<p>High School Senior
3.15 GPA
1 AP Class (US History - scored a 5)
Ranked absurdly low, due to a transfer from an unweighted to weighted system. Bottom 50% of Class.
Decent Grades, but not superior by any means.</p>
<p>SATs:
770 CR
700 Math
690 Writing</p>
<p>ECs:
My ECs are kinda choppy, due to a cross-country move.</p>
<p>First School:
-2 Years Varsity Mock Trial Lawyer (gr 9 & 10)
-2 Years Varsity Knowledge Bowl (9, 10)
-2 Years on a top 10, Nationally Award Winning Newspaper, as the Chief Photographer and Photo Editor, as well as layout. Was awrded national marks of distinction for scholastic photojournalism. (9, 10)</p>
<p>-2 years Varsity Debate. Am currently the top ranked debater in the state, both as a team and individually. Currently team president. (11, 12)
-2 Years Newspaper. Currently Editor in Chief and Chief Photographer (11, 12)
-Senior Class President (12)
-Student Council (12)
-Model UN (12)
-Host of local community interview/talk program (11, 12)
-Played the male lead in the local theatre production "the Sound of Music"
-Currently a principle male characer in the school production "Oliver!"
-Lighting Crew for School Musical "Oliver!" (12)
-Sound Crew for School Musical "Oliver!" (12)
-Founding Member and Captain of the school's "As School's Match Wits" Trivia Bowl team (12)
-Founding Member of TV Broadcast Club (12)
-School Appointed NEASC Review Student Representitive and Speaker (12)
-State Commended Latin Scholar (11)</p>
<p>So there it is. I'm not so hot academically, but my ECs are decent.</p>
<p>I'm looking to go into Political Science and/or International Relations.</p>
<p>As a New Englander, what schools should I be looking at for matches, reaches and safeties?</p>
<p>If your counselor writes a note explaining the GPA situation, you should be fine. </p>
<p>Try American University. It's a great school for both PS and IR, and doesn't get nearly the recognition it should. The location is perfect too. </p>
<p>Also look at Northeastern. The co-op program could be good for the field you're looking at. </p>
<p>Because of your GPA issues, I think that you will probably need to apply to a wide spectrum of schools, including some smaller schools. I would recommend the following:</p>
<p>American
Brandeis
Dickinson
Franklin & Marshall
Goucher (nice school, needs boys)
Rhodes
University of Richmond
University of Rochester</p>
<p>I also think you need a real safety for your stats--you should take a look at the state schools in your area to see where your current GPA would guarantee acceptance.</p>
<p>Your GPA may not be a problem, but your lack of weighted courses, if that's what the change in GPA calculation reflects, probably is.</p>
<p>I don't know you at all, and you may not be at all like your numbers might make you appear to be, but the objective data, taken alone, make you look like a kid who is very academically skilled but wasn't very interested in academic pursuits. The 3.15 UW means you have many more Bs than As, and perhaps a few lower grades, as well. It appears from what little you've told us that you have avoided the tougher classes.</p>
<p>The picture is completed by pretty impressive ECs. You seem more like the kind who likes to do things than live the life of the mind. So, if I'm an admissions officer, I'm intrigued, but the question I have to ask myself is, "Will this kid do well and thrive here?" There are certain schools at which the answer would be a definite "not bloody likely." There are other schools, especially the few that use a lot of experiential learning techniques, that would probably say, "Good fit!"</p>
<p>There are some schools known nationally for experiential learning techniques. The ones on the top of my head are Evergreen State, Antioch Collge (which, I understand, will now stay open), and (I think) Warren Wilson. None of those are in New England. There may be schools like this in New England. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of NE LACs will add some to my list.</p>
<p>Rochester has an excellent political science department. According to the Gourman's ranking of undergraduate political science departments below, it is ranked 28th</p>
<p>Yale
Harvard
Berkeley
Michigan
Chicago
MIT
Stanford
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Cornell
Princeton
UCLA
Northwestern
UNC Chapel Hill
Columbia
Indiana Bloomington
Duke
Johns Hopkins
Notre Dame
Tufts
Ohio State
U Penn
UVA
Georgetown
Texas Austin
U Washington
U Pittsburgh
U Rochester
Rutgers
Brandeis
Vanderbilt
Illinois UC</p>
