Hello!! I’ve submitted one of these before, but a lot has changed since then so I figured I’d resubmit :3
Demographics
US domestic (US citizen)
State/Location of residency: NY
Type of high school: Public
Other special factors: First gen
Cost Constraints / Budget
N/A
Intended Major(s)
Marine Science / Marine Biology (or Env Sci. if Marine isn’t offered), Biochem minor
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.6 - 3.7 (we’re mid quarter so it’s hard to tell ATM)
Weighted HS GPA: 3.8 - 3.9 (same as above - weighted with APs… not sure what exactly the “system” is?)
Class Rank: N/A - We don’t do rankings
ACT/SAT Scores: 1490 total, 800 RW, 690 M as of my last test - just retook it, and I’m pretty sure that with superscoring I’m at least at 1500 now
List your HS coursework
English: Regents Eng 1 to 3, World Mythology, Creative Writing
Math: Regents Geometry, Algebra 2 and Trig, Pre-Calc, Calc
Science: Regents Earth Sci, Regents Bio, Chemistry Honors, AP Env Sci, Science of Food, Accelerated Physics, AP Bio, Animal Behavior
History and social studies: Regents World + Global, AP US, Economics, Govt
Language other than English: ESP 1 and 2
Visual or performing arts: Acting 1, Acting Lab (2 yrs), Studio Art
Other academic courses: Outdoor Exploration
College Coursework (Transfer Applicants) (Include college courses taken while in high school if not included above.)
General education course work: Single gen credit from George Mason for attending the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment
Awards
Honor Roll (9th grade - 85+ GPA), High Honor Roll (10th grade - 90+ GPA)
Extracurriculars
Teen volunteer @ local aquarium - 100+ hours
Junior ambassador @ aquarium
Animal husbandry internship @ aquarium towards the end of senior year
Theater club member/officer - Treasurer 10th, Technical Director 11th-12th, ~150 hrs/yr (~600 total)
Marine Bio club president/founder
Invited to attend local writing conference
Invited to Washington Youth Summit on the Environment
Invited to United Nations Student Conference 2024
Assisted with marine bio field research at a summer camp (turtle tagging and urchin health surveys)
Etsy business opened since 2018
Art commissions, character design, jewelry making
Essays/LORs/Other
Essay is very strong - connects jellyfish, my favorite book (The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin), and my self-growth journey
LORs from two teachers, both science (none of my schools require diff ones)
LOR for the Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars program from my aquarium volunteer supervisor
LOR for Bowdoin from a dean of admissions that my parents have a personal connection with
Also queer (trans and bi) and disabled (physically and mentally) which I’m writing a lot of my supplementals about
Does this mean (a) parents can pay any college price (up to $95k or so per year), (b) parents can pay $0, so you need a full ride, or (c) you have not been told by your parents what they will pay?
Have you considered William & Mary? Over the summer they announced a $100M gift to upgrade their Marine Science institute, and I believe are seeking approval to start offering a Marine Science Major (currently they only have a Minor) starting next year.
For Marine Bio, you should absolutely apply to UMAINE Orono. It is a top school for the major, matches the flagship tuition of many states. You will likely get honors college invite.
LOTS of PhDs that have written the textbooks and leaders in the field.
Associate Director Ellis is a Bowdoin undergrad, URI PhD.
I think (?) UNH may be on my list!
I have looked at UMaine Orono and it’s just… not up to my standard. The campus was abysmal and desolate when I visited, lacking any kind of accessibility features and quite literally falling apart. It sucks because I love Maine and I would basically be guaranteed admission there, but I just can’t live on a campus like that, unfortunately :[ The lack of ‘stuff’ surrounding the campus is also a negative, though if the campus was nicer I would be able to look past that.
EDIT: I do also remember that all of the tour guides seemed realllyyyy unhappy there, and one of them referred to it as the “sh***y state school” that they only went to because they got denied from their other choices.
You sound like a fantastic candidate, but with your stats, I think your list actually looks something like this:
Assured: College of the Atlantic, George Mason
Extremely Likely: Roger Williams University
Likely: SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Binghamton
Toss-up: Skidmore, Ithaca College
Lower Probability: BU, Bates
Low Probability: Bowdoin, Colby, U Chicago
I would second the suggestion to add William and Mary to your list (lower probability – it’s a tougher admit for OOS), along with University of Rhode Island (likely). If you like Bates and Bowdoin, then look at Conn College (toss-up) for a somewhat easier admit. If women’s colleges are an option (you mentioned you are trans, but did not specify gender identity I think), then consider Mount Holyoke (toss-up and gender diverse, which means they welcome applications from trans or nonbinary students) – they have a good environmental studies program and participate in a five-college Marine Studies certificate program that counts as the equivalent of a minor. In fact, UMass Amherst (probably toss-up for OOS) and Hampshire College (likely), which participate in the same program, would also be worth a look.
Your list is fine. Have you thought about Eckerd, Coastal Carolina, or College of Charleston - given the major.
Your list is fine because you have multiple admissions. I don’t think any are assured - but yes, you’ll get in. Assured means 100% you are in - so perhaps you are already or otherwise it means they take everyone with certain stats. But you’ll get in.
What I don’t agree with is your toss ups - Skidmore and Bates are if you ED. Colby it’s a reach.
On the other hand, Ithaca is likely - and frankly, extremely likely.
So if you’re ok with COA, GMU, Ithaca, RWU and the SUNYs, it’s a great list.
Thank you!!! I have not, but my aquarium volunteer supervisor who went there for undergrad told me it’s a beautiful campus. I’m probably gonna visit next time I have a day or two off school
You could always consider Maine Maritime, which is on the coast about an hour south of UMaine. Being in the Regiment of Midshipmen is not required, and a young relative of mine had a fantastic, hands-on experience studying marine bio there. https://mainemaritime.edu/ocean-studies/marine-biology/ There is, of course, SUNY Maritime as well, which has Marine Enviro Science and a marine bio minor; Regiment participation is optional there too.
Adding to my previous post – you should also consider UConn (toss-up/likely admit), which has a great marine sciences program that makes use of a field research facility at Avery Point in Groton.
More acceptance updates from direct admissions: UMaine Farmington and UAlaska Fairbanks have both sent me acceptance letters! I’m (almost definitely) not going to go to either of them but it’s super exciting to know that colleges actually want me to go to their schools - it makes this process feel so much more real lol.
Ahh I thought I replied to this but I guess not! I was going to look at UConn but tbh I think I have a pretty good shot at Stony Brook and if I get into both there’s not even gonna be a question about which one I go to - why pay out of state tuition for an equal (or even slightly lesser, honestly) experience, yk? Thank you though!!
