Alright /sci/, I need you to tell me if I can make it into the California Institute of Technology based on muh credentials:
-Currently Senior in High School
-3.4 GPA
-31 ACT/2100 SAT
-Extracurricular Activities: JCL, Science Club President, Founder and President of High School's Chess Club, Academic Team, Film Club, Art Club, History Club (All of these clubs are why GPA is so low)
-At least 4 Stellar Rec Letters
-Can write killer essays
-Lots of AP Classes w/ good grades in most
-Can conjure up sob story about Mother's death, etc.
inb4
>Look online for requirements
All they tell me is "Holistic Admissions" and 4. fucking 0 GPA yeah I know I fucked that up
Not to hurt your feelings, but not a fucking chance in hell.
Scores are too low. Have you done anything significant? E.g. Won a national award for science, won a robotics competition, etc.
>>7882613
No. I had a 3.4, 33 ACT, state Tennis player, plenty of extracurriculars and volunteer work, APs and rec letters and I didn't even get into CalPolytech.
And don't write college essays about your mother's death, they don't want to read that.
you're worse off than me and i didn't get into berkeley
any chance you're a black woman?
>>7882622
Other than getting pretty far up the chain in Science fairs and being an autodidact in Organic Chemistry, Italian, and Piano, no
>>7882641
Science fairs are good and I hope you mentioned that on your application, but I doubt CalTech counts self-teaching as an extracurricular.
Also, most colleges dislike sob stories. Best of luck regardless, hopefully you get in if it's your dream school, although it's a bit of a reach for you.
I feel your pain, though. I'm in the same situation with a shittier GPA but better scores.
>>7882613
Best of luck, mate. I have no clue about the US higher education system, but I spend a few weeks every year over there. Their campus is awesome, Pasadena in general is a nice place to live.
Go for it!!
Haha nope. Here's my resume from when I applied:
GPA: 3.9
15 AP classes, my senior year was all college classes including P. Chem, diffy Qs, Discrete math, biochem
Ran state in cross country and track
Worked at a genetics research lab for a summer
Awards/scholarships blah blah
I was waitlisted, but ultimately denied.
>>7882627
>any chance you're a black woman
Doesn't work, Caltech doesn't do affirmative action, only best qualified. You'll notice there are more Asians than white people
>>7882688
Also 34 ACT, perfect 800 SAT subject tests in math and biology.
>>7882613
>3.4 GPA
>wants to go to Caltech
You're kidding, right? Not a chance in hell.
>>7882688
are you from california?
OP here, I think I get it now, I'll just forget Caltech, but what about Johns Hopkins University? Any chance of that?
>>7882613
>only a 31 on the ACT
>only a 2100 on the SAT
Your GPA wouldn't be as much of a problem if your test scores weren't so low.
No, you won't get it. You will if you're a minority, but you will not get in at all if you're white, Hindu, or Asian.
>>7882622
A friend of mine got in without accomplishing anything or having outstanding grades. He was black, but I don't think Caltech does affirmative action so I don't get it.
>>7882613
Kinda in the same boat, senior, 3.5 GPA, 34 ACT, varsity soccer + track, lots of volunteer work, do acting on the side (have NYC agent, been on HBO as supporting role and in short films), good recommendations, and I'm applying to Stevens institute of tech + northeastern, but I'm kinda liking Georgia tech for engineering, can anyone with any experience with them tell me if I'm gud or not?
Also I'm white so no AA
I'm also thinking of applying to such a school as an International, but I have A levels, would they mind if I have OP SAT grades, but stellar performance in A levels?
>>7881776
>3.4
Stopped reading there desu
>>7882613
Try Berkeley, lad
I got into their EE/CS with a 1690 SAT.
>AAB
>Got into Cambridge University
Man america must suck if you gotta work extra hard to achieve the same thing
> currently senior in high school
Applications were due over a month ago, dummy. My guess is you're either underage or trolling
Either way, I'm a senior as well and also applied to Caltech. Here are my stats:
-4.0 unweighted GPA, 35 ACT, 800 Math II, 790 Chem
-over 30 math credits from a local liberal arts college
-Coauthorship on a published math paper in algebraic geometry, writing another in discrete geometry
-extensive career in theater and music
-full IB diploma candidate
-captain of state champion quiz bowl team
I applied early action and was deferred. I've been accepted at Columbia and University of Chicago, however.
