Am I on the right track to get into Barnard next year?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Barnard College
1

I’m a high school junior (class of 2021) starting to look into colleges. I visited Barnard over the summer and can totally see myself there! Here are my stats.

Objective:

PSAT: got a 1340 last year, just took it again and I think I got 1400+ (I haven’t studied but I will for SAT, which I hope to get a 1500+ on)

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.66, with a strong increase from freshman year to sophomore year. Not included is junior year so far, which is 3.86.

Weighted GPA (out of 4.5): 4.12 (4.0 freshman year, 4.23 sophomore year, looks like it’s on the rise this year)

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): I will graduate in the top 10% at least.

AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US History, AP Language and Composition, AP Environmental Science (school only offers AP junior and senior years).

Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Calc AB, AP French or French IV Honors, Global Scholars Seminar, and an editor position at school’s award-winning newspaper, which takes up a full English class.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (projected):

  • Piano for 11 years
  • Theater for 6 years (11 shows, vocal troupe in 3, will probably get a leading role within the next two years)
  • Creative Writing Club co-founder and co-president (we’ve hosted a couple of published authors)
  • Debate Team founder and captain, 2 years
  • Mock Trial, 2 years (I hope I get an award or captain for this)
  • Spectrum (gay-straight alliance) for four years (I am likely to get leadership next year)
  • Jazz combo (more like a rock band) for 4 years, in the highest-level combo all four years
  • Model UN
  • I’ve written a complete manuscript, and have a partial one that I will probably finish soon
  • I’m working on publishing a short story of mine in a literary magazine and I think I’m getting close

Job/Work Experience:

  • Office assistant at local pediatrician’s office for 2 years
  • Counselor at middle school music camp for 2 years
  • Babysitting (helping teach English to 2 Spanish-speaking children)

Summer Activities:

  • Berklee 5-week music program, for which I was awarded a scholarship (piano)
  • Might do another program this summer
  • I might learn French IV over the summer so I can go into AP French

Essays: Writing is kind of my thing, so…I’m hoping good?

Recommendations: probably good, I’m friends with a lot of teachers (especially humanities teachers who can write really well because that’s my strong suit)

Other:

  • I got a concussion right before finals freshman year so I got horrible grades on everything which is why my GPA is so low
  • I got a school award for instrumental music and best French II Honors student. I also won an award for best short story in the sophomore class (we all had to write short stories for English class)

Applied for Financial Aid?: I will
Intended Major: Political Science, English with a minor in Creative Writing
State (if domestic applicant): MA
School Type: Private college prep school
Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: Middle class

Strengths: I test pretty well, so my SAT will probably be strong (98 or 99 percentile). I think I’ve got decent extracurriculars? I’m also fortunate that my writing skills are strong so my essays will probably be good.

Weaknesses: My GPA is okay, but not great; however, I’ve taken a super challenging course load every year, and I had that concussion that seriously took my GPA down like .1 freshman year. I’ve also had a very strong trend upward, and would probably be in the running for salutatorian (we’ve got one person who’s definitely valedictorian unless they really mess up junior and senior year).

2

Forgot to mention:

  • I won a writing fellowship at school.
  • I’m public outreach for my school’s democrats club.

And a clarification: in the last paragraph, I meant to say that I would be in the running for salutatorian IF I hadn’t had my concussion because my grades have been very good otherwise.

3

Looks like you are working hard and are pursuing some passions. That is great. I am wondering what science classes you are taking and what your manuscript is about.

4

I’m going to drop science senior year because it’s only possible to take five classes and I think for me Global Scholars will be more valuable since I’m marketing myself as a humanities student. Will that significantly decrease my chances of admission? Also my completed manuscript is a fiction novel with a lot of political themes (class divides, propaganda, human rights violations).

5

Barnard material states a preference for 4 years of math and science. I am wondering if you have taken Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. However, this is a choice that you can explain on the common application supplement. it sounds like you have a passion for writing and global and political issues. Make that point in your application. The admit rates for Barnard are so low, that that I can only say that your chance for admission is 10%. As you reflect on what makes Barnard appealing, find some other colleges that would also meet your needs. Aim for 5 matches and 2 or 3 safeties. You look like a self motivated, and intellectually orientated student (given the assumption that your pursuits are intrinsically motivated). You will find a great college community. What other colleges are you thinking about?

6

We have a program at my school called Integrated Science for the first two years of high school. It’s essentially Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in two years. I took both courses at the honors level. The school does offer AP Bio, AP Chem, and AP Physics for junior and senior year, but I’m take AP Environmental Science because my plate is too full and our AP science courses all have a reputation of being incredibly difficult, except APES, which is about as difficult as an honors course. I’m thinking about a few other schools in NYC (NYU, Columbia maybe), Wellesley, maybe Amherst, and a probably couple other Ivies (I’m visiting Brown soon). I’ve got a few safeties lined up, (Emerson, Sarah Lawrence, UMass Amherst). I am a legacy at Conn College (mother, father, and grandmother all went there) so I’ll probably apply there too.