Chance me? GWU, AU, PSU, UPenn, Georgetown and Swarthmore

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Hispanic Male
Class 2022
GPA: 3.6 W
SAT: 1180 (Might go up, I didn’t study last time, and I am taking an SAT Prep Class and studying atm, aiming for a 1300+)
I have 3 C’s for my Junior Report Card (Makes me so sad)
APs: Might end up taking AP Gov and AP Micro in my senior year.
Recommendations: Not sure, but If i can submit one from the law firm I interned at that would be great. At least 2 teachers could give me great reviews and a third a decent one.
My School: We don’t rank, but I do go to the second best public school at my city. I would guess top 60-70% at my school.
ECs:

Interned at a Law Firm this summer (wrote legal papers, sifted through medical and legal documents, did other things)

Volunteered for a big Undocumented Immigrant Services Organization (helps Illegal aliens get access to resources and also offers mental services in house)

Debate for 2 years, starting Sept. 2016

Did Tennis for a year (not sure I will include this, not really important)

Not sure if it matters, but I placed in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals in two separate citywide competitions at UPenn for Debate.

Editor-in-Chief for the Yearbook Committee at my school.

Essay: Was going to talk about my participation at the organization listed above, and my time at the law firm. Trying to push public service, as I wanted to do a PoliSci or Int. Relations major with Chinese as a minor.

2

upenn and georgetown are huge reaches for your current profile, I definitely think you need to be more realistic regarding those

penn-state is a good choice of school though. I think it is a good aim for you

3

I definitely think you should just get rid of UPenn, Georgetown, and Swarthmore. These are extremely competitive schools, and to even have a chance of being competitive, you’d need a 1450+ SAT. In addition, your GPA is just too low for these schools. All the other schools seem good for you though.

4

How about GWU? Honestly, I wanted to go to UPenn but I do understand my chance of getting in is low. I was just going to Early Decision and see what happens. Despite that, I love GWU so I will not be disappointed if I don’t get in.

5

So my chance at GWU isn’t bad? That really is what I’m thinking about mostly.

6

I’m a current student at GWU and have done some work in the admissions office previously, so I can offer you some firsthand information;

To be blunt and truthful, your GPA is very low compared to most GWU admits. Furthermore, and unfortunately for you, the GPA is without a doubt the most important factor GWU looks at. Don’t be discouraged, as you’ve still got a chance, but you’re going to need to mitigate your GPA with your SAT and EC’s.

  • Considering your GPA, an 1180 SAT score (or opting to go test optional) is not going to cut it. If GWU really is your top choice, try to shoot for at least a 1300, but preferably a 1400+. Based on what I’ve seen, your score needs to be that high to in order to overshadow the lower GPA. So, work hard on your SAT studying, and know that it really pays off. I didn’t take the SAT, but I got my ACT from a 22 to a 30 by merely studying from a book I got at barnes and noble.
  • Your EC’s are pretty good, though not amazing. However, your law internship and work with the immigration office will help you a lot, because GWU really REALLY likes it when your ECs relate toward your intended field of study. Make sure to emphasize these on your application. If you could do an additional political related activity here your senior year, I’d highly recommend you do so to increase your chances (if of course it’s worth it to you).

Do these two things, and you’ll be in the running for admission. I won’t promise that you’ll get in if you do these things, but I can guarantee that your application won’t be tossed in the trash can without them first digging deeper into you.

Three more points of information that could help you.

  1. Being hispanic and male will give you a leg up during the admissions process. GW has an unbalanced m/f ratio, so being male can sometimes be a factor during the decision making process for borderline applicants. Furthermore, diversity is really valued at GW, so your minority status will work in your favor.
  2. I would highly recommend that you apply as a political science major, and NOT an International Affairs major. The Elliott School of Int’l Affairs at GW is consistently ranked top 10 in the country, and therefore attracts students of much higher quality than other GW programs. It is always harder to get into. Furthermore, like I said earlier, GWU really likes when your EC’s relate to your intended major, and your law internship and immigrant work are more geared toward a poly sci major than IA. If you want to transfer to the Elliott School as a GW poly sci student, you can do that pretty easily.
  3. This is true with all colleges, but especially GWU; Try to show your interest in the school before the decisions are made. Reach out to an admissions officer, make an OFFICIAL visit that goes on the record, etc. This will always increase your chances of being admitted.

I wish you the best of luck during this process, and feel free to shoot me a message or write a reply if you’ve got any more GWU related questions. As you can maybe tell by my length response, I like to help people out on these forums, and I really like talking about my school :slight_smile: