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740m/710v

730 US hist/730 Math IC/720 writing/690 Math IIC
taking IIC, writing, bio in december

AP scores:
5 US hist
5 Euro hist
5 eng lit
4 eng lang
4 psych
4 us gov
4 comp gov
3 physics B

ranked 16 out of 600 with a 3.75 unweighted GPA (a 4.2 UC GPA)

2 years on Varsity tennis

1st place chapman university essay contest
A "Spirit of the Diablo" Award for tennis (leadership)
3 "Principal's Excellence Awards" (Best students in each subject)--2 for hist, 1 for english
AP Scholar with Distinction

president of interact club
founder and president of jewish cultural club
secretary of student author society
Under Secretary General of MVHS MUN conference (the biggest on the west coast)
minor involvement in a few other clubs
Guitar (about 4 hours a week)

speak fluent russian, came here as a refugee from the soviet union in 1990 but have since earned citizenship

have had two jobs and some limited community service projects (about 100 hours total for community service)

senior year courses:
AP calc
AP span 4
"humanities" (International Baccaulareate program)
AP bio
Int Relations IB (MUN)

I'll probably recieve the full IB diploma and have gotten two 5s on the two tests of taken

Reaches:
Stanford EA
JHU
Pomona
UPenn
Cornell

Matches:
UCLA
UC Berkeley
UCSD (more of a safety but you never know)
Claremont McKenna

Safeties:
UCI (already accepted because of ELC)

Oh, and I'm a great essay writer; as in my philosophy teacher told me that there was a danger in turning in my UC personal statement because they might think i either got it highly revised or had an adult write it for me...

Major:
Slavic Lit and Lang
Psych
International Relations

Any combination of those 3 at schools

Someone tell me how it's looking....thanks
(preferably on some sort of percentage basis)
and be as honest as possible, i dont get offended easily

By Laurabrink (Laurabrink) on Wednesday, November 26, 2003 - 08:06 pm: Edit

One word: "essay"

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Wednesday, November 26, 2003 - 08:36 pm: Edit

i agree

and will take this chance to shamelessly bump

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 10:53 am: Edit

bump

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 04:14 pm: Edit

anyone?

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 11:34 am: Edit

does anyone think i wont be able to get into at least one reach?

By Nitroxideracer (Nitroxideracer) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 11:53 am: Edit

You should get into several of your reaches:

Stanford EA: 60-75% chance
Johns Hopkins: 50-60% chance
UPENN: 50-65% chance
Pomona: no idea
Cornell: 45-55% chance

Of coarse, that's just my opinion, but you seem capable in your intellectual pursutis and that is what colleges, especially these colleges, are looking for. Good luck with all your admissions!

Send me a postcard!

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 04:45 pm: Edit

i dont know if i'd rate my chances taht high for these schools.....more like 20-30% at all of them except cornell

but you guys are entitled to your own opinions

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 08:06 pm: Edit

seriously, someone please answer this thread.

i thank nitro....but hes not the only one on here

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 11:38 am: Edit

bump

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 06:38 pm: Edit

11 posts:

9 of them mine

1 actual opinion of my chances

1 one word post

....come on guys......

bump

By Freudboy (Freudboy) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 07:39 pm: Edit

i love you andrey =). you will not only get into all those schools, but they will all offer you stipends of 10k/year. good luck =P

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 11:52 am: Edit

bump

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 04:16 pm: Edit

bump

By Brianp (Brianp) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 04:31 pm: Edit

Andrey- I think you'll get into Berkeley and UCLA at least 80-90% chance each because you're in-state, have excellent grades, and you broke 700 on the five SAT I and II tests that they care about. You've probably seen their tables for SAT scores and you're way above average for accepted students in every category.

The only other school I know about on your list is Stanford. Unfortunately I'd say you only have about 25-40% there. But the things you have going for you are diversity (but not URM), interesting life stories that could be used in your essays, and solids ECs, grades, and test scores. I don't know what your school's daily schedule is set up, but I'm not sure they would like that you're only taking five classes.

Did you say you were applying to Notre Dame when you evaluated my ND chances? (If you did you're almost a lock)

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 08:08 pm: Edit

Brianp--thanks for the response. yeah, i agree my chances are slim for stanford; its a reach and i had no intention of thinking otherwise. to clarify, the humanities course is actually a two-class block with three classes (only 2 show up on the transcript--English 4 IB and Contemporary World Issues IB) so I'm taking the standard 6 classes. Unfortunately I'm not applying to ND...its a great school just doesn't fit what I'm looking for in a college.

i saw that you were applying out of state to the UCs?--you're one of their stronger out of state applicants so you have a good shot.

