I teach violin privately to some students, and also am a member of All-State Southern California Orchestra, deemed the best orchestra in all of California. Only about 10 people from our orchestra are admitted every year. I have been part of this for two years in a row now.

Circle of Friends: Spends time with mentally challanged children and helps them with social skills and school. Although we have different intellectual levels and thoughts, we still manage to have great fun together.


Secretary of Key Club , in which we raise money for children with leukemia, help feed the homeless, etc.

Representative of Asian Club both years. We go on trips to chinatown, have cultural days where we learn about one culture at a time, and sometimes serve asian food.



Definetely top 1% of my class. ... which is now 09 instead of 10 (T_T so confusing)

**NOTE: I will qualify for an Associate in Arts degree of Science at Santa Monica College by the end of next summer. This way, I will be graduating with a high school diploma and an AA degree at the same time. ** (60 college units)



Classes to take Next year: (11)

AP Physics
AP English 12
AP Econ
AP B/c calc
AP Psych
Symphony orchestra

Independant Studies in anatomy (santa monica college)
spanish 4(santa monica college)
computer programming(santa monica college)
biology 21(santa monica college)





My questions are:

Do you think my academic/extracurriculars are strong enough to get into a high ivy league?

I am planning on applying to

UCLA,
Stanford,
Harvard,
Yale,
Columbia,
Cornell,
MIT,
UC Berkeley

... i have a feeling i might need ucsd or uc irvine.
should i not even bother applying to some of the really high ones?


because i'm a sophomore,
i really don't know as much as some of you juniors, i think.

please help me out!


thanks so much for your time!

[joonage]

Updated a little. Probably my last time posting my stats here. haha

GPA: 100.7% weighted. Don't have a GPA system, but I would say around 3.8-3.9 unweighted.

RANK: 1st out of 30ish. Small school. >.<

SAT I: November 2007: 1890 (CR: 570. M: 640. W: 680 + 10 Essay). May 2008: 1910 (CR: 640. M: 660. W: 610 + 7 Essay). Best combined: 1980.
Retaking in October to get over 2100. xD

SAT II: Math IIC: 670. Literature: 620. Chemistry: 530. Retaking Math IIC and Chem for November, as well as Korean with Listening.

TOEFL: Taking it in the end of September.


CLASSES
Freshman Year
Bible 09.
Honors English.
Algebra 2.
Physical Science.
Spanish 2.
Yearbook.
PE.

Algebra 1.
Spanish 1.
(Both from 8th grade but counted for my high school credits)

Sophomore Year
Bible 10.
Pre-AP English.
Geometry.
Biology.
World History.
Spanish 3.
Yearbook.

Junior Year
Bible 11.
AP Language.
Honors Trig/Pre-Cal.
Honors Chemistry.
AP US Government.
Yearbook.

Photography (Taking it summer quarter at a community college).

Expected Senior Year (Death Years ph34r.gif)
AP Physics
AP Calculus AB
AP US History
AP Literature
Bible 12
Yearbook
Study Hall???


EXTRA CURRICULARS
Yearbook Copy Editor - Freshman Year.
Yearbook Co-Editor - Sophomore Year.
Yearbook Editor in Chief - Junior and Senior Year.
Track and Field - 4 Years Varisty. Letter Sophomore Year.
Basketball - 2 Years JV. 2 Years Varsity.
Volleyball Manager - 1 Year.
Freshman Class Chaplain.
Junior Class Secretary.
Honor Society Vice President - Senior Year.
National Honor Society.
Photography - Not really a "ECA" ... More of a hobby I picked up.


VOLUTEERING
Hospital - 4 Hours a week in the Medical/Surgical Unit. Currently, I have over 120 hours.
Hospital - About to start in the ER during summer. Maybe 5-6 hours a week.
Korean Counseling Center - I have quite a few hours from that. I'm not sure how many though.
Church - About 3 hours once a month serving homeless people.


