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I really can't decide on a major right now because I love a lot of things. Just last year, I started wanting to do something in counseling or english to neuroscience to physics to business then international affairs. These areas of interest usually interweave (like an international businesswoman who has to use two languages frequently and also deals with neuroscience!) Since all of my grades are pretty much uniform, I can't quite pinpoint weaknesses and strengths, except maybe French as a weakness (languages are confusing...and I've never liked memorizing vocabulary). So does being undecided hurt my chances, or does it not matter? Right now I'm pretty enthusiastic about international diplomacy or law, but I'm just afraid of locking myself in then changing my mind.

Full IB diploma, seven IB subjects (the extra one will be a certificate). How much does that help? After taking three AP tests last year, just as personal enrichment I guess, I can justifiably say that the IB curriculum is so much more intense. As for getting full marks, I cannot say (all IB tests will be at the end of my senior year), but according to the percentage breakdowns of 5's for AP and 7's for IB, more people score 5's on AP. Maybe smarter people take APs, who knows?

I want to apply EA to Harvard, whether or not it increases my chances simply because I adore the school and see myself having the best four years of my life there. I know tons of really qualified applicants on this board have already expressed interest in EA and I either don't feel very different or feel inferior...I hope we all make it in.

My Academic Index is a 9 and I was wavering on retaking the 740 from Math IIC in sophomore year. It sounds high, but the percentile isn't too great and I'm sure most Harvard applicants have an 800 on it. I think I might not...after two sittings of SATs, one sitting for ACT, and three sittings for SAT IIs, I want to be done with them. A single score can't make or break me, right? Unless another girl who matched my statistics exactly applied with a 750 in Math IIC?

Essays and recommendations are too subjective, so let's just say I have average for both.

Here's the part I'm really worried about: ECs.
My top few are Student Government/Class President and Vice President, Varsity Swimming and Varsity Track (at my district high school, my high school, though public, doesn't offer sports), co-President for the Asian Students Association, and Vice Presidents for French Honor Society and SADD. I'm also in other clubs, and I know that it might sound like a laundry list, but they don't all meet at once. Student government is, of course, continuous, but sports and some clubs like Science Olympiad are by season. Admissions officers probably think that class presidents and other officer positions are based on popularity, so not very reliable, but my school is different, because we're all self-proclaimed dorks so people vote for the person they think is right. I had people tell me they voted for me instead of a best friend because I deserved it, and it was touching. And yes, I do work hard at them.

Sorry this is getting long...I feel like I'm pouring out my heart. I haven't won any national awards, only some state ones for economics, math (rather random because I'm not that great at it), Chinese oratory, and Model UN? I don't volunteer at the hospital or nursing home. Whenever I think of doing it, I feel guilty because I think about spending time with other peoples' grandparents, which would be great, but not better than being with my own. It sounds selfish I suppose, but since I'm lucky enough to have two of my grandparents close by, I would rather be with them before I go to college or something. I also have a four year old brother and a twelve year old brother who require chauffeuring and babysitting. This information seems irrelevant, but how can I somehow show admissions officers that I don't really do long-term volunteer work outside of school organizations because I have sports, clubs, and family, not because I'm lazy and insensitive. I sometimes tutor, sometimes volunteer at the library, and usually help organize random school events, but on paper it all seems so small and insignificant next to RSI graduates (I was waitlisted then rejected from it) and International Math Competition winners.

If I sound whiny, I'm sorry, but I would never want to err on the side of overconfidence in my ability to get into schools. Honest advice and opinions? Sarcastic remarks about raising my GPA by 100 points and finding the cure for cancer may be posted but would not be appreciated. Thank you for reading if you have!

By Marite (Marite) on Thursday, August 26, 2004 - 11:34 pm: Edit

Your ECs sound fine to me. And it's okay not to have a defined major. Colleges know that a very high proportion of students change their minds. That's why they don't ask them to declare a major until sophomore year. Harvard actually asks them earlier (end of freshman year), but still not before matriculation.

By 80drofnats (80drofnats) on Friday, August 27, 2004 - 07:14 pm: Edit

having a defined major means nothing, are you president of your class? otherwise your ec's are weak and will make it hard to get in

By Chatterjoy87 (Chatterjoy87) on Sunday, August 29, 2004 - 09:14 pm: Edit

Thank you Marite! Out of curiosity, what are/did you major in?

And thank you for your honesty 80drofnats. I don't like being too typical, but my options were limited so I took what I could get. I guess I'll have to stretch my EC essay a bit to include Student Government and a bit of the limitations I face, or ask my counselor to help with explaining in her letter.

We call class officers student government and we don't have a student council (which is the same thing I guess) so yeah, class president is as high as it gets.