By Mafa (Mafa) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 08:14 pm: Edit

I think you got a good chance.

MAD NUCLEAR TITE VTECH ROX MY SOCKS MAN!

By Subparasian (Subparasian) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 08:24 pm: Edit

whoa, philosophy teacher? I wish i could have taken philosophy in High School.

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 09:24 pm: Edit

yeah, i like it....it's all about theory of knowledge. a lot of different perspectives on truth, morality, functionality of language (and thats only the first 2 months of the class).

By Youcanonlywish (Youcanonlywish) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 11:03 pm: Edit

i think you've got a pretty good chance just about everywhere, but of course stanford is hard to predict

(and 8 AP's already? yeesh, that's more than i'll have when i graduate)

By Youcanonlywish (Youcanonlywish) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 11:03 pm: Edit

i think you've got a pretty good chance just about everywhere, but of course stanford is hard to predict

(and 8 AP's already? yeesh, that's more than i'll have when i graduate)

By Airsyed (Airsyed) on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 04:04 pm: Edit

I think out of your reaches, you have the best chance at Cornell or John Hopkins. Which school at Cornell are you applying to?

By Airsyed (Airsyed) on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 04:06 pm: Edit

I think out of your reaches, you have a good chance at Cornell or JH. Which school at Cornell are you applying to?

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 11:55 pm: Edit

College of Arts and Sciences for Cornell

Although I don't know if I have a good chance at JHU....becuase I'm applying for international relations (a fairly competitive major there).

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 10:15 am: Edit

I think JHU looks good for you. Penn and Stanford are going to be tough. Cornell looks good and I don't know enough about Pomona to venture even a guess which is all I am doing anyways. Good luck to you and let us know.

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 07:51 pm: Edit

thanks for all the opinions

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 10:05 pm: Edit

any more comments or evals?

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Wednesday, December 03, 2003 - 06:30 pm: Edit

bump

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 04:14 pm: Edit

what if i recieved over 750 on Math IIC--will that help or hurt my chances at humanities type majors?

im asking because i just took it and think i did really well on it, plus i compared some answers with kids on the board and havent seen one i answered incorrectly yet....

i dont think anything else will change.....my writing score and bio (which i also took just now--Dec SAT II) will probably be worse than what i have now

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 10:18 pm: Edit

just got rejected from Stanford EA....

in fact no kid from our school got into stanford or harvard early for the first time in a while (3 rejected from stanford/2 deferred from harvard)

anyways, hes a writing sample so you can better evaluate my stats....its the main essay i wrote for stanford (i might have made some changes right on the application....but i dont think the admissions people liked it):

Destiny grants us our wishes, but in its own way, in order to give us something beyond our wishes.
-Goethe

We came absorbed in our past lives, the precious pieces of our existence carted off in a few economy-size suitcases as we marched toward an uncertain future. Everything done to that point became meaningless. We began to build new lives—our own identities in a world full of strange faces. It was a lot harder then. Every day was spent searching for a sort of security that we couldn’t find, and every night was wasted wondering when we could stop looking. Our lives were full of far-off dreams that called out to us. Yet everything kept on moving, with us or without us, for better or for worse.

And life goes on. Thirteen years have past. We have achieved more than we imagined; a life lived with no regrets. In those thirteen years I have grown up in a world completely different than my parents’. I have not experienced their persecution, their long lines for bread, or their cramped houses. Nor have I seen the velvet Russian winters, soft-sparkling snow pouring out in a white haze, the smell of hot tea and prianiki on a winter afternoon. They are only stories of an old life, relics of a fading past. But I need to know them. I need to understand them beyond words. I have to feel the emotions, to engross myself in identity and search for meaning.

And I start to look. My eyes guide me through thirteen years of my life. They push through old scarves and leather gloves, through jewelry and coins, finally stopping when they see my past. I skim its cover. The soft felt lining shines against a backdrop of worn-out clothing. Its blue threads are embossed with a picture of the Odessa Opera House, under that the word Альбом.

