Chiming in!
D24 - white female, small private boarding/day school, rural, first gen, need-based aid was very important due to father’s disability
GPA (unweighted): 4.0
GPA (weighted): 4.3
ACT: 34
Class Rank: our school doesn’t rank, but she is in the top 5%
APs
Chemistry
APUSH
AP World History
AP Calc AB
AP Physics I
AP Psychology
AP Calc BC
AP English Lit
LORs I expect were solid
Essay was excellent, but written as more of a creative narrative which I think both helped and hurt her application
ECs - nothing earth-shattering - included travel softball, founder of school’s literary magazine, yearbook, soccer, community service at humane society, mural in school’s student activity center
She was originally looking mostly at art schools for animation, but over the last ~9 months she pivoted to neuroscience/psychology and/or creative writing with art, music, film as perhaps minors.
Reaches:
Yale - rejected REA
Reed - waitlisted EA
Bates - accepted w/Bates Grant of $78,658
Smith - waitlisted
Bowdoin - rejected
Amherst - rejected
Hamilton - accepted w/need-based assistance of $87,338
Targets:
St. Olaf - accepted w/$33k merit and $28,060 St. Olaf Grant
Mt. Holyoke - accepted w/$76,402 grant and leadership award
Safety:
Bellarmine - accepted - waiting on FA info
We are happy with the results and glad that she doesn’t have tons of schools to choose from. Also very grateful for the generous aid we received.