3
4 years ago
Admissions Advice

Developing a College Application

Hi! I need some help based on how to strengthen my college application. I am looking to major in some form in engineering, here is a little about me.

school: stem based high school - engineering pathway, i take an engineering class and advanced math and science, concurrently enrolled with along my regular high school.

EC's: sci oly, math & science honor societies, model un, piano & singing (10+ years, rcm certification in piano), math tutor, i am doing clinical research internship this summer, taking EDX courses this summer, SCA, will have leadership in some of these clubs next year

future EC's: nhs, yearbook maybe, community service clubs, SCA

GPA: approx 4.3 but will go up

AP's (by the end of 12th): APWHM, Biology, APUSH, AP Lang, Psychology, Computer Science, BC Calculus, Physics C: Mechanics, AP Gov, Chemistry, APES, Statistics, Music Theory (maybe)

any tips on making my application more stronger, I intend to apply either chemical or bme engineering for undergrad. Thanks!

engineering
college
SAT
applications
3
6
@cp8394 years ago

What grade are you in?

[🎤 AUTHOR]@sanrad4 years ago

im in 10th right now, i take ap bio and apwh

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3 answers

2
4 years ago

So unless you want to go to Ivies Id say you have a great chance at all public schools. The only thing I can think of is some form of retail/restaurant job to give non-club experience though that's kinda covered by the internship. Honestly, at most schools, I'm looking at I have 90%+ at top Midwest Public schools and you have me beat in most categories.

However as a sophomore look to take on responsibility in your clubs. Honestly, the only thing I see breaking your resume at top schools are ACT/SAT, essays or immaturity (ex have a 20 dollar bill on a paper application or have bad social media presence) The most room for growth is standardized tests and essays but as long as you get above a 28 ACT and have halfway decent essays you should have near 100% chance at top public schools.

2
1
4 years ago

I know a lot of colleges really want you to contribute something unique to their schools. So if you are especially passionate about engineering - or even other topics that are completely unrelated - make sure you express that especially in your essay!

1
0
4 years ago

The only big unknown on your profile right now is test scores, and given that we have no idea what SAT/ACT requirements will look like in two years (though I'd assume, after the pandemic ends, they'll settle back to where they were before). But if you're a sophomore about to enter junior year, now is the time to begin preparing for those exams. With the uncertainty involved right now, I wouldn't do any kind of prep course you need to pay for, but free ones like the SAT courses on khan academy would be an excellent use of any free time you have moving forward.

Secondarily, the next step for someone with as comprehensive a profile as yours is to have a few leadership experiences and positions throughout your clubs. You mentioned you'll have some next year, which is great—once you have them, make sure you actually use them. What I mean by that is that, by the time you actually apply to schools, you should be able to say something more than just "I was the President of X club." You'd ideally have specific initiatives or achievements you can point to and potentially write about on your application.

Beyond that, I would focus on practicing and improving your writing. If you're applying to very competitive schools (public or private), essays are going to be an extremely significant component of your applications. While you shouldn't start before your senior year (because the prompts for that year won't be released until then), don't underestimate their importance, and you can absolutely start looking at examples now.

0
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Your chancing factors
Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
200
800
| 800 verbal
200
800

Extracurriculars

Low accuracy (4 of 18 factors)

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