What do you lads reckong about my Oxford chances for Physics?
>9 A*s at gsce, 1 A (in history)
>A* physics, maths and further maths, A in english (not relevant tho)
>ive run a physics club for 12 year olds for the last 2 years
>i have completed a few puzzle competitions (not won tho), and have completed some problem books also
>did a week long primer course at Manchester when I was 16
>was in the RAF cadets for 14 months
>Got through to the national finals of the UK Space Design Competition last year
Well? Is there hope??
>>7882613
>-3.4 GPA
>>7882613
I had most of this except for all the club stuff with a slightly higher SAT, and I was waitlisted for a month and then denied. Revise the fuck out of your essays with damn good help, and you might get in.
>>7882954
All OP has to do is tell Berkeley that he self-identifies as a black woman and he's as good as in.
>>7882613
Caltech alum here.
I'm late to the party but like others have said, there is no way you're getting in with that kind of GPA. None of your other stats are that impressive either and you'll be competing with applicants who have done much more significant extracurriculars while maintaining 3.8+ GPA's.
I was an enormous fuckup in HS graduating with a 2.9 GPA and despite doing well on tests (1570 SAT, 800 Math/Physics SAT II) I had to spend 3 god awful years at a CC before getting into Caltech. If you really want to go there you can always try that route.
If you can get a 3.9+ at CC, which shouldn't be hard at all, and get into a few good summer research programs, especially the Caltech SURF programs, it's fairly straightforward to transfer in.
>>7882661
>CalTech
This triggers me.
>>7883066
What am I missing?
>>7882713
JHU alum here
you actually better off saving your money and just staying in state
the only thing hopkins has going for it is the chance to be killed by some crackhead for your cell phone
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-07-27/news/bs-ci-md-homicides-stabbing-2-20100726_1_stephen-pitcairn-john-alexander-wagner-hopkins-researcher
during my sophomore year
or maybe you want the privilege of defending yourself against home invasion?
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/15/samurai.sword.killing/index.html?iref=24hours
basically baltimore is a shithole and hopkins isnt nearly good enough to justify living there for four years
>>7882613
Similar stats but I'm black have won science fair and have had software engineering internships at several companies. Also have slight connections to caltech. Any hope for me?
>>7883510
>won black science fair
whats life like on affirmative action?
>>7883659
pretty good. thanks. i thought my project was pretty cool :/. image classification with machine learning
should I go to caltech or MIT for being quant? was accepted into both
>>7883664
What type of algorithm did you use?1936
>>7882750
What exact quota system do universities follow, can you break it down a bit? I was told by someone in med school that asians and indians are both classified as asians and have to compete with each other. Arabs and middle easterners are classified as white and compete with whites. Hispanics? Probably with each other regardless of race, not too sure. Do they divide people up into any other groups for this academic affirmative action system? I know they probably have a quota for females but what about say muslims, native americans etc? Is there any way to get out of your group and into another if you're sort of part of both groups? Not much talk anywhere on this topic.
3.1 GPA
Perfect score on both SAT and ACT
Shit tons of AP and DC classes. What are my chances for Caltech?
>>7883889
0%
the fuck happened to your GPA?
Holistic admissions is such bullshit, they just say that so you apply and in turn make them more selective. Sure they look at all elements of the application, but grades will be the determining factor between someone otherwise talented with a 3.4 vs someone kinda-good at something with a 4.0. Incoming freshman stats raises ranking. The only universities doing holistic admissions are eclectic libarts colleges with non-traditional programs that don't give much weight to rankings.
Anyways OP yeah you're not going to get in, and a sob story is not a good essay at all.
>wasting your money on undergrad
>>7882713
You might have a chance at JHU if you write stunning essays with a certain narrative, display empathy and maturity, and promise for success. Even then chances are slim. Go on collegeconfidential.com and use their SuperMatch function, very comprehensive and a good place to start looking.
>>7883907
Attention Deficit Disorder
>>7882613
You're a probable maybe.
Just remember though, Caltech is the kind of school where their application form asks if you have any published research that you want to submit.
>>7883689
MIT has a better alumni network and has much more prestige attached to the name. Tour both and take your pick, though. Choose which one you'd be happiest attending since they're almost equal.
>>7882775
He might have been low-income.
>>7883856
There is no exact quota system.
