This is great advice
Congratulations on getting the help that you needed, you should be proud of everything you have accomplished.
2 Likes
To answer your original question, there’s no way to tell if applying ED to Dartmouth given your profile is a complete and utter waste of time. That’s because your chances of admission are greater than zero. But to be honest, they’re not that much higher than zero. According to Dartmouth’s CDS, only 0.6% of Attendees finished in the bottom half of their class - and my guess is those six people did something really extraordinary or their parents donated a ton of money? I know you said that your school has grade deflation, but I suspect Dartmouth will view you as being in the bottom half of your class unless your counselor can specify otherwise.
Dartmouth’s median SAT is 1520 so your score is about there. But the biggest mistake kids with high scores make is they think that high scores make them very competitive for admissions. A low score will probably keep you out but a high score doesn’t get you in. I’m willing to bet that Dartmouth rejects for more students with a 1500+ SAT than it admits. As someone else has said, your GPA is the problem.
Those replying to you are not trying to be discouraging – seriously. We are trying to politely let you know that you are not very competitive, but we cannot say that you have no chance of getting in. Quite frankly, I don’t think you will get into Boston College even if you do apply ED because it is a very competitive school.
I disagree with your premise that only super selective schools like the Ivies can get you a job in finance. There are other avenues, even if they don’t open as many doors as the Ivies. You clearly had some struggles your freshman and sophomore years of high school. It looks like you started turning that around and the turnaround should include college. I promise you in life, what you do in college and after college will matter for greater than what college you are admitted to.
Take your shot at Dartmouth with an ED but know that your chances are pretty low. There are other options at really good schools that would love to have someone like you. As the song goes, if you can’t be with the one you love, then love the one you’re with.
4 Likes
BC is an excellent school.
Are you willing to share the breakdown of your SAT score of 1510 ?
What is an “existential depression” ? Seems contradictory as depression is an internal psychological condition. Your term is intriguing which suggests that your essay might also get the attention of readers. (Not asking that you share your essay; just encouraging you to think about a possible contradiction. To be clear, do not share your essay on an open forum.) Please understand that any discussion of depression can be a red flag for admissions officers–especially for schools with heavy drinking cultures.
Are you willing (and comfortable) to share your list of schools ?
If you like Dartmouth College, you may also find Colgate University to be of interest. Check out the courses offered at Colgate to see if they match your interests. (I would advise against writing an essay on depression for Colgate.)
P.S. Another poster suggested using a private college counselor. If you elect to do this, then be sure that the counselor is familiar with Dartmouth College admissions.
1 Like
Many schools will love to have you, but schools with below a 20% acceptance rate are likely not going to be an option. Does you school have Naviance or Scoir where the scattergrams would show you how competitive you might be at a given school based on your stats?
What were your AP scores this past year (in addition to the AP Lang 5)?
I agree with this, and generally advise students to NOT write about mental health disorders in their essays. Some colleges pull all apps that mention mental health disorders and a separate team of AOs read those apps to assess if they can admit the student.
Add me to the group who tell you that you can work in finance with a degree from many schools. Some areas like IB or quant trading are more difficult to access from non-target schools, but finance is an extremely broad segment. For example, many students from Baruch go on to successful and lucrative finance careers (I’m not suggesting Baruch because it’s not like Dartmouth, but if you wanted to go to school in NYC I would recommend that, along with Fordham.)
Two other schools you might consider are Bentley and Bryant.
4 Likes
This is correct - with a 3.1 and 1520, not only is Dartmouth highly unlikely - but if OP thinks they’re likely for the next tier or two down (like a Rochester), I’d think not as well - although a need aware school might buy the bank account.
At the same time, one can pursue their dream from anywhere - and folks are placed in IB from schools as wide as Arizona State to Houston to Fordham and more. ASU, in fact, has the IBIS program - but also not a likely although the school is.
There are many paths - maybe not easy paths - but many paths.
Another path might be a school like Indiana. Get into the school - and try and transfer into a major/college within the school you like later.
There are several dozen finance tracks/roles out there in the world, and hundreds of thousands of people who work in finance who did not attend Dartmouth.
Just something to think about, since you are interested in a quantitative social science major. Apply your critical thinking skills to your own social science conundrum!
