Chance a junior who desperately wants to get in!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
1

<p>Okay so I'm a junior now and Swarthmore is my top pick. Once on the campus I fell in love with it immediately. any chance?</p>

<p>Interested in majoring in political science/french and pursuing a job at the UN or in the federal government (maybe state department?)
gender: male
ethnicity: caucasian</p>

<p>GPA: 101.365 (weighted)
Rank: 1/560
Go to a suburban Philadelphia high school school that's adequately competitive.</p>

<p>SAT: 2110 (first time, taking them again in march)
math-660
reading-720
writing-730
probably going to take SAT II's in english literature and US history (maybe french?)
ACTs soon</p>

<p>Current courses:
APUSH
AP Calc AB
Honors Chem
French 4 (no honors available)
Honors English 11 (AP not available til next yr)
World Affairs seminar minor</p>

<p>next yr:
AP French
AP Statistics
AP English
Gifted Microbiology
Dual Credit Ancient World Civilizations
Dual Credit Modern World Civilizations
Independent AP Comparative Politics</p>

<p>Note: my school doesn't let you take AP's until 11th grade and some (like english and language ones) aren't available til 12th grade. Also, for some classes like AP Chem they require you to get an A in honors chem so the process for taking APs is totally stupid. O, and they don't offer a bunch of APs either so the ones I'm taking pretty much reflect the offerings, except for the science ones, AP Calc BC, and AP Pysch.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars</p>

<p>9th
freshmen band
full concert band
marching band- won ACC championships
JV boys tennis
Model United Nations-founding memeber
school newspaper</p>

<p>10th
marching band- won ACC championships
full concert band
wind ensemble
Varsity boys tennis
Model Uinted Nations-president
school newspaper- news section editor
Varsity academic team- won regionals and 10th at states
member of school board strategic planning committee</p>

<p>11th
varsity boys tennis
varsity academic team
cultural awareness club
model united nations-president
school newspaper- still news section editor</p>

<p>projected for 12th
varsity boys tennis
varsity academic team
cultural awareness club officer
school newspaper editor-in-chief
student school board representative
model united nations-president
NHS (applying now)</p>

<p>volunteering
will have close to 40 hours of a charity 5k race by application time
10-15 hours of youth group service</p>

<p>other activities:
play clarinet at church every sunday
youth group
have had a job since summer after sophmore year</p>

<p>Programs:
will attend presidential classroom seminar for communications and journalism this summer</p>

<p>any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>I'm also thinking about Columbia, Penn, Colgate, Hamilton, University of Richmond (I know i'm reaching a little with some of them)</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

2

<p>Hi! You sound a lot like me during my junior year- falling in love with Swat and then worriedly thinking, "Ahh! Can I actually get in here?" </p>

<p>So here's what I suggest: it sounds like you're on the right track with the classes and the extracurriculars, but Swat cares a LOT about how you'll fit here more than anything else, in my experience. They'll want to know what these activities mean to you, especially since you've got so many- which is fantastic, but they also want to know what you put into them and how they affect you in return. </p>

<p>Visit more, since you're nearby, and definitely do an overnight stay! It'll give you more information and you'll probably be able to tell how you, personally, might do at Swat, both inside and outside of academics.</p>

<p>That's really all I can suggest- I'm not really a chance threads-ing person, so I'm really sorry if this isn't quite the answer you were hoping for! However, you sound quite excited about Swarthmore, so I really wanted to give you a response. :)</p>

3

<p>I really don't know enough about Swat admissions to say whether or not you can get in. It certainly looks like you've got the stats to at least be competitive. The one thing I wanted to mention is that I notice you play music. Swat has a very good music department and they're always interested in new people. If you're good (not like, considering going to a conservatory, but, you know, people enjoy hearing you play) you should send in a tape of your clarinet-playing. It could really help your application.</p>

4

<p>I definitely was thinking about how to explain my ec's. And I welcome the suggestion about clarinet. I mean I'm not amazing but I know some people who like to hear me play.</p>

<p>Basically the fact that no one has told me that I don't stand a chance is the best part.</p>