Once you weed out all the people who aren't fully qualified like OP with his low GPA or kids who did <5 extracurriculars or didn't take a full AP schedule, top universities still have at least 3-4 fully qualified students for each position who are more or less indistinguishable in terms of their CV and fully capable of succeeding, more if it's like Harvard or Yale than Caltech. Except like 12% of Americans are black and like 15% are Hispanic, and they are only like 2-6% of apps at this stage so pretty much all the fully qualified black kids, and all the Hispanics that get decently lucky or have something else going for them get an admit.
Past that point it's a total crapshoot. Don't fixate on the racial aspect, it's not fucking segregation, it's literally just there are too many applicants for the open spots so they choose to have some diversity instead of discriminating along some equally arbitrary line. Don't think about race, seriously, it's too late for you to do anything to change it, give black kids a break for their ancestors going through slavery and focus on winning the game with the same terms most people are playing on.
And BTW, quotas are illegal. Race is considered only as part of a "holistic" admissions process. Not some bullshit quota. Girls do not have any advantage outside of engineering schools and it's not a quota it's just nerds want to have at least some girls around.
I had a 4.3 GPA, scored perfect on the reading and writing portion of the SAT, had AP US history and all honors classes, National Honor Society member. What would be my chance?
Would they look at activities outside of school? I was a Civil Air Patrol cadet and played baseball and cross country skiing competitively. Or school activities before high school? I was in a chess club and in boy scouts.
>>7883955
Also I'm a minority and poor on the verge of homelessness.
>>7883951
The blue pill popping is strong in this one.
>>7883958
0%
You're not even transgender or dying of cancer
>>7883970
But I could easily say that I identify as a woman.
Are extra curriculars that important for US unis? And do they not interview? Just wondering as a bong
>>7883510
Caltech doesn't practice affirmative action but you'll do fine elsewhere
>>7882613
>-3.4 GPA
no
>>7883958
>minority on the verge of homelessness
You should have no problem. Write a good essay and you should have a spot at a few top 20 universities.
>>7883056
bump pls
>>7883056
Europe only cares about grades and test scores, they'll look at the other factors to choose between equally qualified candidates but past that you should be making perfect grades and scores. Just apply and see where you fall.
>>7883510
The low GPA will still be problematic for you.
How prestigious were the science fairs you won? This can be a huge advantage in admissions. Caltech is primarily looking for applicants with a proven track record of passion for the sciences and research.
What kind of connections do you have to Caltech? Unlike most schools, connections here aren't always a good thing. For instance, the bar to be admitted if you are the child of an alum is extremely high and even higher if you are the child of existing faculty.
>>7884220
>>7883689
This is pretty hard to answer. I went to Caltech and actually spent 3 years working in an HFT/quant shop. I'm obviously biased but I feel that Caltech generally has a more rigorous undergrad curriculum and you'll come out better versed in math/physics than you would at MIT. MIT on the other hand will have many more courses tailored specifically for mathematical finance and offer programs in fin math that are completely unavailable at Caltech.
MIT probably also has better representation in finance and a broader alumni network to tap into than Caltech, although quant shops heavily recruit on campus here too so this shouldn't be too much of a differentiator.
It’s important to note that depending on what kind of role you want and how talented/smart/hardworking you are, majoring in something like fin math/finance/financial engineering or other similar majors that are heavily “quant finance” oriented may or may not be a good idea.
My time was spent at a shop that is very well respected and in my experience once you get to the PM/MD level at the top shops (Rentec, TGS, Edgestream, Virtu, Quantlab, PDT, others of this caliber) it becomes increasingly rare to find people in those roles who actually studied quant finance outright. Almost all of them studied Math/Physics/CS/EE at the MS/PhD level and then later picked up finance.
Basically, the heavily fin math based majors are probably the easiest way to get into the quant world if you are of mediocre quality, but tend to have a lower ceiling than traditional STEM majors. For this reason, I don’t think it really matter that MIT offers more courses in finance, you will be better served studying a traditional STEM field and then later applying that knowledge to finance.
>>7884222
>>7883928
>You're a probable maybe.
I disagree. You’re a probable rejection.
>>7883929
I agree that MIT has the better alumni network and while it has better name recognition among the general public I don’t think it's any more or less prestigious than Caltech to those who matter in science or quant finance.
