What I Learned from My Admissions Journey

yonceonhismouth
Sat, 01 Apr 2017 19:46:24 +0000

Hi everyone! I utilized CC so much during this past year for my college application process, and I wanted to share my results/what I learned from what can be a brutal journey in the hopes that it would help at least one applicant in the future.

My stats were as follows:

~Objective~
GPA: 3.97 UW, 4.3 W
SAT- 2210 (770 CR/760 W/680 M)
SAT IIs- 780 USH, 690 Math II (sent in more than these to Georgetown bc they don’t allow score choice)
AP Scores- USH (5), English Language (5), Human Geo (5)
Awards: Cum Laude Society (Top 10% of class), silver medal on National Spanish Exam 3 times, Women Leadership award

~Subjective~
Extracurriculars:

Theater/Arts
High School Theater Dept- 9,10,11, 12
Middle School Theater- Asst. Stage Manager (10), Stage Manager (12)

Clubs
Founder and leader of service Club. Raised $2000 in fundraiser that I organized completely on my own - 11, 12
Amnesty Int’l Student Group- Member (9, 10, 11), Leader (12)
School Newspaper- Editor (11), Editor in Chief (12)
Model UN- 10, 11, 12
Tutor- 11, 12

Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Special skills: English is first language, but fluent in Spanish and proficient in German.
Income Bracket: High (will not be applying for financial aid)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

And here are my results:
Accepted- Barnard, Georgetown SFS, Lafayette (with Marquis Scholar award), Lewis&Clark (with $22,000/yr scholarship), Middlebury, Scripps, Vassar, William & Mary

Waitlisted- CMC, Swarthmore

Rejected- Brown, Columbia, Princeton, Stanford, Yale

I will be attending Georgetown SFS after taking a gap year to work and travel.
As you can see from my results, I was accepted to all of the schools that were considered matches/safeties as well as two reaches (Gtown and Middlebury), and rejected at the rest of my reaches. I am beyond ecstatic with the results, and couldn’t be more excited to be attending a top-ranked program for my field.

Reflecting on my applications, I think my strengths came from my passion for international relations and my evident ability in history, english and languages. I had teacher recommendations from adults who really cared for me- of course I didn’t see them, but these teachers have become like family to me and would be able to speak to my personal growth over my high school career.
My weaknesses were my essays- I don’t think my essays were as interesting as they could have been, and some certainly were bitter than others- and my math grades/SAT score. I am terrible at math and the truth is to be accepted to those lottery schools as an unhooked applicant you have to be stellar all-around and THEN have something else that makes them pick you out of all those other stellar applicants. Going back to those essays, write exactly what you want to write. Tell interesting stories. And don’t rush the essays- I think that once you cross a certain GPA/SAT hurdle, your stories will be what determine your decision for the most part.

I don’t want anyone to read this and think I am disappointed. Of course it is not fun to be rejected, but I am so excited to be a Hoya. Part of Georgetown’s ethos is working for other people, so I wanted to do a reflection that would hopefully help future applicants. If you have any questions feel free to PM me or respond here!