Ask Rachel: College Questions

Back to PCHS for another day

Q: "I'm really nervous cause I don't know wat my odds r and I really want 2 go 2 Harvard. Here r my stats:

1600 SAT's (800 V/800 M)

800/800/800/650/800/800 Math

IIC/Writing/Lit/Spanish/Chem/History

Next yr ill have taken 11 AP's: AP Psych, AP Comp Sci, AP Calc, AP Stats, AP US hist, AP Euro Hist, AP Bio, AP Spanish, AP Music Theory and AP Latin. this yr i took 5 tests and i got 5 on all of them.

Here r my extracurriculars:

Model UN, vice pres junior yr

School Newspaper, Editor in Chief

12th in state for track

Founded club to help inner-city youth

Founded political club

Founded amnesty international chapter at my school

Volunteered to help john kerry

Volunteered for DNC

Here r my awards:

Harvard Book Award

Jamison English Essay award (gold prize) at my school

National Standing in Violin competetion

4th in state for math competition

Mark Husey History Award

PSAT merit Finalist

I kno the awards seem kinda weak but im working on it.

But im really nervous, so can u tell me what my odds r?

--Confused"

Rachel's Response:

"Hey Confused...Ur data seems pretty good. But u might wanna work up that Spanish SAT II...cause I dunno how many Spanish 650's Harvard acepts. Also, u shuld try upgrading ur model un position to prez. And u shuld write ur essay on ur experience helping inner-city youth. Theyll like sumthing touching. Well, good luck."

Q: "i have been thinking about going into pre-med since 8th grade, and i KNOW i want to be a doctor, but im just wondering, how good r the pre-med programs at the ivies? do they all have them?"

RR: "coleges love to see that u have been so focused. they all hav good pre-med programs, but harvard has the best because harvard has the best reputation."

Q: "Im looking at columbia, but im worried that its not prestigious enough. Is it more prestigious than brown, penn, cornell or dartmouth?"

RR: "Columbia is more prestigous than dartmouth. dartmouth sucks and always will. Penn, who wants to go there? Columbia is almost as prestigious as harvard and Yale."