Hello! I’m currently a sophomore in HS, and I’m planning on applying ED to Wellesley College. I’m extremely attracted to Wellesley’s history of female empowerment, as well as the open community and diverse student body. I know I’m a bit early, but I’m looking for advice on how to maximize my chances for acceptance. Advice on how to improve my course selection or EC pursuits will be greatly appreciated!
GPA (currently): 4.3 out of 4.5 UW
APs I’ve taken/plan on taking:
Sophomore: World History (final grade = A)
Junior: U.S. History, English Literature, and Physics
Senior: English Language, Government and Politics, French, German, and Environmental Science
ECs:
Founder of nonprofit that empowers girls in science through environmental education and advocacy
Varsity debater and middle school debate mentor
Co-founder of club that works to facilitate nonpartisan student discussion on pressing political and social issues
Author of book of satirical short stories on teenage experiences (in the works and most likely self-published)
Creator of app that provides medium for creating unity (sharing happy news, how to become active in community, etc.; in the works and will most likely be published to Google Play Store)
Internships:
Yale University summer research intern in Ecology/Evolutionary Biology Dept.
Thanks for reading! Again, any advice will be greatly appreciated!
You are building a great resume! Keep up the good work. Suggestions:
You’re about 18mos away from when ED applications are due (1 Nov of your Senior year). Keep an open mind about your list of schools. Wellesley may very well be your #1 then, but it wouldn’t be surprising if another great school rose to the top of your list.
Of course you know that competitive Wellesley applicants have outstanding grades, challenged themselves with difficult classes, and achieved high scores on standardized tests. You are well on your way to meeting those standards.
For EC’s, just follow your passions. Some students make the mistake of adding EC’s simply to pad their resume…and that’s terribly obvious to admissions committees. Do the things you love because they are rewarding to you. That presents the authentic picture that admissions wants to see.
I agree with the advice to continue pursuing ECs about which you’re passionate. You have a great resume, so just keep it up.
General advice:
-Don’t miss the deadline for an admissions interview. They won’t necessarily remind you to schedule one.
-Spend quality time on your “Why Wellesley?” essay. You want to communicate what makes you a good match for the school, not tell the admissions office why Wellesley is cool (they already know all that stuff, of course). It’s a common mistake I see.
@magtf1@WendyWellesley13 Thank you both so much for the advice! I’ll definitely keep pursuing my interests in ECs and will keep my mind open when the application process begins. Good luck to both of you in HS/college/whatever else you’re doing
I’m also a HS sophomore and Wellesley happens to be one of my top choices. I’m from Toronto but can totally relate to you on the need for advice. For a number of years, I’ve spent quite some time pursuing my “passion projects”, and have managed to maintain a fairly reputable “GPA” (though this isn’t really a thing in Canada).
One thing to really watch out for is “burnout”. I ended up “spreading myself too thin” by overwhelming my schedule with various curricular activities; they were focused and meaningful, but I simply took on way more than I could humanly handle. It would hurt to see anyone experience the mistakes I went through, so do be aware of your limits.
I’ve been working hard to get my “GPA” back to where it used to be, but the damage has already been reflected on my transcript - not to mention that taking a bunch of Gr.11 Academic-level courses and Pre-IB courses isn’t easy.
Luckily, if were to aim for an institution such as the University of Toronto, only the top 6 classes of your Gr.11 year matter, so this is not the “be-all, end-all”. I’m still not sure if I’ll be able to survive the actual IB Diploma Program next year, but here’s to trying - and accomplishing our goals together.
Thanks for creating this thread, by the way. I’ve been too hesitant to post anything on this forum, but there’s something about compelling in sharing the struggles (and possibly, the joys) of college application anxiety with a fellow “Grade 10” friend, as we call it on this side of the border. :’))
@ibAmbition12@adulting101 Hey!! It’s awesome to hear from fellow 10th graders. I’m also trying not to overwhelm myself with school and ECs- it’s just not worth it. It seems that college admissions are struggling not to quantify students these days, and Wellesley stands out to me as a school that aggregates those who rise above the pressures of perfection to do even greater things; that’s why I want to attend Good luck to you! Class of 2023, maybe
