Applying to Hamilton College [My Chances?]

I am applying Early Decision I to Hamilton College. It has been my top choice since my sophomore year; I signed up for their mailing list in early 2015 and did a campus tour summer of '16. Lately I have been nervous about my chances. I’ve never made a post like this before, so tell me if I’ve done this wrong.

Also applying to: Cornell College (second choice/safety), Cornell University, Southwestern University, University of Houston (safety).

About:

  • IB student
  • White
  • Female
  • From Texas
  • Competitive high school (top 10 in TX, top 100 in the US)
  • Major: Classics, potential double major with History.
  • Lesbian (should I mention this…?)
  • Will hopefully do an interview for Hamilton; already did an interview for Cornell College.
  • Needs financial aid
  • Disabled (diagnosed diplopia & ADHD - but should I mention this? I’ve never gotten testing accommodations or anything.)

Grades:

  • GPA: Unweighted 3.48, Weighted 4.54
  • Class Rank: 231 / 639

Test Scores:

  • ACT: 32
    E:35 | M: 27 | R:32 | S: 32 | W: 29
  • SAT: 1410
    Reading: 740 | Math: 670

AP Tests:

  • APUSH: 5
  • AP Euro: 4
  • AP Eng. Lit: 5
  • AP Statistics: N/A

IB Tests:

  • Bio SL
  • European History HL
  • English HL
  • Visual Arts HL
  • Latin SL
  • Math Studies SL

Senior Year classes:

  • IB European History II
  • IB English IV
  • IB Latin IV
  • IB Visual Arts II
  • IB Theory of Knowledge (1st semester)
  • IB Math Studies (2nd semester)
  • AP Statistics
  • Forensic Science
  • Art IV: Sculpture III (which is a placeholder for Art V: Ceramics IV lol)

Main Extracurriculars:

  • Academy Ambassadors (working with students, parents, and business professionals to educate and unite the community.)
    Role: Governing Team Ambassador (equivalent to co-President).
    Duration: 10th, 11th, 12th.
  • [My District] Council of the Arts (staff, business partners, and student representatives deciding district funding, programming, events, etc.)
    Role: Student Representative for my school (appointed), Fundraising board founding member.
    Duration: 10th, 11th, 12th.
  • International Baccalaureate Student Organization
    Role: IBSO Citizenship Committee leader, member; blog journalist. (Educate students about current events.)
    Duration: 11th, 12th.
  • Ceramics Club
    Role: Treasurer
    Duration: 11th, 12th.
  • Other clubs: National Honors Society, National Art Honors Society, Breakdancing Club, Fencing Club.
  • Jobs: Full-time Nanny (summers of 2015 and 2016), gardener (3 years), babysitter (5 years).

Misc:

  • Awards/Certifications: [My District] Student Volunteer of the Year, 2015 & 2016, Soft Skills Certified 2014-16, National Merit Commended Student, AP Scholar, Adobe Photoshop CS6 Certified.
  • Recommendations: Teachers: English (11th & 12th), Latin (all grades); Other: School Admin (Academy Ambassador director; 10th, 11th, & 12th), Art Teacher (all grades).
  • Essay: It’s about this camp that I’ve gone to for 7 years. Everyone who’s read it likes it, so I’m not worried.
  • Volunteer Work: 100+ hours through Academy Ambassador program/Council of the Arts, led district-wide & school-wide Soft Skills workshops, political activism through the Support Texas Adoptee Rights organization, History tutor, CAS (for IB).

Most of the “Chance me” stuff I’ve seen are people with 3.8+ GPAs and like a 35 on the ACT. I am really dedicated to & passionate about my extracurriculars & am on track to get my IB diploma so hopefully that makes up for my average GPA/rank.

Thank you for your time!!

You show some nice humanities scores (your APs in particular) and, presumably, dedication. Hamilton will be a very challenging admit, though it would be for most anyway. Go for it.

(As opinion, sexual orientation issues and disabilities should not be mentioned unless they define your core identity to the point where you feel compelled to introduce them.)