SCHOOLS I'M APPLYING TO (Being an International Student probably has an effect)
University of Southern California. (TOP/REACH)
University of Washington. (TOP/MATCH)
University of California Los Angeles. (TOP/MATCH/REACH)
Western Washington University. (TOP/SAFETY)
University of California Berkeley. (REACH)
Stanford University. (REACH)
Azusa Pacific University. (SAFETY)
Gonzaga University. (SAFETY)
Oral Roberts University. (SAFETY)
Pacific Lutheran University. (SAFETY)
Seattle Pacific University. (SAFETY)
Seattle University. (SAFETY)
Boston University. (MATCH/REACH)
Boston University 7 Year BA/MD Program. (REACH REACH REACH REACH REACH lol)

I'm probably going to apply to a lot less safeties. But I sorta want to see how much scholarships I can get from there. Particularly, because I'm an international student so I can't get any government aid.

I know my standardized tests are pretty weak. But, I'm hoping to do better in the October and November tests. Also, I'm hoping that my TOEFL score can make up for some of it. And, it's hard for me to do more ECAs since our school is small and doesn't offer any clubs and stuff. >.<

[alicimoo]

xsunsaysx
I think your stats are pretty amazing.
I think the only colleges that might be a bit iffy are Stanford, Yale, and MIT.
MIT because you don't seem to have that much math/tech stuff? Have you considered taking AP Calculus?

[xsunsaysx]

xsunsaysx
I think your stats are pretty amazing.
I think the only colleges that might be a bit iffy are Stanford, Yale, and MIT.
MIT because you don't seem to have that much math/tech stuff? Have you considered taking AP Calculus?

Thanks for replying!

Uh... im one year ahead in math... most people take BC calculus their senior year
and i am taking BC AP calculus as a junior (this coming fall) with a 800 math 2c
I also took AP Statistics this year..with precalc/a honors which counts as a 5 on the gpa scale
I doubled on math and tripled on science this year. (MIT = math and science school)
and i took computer science/programming at a college if that helps lol

i always thought my humanities were much weaker.. no? should i still work on math even more?




reply to joonage:

your stats as well as your school listing seem to match fairly well, really.
good reach, good safety, good target.
applying to that many schools might be a pain in the @#$ tho...

anyways, good luck! we're graduating same year.

화이팅! (hwaitting)

[alicimoo]

^
Oops I totally missed that, lol, the math part. I'll come back and edit this once I read through your stats again. xD

[edit]
I hate you. I'm jealous of you. lol.
I don't think your lacking in any of your courses. You seem to be really well rounded.
Okay just ignore my previous comment, you're set for college. lol.

And since you're a girl, it'll be easier for you to get into MIT as well since they want more girls.
Stanford, your stats seem really good, and since you live in CA, I don't think it'll be much of a problem.
I'm not that sure about Yale though. It seems like a pretty difficult school to get into. Only around 2-3 people get in my school each year, but that may just be because Yale doesn't like my school. xD

._. I can't believe you took/are taking so many courses outside of school.

Is it a lot harder for east coast students than west coast students to get into Stanford?

[xsunsaysx]

i have to admit it kind of sucked getting out of school and going straight to... night school -____-
thanks though,, im glad i have somewhat of a chance X_X

yale.. is really tough to get into, you're right. I think 5 people got in this year.
for some reason though, MIT and caltech love my school...
i know like 6 people for MIT and 4 people for Caltech at my school


but then again.. this might be just because theres a lot of peopel at my school compared to urs.


thanks!

[alicimoo]

^
...damn. I just checked the acceptances for 08 for my school, no one got into Stanford, 6 applied.

MIT - 22 Applied, 2 Waitlisted, 7 Accepted
Caltech - 3 Applied, 1 Accepted
Yale - 16 Applied, 3 Accepted

..this makes me so worried about applying to colleges next year. =/

[xsunsaysx]

how do u check acceptances for ur school?

and im not sure about the west vs east thing...
but i personally know 3 people that got into stanford from my school
there are probably more... i dont know all 1000 seniors lol

[alicimoo]

Our guidance department compiles a spreadsheet of colleges with the number of people applied, accepted, waitlisted, and going to attend.

[mojomunkeez]

Updated a little. Probably my last time posting my stats here. haha

GPA: 100.7% weighted. Don't have a GPA system, but I would say around 3.8-3.9 unweighted.

RANK: 1st out of 30ish. Small school. >.<

SAT I: November 2007: 1890 (CR: 570. M: 640. W: 680 + 10 Essay). May 2008: 1910 (CR: 640. M: 660. W: 610 + 7 Essay). Best combined: 1980.
Retaking in October to get over 2100. xD

SAT II: Math IIC: 670. Literature: 620. Chemistry: 530. Retaking Math IIC and Chem for November, as well as Korean with Listening.

