Hello! I am finishing my junior year (school ends in about a week) and am very concerned because I am afraid that my dream colleges are unrealistic for me. While my transcript is, for the most part, comprised of A’s and a few B’s, I will have a C+ for precalc this year. I was wondering whether I have any chance at schools like UVA and William&Mary (my top picks). I am also applying to VA Tech, Christopher Newport, James Madison, Cornell (just for the heck of it, though I will certainly be rejected), and probably Mary Washington.
However, UVA and William&Mary are strong favorites, and I am really upset that I will likely not be accepted to either school.
I am in state (from Fairfax County, NoVa so schools are quite competitive here).
SAT:
I have yet to take my second SAT. I took it the first time cold (no prep whatsoever) and got a 1280. Obviously, I will not be sending that score to any colleges. After several months of extensive studying I expect to break 1400 for the next test (I have figured out a lot of the math). I did get a 21/24 on the essay portion, which is fairly decent, I think.
I am taking my subject tests in October (no earlier date was available) and expect to do well on them.
Transcript:
Freshman year:
Honors World History: A-
Honors English: A
Biology: A
Geometry: A
Intro to Marketing: A
Health/Gym (was required): A (obviously)
Spanish 2: A
Sophomore year:
AP world history: A (5 on exam)
Algebra 2: B+
Chemistry: B+
Spanish 3: A
Fashion Marketing: A
gym/health: A
Honors English: A
Junior year:
Spanish 4: B+ or A- (haven’t taken the final!)
APUSH: A (exam scores haven’t been released, but I think a 5? Maybe 4)
Physics: B- or B (again, final could make difference-also there was quite a language barrier with the teacher, she’s infamous for being terrible at my school)
precalc: C+ (urghh)
AP lang&comp: A (I think a 5, but again maybe 4)
Advanced Fashion Marketing: A
AP Human Geography: A (probably 5)
Predicted senior year grades:
AP us&comparative government: A
AP statistics: A- or B+
AP Literature: A
Marketing Management: A
Genetics and Biotechnology: A
Choir: A
AP Spanish: B+ or A-
Extracurriculars/ Community Involvement
- DECA (since freshman year) I placed at a district level my sophomore year, and led a chapter project as junior, and was a finalist at the state level and advanced to compete internationally.
-National Honor Society (since sophomore year- freshmen cannot join)
-English Honor Society (I was selected to be the Historian for next year)
-Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society- this is just now being offered at my school, so I will be a founding member and will likely hold an officer position as well. I am just not sure which one as we have not heard back yet!
-Red Cross Club: most of my involvement was donating items and going to a few blanket/sandwich making events
-Crush Cancer Club: I was a founding member, and the club supports children with cancer.
- I am starting my own club at school based off an organization started by a resident of my community. I will be the president and the club will focus on motivating youth to become involved in the community.
-The DECA chapter project mentioned was focused on helping local foster children. My friend and I were so inspired by our experience with our project that we decided to take it further, and are in the process of forming a non-profit organization, which I am beyond excited about!
-I volunteer frequently with the Moose Organization, which supports underprivileged children and elderly.
- I also volunteer with the organization that I am starting a club for, and am very familiar with the founder. The organization supports all kinds of people- it is somewhat of an umbrella organization for many smaller sectors to focus in on certain issues. But, the founder's projects most directly support refugees and immigrants.
- I will be volunteering with another organization which supports foster children, and possibly partnering with them.
-I will also be volunteering with the animal
shelter this summer
I have no idea how many hours of volunteer service I actually have acquired, but I am pretty well involved in the community. I am very passionate about helping others.
Recommendation Letters:
I am getting one from my English teacher this year, and I expect it to be excellent. The teacher knows me very well, often refers to me as a “leader of the classroom”, and has already written letters of recommendation for me for my leadership positions. She definitely understands my value on a much deeper level than any of my other teachers.
I think the letter from my counselor will be decent, but obviously not as personal.
I also plan to get a letter from the founder of the organization I mentioned. He attended UVA, I’m not sure if that makes any difference. But, I expect that letter to be great as he has witnessed my humanitarian passion, and has a great level of respect (and even admiration) for me.
Essays:
I have started planning my essays, and am actually excited to write them (can you tell I’m an English nerd?). I have confidence in my writing abilities- especially when it comes to a narrative in which I can be deeply reflective yet quirky at the same time. I also have a lot of support from many people that are willing to go over essays with me, so I’m not worried about this aspect.
Other info:
-I am a Caucasian female
-my mom went to college and later earned a master’s degree
- my dad did not go to college and was born in Vietnam (but he is Caucasian)
- I plan to double-major in English and International Relations
- I will have gone on two international educational tours by the time I apply for colleges. I went to France and Spain as a freshman and am going to Switzerland, Italy,
France, and Spain (in two weeks, actually!). I thought that multi-cultural experiences might speak to the international relations major.
OKAY, that’s everything, I think. I am really worried about that Precalc grade- and physics isn’t great either, but not quite as awful. Do you think I have any chance at William&Mary or UVa with a C+ on my transcript? How about the other schools (aside from Cornell, of course)?