What should I do to better my chances? (UCs, Stanford, T20s)
Rising senior in California.
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering or Biomedical Engineering
SAT: 1500 (710 English, 790 Math)
UW/W GPA: 4.0 UW/4.68 W, Valedictorian (small school)
Coursework: 11 AP Classes, 8 Dual Enrollment, 3 Honors Classes (14-15 APs when I graduate)
College List (so far): Stanford, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSD, UCSB, UCD, UCI, UCR, Caltech, USC, CMU, Harvey Mudd, Vanderbilt, MIT, some ivies
Might Early Action to Stanford. I am worried because I heard you needed a spike in your application that applies to your major, but my extracurriculars aren't related to engineering. I am planning to host a medical+engineering forum this summer with my non-profit. I am also attending the UC COSMOS summer program this year. As an in-state applicant, what else should I do to better my chances of getting into top UCs or Stanford?
Extracurriculars with minimal descriptions:
1. VP of Non-profit organization: Tutored 30+ different math concepts and ESL to 30+ underserved students (250+ hours), initiated and executed educational camps (art winter camp, stem career exploration camp) that impacted 100+ students
2. Youth Intern at ACLU: Advocated for 600,000+ students on student mental health and arts education rights, helped implement district+state-wide policies and bills
3. UC COSMOS Pre-college program
4. Tutor at Mathnasium
5. Treasurer of NAMI on Campus (Mental Health Club): promoted mental health awareness and reduce stigma with 500+ student participants
6. Founder/Co-President of Korean Culture Club
7. Treasurer+Grade Rep of ASB: calculated and allocated $50k budget
8. Student Leader of College Engineering Career Exploration Summer Days: assisted and led 50+ students in constructing and planning their automaton projects
9. Treasurer of Science Olympiad
10. School Volunteer
If you don’t get in, no one will.
haha thanks for saying that. college admissions are so competitive though, so I am still very nervous about the process!
your profile is absolutely incredible, I think theres already a very high chance of getting in just with this. it may not be specifically engineering ecs, but they are related to stem with all the math and science so i think thats great. anyone can see youre an extremely hardworking student, so I wouldnt worry too much (easier said than done i know) but maybe you could look and see if there any internships avaialable for high school students at places like gulf stream which a lot of engineering majors go into, or maybe you could build something that your community needs?
thank you for your advice! I am worried I can't fit any other ecs since I don't have much time as a rising senior. Unfortunately, there isn't a company called Gulf Stream near my area. I will try to think of something over the summer.
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