<p>Hey guys,
I’m finishing up my sophomore year at Middlebury, and am going to take a next year off from school to, among other things, apply to several schools as a transfer student. My list right now is as follows:</p>
<p>Yale
Columbia
Brown
UCLA
USC
Amherst</p>
<p>My application is an oddball because I have gotten pretty mediocre grades but have extremely strong supplements. Anyway, here are my statistics.</p>
<p>First the bad news:
White male. I’m technically 1/4 Blackfoot Indian, but have no way to document it (my blond hair and blue eyes don’t help my cause either).</p>
<p>High School: Went to a good private school in suburban Connecticut where I played varsity baseball for 4 years and was Student Council President, among other things.
GPA: 3.4
SAT I: 1220
Verbal: 630
Reasoning: 590
Class Rank: N/A
APs: English Language (5)
English Literature (4)
Art History (4)
Studio Art (5)
European History (4)</p>
<p>College (Middlebury):
Freshman Year: 3.1 GPA with 25 credits
Sophomore Year: 4.0 GPA with 35 credits
I also played on the baseball team.</p>
<p>Then the Good News:</p>
<p>I’m going to supplement my transfer application in several areas:</p>
<p>-First, I’m going to try to get recruited as a top baseball player. As a pitcher, I throw a 92 mph fastball. I also won the MVP award in my college summer league last summer, which was in upstate New York.</p>
<p>-I’m sending in an art portfolio of 20 slides of my drawings, paintings, and murals. I’ve been in several gallery shows and won some regional art awards over the years.</p>
<p>-I wrote and illustrated a 200 page graphic novel, entitled “The Planetary Runner.” Right now, I am working on a deal to get it published and distributed by Top Shelf Productions (my chances are looking good).</p>
<p>-I’ve been taking lessons on bass guitar since 2000 and on guitar since 2006. I’ve played in various bands with friends over the years (which is probably part of my average grades in high school) as well as my college’s jazz ensemble as a bassist. As a supplement to my application, I’m going to send in a CD of me playing some jazz tunes, as well as some of my solo work. My solo work is mainly pop rock (think Beatles) where I play guitar and bass, as well as piano and banjo (with which I have no formal training). I also wrote the horns parts (which were played by other musicians).</p>
<p>I realize that if I only had my grades to show, I wouldn’t have a chance at these schools, but since I feel my supplements are really strong, I think I’ve got a shot. I know that sports can go a long way and am hoping that the athletic departments will make a push for me and that admissions will see me as a sort of Renaissance man with a huge diversity of interests and talent. I would think that getting my graphic novel published would seal the deal, but I can’t tell since it seems like nowadays only the most brilliant nuclear physicists can get into the Ivy League.</p>
<p>This is kind of funny, but one interesting thing about me is that I had severe learning disabilities due to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and my essay is going to focus on how ever since I’ve been getting help, I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA and been much more prolific as an artist and musician. It might sound like a cheap shot to blame all my mediocre grades on my OCD, but I do think that it’ll make for a good essay.</p>
<p>My last question is that since my SAT I scores were on the lower side of average, could I take them again even though I’ve already graduated from high school and completed 2 years in college?</p>
<p>Anyway, I’d hugely appreciate it if people gave me some feedback on my chances. </p>
<p>Thanks!
Johnny</p>