A Rocky Road to college...my chances

[am716]

hi . im not one of those supergenius with crazy 4.0+ gpa's...neither do i have outstanding sat scores of 2000+...this is so because in my frshamn year i was diagnosed with leukemia..
against the circumstances i was still able to perservere

MY STATS
My 9th grade courses

Semester1:

Biology-C
Music App-A
Geometry-C
Spanish 1-B
PE-B
English-B

(2.83 gpa)

Semester2:

Biology-B
Health-B
Geometry-B
Spanish1-B
PE-B
English-C+

(2.83 gpa)

I couldnt really do very well academically because i was diagnosed with leukemia my freshman year.

I heard from everybody though that 9th grade doesnt really count and they dont even look at it for UC's

10th grade courses

This year i was schooled at home while teachers from my school came to educate me because of my leukemic condition. I decided to turn my academic life around because i found hope and confidence in my battle of cancer in doing so.

Chemistry- A
Algebra 2-A
Writing Composition( Elective) - A
World History- A
English Accel- A
Spanish 2- B (I had taught myself spanish 2 through the book without any teachers)

same exact grades next semester 2

(3.83UW)


11th grade courses

went back to school this year

Semester1:

Physics- A
Video-A
US History-A
Pre Cal-A
Ap Bio- C++ (ahhh 79.6)
English Honors- B
(3.83 w) (3.5 uw)

Semester 2: (ongoing grades) ( assuming grades at end of semester)

Physics-A
Psychology2 -A
US History-A
Pre Cal- A
AP Bio - B
English Honors -A

(4.16 w) (3.83 uw)

My Act SCore:27 ( plan on taking again 28+)
SAt score: 1650 without review ( taking prep classes)
striving for 1850+

I have yet to take the AP exams or SAT subject tests yet but plan on taking them
in May or June

my academic gpa 10 & 11 (im presuming on my current track) ( gpa that colleges look at)is:
3.91w 3.74 uw

in top 10% of class of 500+

this year i have also missed many days of schools because of my regular visits to get chemo...though this year i will be in remission =)


12th grade courses i signed up for next year

Calculus AP
English 4 AP
Gov/Econ AP
Psychology 1 - 1 semester
Anatomy and Physiology
Photography 1/2
PE




extra Curriculars

3 years of varsity tennis ( sophomore year i was 2 sick)
105 hours of volunteer hours at my hospital i get treatment
30 hours of volunteering for American Cancer Society
Ping Pong Club
Interact Club
Cancer Awareness Club

also recomendations from stanford's head of bone marrow transplants,
head of brain tumor doctors, and a local dentist (professor at uop)

I found that having cancer made me grow academically and has made me taking up
new responsibilities in life.

with all this info ...what r my chances for being admitted to the following colleges
(0-100%)..or most likely, likely, maybe, reach, extreme reach

UC Davis
UC Berkeley
UCLA
UC San Diego
USC
Stanford
UOP
California Poly

also based on your opinion ..am i on the right track and if not what do i need to do?
also i plan on being a doctor, a dentist, or bioengineer
i also plan on writing my personal statement on how having leukemia has made me grow academically and how its has
shaped my future goals
i also am the only child....and not need of financial aid..also
california resident in bay area
=) thanks for your answer in advance

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[El Nino]

Random Question: Do you go to Lowell?!

You have a shot at the UCs. Stanford may be a reach depending on your personal statement to balance out SAT score.

 

[am716]

haha naw....i go to hs in the bay area of california....

wat do u think r my chances for each college from 1-10??
btw thanks for your reply =)

 

[Terpskins99]

First off, congratulations on winning your battle against leukemia. I can't imagine how emotionally difficult it must be to stay focused on school when you have such a potentially life-threatening illness hanging over your head. That takes a tremendous amount of determination and character, so any college you eventually attend will be very lucky to have you.

It is very difficult to gauge your chances at the elite colleges (namely UCLA, Berkeley and Stanford), but I do think you still have a shot at all three of them. As a betting man, I'd put your chances at something like 7/10, 6/10, 5/10 respectively. If you're able to crack that 1900+ number, then your chances increase considerably.