<p>About your GPA, is it low because your first school did not offer many honors or APs or because, although offered, you didn't take any? This obviously makes a difference in the type of college you will be accepted at.</p>
<p>midatlmom, my first school offered no honors courses, and only a handful of AP classes (available only to seniors). My current school on the other hand offers many honors and AP courses, but I am not able to take them due to prerequisites available only to underclassmen.</p>
<p>So while I'd love to have taken more AP and Honors courses, the option simply wasn't available to me.</p>
<p>
[quote]
My current school on the other hand offers many honors and AP courses, but I am not able to take them due to prerequisites available only to underclassmen.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. The prereqs for things like history, language arts, languages, econ, government, etc. are just regular classes, right? The prereq for Physics A/B is Algebra II, isn't it? Pre-calc and calc are certainly useful, but not absolutely necessary. </p>
<p>What sorts of prereqs could you possibly need to take these AP courses that aren't just regular prep courses?</p>
<p>at my current school, the APs all require prep courses, and those prep are only available to underclassmen.</p>
<p>For instance, to take AP Psychology, one must first take Intro to Psychology, which is offered exclusively to sophomores. As far as the sciences go, they work in a chain of prerequisites. Honors Chemistry is required for AP Chemistry, which is required for AP Bio. My previous school offered only Biology and General Science to Freshmen and Sophomores, so I was unable to take AP Sciences.</p>
<p>That's pretty much the situation across the board.</p>
<p>As a strategy, you might want to look at good SAT optional colleges like Bard, Bates, Connecticut, Denison, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Goucher, Hamilton, Holy Cross, Lawrence, Muhlenberg and Union, among others. They probably receive a high number of applications from students with high GPAs relative to their SAT scores Your high SAT scores might be of interest to these colleges, since most are probably sensitive to their US News ranking, and the ranking turns in part on their average SAT scores. Your SAT scores would help them bring up their average SAT scores.</p>
<p>If you are willing to look beyond the east coast (all of the above except Denison and Lawrence are on the east coast), I would also suggest that you consider Allegheny, Wooster, Earlham and Beloit in the midwest. These are great schools (I visited them) and may be willing to overlook your comparatively low GPA, since they are probably looking for more students from New England, particularly from competitive high schools.</p>
<p>Make sure you explain the reason for your comparative lack of APs on your applications. Maybe you could ask your guidance counselor to back you up with a note. </p>
<p>That's an insane prereq system. Is this a private school? Not that it matters (you're a senior now), but if you had been my kid, I would have fought this one tooth and nail. There is nothing in AP courses that requires a sillly prereq on the same topic.</p>
<p>Yeah, I fought it as best I could. That's the only reason I was able to take AP History.</p>
<p>Ultimately, I just ended up taking regular classes that were interesting, like Anthropology or Lighting for Stage. I don't have the most rigorous schedule, but it's certainly diverse.</p>
<p>I read on these boards that Beloit and Cornell College are good LACs that are not as competitive because of their locations in the midwest. You may want to investigate them and you can always transfer if not happy.</p>
<p>I am looking at mainly East coast Schools, simply for their proximity to home. Much as I love the Midwest, it's just simply too far away for my tastes.</p>
<p>A lead actor with a 1470/1600 SAT score and a 5 on your only AP will get you strong consideration from almost any school in the country. Don't undersell yourself. Your reach list should include the best schools in the country if they are of interest to you. Just be sure to find three safeties which. in your case, could still be selected from the top 40 LACs and top 40 universities. Your ECs are fine, in fact, they ( editor-in-chief and lead actor) are outstanding. Makes you a strong match for Northwestern & Yale. Also look at Conn. College. Princeton is seeking artsy types so you may get serious consideration there as well. Dickinson would be a safety. You would also be a good candidate for Amherst, Williams, Carleton and Bowdoin. You are a very strong, but not perfect, candidate for admission to any LAC in the country.</p>
