PENN/COLUMBIA with these?
Hey all,
My other question was a joke. This is the real deal.
I have a 4.2-4.3 in my school with around 9 aps.
my unweighted is around 3.85
I took the SAT and underperformed due to illness–> 2180
I hope to retake that and get over 2250 if possible
I took the SAT 2 in math 2 and received a 760
For extracurriculars, I participated in vars tennis and xc for 3 years so far (Im a junior). I have been the top performer in xc and have almost gone to state finals. I am currently the captain of the tennis team.
I also play the tenor sax and have been playing for for 6 years. I am currently the section leader and I am given a majority of the sax solos.
I currently volunteer for the Tech museum of innovation where i teach children and a few adults about the recent technological advancements in the silicon valley. I have been volunteering there for over 2 years and will continue to do so.
I also am a part of a youth leadership group called YTF that actively addresses youth problems in the community. One problem we worked on was homelessness. In order to get an understanding of the situation, we went on an "Urban Plunge" and lived on the streets for 2 days. We lived in a shelter and were given a dollar to spend on food for each day. We interviewed the many unfortunate souls and created a video that we spread across the community.
I also am taking a great deal of ap courses that focus on medicine and biomedical engineering. In addition to taking the hardest science course in my school, I will be working in india. I will be shadowing the various surgeons in a renowned hospital in south india. I will also be working at a bme lab in order to decide if i wanna pursue the field.
I am also in Green revs, a club where i will be renovating a Volkswagen into a green vehicle. I will be learning about the basics of engineering and management in the process.
In addition to all the science, I am also in FBLA, a business club that helps us understand the economy and its twisted ways. I have participated in FBLA conferences and won an award in business law.
Please provide thoughtful answers.
Yes you have a good shot. Not a shoe in mind, no one is at schools like that. To understand why check out:
http://susankayton.com/college.htm
'Twenty years ago, it was pretty easy to predict which students would be admitted, since the highly-selective colleges admitted about 1/3 of the applicants. All the bright, interesting kids were admitted back then. However, nowadays, colleges no longer have room for all the bright, interesting kids since about five times as many kids apply for the same number of slots, so luck plays a huge factor. If you play tuba and the school's marching band's only tuba player is graduating in June, you might get admitted! Or they might be looking for a baritone for the men's a capella group. Or perhaps they need someone from Wyoming so they can boast they have a student from each of the 50 states. Or you juggle and the admissions officer who's reading your application also is a juggler, so he gives you the thumbs-up. If you get in, you aren't "better" than the kids who don't get in – you're just luckier.'
But overall I would say you have as good a shot is anyone.
The best advice I can give you however is to apply to a few such schools. While getting into any one is a crap shoot, with excellent grades like yours you will get into a great school for sure. I don't know why, but for some reason Cal-tech, which is rated as least as good as Penn and Columbia, has a 17% chance of admission compared to the below 10% of Penn and Columbia. It would be an excellent choice as well for biomedical engineering.
http://www.caltech.edu/
Another excellent choice would be Harvey Mudd and Reed:
http://www.hmc.edu/
http://web.reed.edu/
So widen your choice and you will be fine.
Also check out:
http://www.enotalone.com/article/18690.html
Thanks
Bill