downarabbithole

I'm sorry; these are so tedious to read, but I've been worried sick recently.

The whole "oh-my-god-I'm-too-stupid-to-get-in-anywhere" syndrome is really beginning to take effect. I am a junior this year (will graduate in spring 2008) at a public school of about 2000 students just outside of Madison, Wisconsin. (In a few months, my family will be moving back to the east coast, so I will be transferring schools at that time. Location probably doesn't really make much of a difference, but college admissions always seem so esoteric and mysterious. I don't know.)

SATs and ACTs:
Not awful: spring of freshman year: 1320 (on a 1600 scale)
spring of sophomore year: 1410 (ditto)
I'd really like to get up to at least a 1500 this winter, though. I take the PSATs next week - I'm hoping to be some sort of National Merit Scholar finalist, but we'll see, I guess. My ACT last spring was one subpoint away from a 33 :/. Again, hoping for at least a 34 this winter.


GPA:
Decidedly dismal. My cumulative for freshman and sophomore year is around a 3.65 - 3.7 on a 4.0 scale.
(My school has a fairly curious grading scale, though: only 3.7 points are given for an A- in a class, whereas a straight A gets 4 points, a B+ is awarded 3.3 points, a B, 3 points, and so on.) This year I have a 4.0, though, and most likely will maintain that for the rest of high school. My school doesn't rank. Oh, and I am enrolled in or have taken every AP and honors class offered, also.


EXTRACURRICULARS:
-JV Tennis Team (just 9th, 10th grade)
-Varsity I Math Team
-Yearbook Club member/editor
-School Senator (Elected to monitor school improvement and policies - the Senate is comprised of the principal, a few teachers, and 4 students)
-Student Council (Led a number of committees)
-Varsity Forensics Team (Earned varsity letter with excellence)
-Varsity Debate Team (Will earn varsity letter)
-Drama Club (Had significant supporting roles in a number of plays and was a member of Crew, also)
-Chess Club (Co-president/Co-founder)
-Art Club
-Philosophy Club
-National Honor Society


OTHER
I danced (ballet/pointe) for 12 years. This past summer, I did an internship with the Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools for two weeks in Martha's Vineyard. Last summer, I volunteered 80+ hours at a sleepaway camp in Michigan; I worked in the kitchen and made an inordinate amount of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. I tutor a 3rd grade student in art once a week during my lunch hour. I'm also a study buddy for NHS.



Thank you so much; I know my stats are on the weak side. Oh, yeah, and I was the district spelling bee champion for four years, I run two active podcasts, I sew my own clothes and I play in a reasonably successful local post-punk band. :]

mhc48

I'm not one of those glibly able to give you a thumbs up or down. But, although you seem pretty on top of things already and probably have this covered, you ought to insure ~ before you move ~ that you have recommendations in hand from teachers who know you at your present school and or local organizations. Also try to find out how your transcript grades will be calculated at your new school (it may well be higher), what teams and extra curriculars they have and whether you will be able to slot in. And possibly find out if your new school has rankings; if so, whether they will accept your grades and what your class rank will be at the new school.

In short you don't want to be trying to get all those things via mail and Fed Ex, next fall

gellino

I think you're off to a solid start and will have a good shot at many top schools. A 1410 SAT as a sophomore is very good for someone aspiring to any school. Also, I wouldn't call that grading scale curious as it's very similar to a college scale. Depending on what class rank it corresponds to, I don't think a 3.7 GPA will be construed as "dismal", either.