An odd case concerning potential applicant

Colleges & Universities Wesleyan University
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<p>(<em>note</em> I apologize for the ugliness of the prose that follows, but I’m incapable of producing anything aesthetically serviceable at the moment. )</p>

<p>The minute I saw the words “Do you find yourself quoting Hume?” on the Wesleyan website, I knew the school was for me; there was no pyrrhonian skepticism left to be had :stuck_out_tongue: </p>

<p>My situation is a rather odd one… I ran my own local IT company for two years (and a amassed a rather significant sum of wealth as a result of this), have a couple of patents in my name, and acquired several levels of Microsoft and Sun certification before I turned 16. I’m currently a junior and I’m looking to double major in composition (which has sucked up much of my time, love it as I may) and Economics. I received a 2390 on the SAT, and I have self studied for and then taken 10 AP exams thus far, after this year that number will be 23 (I received scores of ‘5’ on all but two of the exams, both of which I received a ‘4’ on). </p>

<p>So I’m in decent standing as far as all of that goes, but the issue is that my GPA is absolutely horrible. Unfortunately I go to a school where actual learning and intellectualism is far removed from actual coursework, and along with a number of repugnant aspectsof the socio-cultural environment, I had been rendered in a state of what Durkheim might call anomie. As such, I didn’t attend school much and ended up being stuck in situations where I’d walk into tests and get A’s and B’s, but fail classwork/homework due to having unexcused absences. I have realized that being angsty about such things simply doesn’t cut it, so I have buckled down as of late and received my two quarterly 4.0s, but this has only pulled me from a 2.0 to around a 2.87 cumulatively. Clearly that’s not nearly good enough for a school like Wesleyan, Amherst, or Swarthmore, but my hope is that being smaller schools, this could be overlooked given my extra-curricular achievement, SAT score, and independent study for APs. </p>

<p>So with a ~2.9 GPA, 2390 on the SAT, 23 + AP exams with 5s, and more high-level/adult work experience than 99.9% of applicants, will the admissions offices of any of the aforementioned schools show any mercy (or perhaps even an iota of adherence to their doctrines of ‘holistic evaluation…’ )? </p>

<p>I’m not sure what to think, especially since my situation runs counter to everything that the admissions process normally revolves around, despite the fact that I still - at least to some extent - necessarily meet the expressed criteria for most schools (the qualitative side of the criteria, anyway.) </p>

<p>Certainly in respect to Wesleyan’s criteria…</p>

<p>"Genuine intellectual curiosity. " I love nothing more than pure academia, and I’ve got national competition results in things like quizbowl and history bowl to show for it.</p>

<p>“Ability to succeed in a rigorous and broad-based academic program” APs are pretty rigorous and broad - and far, far harder than any normal high school course… </p>

<p>“Demonstrated social involvement and leadership qualities” I’m the leader of my school’s FIRST Robotics team, a student officer for the Maryland state department of education, and had roughly 15 employees at a time, all at least 3 years older than me. </p>

<p>But I suppose it’s common knowledge that the whole ‘holistic evaluation’ schpiel is mostly just not representative of how things work out.</p>

<p>In any case, I’m in desperate need of some input, so any perspective at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>

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<p>I gather you’re a Junior. I think your GPA needs an explanation, but your abilities are well proven. Show a strong upward trend for this last semester AND your first senior semester. Given your description you should have no trouble getting a 4.0. The most you can do now is to show a strong upward trend, and perhaps include a short note in your application.</p>

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<p>Yes, these sound like quite extraordinary circumstances. I am sure that if you apply to many top schools, at least one will overlook your gpa as having those SAT scores and 23 (!?!) AP exams is an incredible accomplishment.</p>

4

<p>23 AP exams, a beast of an SAT score, using the phrase “pyrrhonian skepticism”, oh my! Out of the schools you mentioned you have the best shot a Wesleyan. They do a holistic review. Your essay needs to be perfectly crafted and hopefully your guidance counselor can speak about your well-defined passions. I totally understand when you say that high school is anything but true learning. I left high school after my junior year and Wes took me (granted I did have a 3.96 uw/5.07 w GPA) but I lacked four years of language and physics (two things that over 75% of admitted students have). You seem like such a strong applicant if it wasn’t for that GPA - therefore, you MUST interview and explain in person how GPA is arbitrary and shows how much one studies, how a teacher grades, but it does not and cannot speak about the intellectual curiosity of a student. Only 68% of the incoming freshmen class were in the top 10% according to the CollegeBoard so I feel like you do have a shot…but work on that GPA like a dog! :D</p>

<p>P.S. Read the Gatekeepers, lol! ;)</p>

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<p>With a weird application like yours (e.g., accomplishment in some arenas but not others) you best not fall in love with one school because your admission at any given school is far from assured. There are other places that will resonate with your intellectualism. Grinnell, Oberlin, Swat. Definitely Reed. Ever heard of Deep Springs? Earlham might be a good safety.</p>

<p>But the good thing is that you have a clear target to shoot for.</p>

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<p>Wesleyan likes to boast of its sat scores. I think you are a shoe in</p>

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<p>I would love to be in your situation. I think you have a great chance and a great future ahead of you.</p>

8

<p>You should maybe try Harvard or MIT, either of which might go for the brilliant “oddness” in your picture.</p>

<p>That said, a few posters seem overly seduced. Basically, you seem to be telling us you skipped school a lot…otherwise, termed truancy. You also betray the “love of learning” passion that cannot be fulfilled in the phony school setting by sharing that you focused a ton of energy in one of the most conventional educational areas imaginable (AP courses and testing, albeit “self-taught”). You’ve made a lot of money and functioned as a “boss”… but can you get along with others in a peer-like fashion? In short, you seem more in touch with your potential limitations vis-a-vis elite college admissions than the posters that followed you. Perhaps you are worth the risk, but there does appear to be risk that goes well beyond the GPA issue.</p>

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<p>Yeah, “what Durkheim might call anomie,” everyone else calls “I didn’t fit in in my high school and so I never went to class and felt smugly superior.” That’s the oldest red flag in the college admissions book: low grades in class and super high test scores. Many, many, many smart kids with temendous talents in many areas hate high school or get picked on by jocks or think they’re too smart to do busy work…but they find a way to make peace with all that and manage to go to class anyway and still get good grades. You have to compete with all of them, and convince the admissions committee why they should excuse you from their most basic expectations when they have vast piles of applicants who were able to fulfil them.
One reason I loved Wes so passionately was that it was full of very smart kids who weren’t trying to impress/intimidate each other with ill-timed displays of vocabulary. We were eager to engage in the community, not hold ourselves above it. My favorite example: a music prof with a MacArthur genius grant played in the pep band at football games simply because he loved football. I think you ought to look for a place that will be more impressed by the identity you’ve fashioned for yourself. </p>

<p>I cannot stress enough that you should look into Deep Springs College. I honestly think it might be a very good fit.</p>

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<p>Don’t get cocky, you are not a shoe-in anywhere. My suggestion is to make an appointment with an admissions counselor (after May 1st, when they turn their attention to Juniors) and have a frank discussion. </p>

<p>I think on paper you might come across as someone who is supremely bright but lazy. It sounds to me like you are not lazy at all but rather someone who views HS as a waste of time. But you’ll need to convince a college that you will buckle down and maximize what they have to offer. Get advice from a college admissions counselor; it does not have to be Wesleyan, if it is geographically unfeasible but it should be a counselor at a school that is similar in its personality and selectiveness.</p>

<p>I think the suggest of applying to Deep Springs is a great one.</p>

<p>Good luck and I wish you the best. You sound like a very interesting person who deserves to be challenged.</p>