5

<p>definitely in, dont even worry about it</p>

6

<p>I can understand your concern. My son had many similarities to your scores and background (and geography), and he was accepted. Since Swat takes so few people, I agree with the suggestion to not only stay overnight, but also to find that skill or talent you have that will enhance the community. It may be the clarinet. Go talk to people there. Remember that in the smaller schools like Swat, they are really looking at the individual. Good luck!</p>

7

<p>Your class rank makes you a solid Swarthmore applicant. My one concern, in reading your "stats", is that no one EC is really jumping off the page. You are going to need to give some thought about what you want to feature on your app and how.</p>

<p>Are you a good enough tennis player to play on a college team? If that's a possibility, you should schedule a day to drive over and meet the Swarthmore tennis coaches.</p>

<p>Likewise, if you want music to be your "thing" you need to submit a music sample. Again, the best bet is to go spend time meeing the music department folk.</p>

<p>These things will help you learn about the college and do a better job on your application.</p>

<p>I'm curious about your "throwaway" line about having a job. If you mean a job summers and during the school year, that's something you may want to bring out some way in your application. That's could be a plus.</p>

<p>If you can think of something to do this summer that would take one of your interests (music? tennis?) to another level -- perhaps mentoring or coaching or teaching in a volunteer setting -- that would go a long way towards giving you a little more cohesive package to write essays about and so forth.</p>

8

<p>I don't see a hook</p>

9

<p>Interesteddad, as always, has some fabulous advice- drop by Swat and speak with specific departments. (Definitely try and chat with some of the music department faculty if you can. The administrative coordinator, Bernadette Dunning, is absolutely wonderful and she'll give you plenty of information on music at Swat!) Talking with them will give you an idea of what you'd like to possibly focus on in the near future, since you'll see how they might affect your time at Swat. </p>

<p>And don't forget to talk to some Swatties as well when you visit! We can give you advice too on what to do and how to get through searching for colleges/applying to Swat. </p>

<p>Also, when is Junior Visit Day? Has registration ended for that yet? I did that as a junior and loved it.</p>

10

<p>yeah I have noticed a lack of a "hook"</p>

<p>-To interesteddad my job is all round so that might be a plus</p>

<p>umm i didn't mention this but I have set up a formal blog recently where I've been writing a lot about politics along with my friend. My goal this summer was to send a really good post into some newspapers to see if i could get an editorial published. (in all honesty I would want my "spark" to come from writing- I plan on working for the newspaper at Swarthmore too. Maybe I'll see if I can visit them at some point during the year?!)</p>

<p>In addition, I live in a neighborhood with a lot of elementary and middle-school kids and (some) overactive parents. Since I'm a good student I'm also thinking about tutoring some of them over the summer on a voluntary basis.</p>

<p>would this look better?</p>

11

<p>erik:</p>

<p>Now, we are getting somewhere! </p>

<p>Writing is fine. Your newspaper EC stuff is good except that you need to "bring it to life" in a way that makes your application stand out from all the other newspaper editors Swarthmore gets. The political blogging adds another dimension. Colleges really like to see the standard high school "stuff" (i.e. academics, newspaper ECs, etc.) extend beyond the school day. They want to see real live breathing teeanagers doing things above and beyond school ECs just because they are interested. Blogging is a perfect way to 'extend' the newspaper EC in that fashion.</p>

<p>You assignment, then, becomes to learn about the Phoenix, the Daily Gazette, the many blogs found at the Swarthmore news site or admissions site (there are some really good ones this year!). Then, read a little bit about this guy who is often credited with inventing the personal blog while a student at Swarthmore:</p>

<p>Justin</a> Hall - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>

<p>You probably want at least one of your essays to be about blogging and/or the tie between blogging and newspaper editing so that you highlight this as your main interest both in high school and projecting forward to Swarthmore. Swarthmore needs to identify students who will be gung ho to write for the Phoenix and the Gazette and perhaps do a first-year blog for admissions.]</p>

<hr>

<p>Oh and working year-round while posting the kind of academic numbers you have put on the board is definitely a BIG plus. You need to figure out a way to highlight that in your application or essays. Colleges get so many silver spoon applicants who have never worked a day in their lives at a grunt job. That sort of thing stands out in good way.</p>

12

<p>don't run your life just to get into Swarthmore. Be yourself
and just let them know who you are.</p>