>>7883955
How did you score on the math portion of the SAT? If AP US History is your only AP class then that is definitely problematic. I know of no one during my time at Caltech who didn’t have AP Calc and at least one other science AP coming in. In fact, those who only had AP Calc and hadn’t taken linear algebra/diff equations were often considered already behind. It was not uncommon to have AP Calc/Physics/Chem along with perfect SAT/SAT II math scores and in the case of the top students, particularly in the math/physics majors, almost all came in having taken lower level math course at their local universities. One of my best friend’s parents were both professors at Princeton and he had already taken every lower division math course there before coming to Caltech as a 17 year old.
>>7883955
>Would they look at activities outside of school?
Almost assuredly not unless the activities are science/research related.
>>7883994
While Caltech doesn’t formally practice AA I know there has been a big push by the administration over the last 4-5 years to increase underrepresented minority enrollment (as opposed to plain old minority enrollment since Asians have no trouble excelling here) and bringing about greater gender balance. I think this has been primarily done through increased outreach and recruitment and not a lowering of standards.
>>7884224
I should add that the administration over the last few years has been increasingly hostile to Caltech’s tradition of active student involvement in a variety of administrative roles and this has been troubling to many alumni. For instance, when I studied there we still had undergrads serve on the Freshman Admissions Board along with faculty and dedicated admissions officers. Sadly, this is no longer the case and admission is solely handled by admissions officers now.
>>7884229
>muh alma mater is no longer muh frat
>>7883092
While I'm here I'd love to discuss how to get I to the surf program at Caltech I'm a physics/math major and would be pretty interested in their surf program. What should I be doing?
>>7882613
I'll be honest with you bud.
You're a shoe-in for UCSD, and then if you do well there (research group, high grades, some shitzying up with professors), you're a candidate to get into Caltech for your PhD/Masters.
>>7884251
Yeah, I'm sure its a bit of nostalgia talking, although I was at Caltech not that long ago, but there have actually been some wide ranging changes in the way the administration views the student body that I don't think bode well for the school long term.
Caltech has been a pretty unique place over its history and I don't think doing away with that uniqueness will do it any good in attracting the kind of talent it has historically.
Getting rid of the undergrads on the admissions council was certainly a mistake in my opinion, and I don't think I feel that way simply because of >muh nostalgia
Also, you can't even explore the fucking steam tunnels under campus anymore without the risk of being suspended.
>>7884255
I did SURF while I was still at a local CC and contacted the SURF office for advice. You should do the same, they are extremely helpful.
You should of course have good grades and preferably should already be involved in some research projects at your school.
>>7884267
Cool thanks anon. I'm currently doing some research with a professor at my school and my grades are around a 3.5 so hopefully that'll be good enough.
>>7884274
Np anon. 3.5 should be fine. The SURF program only looks at grades to make sure you're not completely screwing around.
Other than that they just want to see passion and the ability to work independently. Try to stress those two things, especially the independent part. Any letters of recommendation will come in handy as well.
It really is an awesome program and getting a chance to stay on campus is a pretty nice perk. Best of luck.
>>7884280
If I live 20 minutes away do I need to live there? I mean I wouldn't have a problem at all with it, but just asking out of curiosity. Thanks in advance
>>7884290
Nope, you wouldn't. I didn't realize you were so close. When I went through housing was included in the program though and it can be pretty nice to live on campus.
Were are you studying now?
Definitely get in touch with the SURF office. Since you're so close by they may be able to offer additional resources for you like meeting a few different faculty members participating in the program so you get a better idea of the research they do.
>>7884299
At cal poly pomona. So caltech is short trip up the 210. That would be fantastic. I'll call them after I wake up tomorrow. Thanks. You've been a big help. Pretty rare for this cespit of a board.
>>7884307
Glad to help and good luck.
Pomona's not far at all. I use to spend a ton of my free time in Chino when I was living in Pasadena.
>>7882613
>-3.4 GPA
no
Why do you even want to go there it's just undergrad
420.69 gpa
invented gravity
42069 on SAT
banged ur mom
>What are my chances for CalTech?
>>7882613
> 3.4 GPA
sorry buddy it doesn't look good for you but what's the worst that can happen if you apply
> -Can conjure up sob story about Mother's death, etc
yeah... don't do this
>>7883925
>Just took that test
>Put in info from my HS days
You mean I could have gotten into UMich and had a chance at Stanford? Ain't that some shit
>>7884220
state was the highest i went. have also won a couple hackathons if that counts for anything. my family's good friends with a couple math and comp sci professors. have also been offered a summer position at the uni. don't think that'll change much though. if caltech is a reach would i have any luck at cmu, jhu, rpi, penn, berkeley?
