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ok here goes.
Sat Score = 1550
sat 2 800 math 700 verbal
school doesnt rank
gpa unweighted...3.5 weighted 4.1 (pretty hard course load)

taken... ap's score
ap human geography 5
ap us history 4
ap computer sci (java) 5
ap calc 4
and some more....

i have alot of REALLY good letter's of rec's i can get over 5...
i worked at my fathers company for 3 years...
im my schools computer tech (only 2 in school)
im president of the "Hello world" programming club...
im programmed winning robots in the "robotics - nasa" club
im in spaceset...
i've made a model un program and sold it to some schools - i got letter of rec's form them...
model un delegate for 4 years...
tons and tons on model un awards (2 best delegates)
was selected for distingished student of technology and went to silicon valley for a 5 day conference...met ppl

chances at berkely, caltech, mit guys? (Really want to get into caltech!!!!!! - have a friend in there) what can i do....

By Mememe (Mememe) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 10:47 pm: Edit

oh god come on guys!!!!!!!!

By Interesteddad (Interesteddad) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 11:27 pm: Edit

You don't give us your race or ethnicity.

You don't tell us about your high school or where kids from your school have gone to college.

You don't tell us your class rank.

You don't tell us what research you have done on these schools to determine if they are even a match.

Without absolutely critical information like that, how can we poasible assess your chances?

Off hand, I don't see anything other than SAT scores that is likely to make you look exceptional. Of the three you mention, Berkeley is probably the best shot. Caltech and MIT are virtually impossible without something exceptional.

By Mememe (Mememe) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 12:03 am: Edit

ok well im indian, i go to whitney hs, california, top school in californina ...know to be damn hard...lol.

and i said our school doesnt rank...dont you read?

if you noticed i am a programer/engineer so caltech berkley mit would be good at engineering...
i also got a deploma in c and c++ in 9th grade and got it with a 99% in both.
i wonder if you even read what i wrote...? how interesting...

By Willothewisp (Willothewisp) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 12:30 am: Edit

"top school in California"? Hardly.

I tend to measure schools in California by number of AIME qualifiers, because although that may not be a very reliable indicator, the statistics are readily available. Whitney High School had only 6 last year. Not horrible, but not great either.

By Haithman (Haithman) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 01:05 am: Edit

Haha "only" 6? LoL I might be the ONLY person in my school of 1200 who knows what AIME is....

By Interesteddad (Interesteddad) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 01:59 am: Edit

>> and i said our school doesnt rank...dont you read?

Yes. I can read. I went to college!

The colleges you apply to are going to figure out your rank, one way or another. You need to figure it, too in order to have any realistic way of assessing your chances. Without having any idea of your rank, I really can give a reasonable answer. If you not one of the top handful in your class, then I would say MIT and Caltech probably aren't reasonable options. How many is a handful? It depends on the history of acceptances at your school.

By Mememe (Mememe) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 01:05 pm: Edit

hmm lets say im at least top 10%. I know of many ppl that get ....very... low gpa becasuse they took too hard classess (2.0+).

By Jwtullis (Jwtullis) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 01:30 pm: Edit

Hey,

Don't let Interestddad's cynicalness get to you. I think your ECs are quite awesome, especially considering your experience in programming and robotics. Those, particularly, say that you're not only interested in attending such a school as MIT or CalTech, but that you're likely to do well and participate in various extracurricular programs at the schools. I, personally, think you have a pretty good chance at any of those schools. What you have to realize, though, is that their admissions decisions can seem almost whimsical at times, as they can exclude the people with the best and highest GPAs and SAT scores. What I'm saying is, while you are certainly qualified and a likely candidate for admission, just don't count on it because you can never know what exactly they're looking for, particularly at those few schools. Keep some other schools on your list as well, such as Carnegie Mellon and other good ones. Hope this helps.

By Olive7891 (Olive7891) on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 11:36 pm: Edit

Whitney HS is only about an hour away from mine.
For any skeptics about Mememe's statement that Whitney is the top school in California, I'm not sure if it is THE top school, but it is definitely up there.

I think you have good chances at your ideal schools, but be sure to keep safety schools on your list of apps.