And I start to discover. Scrawled writing lines the inside cover, a note written by my grandmother’s friend explaining her gift. The Cyrillic is difficult to read, but my eyes catch the date: 1960. I turn the page. Two big brown eyes stare back at me. My grandmother’s smile stretches across her face; her round cheeks radiate a natural warmth that show her purity and compassion. She is only a story to me, her warm face another detail I will never know in person. I turn another page. My great grandfather plays with his young daughter. His eyes are gleaming with pride as a big smile reveals his white teeth. It was 1939. He died 2 years later, a victim of the holocaust. Another picture shows my grandfather standing in front of the “Heroes of Odessa” monument, another my father dressed up as a rabbit for New Year’s. Each photograph yields a journey, each face a mystery.

And I start to understand. The photo album shows me who I am; it tells me where I came from. The black and white photographs give me what words cannot. By the time I close the album I know the answer. Simplify. I am made of every photograph. Their stories are who I am, and who I will become. Their legacy is the only possession worth keeping; for once forgotten it will never come back.

We came here not to escape the memories, but to hold onto them; to fulfill a life that no one in our family has ever known—our destiny.

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 12:06 am: Edit

sorry, it should be:

"under that the word "Album""

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 10:10 am: Edit

bump

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 11:28 am: Edit

Andrey, Here is how I do a snap shot rating. This is not how any college exactly does it but it does give you a quick picture of how someone view your app at elite schools.
5--Curriculum, your APs and IB and subjects are
excellent. If the school does not have a rep
as easy, you would get top marks here, you are
not in the top math band, however and that
might count a half point
4--Grades. You are not in the top 5%,
or even in the top 10%, you don't have APs in
the science and math areas until now
3--References. Doubt if teachers can say you are
the best they have ever had or even the best
in the school for the last 4 years because
your grades and test scores do not reflect
that. Some teachers could say you are the best
in the class for that subject.
3--Essay I read about 300 a year. I give 90% 3's
which is more generous than adcoms at ultra
selective schools
3--ECS. Nothing there that is on top of the of
the college's wish lists--not going through
the athletic dept, not a Westinghouse
finalist, or national debate finalist
4--SATs
That is my snapshot view. It does not put you out of the running. With your Russian skills and interests, you can drum up some interest, but in this area, there are hundred of Russian immigrant families with high scoring kids, and many of them are specially talented in a sport or music as well. It is a tough process, and though you have the stats to be considered and are certainly in the midstream of those accepted, you can see that you are also not an immediate standout. The main way you are accepted is if you meet some need or desire that the school has. If they need some more kids with a special skill you have, you would be in the door. Other wise it is a lottery ticket.

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 12:03 pm: Edit

i am top 5%.......top 3% for that matter.

this is the second time you've said i wasnt; and i really have no idea why, last time i checked:

16/600 = 2.6.......

and the school is pretty competitive

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 04:04 pm: Edit

bump

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Saturday, December 13, 2003 - 11:18 am: Edit

bump

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Saturday, December 13, 2003 - 08:21 pm: Edit

its weird reading my essay for stanford over again--because it really isnt as great as i thought it was 2 months ago...i wrote a better one for the UCs

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 01:14 pm: Edit

which i'm submitting as my common app one--although a bit cut down

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 04:22 pm: Edit

any opinions?

By Shebs (Shebs) on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 04:40 pm: Edit

Your chances look really good...

By Bart_Simpson22 (Bart_Simpson22) on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 06:30 pm: Edit

For what its worth, I liked your essay...

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 06:43 pm: Edit

thanks bart simpson...i appreciate your compliment and sincerity

but what about my chances at the schools?--i sent in cornell part 1 today and will send in pomona, JHU, and claremont with the common app sometime this week, and eventually i'll get to penns

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 09:07 pm: Edit

bump

By Akikaze (Akikaze) on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 09:47 pm: Edit

Hi Andrey,

Here just as you asked. Let me give you some thoughts on your chances for your matches and reaches:

Reaches:
Stanford EA - Well, we know how that one turned out. This is quite disappointing as I have similar stats as you and was rejected from Columbia College ED. I'm filling out Stanford as we spea-- write.

JHU - Don't know much about this one
Pomona - I'm thinking no, but I really don't know too much about Pomona.
UPenn - Perhaps. Penn, Stanford, and Columbia (excepting Fu) have all reached the level of HYP - completely random "lottery tickets"...I mean, if there was any doubt before, there's none now. I really can't figure these ones out. I'd say it's worth a shot as I'm hoping on Penn myself. However, looking at the deferred candidates, I'm thinking no on this one too. I'd give you 35%.
Cornell - I'd give you 65% on this one. Cornell is not like HYPS/Penn/CC and you seem like a strong candidate.

