niightingale

i'm interested in premed, but i'm not sure is wellesley is the right school for that.
so just to start off, i think my hook will be my future. i plan on joining peace corps after undergrad, and then after my residency, i will join doctors without borders.
maybe become a ob/gyn because they are desperately needed in doctors w/o borders (medecins sans frontiers)

if this has any relevancy, i'm asian (chinese)
but from i've heard, being asian is a disadvantage under affirmative action.

my wgpa is 4.3 but unweighted is 3.6
not too good in my opinion.

sat II's
chemistry 770
i'll take bio this oct/nov and i think i'll get at least 750 on that

studied five years of french at my school, if that's a lang plus?


APs

AP AB Calc- 4
AP Chem- 5
AP gov't and politics-5
AP Psychology- 5

senior year (this year) i will take
AP Human Geography
AP statistics
AP environmental science
AP biology

SATs (i know i need to improve)

math 650
writing 720
critical reading 660
essay 11 (but i heard essays aren't that important)
SAT: 2030

ACTs (i'll raise this to at least a 33)
English 30
Math 27
Reading 33
Science 24
Writing 11
Composite 29

Extracurriculars

Founder of Charity for China (raised $2,000)
Secretary of Technology Honors Society
Treasurer of Fantasy Literature Club
National Honors Society
French Honors Society
Treasurer of Chesapeake Bay Club
Tutoring Club (teach local middle schoolers)
American Red Cross (3 years)
Track & Field (2 years)

thanks thanks.
i don't know much about wellesley, besides its a very prestigious girls school that has many prominent alumni such as hillary clinton.
how important is teacher reccomendations?

welles10

Your exam scores are on the lower side for Wellesley (stats are online at the admissions website for your reference). And your GPA is on the lower side as well, as you admitted yourself. Your ECs are pretty good though. I would think you have a chance at Wellesley but it is by no means a lock for you. Essays and teacher recs would be very important in your application as the numbers in your app are on the low side. If you can raise your SAT or ACT score you will have a better chance.

jacinth_ambrose

Niightingale,

I won't comment on your "chances" of being admitted to Wellesley, but just wanted to pass along an opinion on something you mentioned in your post.

You wrote that your "hook" would be your future: i.e. your plans to join the Peace Corps, and then med school, followed by Doctors w/out Borders as an OB/Gyn.

First of all, I'd caution against skewing your application so that your "hook" is overwhelmingly prominent. I really don't know why people are so obsessed with having a "hook" in the first place. I'm sure that those applicants who have the unique "hook" (I grew up without electricity and running water, I'm the youngest of 15 kids, I sailed across both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, etc. etc) - you know, the ones that get featured in articles because they're good stories - are few and far between. I'm sure that the vast majority of applicants come from very similar backgrounds: I'm a smart young woman who enjoys learning and here are other, but more common, interests that I have. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. I would think some people's obsession on trying to stand out in the applicant pool might lead to some disingenuous activities - those done just to look unique. I don't know. I'm just guessing here on how an AC would read a particular applicant. Wouldn't that quote from The Incredibles hold true: "If everyone's special, no one is?" It's the job of the AC to distinguish you as an individual - certainly when I was a student assistant in the office some years ago, all the counselors did their best to get to know each student's story.

Also, your "hook" of your future plans, while admirable, would seem dicey to me. I'm not bashing your plans or don't think that they are noble goals to which to aspire. It's just that college students are notorious for changing their minds about their majors and futures. I think like something 60-70% of incoming Wellesley students want to be pre-med, but a much much smaller number actually graduate as pre-med. Which is OK. I think one of the best things about attending a liberal arts school is the latitude you have to explore new areas of academic interest and not be penalized if you find that you have a new found passion for anthropology of which you were previously unaware.

In other words, even though you have well defined post-graduate plans right now, don't be so locked in to pursuing them at all costs despite new interests you might discover at college, whether at Wellesley or anywhere else.

sunshine2

Niightingale,

If you are looking for a college with a strong pre-med program, you are on the right track if you are looking at Wellesley. Wellesley students' medical school acceptance rates are much higher than the national average for college students; according to the Wellesley viewbook, our rate is 70% which is definitely higher than most colleges. You can also cross-register with MIT if there are courses there that appeal to you.

Another aspect to keep in mind is the fact that pre-med students also get pre-med advising which is critical for navigating through the path toward medical school. Of course, all Wellesley students also have an academic advisor.

Now, with respect to your chances, I would say you do have a chance; your chance is not low, nor high, essentially you seem to be in the middle. You can definitely benefit from increasing your SAT or ACT score. You mentioned that your unweighted gpa seemed low but I am sure that the admissions office must keep in mind whether or not you are coming from a competitive shcool and also look at your courseload.

Your AP scores so far, in my humble opinion, indicate that you are a strong student and can handle a college curriculum. For your ECs, it would help if you include the number of years. I see you included your time of involvement for some of them but not all of them. Assuming your ECs have been relatively stable, they look good.

I strongly suggest visiting Wellesley during the school year. Through the admissions office, you can arrange to stay overnight with a host student and visit classes to get a better sense of the college. It's a beautiful campus and an empowering place to spend four years. Good luck!

niightingale

would it be okay if someone chanced me for the other six sister colleges?

Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Radcliffe College, Smith College, Vassar College?

i am so grateful for your thoughtful replies and they have helped me get on track for finding out more about wellesley!

welles10

Your chances here are zero as the school has since combined into Harvard.

FuturDoc12

I think you have a great chance at Wellesley(apply eary D if you're sure because they accept more than half of early D and also, go for an interview. That will help you A LOT too.

Vassar maybe. They are hard core on SAT/ACT scores. That's my weakness too

Barnard: You've got a great shot, but then again REALLY focus on your essay.

I don't know anything about the other schools.

niightingale

like so many other people, i've fallen in love with this school.

if i apply early decision, will this significantly help me get in?

sunshine2

Niightingale,

If you can increase your SAT I scores for math and reading, then I think you will have a decent chance of getting in ED. You might get in without retaking the SAT, but this could be a big risk since your math and reading are on the lower end (M 650 and CR 660).

I surmise applying ED helps augment one's chances of getting in, however only up to a certain point. I find your AP scores alluring, yet I would expect your SAT I scores to be higher considering your mostly solid APs. Nevertheless, if you can bring up your SAT scores and apply ED, I believe you might have a better chance of getting in. What do other people think?

niightingale

thank you for your reply.
would an act equivalent be just as acceptable?

welles10

yes, an act is equivalent to an sat+ sat2s. admissions does not give preference to one or the other.

BunsenBurner

^^Just make sure it is the ACT with writing. DD did a happy dance when she discovered that her single test score counted as three SATs

niightingale

could someone chance me again?
i took the september ACTS and received a 31 composite. i'm not sure if this makes a difference or not.

33 reading
33 writing
28 math
28 science
10 essay

i'll retake in october, because not much preparation went into this one.
thank you !