Hoping for less than 30k a year after aid, around it with my cost estimator.
Intended Major(s)
Visual Art/Art History + Environmental Science
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.99
ACT/SAT Scores: 34 ACT, retaking
List your HS coursework
(Indicate advanced level, such as AP, IB, AICE, A-level, or college, courses as well as specifics in each subject)
(Full Rigor taken in all subjects, my school doesn’t offer many AP’s. )
English: AP Lit, Honors other 3 years
Math: AP Calc AB (highest school offers), + 5 other year credits
Science: AP Bio + 3 honors credits
History and social studies: 4 years of honor credits
Language other than English: Spanish 1, 2, Japanese 1
Visual or performing arts: About 24 credits over 4 years
College Coursework (Transfer Applicants) (Include college courses taken while in high school if not included above.)
Psych 1001
Japanese 1
Awards
National/Regional Scholastic Awards, 9-12
Top (State) Scholar
AP Scholar w Honors
New York Times (Contest)
Congressional Art Competition
18 State Fair Ribbons, 9-12
x3 Finalist at (Redacted extremely prestigious Film Fest)
Winner and x2 Finalist at (regional film fest)
(Highest State Art Award)
Extracurriculars (Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)
Independent Gallery Artist: Created, showed, and sold artwork in 10+ national professional galleries under renowned curators. Nationally & locally televised. 9-12
Founder/President of NAHS: Established connection & worked with multiple underprivileged elementary schools, developed accessible art curriculum. 11, 12
Small Business Owner/Founder: Founded & operated a business selling handmade items, emphasis on sustainability. Conducted +$10,000 in sales, in person & online globally. 9-12
Co-President/Co-Founder- Peer Tutoring- Helped establish, developed curriculum, designed material, and tutored other students in various subjects. Partnered with Special Ed. 11, 12
Artist in Residency- (State Museum & Healthcare Company)
Worked with professional artists to explore public health and racism, final piece shown in gallery, interviewed by (celebrity) and televised on Good Morning America. 10-12
Filmmaker: Created films, shown and awarded both locally & nationally. Shown in theatres like the AMC 25 in Times Square with an audience of +2,000 people, Films experimental and focused on Trans advocacy.
Volunteer Youth Artist in Residency- (State Pride Center): Assisted establishing Pride Resource center, representative for grants and organization, created work to be shown publicly. Sourced and established library there. 11, 12
Journalism/Publication- Founder/President: Created and published contemporary art zine platforming LGBTQ youth artists. Distributed in bookstores and digitally. Used profits for trans advocacy donations. 11, 12
Illustrator/Cowriter- Children’s Book: Illustrated and Co-wrote Children’s book with Social Worker about mindfulness and emotional management, distributed for free in schools. 12
(Selective Art Summer Program)
(Non-Selective Art Summer Program)
Essays/LORs/Other (Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.)
Essays/Supplementals are going super well. I am also providing a Portfolio, which has been in development for all 4 years of High School and reviewed by multiple art schools and my summer professors.
I transferred from another art High School Sophomore year due to moving, which is why a lot of my EC’s are split.
You have two years of two languages if I’m reading correctly. But that doesn’t work: Three to four years of one world language (ancient or modern) taken during high school.
I will say that’s not necessarily an eliminator but it might be. My daughter got into a very selective LAC (not Columbia selective) with two years in one language but the school cancelled the third year over summer and the counselor noted this.
Science - did you just have two? You said 3 credits - do you mean 3 other classes? Were they lab sciences?
Have you checked the NPCs of all the schools you are looking at - for example, Syracuse, etc.
I wouldn’t take the ACT again.
I would say no to Columbia - but if there’s a portfolio involved, you never know.
It’s highly rejective - so keep that in mind. And you are rural, that will help. Transgender - I don’t believe helps.
Switched schools my sophomore year, my current school has a really weird rule with testing into languages if you haven’t taken the prerequisites there haha
Thank you for the feedback! I worded my credit portion really badly lol, got years confused with credits somehow in my brain haha. But yes, I did mean 3 other lab science classes.
I think academically - it’s going to be tough - but not impossible. I think the language hurts - unless there’s a reason you took two for two years and not one for four years….a reason like they didn’t offer a third year…but not an excuse such as…I just wanted to change.
If there’s a portfolio that has to be approved, obviously that’s another facet - which could help (or hurt).
