Assess My Chances of Transferring to Amherst?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Amherst College
1

<p>My situation: </p>

<p>Sophomore in college, 4.0 GPA, Biology Major
I have already received As in courses which are regarded as rigorous, though I am not sure how much this will matter to a school where these instructors are not known. </p>

<p>My major is Biology, although I am thinking of changing this to something in the Humanities or Social Sciences, while still taking science courses as I wish to go to Medical school. </p>

<p>I am strong in the humanities, writing, and public speaking, VERY weak in math, and I am worried this may be the defining factor in what holds me back. I was home-schooled in my pre-secondary school years, where I received excellent curriculum in these subjects. This is coupled with the fact that my mom is a writer. Like me, however, she is not a mathematical thinker. </p>

<p>In sports, I am a unique paradox; I am athletic, but NOT robust, in fact I have encountered numerous health problems in the past two years which for a time, compromised my physical abilities. I mention this because these events have shaped my motivation to one day become a doctor. Should I mention this in my essay or keep silent about it? This would only function to inform, not attempt to make any excuses. Despite these problems, I have managed to play in my school’s tennis team (at the club level, not varsity, mind you) and have been told my playing ability is rapidly improving.</p>

<p>As for my extracurricular qualifications:</p>

<p>I am an officer of the team, and of the College Democrats chapter at my school. I am also involved in two branches of the student government, one in charge of planning “school spirit” events such as pep-rallies, and the other in charge of lobbying the state capital in favour of students’ interests (i.e. keeping tuition levels low, energy efficiency, etc.) I helped lobby with the group in January of this year and gained great experience in communicating with local legislators. </p>

<p>I am a violinist in the local city orchestra, and have been playing in the group for 6 years, having been the youngest person in the history of the orchestra to serve on its Board of Directors. In addition to this I play piano, guitar, and bass. I began playing piano by ear when I was 8 years old and thus music has been a huge part of my life. </p>

<p>I speak Spanish, German, and some Swedish, if this is at all relevant. </p>

<p>I can get good references from faculty, people from my church, and leaders of the extracurricular organisations I am involved in.</p>

<p>I am a GOOD writer, and I have no doubt my essay will be good (not to brag of course :wink: ), but given the low acceptance rate at an institution such as Amherst, I am somewhat worried that my essay won’t even get its due attention. Also, I am a bit lost as to what factors in my life experience I should mention. I say this because I believe there are elements that make my life story something of an anomaly. </p>

<p>I write in British English form, a result of my mom’s use of British curriculum (is this relevant?)</p>

<p>I consider myself almost stereotypically preppy (if that is relevant at ALL lol).</p>

<p>I wish to study at a liberal arts college because I am attracted to the setting: smaller classes, emphasis on a broad spectrum of learning as opposed to the “prepare you for the job market” mindset of most state schools, and strong intellectual discussions with professors who can place due emphasis on facilitating true retention and application of new information. Given this, I’ve heard from many sources that Amherst is one of the best liberal arts institutions. </p>

<p>I guess my question to you is, should I apply, or do I have no shot at all? I know the odds are slim, not matter how strong my record is, so I am worried that I’m going to apply, get my hopes up, and not get in. I know the old maxim “you’ll never know if you don’t try”, but there are limits to that; what I’m getting at is…am I potential Amherst material? I’m not looking for the answer I want to hear, I’m looking for genuine perspective. Thanks everyone!</p>

<p>Have a great evening!</p>

2

<p>You stand a great chance. What are your test scores? AC doesn’t so much care for a perfect applicant as much as an intriguing individual with ambition and promise.</p>

<p>-Amherst junior</p>

3

<p>My situation:</p>

<p>First of all, I’m not a U.S. citizen. I’m doing my third year in Russia (It takes five years to get a bacherlor’s degree here, so I’m in the middle of my studies). I’m majoring in international marketing but I hope to change my major to international relations and gender studies when I transfer. </p>

<p>My school doesn’t use GPA. So far I have taken about 20 courses graded 1 through 5. I have 16 A’s, 2 B’s and 2 C’s. My cumulative college average is about 4.65 (out of 5). </p>

<p>Between my first and my second year at my Russian school I won an invitation from the International Research&Exchanges Board of the US Department of State to study in the US as an exchange student for one year. I went to community college for 2 semesters (liberal arts with concentration in international relations and gender studies) and got a GPA of 3.77. (I had no choice over which school to go in the US and I was put into community college because at the time of applying to the program I was a freshman. According to the program’s rules, all freshmen are placed into community colleges). In the US, I had an internship with the World Affairs Council of Maine. </p>

<p>I’m taking SAT this month, and I expect to score about 650 in Maths, 700 in Writing and 650 in Reading. I know it’s kind of a low score for Amherst but I hope they will take into account that I have never attended American high school. I also hope to score between 105 and 115 at TOEFL ibt. (The maximum is 120). </p>

<p>Spring 2011 semester I’m planning to study as an exchange student in Indonesia through the World Class University program, major Economics of Development. </p>

<p>I consider my extracurricular activities to be my strongest side. </p>

<p>1) I have been in the Model United Nations debate club for 3 years. One year I served as Head of Community Service Committee of the debate club. I also served as a chairperson of the Asian Pacific Model United Nations Conference organized at my school. In my first year, I went to Japan for an International Model United Nations Conference. </p>

<p>2) I served as an international relations officer of the local Rotaract club for one year. </p>

<p>3) I won 3 grants from International Research&Exchanges Board of the U.S. Department of State to organize community service events, and 1 grant from Winrock International (a program by USAIDS). </p>

<p>4) In 2010, I won a chance to represent my country at the Girls20 summit, modeled after G20 and organized by tens of NGOs in Canada. I also won a chance to act as a spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Geneva) at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Mexico. </p>

<p>5) At different times, I volunteered online for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Moscow and Community Breakthrough Support Mission in Kenya. Currently I’m online community volunteer for World Pulse, international women’s magazine. </p>

<p>This is not a full list of my extracurricular activities but I’ll stop here because I think you’ve already got an overall picture of my application. My question is, what are my chances of transferring to Amherst? I guess I’m not very competative academically, but is it reasonable to expect that my extracurricular activities will make a difference? I’m applying to Amherst not only because it’s ranked #3 liberal arts school but also because it offers need-based financial aid to international students.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone!</p>