the college list... of DOOM

[godream]

Colleges I Won't Get Into But Am Applying To Anyways:
MIT, Harvard, Brown, Amherst, Wellesley, Bowdoin

Colleges I'll Be Vaguely Annoyed If I Don't Get Into:
Carnegie Mellon, Boston University

Colleges I'll Be Very Very Surprised If I Don't Get Into:
Worcester Polytech (WPI), Rochester Institute of Tech (RIT)

Yes, my reach list is far, far longer than it should be. Wanna make something of it?

For those who are morbidly curious:
SAT: 770v,760m, 1530 total
SATII: 800 writing, 800 math 2c, 780 physics
GPA: 3.81 pre-first-semester-of-senior-year, though looking at my quarter grades I don't think adding that in will hurt it.

Though I have pretty numbers, unfortunately, I'm sportsless (well, except fieldhockey/tennis from mandatory rivers stuff, but that hardly counts) and not exactly ten out of ten in terms of extracurricular leadership Fun, and the more I hear the more it sounds like one doesn't get into any of my lovely reach colleges unless you've already discovered a cure for cancer, speak three languages fluently, are a trivarsity captain, volunteer at -- nay, run -- a variety of community service organizations, play several musical instruments at a near-professional level, and not only know the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life the Universe and Everything, but the Question as well. :/ So I think I better write a good essay.


On another college related note: When I needed a third recommendation for one of these, my programming teacher wrote me a ridiculously flattering 'rec, and the more I think about it the more I think it's pretty relevant to how I've spent my time in high school. I'm tempted to tack it onto some of the other apps as supplemental information or whatever, since most schools say it's ok to send more stuff, but I don't know... does that just look really really desparate? The reason I didn't ask her for my rec in the first place is that programming doesn't really count as a Major Academic Subject, and most rec forms say that's what it's gotta be. :/

Comments

[hecatehatesthat.livejournal.com]

Darling, all your stats are better than mine, with the exception of the writing SAT II, where we're tied, and I got into Brown. I did get to call on sports participation to make me look well-rounded, but it's not like I was good, so I doubt it mattered much -- the sports thing is only important if you're good enough at anything to be playing Division 1 at the college level, in which case you're getting sort of recruited. My community service was truly pathetic, too. Like, really, really pathetic. I do know a lot of people who've done some really amazing things, who made me feel all inadequate, but I also know a lot of clever procrastinators like myself. And they assured us at convocation that the Admissions department does not make mistakes. ;)

So don't knock yourself, there's a lot you can accomplish in the essay and interview (also the "why I want to go to Brown" question -- I'm convinced my response to that one was key).

Or, if you like, I can kidnap a dean of admissions and hypnotize him on your behalf. I'm planning to be a tour guide next semester, which should enable me to get the inside scoop. Or something. It would be way cool to have you here.

Best of luck, and don't stress too much ;)

[godream.livejournal.com]

Or, if you like, I can kidnap a dean of admissions and hypnotize him on your behalf.
LOL -- would you? Pretty please?

Thanks for the reassurance... being the spaz I am, I doubt I'll be able to bring myself off total mental red-alert status till April or whenever it is that this is all over with, but it's great to be reminded that yes, people really do happily survive all this jazz. :)