TOEFL: Taking it in the end of September.


CLASSES
Freshman Year
Bible 09.
Honors English.
Algebra 2.
Physical Science.
Spanish 2.
Yearbook.
PE.

Algebra 1.
Spanish 1.
(Both from 8th grade but counted for my high school credits)

Sophomore Year
Bible 10.
Pre-AP English.
Geometry.
Biology.
World History.
Spanish 3.
Yearbook.

Junior Year
Bible 11.
AP Language.
Honors Trig/Pre-Cal.
Honors Chemistry.
AP US Government.
Yearbook.

Photography (Taking it summer quarter at a community college).

Expected Senior Year (Death Years ph34r.gif)
AP Physics
AP Calculus AB
AP US History
AP Literature
Bible 12
Yearbook
Study Hall???


EXTRA CURRICULARS
Yearbook Copy Editor - Freshman Year.
Yearbook Co-Editor - Sophomore Year.
Yearbook Editor in Chief - Junior and Senior Year.
Track and Field - 4 Years Varisty. Letter Sophomore Year.
Basketball - 2 Years JV. 2 Years Varsity.
Volleyball Manager - 1 Year.
Freshman Class Chaplain.
Junior Class Secretary.
Honor Society Vice President - Senior Year.
National Honor Society.
Photography - Not really a "ECA" ... More of a hobby I picked up.


VOLUTEERING
Hospital - 4 Hours a week in the Medical/Surgical Unit. Currently, I have over 120 hours.
Hospital - About to start in the ER during summer. Maybe 5-6 hours a week.
Korean Counseling Center - I have quite a few hours from that. I'm not sure how many though.
Church - About 3 hours once a month serving homeless people.


SCHOOLS I'M APPLYING TO (Being an International Student probably has an effect)
University of Southern California. (TOP/REACH)
University of Washington. (TOP/MATCH)
University of California Los Angeles. (TOP/MATCH/REACH)
Western Washington University. (TOP/SAFETY)
University of California Berkeley. (REACH)
Stanford University. (REACH)
Azusa Pacific University. (SAFETY)
Gonzaga University. (SAFETY)
Oral Roberts University. (SAFETY)
Pacific Lutheran University. (SAFETY)
Seattle Pacific University. (SAFETY)
Seattle University. (SAFETY)
Boston University. (MATCH/REACH)
Boston University 7 Year BA/MD Program. (REACH REACH REACH REACH REACH lol)

I'm probably going to apply to a lot less safeties. But I sorta want to see how much scholarships I can get from there. Particularly, because I'm an international student so I can't get any government aid.

I know my standardized tests are pretty weak. But, I'm hoping to do better in the October and November tests. Also, I'm hoping that my TOEFL score can make up for some of it. And, it's hard for me to do more ECAs since our school is small and doesn't offer any clubs and stuff. >.<

Your school grades are pretty good, but your SAT scores definitely need to come up, especially coming from such a small school. With such a small sampling to look at from your school, colleges will take your lofty grades with more than just a little grain of salt. Are you a fob? Is there a reason why you're taking TOEFL?

[alicimoo]

joonage
Do you even need to take the TOEFL? o_o You've taken AP Language and are going to be taking AP Literature.
Isn't TOEFL only for non native English speakers who have only lived in the country for a certain amount of years? Like 3 or something?

I just asked my dad if I could take the TOEFL and he said, "what? stupid. You've already lived in America for such a long time! It's only for people who've lived in the US for like 2 years." xD Does it have a limit on the # of years you've lived in the US? o_o

[joonage]

^^^

I've been studying here since I was four. But since I'm still studying here on a F-1 visa and have to apply to college as an international student, I have to take the TOEFL.

TOELF says people over three years of English don't need it. Some colleges have waivers like if you get over 600 in CR or have lived here for a certain period, but a lot just straight up require it.

I'm not really against it though. If I do well, it'll help me. The only downside is the $150 price tag for a test. hahaha

[alicimoo]

^
Oooh, I didn't realize all international students (even the ones living in the US) have to take it. I'm sure it'll help you, I'd really doubt that it'd go against you.

I've lived in the US since I was 9, but I'm a permanent resident now. =/

[imkbx]

deleted ---------------------------

[gubercootichunks]

1st time posting in this thread! I'm from Upstate NY, btw...