Matches:
UCLA - 95%
UC Berkeley - 75% - I'd like to give you more, but you know my thoughts on UCs.
UCSD (more of a safety but you never know) - I wouldn't even worry about it.
Claremont McKenna - Highly likely but I really am not familiar with the Claremont colleges.

If you want me to go into further detail with any school, just ask.

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 11:25 pm: Edit

no, that was a perfectly valid assessment. i also agree that pomona will be tough...but im hoping that because it's not as popular as some of the larger schools, and since they lack a diverse applicant base because of their size, i can offer them something with my ethnic background that not many applicants will be able to (something i cant say for the larger schools im applying to).

the only thing i disagree on is berkeley and only because i think their in-state admissions are almost exactly the same as UCLA's for non-engineering (maybe a little bit tougher but i dont think a 20% jump in chances)

i appreciate for your comments...thanks

By Geoff848 (Geoff848) on Monday, December 15, 2003 - 12:38 am: Edit

i would say you have a good chance at all except stanford EA, JHU should be perfect

By Youarerejected (Youarerejected) on Monday, December 15, 2003 - 12:50 am: Edit

The poster you are responding to may or may not be rejected. You, however, are definitely banned. More importantly, you are a miserable excuse for a human being.

--Moderator Obiwan

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Monday, December 15, 2003 - 01:20 am: Edit

you are just hilarious!......(the sarcasm is dripping from my exclamation point)

i can't believe you're up posting that •••• on everyones site...but yes, i was rejected and im over it. i will probably be rejected from more schools, but thats life and i'm going ot have to deal with it. so are you.

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Monday, December 15, 2003 - 05:26 pm: Edit

thanks obiwan, you're as nice a moderator as they come.

bump

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Monday, December 15, 2003 - 08:41 pm: Edit

come on....someone assess my chaces, please.

By Gnatcire (Gnatcire) on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 06:27 am: Edit

I'm from Pomona College, and you probably have a 75% chance of getting in.

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 11:37 am: Edit

thanks Gnatcire....i appreciate you boosting my confidence

i just got my SAT II scores back:
750 writing
720 IIC
670 Bio

They're decent....nothing grandiose (im just glad i got my writing to 750 and dont look like a complete idiot when it comes to math--i think my math/verbal are a nice contrast to my writing/IIC-IC)

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 01:01 pm: Edit

i just sent off pomona, claremont, and JHU through the common app, i've sent part I of Cornells, im going to send part 1 of UPenn's today (I'm applying to the College--not Wharton) and the UCs have been done for a while.

any new assesment of chances based on the new scores?

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, December 21, 2003 - 11:23 am: Edit

bump

By Amarsn (Amarsn) on Sunday, December 21, 2003 - 11:37 am: Edit

your new scores back up your scores on SAT I... you're a bright student, and it's obvious that you work hard, which are the two main things.

With Stanford though, it's always about the essays. As their admissions office is quick to mention, "one half of applicants with 1600 SAT scores are rejected."
Of course, they're just being ornery.

Anyways, you should get in at all the places you mentioned moderately easily save one. (Never brag that you got in anywhere until you have the acceptance letter in your hand. It's putting your eggs in one basket) but you have a large enough number of schools that you'll get in somewhere.
Stanford is your one long reach, and you might make it.

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, December 21, 2003 - 11:41 am: Edit

i was already rejected from stanford--wasnt a suprise and its probably better since it lets me focus on the other schools on my list. and im also hoping that i get into at least one of those reach schools.

By Andrey1225 (Andrey1225) on Sunday, December 21, 2003 - 06:31 pm: Edit

bump

By Amarsn (Amarsn) on Monday, December 22, 2003 - 07:52 am: Edit

sorry, i reread your post, and i'm stupid. Keep up the positive attitude.

By Arnosha (Arnosha) on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 08:50 pm: Edit

Andrey,

Winter break man, I can finally post. How could Stanford already reject you? Don't you find out in like March?

One thing I wanna let you know: spokoyno pazan. V UCLA is one of the best Russian department and communities you will ever find. So if Pomona or UPenn don't work out, f*** em.' There are tons of Russian people at UCLA and you will have great opportunities. There is a Russian club, tons of Russian professors, students, and classes, and btw. I met my russian girlfriend here too. So let me know how it works out. I wanna know how my comrade does, maybe I will see you next year. ;-) peace