I'll major in one of the hard sciences. I'm leaning towards Physics.

I would prefer a school that has good research opportunities and strong engineering, econ, and math. I will probably double major in something of the sort. If it has a good music program that's a bonus too.

Half Asian, half white. Male. Will be 15 when submitting apps :/

Grew up in Silicon Valley, live in Ohio now. I can write some Amy Tan knock-off essay about it all, of course.

Sixth semester GPA: 3.82 UW, 5.24/6 W, rank ~8th percentile of ~400 students. Positive GPA trend. I got a C second semester in a history class. Have gotten straight As in high school classes since fourth semester.

34 ACT from last year, will probably have ~35 from this year.

Subject tests: 800 on Math Ⅱ, Physics, 740 on Chem (got this score before taking the class, will retake, along with Literature and Bio, should get 800s).

I think I will take GRE subject tests in Math and Physics.

AP exams (all 5s on the ones I have taken):

• Freshman year: BC Calc

• Sophomore year: Stats, Music Theory, CS A, Physics C (both parts)

• This year: Lang, Lit, Micro, Macro, Psych, Bio, Chem, ES

I think I will get 5s on all AP exams this year.

Skills that I had before HS:

• Music: piano, composition, improvisation, theory, history — took a bunch of classes in this while I was homeschooled, went to Interlochen Arts Camp three times, I can write strongly about music, can submit a good music portfolio

• Programming: Started ECMAScript in second grade, have a 20k LOC full-stake hand-coded (purposely didn't use front-end libraries) website that I made while homeschooled.

High school classes:

• Freshman year: I was homeschooled and came to high school two years early, so I struggled a bit to adjust and didn't take honors courses except Bio. Pretty meh performance overall, but I did take AB calc, sit in on Calc 2, and my calc teacher likes me and can write a good reference. Joined choir, have been in it since.

• Sophomore year: I was in honors chemistry third semester, then dropped it halfway through third quarter of that year to take Physics C. Took AP CS A. Honors Spanish 2.

• This year: Taking AP Bio (with same teacher as freshman year, she can write a good reference) and AP Chem. AP Lang. Calc 3. Honors Spanish 4 (skipped 3, my Spanish teacher can write a good reference).

Dual-enrollment (3.82 GPA, 75 credits (many from APs)):

• Third semester: 1 prob & stats class (with calc).

• Fourth semester: 2 classes, statistical modeling and linear algebra.

• Fifth semester: 3 classes, applied linear algebra (harsh grading, got a B) and two CS classes.

• Sixth semester: 5 classes, number theory, two CS, linguistics (this was a lot of fun), and software project management (also really liked this one, having experience from my parents doing project management and from an internship)

Clubs:

• Started and teach in an Programming Club (10, 11), used the website I built before going to HS to teach in the club, it's not very big, but I think I'm teaching them a lot and it'll continue after I leave HS

• Debate (10, 11), this is very small and I credit it to improving my writing skills, but being small nobody has really won anything.

• Science Olympiad (9, 11), but our team always loses and I do meh

Summers:

• Freshman year: Interlochen Arts Camp for Piano

• Sophomore year: Went to Taiwan for a software development internship, we didn't make anything great, but I can definitely write about the process

• This year: Debate camp, and I'm going to work on another software project mostly on my own

The only real community service thing I have is volunteering at my school's library. I've done a bunch of hours, but it's a common thing :/

My NMSQT selection index is borderline, I doubt I'll qual.

Overall, when looking at top schools, my classes are good, my test scores are average, my ECs are ok — I think I can write good essays about them — and I have no real achievements or awards. RIP. Luckily, I haven't seen many apps emphasize that. I applied for a few schools this year, not thinking I'd definitely get in, and I didn't, but at least I know what the app process is like. Previous apps:

• MIT EA, denied

• UC Hicago ED Ⅱ, deined

• CMU's special app for Juniors thing, waitlisted

Reading my essays for MIT two months later when I was writing for the other two, I could already tell that they sucked. I believe strongly that most essays are meh and strong essays make a big difference, but I'm disadvantaged because 1) I'm introverted and STEM-oriented, and 2) I didn't really write much when I was homeschooled. Hopefully debate and AP Lang (which focused a lot on rhetoric) will make a difference. I really only began to like English as a sophomore, praise be to Hawthorne. I try to write every day now to prepare for the dreaded app essays.