I agree that a lot will depend on how you word your personal statement. I would be careful to not trying to use leukemia as an excuse for past performance. Focus on the positives. Keep the essay centered on how much you grew from the experience and how you feel you will be a better person as a result. Hint on how you feel it may influence your decision at a future career and how you will be able to help others. Then talk about how you've already started doing so.

Good luck!

 

[Maygyver]

I second what Terpskins said. It is tough to gauge because your first couple years were below average but that is understandable due to your circumstances so hopefully the schools will read into your situation rather than just seeing the GPAs and not reading into it. However, overall you finished well and you finished very strong in the end so I think it really does matter how well you express yourself in your essays and also try to bring up your SAT. You definitely have a good shot at those schools though, and best of luck!

 

[EyEnStein 07]

Retake SAT and ACTs if you wish. This is because your ACT score is higher than your SAT score. If you can get a 30 on the ACT then you will be in great position. If you can get a 1900-2000 on the SAT's you will be in better position, but a score of 1800+ is very respectable depending on where you want to go.

 

[Vicviper]

I think you'd stand pretty good chances, especially showing what you've overcome, and how that may have made you much more mature than other high school graduates.

And I can't believe you left UCI off that list! =p Great Science school and TONS of opportunities for research, plus Irvine is awesome.

Good luck, and don't stress!

 

[am716]

hey thanks guyss for the support...i really appreciate it...i plan on taking some extensive SAT courses in the summer to boost up my SAT score...
i m interested in either being a dentist or doctor and was wondering how hard
it is to make the 7 year aacel program ??? again thanks guys

 

[Eisley]

UC Davis - match, almost reach
UC Berkeley - reach
UCLA - reach
UC San Diego - slight reach
USC - slight reach
Stanford - definite reach
UOP - backup
California Poly - depends on the major, they're confusing. i've seen people with 3.5s get in as agricultural engineering but i've seen people with 4.2s get denied as *.engineering (non agricultural) and kinesiology.


I have a 4.06 UC GPA, 2060 SAT, and 32 ACT, which are slightly above yours, so I gauged your chances based on what I've gotten chanced with.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

UC Davis - match, almost reach
UC Berkeley - reach
UCLA - reach
UC San Diego - slight reach
USC - slight reach
Stanford - definite reach
UOP - backup
California Poly - depends on the major, they're confusing. i've seen people with 3.5s get in as agricultural engineering but i've seen people with 4.2s get denied as *.engineering (non agricultural) and kinesiology.


I have a 4.06 UC GPA, 2060 SAT, and 32 ACT, which are slightly above yours, so I gauged your chances based on what I've gotten chanced with.

Oops, i forgot to rank, but i would say these are accurate. However let me make a few adjustments to my knowledge.


UC Berkeley - reach
UCLA - reach
UC San Diego - slight reach
USC - reach
Stanford - high reach

from what i hear, UCB, UCLA, and UCSD are all similar in competitiveness.

USC has high requirements and it is statistically harder to get into than any of the UC's listed there, however you should be able to get into UCSD, where as UCB and UCLA are a bit harder.

Stanford ...no need to say anything here, your SAT scores are far below there line. Maybe if you were at a 2200 level you would be more of a sight reach/match


By the way, why arent you applying to Pepperdine and Occidental? They are both great schools, or i would assume so, since im from the east coast and i have heard of them.

 

[Eisley]

Eh?
Cal and LA have about 4.2-4.4 average incoming freshmen GPA, while USC has 4.0.
(I'm basing these off of pamphlets I got in school and my HS college info website)
It seems to me that the main obstacle regarding going to USC is the $50k/year price tag, not the requirements.

Now, the college situation regarding the recession is interesting..

UC Davis announced their decisions last night. For the past few years, their acceptance rate was about 52%. For the undergrad class of 2013, they had to fit 42,000 applicants into 4,600 available spots. That's maybe 11% at best.

What I'm saying is, the UCs (and maybe other colleges) are becoming way more exclusive as their money pool wanes. I think I BARELY got into Davis since people with academic achievements similar to mine have been denied. Hell, I know a guy who got into USC (with merit scholarship) and Notre Dame, but got denied from Davis!