13

<p>Thanks a lot for your help interesteddad!</p>

<p>Those ideas are great! I really do feel that writing/blogging is one of my strongest interests. If all goes well, I'd definitely be interested in continuing to blog at Swarthmore. I will be sure to mention that in an application essay.</p>

<p>I agree that my job is another important aspect to mention. In my own experience I agree that many kids do not have the real-world experience that I have.</p>

<p>Thanks again to everyone that responded! I'm relatively new to CC so I was amazed that people took interest in me. Even in my short time here, I have noticed that interesteddad is very highly respected and I have to say that your advice has been incredibly helpful. Even though I like my school counselor, this type of help and advice has really made me feel more confident about my applications later next year.</p>

14

<p>You definitely have very competitive stats, but I also notice the lack of a hook. You have fantastic EC's, but no one area jumps out as your area of expertise.
It could just be the way things are grouped, though, so don't worry too much about it. As long as the people in admissions can see that you've flourished in your environment, and that you're truly PASSIONATE about something, I think you'll be good!
I'm a prospective Swattie as well, but for this year--and in talking to Jim Bock and the students, that's what I got. :)</p>

15

<p>if you don't do ed, you have absolutely no chance, and even that is iffy. 2110? recruited athletes and diversity students score higher. 1/560? who here isn't 1/??? sorry bro, you think the other schools are a reach? you need a really tall ladder for this one. at least columbia and penn may need marching band-ers for their football teams (there's your hook, unfortunately walking tuba players aren't in high demand at swat.</p>

16

<p>I will give you a much more positive answer. The thing that jumped out to me was the school newspaper. I think that is your hook. Do you want to continue that in college? If so, let Swarthmore know about that. Maybe stop by the Swarthmore College paper on your visit. I bet Interesteddad could tell you more about that. Having gone through the whole process with S2, I know that Swarthmore is really looking for students who are passionate about Swarthmore. They are looking for more than just high scores, they are looking for a well rounded student body. I bet I heard that 100 times throughout the process. On a side note regarding the passion about Swarthmore, my son only wanted Swarthmore clothes to wear for Christmas and wears his Swarthmore hoody everyday. He is incredibly proud he will be a Swattie in the fall. I think you have a great chance of getting in if you show this passion.</p>

17

<p>Erik:</p>

<p>I disagree strenuously with post #15. I don't know whether you will get accepted to Swarthmore or not. Like with most applicants, it will come down to many factors that none of us can judge (essays and so forth). However, you are certainly a credible, competitive applicant. Your academic stats are solid. Your test scores are about average; your class rank is above average. Class rank is more important.</p>

<p>Of course, you want to cover your bases with some match and safety schools less selective than Swarthmore, but I see no reason to think you have "no chance" at Swarthmore -- and I am NOT a fan of pie-in-the-sky applications.</p>

18

<p>And just in case, a few other schools that appeal to some who like Swat:</p>

<p>Carleton, Grinnell, Oberlin, Reed, U Chicago.</p>

19

<p>thanks a lot for the positive answers. I realize that my test scores may not be above average. I'm working on them okay! But I feel that post 15 was an incredibly waste of energy to try and deter me from at least attempting something I've dreamt about for a long, long time. I'll definitely seek out the school newspaper on my visit and make sure that my application essays are stellar.</p>

20

<p>whoa dude, if you can't handle the truth, don't start a chances thread. read #15 carefully before getting all pouty. i'm the only one who has offered you any concrete advice. if swat is your top pick as you say it is, then you better go ed otherwise your stats will relegate you to the "rather forgettable" file. also, don't fall for the newspaper "hook." it's not a hook, it's a hobby! a hook is diversity status, possibly a disability, a superior accomplishment, a recruited athlete and yeah, maybe a walking trombone player if the marching band is going to be short one next year during the football games. swat will not accept you because you like to "blog." it sounds to me like you're just one of those kids who have decent numbers and want to show off a bit on this board. trust me, your stats are boring. aside from a discovery student (and sometimes even if you are) or a recruited athlete (and sometimes even if you are), almost everyone here was number 1 in their class (which is the only thing in your original post that might warrant a look) or damn close to it. also, it wasn't a waste of energy, it was a public service.</p>