What should I do to better my chances? (UCs, Stanford, other T20s)Answered
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 Tutoring Non-profit organization: Tutored 30+ different math concepts and ESL to 30+ underserved students (250+ hours), 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 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
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1 answer
One way you can make your application even better, is to highlight different ways that you show leadership in these extracurriculars. For the UC COSMOS Program, make sure to list different research and projects you have worked on. If possible, make sure to participate in some more engineering related clubs, and take part in competitions, such as, Science Olympiad, and FIRST Robotics. Another thing to do is to apply for more internships that are relevant to Engineering. Make sure to explain what you learn from the Engineering related clubs. In order to stand out, you should be you, and one way to do this is by demonstrating what makes you unique. For the Letters of Recommendation, make sure to pick teachers that are related to Engineering and STEM. That would be the AP Physics, AP Chemistry, or Calculus teachers. It is also smart to pick some of the mentors from the extracurriculars that are relevant to engineering, for your recommendations. When applying to college, it is important to demonstrate Leadership, and how you will impact from the extracurriculars.
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thank you! I've been taking part in science olympiad competitions but only received regional awards...so I don't think it'll help my application. I will keep your advice about COSMOS and rec letters in mind while applying! Do you think I demonstrated leadership and impact well in my activities description?