Admission Chances?

College Search & Selection
1

Hello,

I plan on applying to Barnard in January and was wondering what my chances were?

GPA: I have a 3.5 at the moment (my freshman GPA has been dragging my GPA down ever since but my GPA recalculated without freshman year is a 3.7-8 on a 4.0 scale)
I didnt take any AP’s my freshman or sophomore years (there were only 3 offered) but my junior year I took 4 AP’s and currently for my senior year I am taking 1 AP and a dual enrollment course. However, second semester I hope to be taking all dual enrollment courses.

ACT: I am taking it in December and I plan on making a 30 or above composite.

Extracurriculars: To be honest, I didnt participate in sports or clubs much in school but I was in advanced orchestra up until my junior year. I am in NHS (National Honor Society) but I didnt participate in it much. During my freshman year I was in yearbook club and was a head editor.

Other Accomplishments: Since I dont have many extracurriculars I am hoping that my other accomplishments will balance everything a little. During my sophomore year I won a state PTA art reflections contest and my art was displayed at a prominent museum for an extended time. Also during my sophomore year for my engineering my exhibit design was chosen by a children’s museum in my state however I had to discontinue that class and I am not sure if my design is still in the works or it was stopped. I also wrote a book during my sophomore year but it is not published. During my summer to senior year I attended a medical camp where I presented research to med students and peers. Lastly, I am currently working as as intern on a research project at my state hospital along with other healthcare professionals. I am doing data entry and once the research is finished I will be listed as a co-author (which is pretty cool.) I will be an intern for the remainder of my senior year.

Extenuating Circumstances: I am not sure if colleges look into this but during my bride to junior year my father died so my life has changed a lot since then.

These are pretty much all my stats. I was also planning on applying to Wellesley, mt. holyoke, smith,bryn Mawr, and a few other liberal arts colleges. What do you think?

2

According to Barnard’s Common Data Set, Academic GPA is more important than test scores, so your GPA could be an issue.

The 2018-2019 CDS doesn’t show a breakdown of GPAs, but for 2017-2018, 80% had a GPA of 3.75 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).

Having an upward trend in GPA can sometimes help compensate, but the applicant pool will be very competitive so the rest of your application needs to be exceptional.

3

Honestly I think it’s a long shot. Sounds like you have had some tough times so I’m certain that will be taken into account. Make sure you have some solid safeties in addition to the ones listed.

4

I think you need a safety (from both an admissions & a finance point of view), and some matches.