<p>Hey chameleon123,</p>
<p>Please keep in mind that I have no hand in the admissions decisions here at Lafayette. I only work in the office and see/hear what goes on. My guess as to your chance of admission is simply my opinion based on what you have presented in your post.</p>
<p>With that said…</p>
<p>Your GPA is great. You obviously worked very hard in high school. Admissions officers will take note of the difficulty of your courseload, too. Keep in mind that many applicants to Lafayette have never taken AP or IB courses. Be sure to take all of the AP tests for the courses you are taking…4’s or 5’s will give you course credits AND prove to admissions officers that your AP course was up to the standards set forth by the College Board.</p>
<p>Your SAT scores are above what is expected from the “typical” Lafayette applicant. Please refer to the following webpage off of the Lafayette website for the SAT Profile of our Class of 2010: <a href=“http://www.lafayette.edu/admissions/requirements.html[/url]”>Lafayette College. You will see that your scores are right where they need to be.</p>
<p>Your EC’s look good. Be sure to emphasize the fact that your band has released a full-length CD…that is AMAZING, and a great way to set yourself apart from similar applicants. If you have yet to write your admissions essay, maybe you should consider basing it on your experiences as a guitarist. Remember that the essay gives you a chance to really set yourself apart from the pack. The topic you write about isn’t half as important as how you write about it. For advice on writing and revising your essay, I would highly recommend purchasing Harry Bauld’s book “On Writing the College Application Essay”.</p>
<p>I like the dedication you show in some of your EC’s. It is always impressive to admissions officers when you dedicate yourself to just a few EC’s which you genuinely enjoy. The community service you listed seems fine, but just be sure to elaborate on your role in the activities you mention.</p>
<p>As for a numerical chance of admission into Lafayette: 60%. If you were to decide to apply Early Decision: 80%.</p>
<p>I see that you have decided to apply to a few “reach schools”. Good for you! Swarthmore, Georgetown, NYU, and Columbia are definite reaches for you (but you seem to realize this fact!). You should consider Lafayette a solid “match school”. American and GWU are nice safeties. Consider adding a few more “match schools” to your list.</p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck with the college admissions process. If you think of any college questions specifically about Lafayette, just drop me a line.</p>
<p>All the best,</p>
<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>