I just graduated from a private Jesuit high school and I am taking a gap year. I was looking at schools with strong finance programs and Boston College has really caught my eye. I was wondering what chances of getting in here are, and whether I should consider BC a reach or a target.
Here are my stats:
-3.5 UW
-4.0 W
-6 APs: Literature (4), Language and composition (4), French (5), Gov (4), US History (4), Calc AB (2) oops
-33 ACT (34E, 34M, 34R, 30S) looking to superscore, could probably get up to a 34
-Upward trend through high school (3.3 GPA–> 3.3 GPA–> 3.65 GPA–> 3.75 GPA)
ECs:
-Eagle Scout
-4 years of crew (captain senior year)
-100 hours of volunteering
-70 of which were with an organization that the mentally challenged (did my Eagle project there)
-Work at a concert hall, work nearly every show and there are 40 shows in a year
Gap year:
-interning at a startup for 6 months, will be doing finance related work
-traveling for 3 months
-helping out Boy Scout troop
Anyways, thanks for taking the time to look at my post.
I’d say BC is bordering on a target or low reach for you. The gap year experience is a big plus and my help tip the scales – and it looks like it will also be enriching and rewarding for you! Mind you, CSOM is very selective (as is BC generally, but even more so) so it is not a lock by any means, particularly with your GPA.
The upward trend is great but if you’re not within the top 10% of your class, that will likely be a ding. I’m assuming that you go to a well-resourced school (1. Crew… lol and 2. Gap years are a thing). If your school is the type that sends tons of kids to top schools, top 10% might not be as essential. For additional context: did you take the most rigorous course load available to you? At my school, the top academic students took between 8 and 12 APs plus a few summer dual enrollment classes (myself included) so 5 APs wouldn’t be considered “most rigorous courseload” at my school but it may be at yours. Also, you took what are widely considered the easier APs and failing Calc (I got a 2, too, but not a finance major) might not look to good. In sum, if your counselor cannot check off “most rigorous courseload” this will also be a ding.
As far as superscoring ACT, you certainly have time to prepare. A 34 will obviously look better than a 33. I believe BC’s median ACT is around a 32, so I’d assume your 33 is about the median for CSOM, and a 34 would be above-average.
All of that said, with your upward trend, solid scores, and Gap year experiences, your application shows a real progression. Write killer essays that demonstrate your passion for service and your history of contributing to your community, get good LOR (including a supplemental letter from your gap year boss), and I’d say you’re closer to a match.
Also, “intellectually disabled” is probably preferable to “mentally challenged.” The latter isn’t really considered offensive, but it isn’t the widely accepted term. So if you choose to write about those experiences I’d use that term instead.
Thanks for replying. As for the mentally challenged vs. intellectually disabled, the former was the one that the people at the organization actually used, but I’ll definitely keep in mind to use other terms.
