Another Chance Thread?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
1

<p>Another chance thread. I've read a lot of these and they started to annoy me, but now I suddenly feel a strong urge to see what others will respond with. I'd really appreciate anyone's input. I'm already planning to apply, but I'd just like to know what people thought and have some idea of where to place my hopes.</p>

<p>Race: Caucasian
I go to a public high school in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Rank: School doesn't rank, but probably in top 10%
GPA (UW): 3.83 GPA (W): 4.53</p>

<p>AP Classes:
AP American Government - 10th (5)
AP English Language - 11th (5)
AP World History - 11th (5)
AP Chemistry - 11th (5)
AP English Literature - 12th
AP Music Theory - 12th
AP Caclulus AB - 12th
My school offers most of the APs, so this isn't particularly impressive.</p>

<p>Current schedule:
Honors Physics
AP Music Theory
AP Literature
AP Calc AB
Honors Orchestra (been taking since freshman year)
Honors French 5
Computer Programming 1 (I need a tech credit to graduate)</p>

<p>SAT:
Reading: 750
Math: 760
Writing: 770
Total: 2280</p>

<p>SAT IIs:
Chemistry: 710
Math 2: 740
World History: 790</p>

<p>ECs:
Mock Trial 9th-12th
Local Youth Orchestra (violin) 9th-10th (I did it all through middle school as well)
School Improv Troupe (co-founded in 10th grade, been a member since then)
Pit Orchestra for musicals (violin – got to play electric once too ^_^) 9th-11th, deciding between cast and pit for this year
School Play 11th-12th (significant roles)
Actor in senior project plays 10th-12th
Various improv classes 10th-11th
Violin lessons (since 3rd grade)
Philosophy Club 12th
Lead in student-run community play 11th
Actor in Traveling Shakespeare Troupe (summers before 11th and 12th grade)</p>

<p>Community Service:
None, really... I have participated in a cleanup of Rock Creek Park, though, at the end of 10th grade, but that lasted about 3 or 4 hours.</p>

<p>Job Experience:
None. I did intern with the organization that runs the traveling Shakespeare troupe for one week the first summer and then two weeks the second. And next summer I'm going to be working fulltime there helping younger groups.</p>

<p>I'm also a national merit scholarship semifinalist, and I'll have pretty good recs from my teachers, and an amazing rec from the woman who runs the Traveling Players Ensemble (the organization I mentioned).</p>

<p>I'm worried about my community service and job experience... I could've done much, much more than I have, and I think that reflects pretty badly on me. And, while I've done a lot of stuff outside of school, I haven't gotten awards or competed or anything like some of the other people who've been posting have. Are these really big factors at Swarthmore?</p>

<p>My interests are chemistry/physics and theatre. I think I want to major in chemistry or physics and either minor or, if that's not possible, double major in theatre.</p>

<p>So... what do you think?</p>

2

<p>Adam:</p>

<p>I think you are going to have to put the spurs to your theater stuff and ride it for all it's worth.</p>

<p>Have you done an overnight visit? Met with the theater department? Found out what you need to do to provide a DVD of your acting? Read up on Veritigo-go (or better yet go to a performance. Immerse yourself in theater at Swarthmore before writing your application.</p>

<p>You've got a fine transcript, test scores, etc. But, from what you've presented, the acting is your best shot to stand out from a big stack of applicants with fine transcripts. I would recommend a full-court press on that...visiting, essays, etc. Try to become "theater guy" to the admissions office.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>I estimate your chances at 68%.</p>

4

<p>Thanks! Interesteddad, do you think I should still tell Swarthmore that I want to major in chemistry and/or physics with a minor in theatre (or maybe double major)? Or should I advertise myself primarily as a theatre major?</p>

<p>One of the other schools I'm looking at is Reed, and someone on the forum told me that minors didn't exist there and that double majors are very difficult. Do you know Swarthmore's policy on this?</p>

<p>Again, thanks! I'll definitely check out Vertigo-go and see if it would be possible to make an acting DVD... my biggest role was not, I think, captured on film (Creon in Antigone)... so I really only have footage of myself being a creepy, horny, crazy old man :-P.</p>

5

<p>My daughter is now a freshman at Swarthmore. From her reports on the place, I'm quite sure that Swarthmore students, faculty, and staff would really appreciate an applicant who could successfully play a creepy, horny, crazy old man. Go for it, Adam! :)</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
...do you think I should still tell Swarthmore that I want to major in chemistry and/or physics with a minor in theatre (or maybe double major)? Or should I advertise myself primarily as a theatre major?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Doesn't matter that much, one way or the other. It's not what you list as your prospective major as much as the totality of the application -- what you choose to highlight with your extracurriculars, essays, recommendations, etc.</p>

<p>It's all about trying to look at what you have been interested in and match it up with something Swarthmore might be looking for.</p>

<p>The Theater program offers both a major and a minor. Lots of Swarthmore students double-major every year. How hard that is depends on the requirements for the two majors...some are more time-consuming that others (labs, etc.). Fortunately, you don't have to decide that until you've got nearly two years of college under your belt.</p>

<p>BTW, I don't know whether submitting a DVD would help or not. The key is to get in touch with the Theater department and ask those sorts of questions. It's the perfect setup -- you get to legitimately snoop around and find out if theater at Swarthmore is right for you while at the same time making yourself known and emphasizing something that might stand out in the stack of applications and demonstrating interest in Swarthmore. You are so close, that it would be easy to do an overnight and set up a time to meet with the chair of the Theater department, do to a Theater workshop class, or whatever.</p>

7

<p>Definitely come visit and talk to the theatre department. I just hosted a spec who was into theatre and she found it really easy to set up a meeting and all - if you show your interest for theatre on Swat campus as much as you can, you can emphasize your other interests then too. Advertise yourself however you like as long as you can back it up. :] Your numbers and everything are perfectly within Swat-range: you just need to make yourself stand out!</p>

8

<p>Thanks for all the responses :-). I'll definitely plan an overnight. Previously I had thought of overnights as ways for you to get to know the college, and I didn't realize that it went the other way too.</p>

<p>I'm going to start researching for my Why Swarthmore essay soon, too. Thanks for all your input, guys!</p>

9

<p>Almost all my friends are planning on doing double majors –– most in completely unrelated fields: Chemistry / Spanish, Physics / English, Russian / Math.... the list goes on.</p>

10

<p>You can double-major at Swarthmore. From what I heard 4 years ago, there are no such thing as double-major at Reed.</p>

11

<p>Double major is possible at Reed,</p>

<p><a href="http://web.reed.edu/academic/gbook/acad_pol/study_options.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://web.reed.edu/academic/gbook/acad_pol/study_options.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>but most consider it exceedingly difficult in four years.</p>

12

<p>My friend's brother DOUBLE-MAJORED in the HONORS PROGRAM and he said that he was so overwhelmed with work that he didn't really enjoy his time at Swarthmore.</p>

13

<p>What is with the caps?</p>

<p>Anyways, double majoring, even within the honors program, is fairly common here. The bigger problem for people seems to be that you are capped in the number of minors/majors you can have.</p>