STATS:

SAT: March 2008 - 2220
First time, so probably going to retake, didn't practice/study...did fine on math, but writing and critical reading not so much.

SATII: June 2008
Math II - 760, Chem - 730, US History - 730
Retaking Math II and Chem maybe.

ACT: June 2008 - 34
First time, might retake because I didn't practice/study at all, we'll see.


CLASSES

Freshman:
Biology
Geometry H
English 9H
Global 9
Spanish 9
Chamber Orchestra
Photography/Business Dynamics II (semester courses)
Gym

Summer: College Math (equiv. Algebra II in high school) and Trigonometry @ community college

Sophomore:
Chemistry H
PreCalc H
English 10H
AP Euro
Spanish 10H
Symphony Orchestra
Health 10/Microsoft Applications
Gym

Also took the AP Chinese Lang. and Culture even though I didn't take the class (because my school doesn't offer it and I don't need to take it, haha.)

Junior:
Physics H
AP Chem
AP Calc BC
English 11H
AP US History
Spanish 11H
Symphony Orchestra
Gym

6 Semester GPA: 92.19 - GUHHHH, so low, that's like a 3.5 right? Our school doesn't weight honors or AP classes
Currently taking CTY Online intro to Comp Sci individually paced course

Senior (courses I'm signed up for)
AP Physics C (EM and mechanics)
AP Stat
Humanities/Modern Lit.
AP Econ (going to take both Macro/Micro tests)
AP Spanish Lang.
Symphony Orchestra
Gym

EXTRACURRICULAR

CTY through summer after 10th grade because I got too old.
Anime Club: three years, plan on continuing
Go Club: three years, officer next year
Science Olympiad: three years, plan on continuing, won 3 medals at regionals (overall, our team sucked so we didn't make states)
Math League: three years, plan on continuing next year, went to all county league meet on the "All-star team"
NHS: member, inducted June 2008
Chess Club: three years, plan on continuing
Youth Group: 10th-11th, leader graduated, so not continuing
Violin Lessons: since 8th grade, plan on continuing
Piano Lessons: since 3rd grade, plan on continuing

COMMUNITY/OTHER

-Basically, stage crew is my life, haha. I've worked on more than 15 shows since my freshman year, and I do building/set construction, painting and work backstage. Leadership position as a side-manager: where I get to wear a headset and yell at other people to move things [I don't really yell though...^^;;]
-Camp Couselor at Families w/ Chinese Children Summer Camp: leadership/responsibility to watch over kids [paid]
-Volunteer at F.A.M.E. Cabaret night to benefit/sponsor music group all three years it's been held
-Volunteer @ Scouting for Food for 3 years
-In addition to stage crew, I've done a lot of ushering for various shows
-700+ hrs. documented community service work
-2 week job fill-in for my friend @ local Chinese take-out place, offered job at end, but declined because schedule conflicts

NEED TO WORK ON
-PAID JOB!! o_<"
-college essays/apps: I'm pretty good at writing analytical/critical essays, but really bad at those "essay prompts" where I have to reply about how something has impacted me, etc.
-leadership/officer positions

AWARDS/RECOGNITION
Honor Roll all 12 qtrs. --> most likely an honor grad next year?
9th Grade: Scholastic Silver Key Art Award
10th Grade: Nat'l Spanish Exam Silver Award
11th Grade: NSE Bronze Award

SCHOOLS I'M INTERESTED IN

Stanford (dad is an alum) - far reach w/ my grades ;-; and considering that the acceptance rate last year was <10%
UCLA - far reach
UC Berkeley - far reach
Cornell - far reach
Northwestern - far reach
Tufts - reach
NYU - target
RIT - safety
U of R - safety

I've only visited Cornell, NYU and Columbia...and I'm going to CA at the end of the summer for more college visits so that's all I've got right now. Thanks for any input and help! Feeling kinda bummed compared to everyone else's grades now...

[alicimoo]

^
I uh think you're underestimating yourself.
92 is around a 3.7 GPA, A-.
Your SAT and SATII scores are pretty good.
The only thing I'd advise you on is working on getting officer/leadership positions.
Otherwise, I think you're okay. Some of the schools you listed would probably be more towards the Target/Possible region rather than Reach.