I do think you need to check the NPCs on each school - and I do think you are unlikely to need Stout.
Are you interested in LACs? Have you looked at Beloit? Some of the LACs, from need and merit, might get to $30K-ish. Beloit, Kalamazoo, etc. - and then others meet needs - so you might look at the NPCs of some other meets need schools like Oberlin, Bard, Dickinson.
I am definitely interested in LAC’s! I have a few on my list that i didn’t mention, including Bard. I replied to another user a little bit ago saying that the reason I don’t have more than 2 years of Spanish is because I transferred schools after sophomore year, and my current school’s Spanish program is nearly impossible to transfer into. I’m taking Spanish 3 though through Dual Enrollment hopefully next semester
Looks like from post #4 that the OP changed schools and the new school did not allow testing into Spanish 3 (i.e. would have required the OP to start over in Spanish 1).
Your art ECs and awards are very impressive. Columbia will definitely be a reach (for anyone). SAIC is a safety. Syracuse is too IMO. If Tufts is SMFA only then I think it’s also a safety. Dual degree or regular Tufts is a reach for pretty much anyone because of the low acceptance rate, but you are competitive pretty much everywhere, with the exception of the language issue. But I think the rest of your stats and application will compensate for that at least to a degree. Even in portfolio-optional programs your art accomplishments stand out.
Curious if you’ve considered Brown RISD dual degree. It’s super selective and small but if you have a well-articulated plan for why it makes sense for you, I think you would be competitive.
It’s tough to “chance” qualified applicants for schools like Columbia, even without the wild card of the art/portfolio piece. They absolutely do accept applicants with profiles like yours. They also reject applicants with profiles like yours. It can go either way. Then there’s the question of your art supplement/portfolio and how that will move the needle. It’s hard to say. Certainly possible.
You have no west coast schools on your list, so maybe that region isn’t of interest, but your profile made me think of the Claremont Colleges. Not only are the Environmental Analysis majors (within which Environmental Science is one possible track) and the studio art and art history majors all excellent, but there are a surprising number of classes that blend art and design with environmental studies/science. These range from drawing classes based in Pitzer’s nature preserve, to the Design for Environmental Behavior Change based in The Hive, to design classes taught by landscape architects, focusing on the intersection of function and aesthetics in public spaces. My Scripps student did the design-focused track in Pomona’s Enviro Analysis department as their primary major, a secondary major in a foreign language, and would have completed a studio art minor, had it not been for the pandemic. (The focus and methodology of their planned art classes changed, because of “Zoom school” in ways that weren’t appealing, so they let the minor go… but it was looking like a great plan up ‘til that point - their on-campus art classes were excellent.) Design Activism at Claremont McKenna was a favorite class too, coded as a History class but taught by one of the profs who runs the EnviroLab Asia program. Students cross-register freely and have access to resources across the consortium. Not sure if you’re looking to blend art and enviro science, or if they’re just two separate interests, but either way, the opportunities at the 5C’s are fantastic. Great in terms of LGBTQ+ affirmation/advocacy as well. Pomona, Pitzer, and Scripps (if you self-identify as female) would be the most obvious choices; Pomona has the most generous aid (and is need-blind) but is the toughest admit. Pomona also has its own art museum. Scripps also has an Art Conservation major if that’s of any interest. (Lots of art history included, but the science side is more heavily chemistry than enviro science.) Anyway, perhaps all moot since it doesn’t seem to be your target area geographically, but worth a look if you’d consider flexing on that.
Are you interested in Cornell’s Design & Environmental Analysis major in the Human Ecology school, or are you applying to the BFA Studio Art program in Arts & Sciences, or…?
Good luck; I hope you’ll update us on how your process goes!
Thank you for the feedback! Yes, the Brown RISD program is definitely something I’ve looked at. The cost is super intimidating to me, and I have a few really weird external circumstances that would threaten my safety at RISD. (weird, I know. too much to explain here haha)
SUNY Purchase is superb for Visual Art & Art History and they also have a major in Environmental Studies. The Arts is what they do at Purchase. Located just outside New York City, they have easy access to a wide range of artists and professionals from the NYC arts community. It’s a relatively short train ride from the town of Purchase into The City.
Cost for an out of state student is about $37,000 per year, so $30,000 should be within reach with financial aid.