3 Likes
Since your parents seem to be able to, I would invest in a PG year at an East Coast boarding school.
- if you keep your A grades up throughout the year it’d shore up your upward trend
- you’d get more specific college counseling
- your BS would be known to the colleges you seem interested in
- you’d prove mental health is no longer an issue
I would be very careful with the 9-10th grade depression since it may be seen as a red flag.
A 3.1 with a 3.6 GPA junior year is not going to be enough for Dartmouth or Boston College.
Reasonable college possibilities include St Olaf’s and Bentley’s Quantitative Economics major or Sewanee’s Finance major, Beloit’s may be a safety, UIUC’s Econometrics BSLAS would be a reachable reach.
6 Likes
How common is this PG route? I have researched it a lot though have only read about it being utilized by atheletes who need another year of physical development. To your knowledge, would it be a rather common occurance that students who want to further demonstrate their upwards trend and ability to excel at a high level complete a PG year?
750 RW, 760 M. While the pandemic affected everyone differently, I am not proud of how it affected me. I was 12 when we had gone on lockdown, during my 8th grade year to be exact, and spent a lot of time pondering about the true meaning of life, questioning why adults pursued careers that seemed to destroy their sense of happiness and fulfillment. While I now know that there is much, much more depth to adulthood, at the time I was not able to see this depth and thus was scared away from pursuing a career in an office. An uncle of mine is very succesful and did not attend college, and I believed that I was to follow his route instead of the traditional college-> 9-5 job route. Essentially, this mentality drew my attention away from school and closer to business. Without capital and a realistic perspective of the world, I tried to start a few companies that all failed due to one of those reasons. I was not planning to include this in my essay however, instead I was thinking about including it in the additional information section, or perhaps some other way that paints it in a “overcoming adversity” light rather than an “unstable teenager” light.
2 Likes
portfolio management, l/o or l/s
It’s fairly common in the BS world. Yes, mostly it’s athletes, but there are kids who had something they had to overcome, like you, and just need a little more time. I think a lot of those kids take the repeat 11th/re-class route, so you wouldn’t be as aware of them. For a variety of reasons, there are LOTS of 5-year high school kids at prep school.
1 Like
If you have made strides in dealing with your mental health, that is amazing and you should be proud of this accomplishment. However, I don’t think addressing this in an essay will come anywhere close to clearing the hurdle of your GPA.
While trying to solve the riddle that is holistic admissions for my own kids, I’ve read and watched more interviews with current & former admissions officers than any person should ever attempt to endure. They all talk about how they have grown numb to certain essay topics, like mental health issues and the passing of grandparents.
There are a lot of Wealth Managers out there and Mutual Fund Managers…a lot of people managing portfolios - and you definitely don’t need an Ivy or top school.
I invest in the stocks of two mutual fund companies - and their fund managers mostly go to regular schools - and these are top funds. I often look out of curiosity.
I don’t think, given your desires, it’s Ivy/Target or bust…by any means at all.
1 Like
I encourage you to think about a different topic as this does not present you in a positive light.
Your junior & senior year GPAs are great (3.66uw / 4.66w) & (4.0/4.83).
1 Like
It’s not uncommon for high income kids who believe their transcript does not reflect their academic potential.
You have to pick a school that will allow you to showcase your strengths - perhaps they offer post AP classes in subjects you took as an AP class and got A/A- in, and creative or AP classes in subjects that would help you be more well-rounded. It shores up your excellent senior year (note: you can’t afford senioritis) and provides further examination points from the first quarter at the boarding school, basically more than doubling the amount of data showing you can do well (2 poor years+1 good one&a quarter vs. 2 poor years+2 good ones+ early BS).
In addition, a school where you can develop your athletic abilities, even if you’re not recruitable at the college level, would provide you with a social group&a solid EC. Add a basic, barebones summer job a high income kid would not typically take up (like, scoop ice cream or be a waiter at an Olive Garden or work the counter at a cinéma…), which would also be added thanks to the extra summer, and your profile looks quite different.
The difficulty will be in finding the appropriate BS - there’s a forum here where you can ask. MA, NYS, NH, VT, NJ, PA… are full of them 
3 Likes
Regarding boarding school: OP needs to examine the courses available at any boarding school which offers a PG (post graduate) year.