Fuck this competitive bullshit. Just give me a fucking job.
>>7883056
Your chances of getting into Oxford for STEM depends 100% on your PAT/MAT performance + interview.
Applied to Princeton
>Got into UF Summer Term
>29 ACT, 11/12 on Essay
>720 BIO E subject specific, 790 on US History
>5 on APUSH
>In this new innovative program called AP Capstone
>Autistic/GAD, explains my Shit scores
>Applied as an EE or AE, heard this helps your acceptance rate
>The interviewer really liked me
>Did drama and have a pretty Big role in Relay for Life
>Tutored ESL kids (English Second Language) in English and reading
>Taught advanced math concepts and basic coding at a Lego WeDo program held by my moms school district
How fucked am I
>>7885860
I'd say so. Where else did you apply?
>>7885860
How much do your parents pay for your tutoring?
Alright, /sci/, chance me for pic related
>3 Weighted GPA
>26 ACT
>4 AP classes in entire high school career
>No Extracurricular to speak of
>Can write an okay essay, as long as its 300 words
desu im feeling pretty good about my chances
>>7885865
Well I applied to USF, UCF and my personal choice and favorite, UF (best rank and actually known). Got in to all of them
>mfw reading this thread and realizing how fucked I am after I graduate
>>7885869
None at all as I have a 3.87 GPA
>>7885879
iktfb
Worst case scenario is we go NEET for a while and bide our time for the revolution to come.
Can we do the same for grad schools?
-3.92 GPA (so far, expecting it to come down a little)
-Not great undergrad school, ranked ~30th globally
-Major: honours math
-Decent research experience, got a grant every summer in undergrad, 2 published papers
Can I go somewhere good? Cambridge? Stanford?
>>7883056
definitely, guy in my school just got offer from oxford for theoretical physics with similar stats. he is an autodidact and knows like 4 languages, really smart.
>>7885911
You're fine. Just don't mess up on essays and GREs
>>7885990
I'm fine? Srs? I thought I didn't have a hope in hell. Now I need to actually study for GREs
>>7885911
If your recommendations are good, you could. Ranking of undergraduate school is in of itself not important.
>>7882613
Current caltech junior speaking. You won't get in.
>>7882661
Caltech somewhat counts self-teaching as an extracurricular, in that it demonstrates passion for science / drive / making opportunities for yourself that don't otherwise exist.
>>7883510
Most of what >>7884220 says is right on, but I haven't personally heard that thing about connections.
Can't say anything w.r.t. the quant people. I'm on the academic4lyfe track.
>>7883889
If you're still struggling with getting good grades due to the ADD, you're not going to get into caltech b/c admissions will recognize that you'll be even worse off here. If there was a big positive shift in grades before, say, junior year you might be better off. Though transferring after a year of near-perfect grades at another uni might be your best hope.
>>7884299
These days if you stay on campus for SURF, housing costs are taken out of your stipend. (But maybe at a reduced rate? Can't remember exactly)
>>7884970
>had sex
0%
>>7885911
Do your recommenders know people? My acceptances all came from schools where people knew my recommenders very well.
>tuition alone
I never looked at those high type schools so I just did, and
holy fuck. I knew I was poor, but I didn't know there was a level of poor so low you just feel bad, even with the accomplishments I have made just to remain stable for this amount of time with close to no debt.
I kinda want to submit a transfer application for the fun of it just to see if I could even get accepted. I honestly feel like schools like these are only for rich kids. Even with all my scholarships and grants I earn I barely get a fraction to pay for tuition at this place. Besides access to some of the best labs in the nation, and a fancy degree title from these types of schools, does it really matter unless you graduate at the top from these places? If you do average at schools like these, does it just make you seem like the rest of us who graduate from state universities?
>>7882613
nah, 3.4 is too low, everythng else is ok.
>>7886158
These schools give very generous financial aid typically. /Some/ people pay sticker price, but they're really rich fuckers anyway.
>>7885860
nothing wrong with UF. Then again, I'm biased because my PI has an amazing lab, a truckload of money and I basically have free reign in how I implement very vague grant aims. They're apparently spending money and hiring faculty like crazy to boost their rank.
At least you won't have debt like other college graduates.
