<p>I have some questions concerning the Williams application requirements.</p>
<p>First of all, I read somewhere that they neither require nor recommend a high school GPA. Is that true? And if so, what are the implications? Do they simply recalculate their own version of the GPA (I know Princeton does this)?</p>
<p>Also, I noticed that Williams does not release their statistics concerning the writing portion of the SAT I for the incoming class. Does that mean they are indifferent to that particular score?</p>
<p>I really don’t know this information, but I do know that a high school transcript is mandatory for an application for admission. Your academic record is the most important factor for admission, so I doubt that your GPA carries no weight, though Williams may recalculate it (I’m not sure about that part).</p>
<p>I’m not sure if you meant to say that Williams does not require/recommend a “high” school GPA or a “high school” GPA, but in either case, that’s total nonsense. Williams has extremely selective admissions requirements, and a strong academic record is foremost amongst them. Unless you’re a tipped athlete or a double-legacy/URM, you had better have very strong grades when applying.</p>
<p>My daughter is going to graduate from a very selective and rigorous HS in NYC. It has a policy of deliberately not giving weighted grades. Whe the HS sends in the application packet to the college/university it will give a profile about the level of rigor for the courses. This forces the college/university to use its own formula to calculate a GPA.</p>
<p>Many HS will calculate GPA differently. This include how much to weigh harder courses compared to easier courses. In order to have a better feel for the GPA colleges/universities will therefore calculate GPA their own way.</p>
<p>sorry about hijacking, but i have an admissions question as well…when you get the NMSC letter, they say you can pick 2 schools to send to that you were a high scorer on the PSAT…does sending it to Williams improve your chances by showing a high level of interest?</p>
<p>It might. You may as well send the scores to the two schools you want most to attend, unless merit money is involved. Then send the scores to a school that uses them to qualify you for a scholarship.</p>
<p>How important are test scores for admission to Williams?</p>
<p>ACT composite (33)
PSAT (220) [possible National Merit Finalist - TN had a cutoff of 215 last year]
CGPA (3.85 unweighted, 5.5 weighted)
Top 5% in competitive high school
SAT I –> M-700, CR-650, W-770, Essay - 11/12
SAT II –> Literature-700, MathII-650, Physics-580</p>
<p>I realize that a highly selective school like Williams will look at the whole package but wanted to check if the poor SAT II scores will especially hurt. </p>
<p>I don’t think the scores would prevent admission if the adcom really liked your application. As for the one really low SAT II, is there selective submission? You can certainly retake to improve the score in the 500’s. The others are fine for SAT II’s. As for the 650 CR, if you think you can do better than retake by all means. If not, then sit tight with that and hope for the best.</p>
<p>I suggest applying to Bowdoin and sending only the ACT.</p>