If the OP wants to consider boarding school as an option, consider Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, Phillips Academy at Andover (Massachusetts), and Lawrenceville in New Jersey as they are among the 4 largest boarding schools (along with Choate Rosemary Hall in Conn.).
However, I do not recommend a PG year for this student as the GPA weakness is from OP’s freshman & sophomore years. OP has done well in the advanced courses during his junior & senior years of high school.
For unhooked students, admission to any Ivy is unlikely - especially for students who come from over represented states (CA is one of those). Just to put it into perspective for you, my S24 was rejected by Dartmouth - he had a 3.98UW/4.64W along with 1580 on the SAT. According to his GC he had outstanding recommendations from his teachers and his ECs were solid (but not unique - typical HS stuff). We are also full pay. Last year there were thousands of other high stats students like my son who were similarly rejected - it is just that tough. I don’t say this to be unkind, but I think you need to be realistic about your chances at Dartmouth which are extremely remote. A better use of your time would be to identify schools that are more realistic for you including realistic reaches. A student can be successful from anywhere.
10 Likes
OP- if Dartmouth is your first choice- and you’ll regret it if you don’t give it your best shot- then apply.
And then put it out of your head and work on your other applications to the absolute best of your ability. The time you’re spending wondering, pondering, evaluating, could be spent writing the best “Why Us” essay for your other colleges!!! Do it and then focus on the rest of your list.
There’s nothing you’ve written that suggests that putting off college for a year is the right next step. You’re on an upward trajectory- take advantage of that momentum, apply to a judicious list of a reach (which is Dartmouth! terrific!), several matches, and two rock solid safeties, and know that you’ll be going off to college next August.
Doesn’t sound like you need “more maturity” or anything else that suggests that a PG year is the right move. And the risk of it not working (i.e. not making you a better shot at Dartmouth or other colleges of similar odds) is a real one. Not every kid who PG’s ends up at their “Ride or Die”. They’ve spent an expensive year at another HS (yes, boarding school is a different environment, but Tolstoy or Hemingway or the causes of WW I don’t mysteriously change because you’re in prep school and not your local public HS) AND often end up where they would have prior to the PG year. So if your odds at Dartmouth and similar move from 6% likelihood of admissions to 8% with a higher GPA so what- 94% chance of being rejected vs. 92% chance? Is that worth a year of tuition???
8 Likes
I respectfully disagree.
OP actually only has one year of an improved GPa so far. They are still in their first month of senior year so those grades haven’t happened yet. In addition, if they apply ED there won’t be any consideration of senior grades (or at least not much since they won’t be final before decision).
On the other hand if OP can actually pull off a 4.0 for the next two semesters of challenging classes, I think that will be super impressive. Especially the very strong upward trajectory.
I think the OP is ideally suited to make the most of a post grad year at a fancy boarding school. He’s a high income student who has recently demonstrated potential to excel in a rigorous curriculum and aspires to attend a prestigious school. The well-connected counselors at prestigious boarding schools are likely able to provide excellent guidance and support to achieve this.
Good luck OP!
2 Likes
The question for me is-- does Dartmouth (or similar schools) become significantly more likely with a PG year vs. finding a solid list of appropriate schools this student can get into right now?
And the answer is… drum roll… we don’t know. It’s a solid “perhaps”. Dartmouth is likely to be a reach no matter what this student does. Cures pancreatic cancer over the next 12 months? Then yes, PG was a good call, gave the student time to report the data on the clinical trial. Short of that??? It’s not like all the other students in the boarding school universe are going to quietly go away and leave the Dartmouth lane for this PG student. That doesn’t happen. The competition stays just as intense for the highly rejective schools as it’s always been. Perhaps the kid maintains the solid grades during the PG year. Or maybe the grades slip a bit (transition, new living situation, more competition, harder grading standards? We don’t know. But nobody can guarantee a 3.9 GPA in boarding school. Nobody.)
So after a year of tuition AND an extra year of HS, the answer is “MAYBE” the PG year makes Dartmouth slightly less reachy. And any college counselor worth his or her salary is going to still insist on the same list of matches and safeties that the kid needs to have right now.
So what’s the upside?
4 Likes