chance an average student with a long list of schools.

Claire1016 · 08-19-2008, 12:22 AM

GPA: freshman and sophomore year- UW 3.8 W 4.1
junior year- UW 4.0 W 4.5
SAT: 1940
cr- 720
w- 630 (will improve in october, hopefull at least high 600's or low 700's)
m- 590 (will also improve, but I doubt higher than a 650)
ACT composite: 28 (also retaking, hopefully a 30+)
No SAT II's yet, but I'm taking U.S. history, Lit, and World History.

Rank: 30/280 (It's not that good because my school doesn't weight classes until our junior year... so basically be have kids in the top 5% of our class who are taking applied classes.)

Extra Curriculars:
President and founder of the Young Democrats Club
long time member of the Diversity Club (I will probably have a leadership position next year)
newspaper contributor
literary magazine staff (I also submit my work.)
varsity tennis team
volunteer all the time at church
volunteer at the library twice a week (10 hrs. a week approx)
College Misericordia Diversity Camp
I'm also heavily involved in the Obama campaign.
I organized a voter registration drive at my school.

Awards and Achievments:
2nd place in a poetry slam (sophomore year)
honorable mention in a poetry slam (junior year)
ambassador for change (it went along with the diversity camp thing)
member of the national honor society
AP scholar
High Honor roll (every quarter freshman and sophomore year)
Principal's Honor roll (every quarter junior year)
I can't think of anything else at the moment... but my EC's are going to be pretty strong once I compile an organized list and figure out what's the most important.

Summer Activities:
volunteering at the library
I also took 2 college courses at wilkes univeristy:
Pschology (I got a 4.0)
Governments of the World (4.0 as well)

Course load- I took two out of the three AP's that my school offers, pretty much the "hardest" courseload I could... even thought it's not that difficult.
Freshman year:
spanish II
physical science
academic english
advanced algebra II
world history I
phys. ed

Sophomore year:
spanish III
advanced geometry
bio I
academic english II
speech/writing (both half year electives)
world history II

Junior year:
U.S. history
spanish IV
academic english III
AP European history
Algebra III and trig
chemistry

Senior year:
AP Spanish
Physics
Economics
dual enrollment classes (precalc and then calc I, as well as comp english and american lit)

I've also been thinking of asking if I could add on another elective, like current issues.

AP grades:
euro- 3
us- 3
gov't and politics- 4
Not so great, but two I self studied for.

My essay will be very good. Not to sound cocky, but I'm a pretty good writer and I've had some unique life experiences to say the least.
Rec's will also be very good. I'm getting one from on of the college professors I had during my summer courses. He's head of the political science program and I want to major in political science.

here are the schools:
american university
george washington university
smith
mount holyoke
haverford (my mom wants me to apply because of the middle class initiative program)
villanova
bryn mawr
saint joseph's university
colby college
bucknell (it's a reach i know, but i'll definately get my scores up)
college of the holy cross
emerson
BU
BC
Bates
Fordham
Dickinson College

NickBarr · 08-19-2008, 12:29 AM

I wouldn't really say that you're an average student with stats like those. You're definitely well above-average at least. When thinking of yourself, consider everyone you're up against, not just the people who post on CC.

If your application is strong you could have a good shot at all of those schools IMO.

Claire1016 · 08-19-2008, 12:32 AM

^I guess I should have put "average by CC standards" haha.

NickBarr · 08-19-2008, 12:36 AM

Also, you seem to have a few schools that are in or close to the Philadelphia area. Have you considered looking into Penn?

Your stats aren't bad and I think if you could get your SAT score past the 2000 barrier, have a good senior year, and turn in quality essays and recommendations you could have a shot. Just something to think about, I guess. I only say that because, assuming you pull up your SATs a tiny bit, your stats wouldn't be much different than mine.

Claire1016 · 08-19-2008, 12:52 AM

Really? I've seen Penn and it has a beautiful campus, I just never thought of applying because of my SAT scores and I always felt my class rank held me back a little. I've been taking practice tests and I think I can get my SAT score to about a 2050. My school just sent two kids to Penn, but they were both tied for number one in their class. I know Penn's business school is pretty competative, but I plan on going into political science/international affairs. Is that still ultra competative?

NickBarr · 08-19-2008, 12:57 AM

I'm in the College and I applied ED. I mean, I'm not the best student academically and my test scores were very good, but not perfect by any means. My total SAT I score was a 2020 and I think my SAT IIs were 650, 650, 550 on Math I, Literature, and World History respectively. As for rank, I was 22 out of a class of like ~270.

It's not all about numbers, remember that. If you can put together a strong application like you say you can and write great essays which convey what you are passionate about and how Penn (or whichever school) will benefit from having someone like you on their campus, you could have as much of a chance as the next person.

The Ivies are a reach for anyone. Penn was a high reach for me and it's even a reach for the people who have seemingly perfect stats (look at all the 2400 SAT, 36 ACT valedictorians with two pages of leadership positions in ECs that get rejected from the Ivies and other top schools every year).

Like I said, don't let the kids on this forum intimidate you into not applying. If I had found this forum before I applied to Penn, I may have reconsidered, but I'm glad I didn't. It's worth a shot, right?

Claire1016 · 08-19-2008, 01:06 AM

I'll definately look more into it and consider applying. That definately puts me at ease a little more. I even worry about getting into any of the colleges on my list for no reason really. This forum has a way of putting me on edge even more than I already am. My essay will hopefully turn out well even though I've been having trouble with it lately and maybe my EC's will pull me through. Thanks for the advice!

NickBarr · 08-19-2008, 01:08 AM

College admissions can seem completely random sometimes. If it was cut-and-dry who would get in and who wouldn't, there wouldn't be a point in applying, would there?

Good luck. If you need someone to proofread your essays when the time comes, drop me a line.

Claire1016 · 08-19-2008, 02:07 PM

bump. (10 char)

Claire1016 · 08-19-2008, 06:20 PM

bump. (10 char)

lilygraces · 08-19-2008, 06:37 PM

You have a decent chance at all of those schools, and don't be afraid of reaches. You never know... You could get in! =)

Claire1016 · 08-19-2008, 07:27 PM

pleaseee guys. I need to finalize my list of schools.

NickBarr · 08-19-2008, 08:08 PM

You have a lot of match/safe schools. It wouldn't hurt to throw in one or two reaches just to see if you get in.

Claire1016 · 08-19-2008, 11:46 PM

well i guess i was thinking bates, villanova, and haverford were reaches because my scores are a little below their median scores. i'll think about throwing in a "super reach" maybe.

raiderfan4eva · 08-20-2008, 01:00 AM

i say you have a good chance at all of those schools, looks like religions very important to u ey...