<p>I would like to know if I have a chance at BC. I am a junior at an average public high school. Rank at end of sophomore year was 17/142 (could move up a few spots this year)and GPA is around 3.9 uw. I will take 3 of the 4 APs offered at my school next year…Calc, Chem and Physics. I will not be taking AP English. I got a 28 on the ACT last Oct. with no prep and will try to boost it over 30 in June by taking a prep course and several practice tests.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars/Leadership:</p>
<p>Sophomore Class President
Junior Class President
Student Body Vice President this year
Student Body President next year
Marching Band 11, 12 (Section leader 12)
Symphonic Band 9-12 (Percussion section leader 9-12)
Jazz Band 1 - 11, 12
Drums and Piano accompanist for church 9-12
Piano 11 years (Instructor is music instructor at Carleton College in MN)
Regional drumline in summer - for fun
Football 9
Cross Country 10-12
Basketball 9-12 - probable captain next year
Baseball 9-12 (varsity 10-12; captain 11, 12; varsity mvp 10)
Deca 11, 12 - state contest qualifier 11
4th grade Religious Ed Instructor/Catechist
National Honor Society 11, 12
Local Bank junior board president
Miscellaneous volunteer work that adds up to 200 or more hours</p>
<p>I’m sure I may have left something out, but you get the gist of how the app would look. I appreciate any suggestions/chances. Thanks!</p>
<p>your app sounds pretty impressive lol-- im interested in BC too, and have about the same accomplishments except i go to a private school. my school sets us up with naviance accounts? idk if you can do it without the school doing it for you, but it’s worth looking into. it stacks all your scores up against any school you want. collegeboard is good too.
hope all goes well :)</p>
<p>Dear Number47 : Certainly your profile has “lots of meat” in the extra curriculars, but the academics need to be the lead story for a Top 30 school and a 28 ACT is not going to get the job done as a score solidly in the bottom quartile of BC’s acceptance profile. </p>
<p>While your 3.9 GPA is strong, the lack of AP exams (despite it being your school’s restriction) could pose a problem. Yes, Boston College will examine your class rigor in that context, but you still have not seen a college level equivilent course or sat for an exam on the AP level. </p>
<p>Also with more than 10% of your high school class sporting a 3.9 GPA or better, this could be a sign of grade inflation in concert with the lack of AP coursework. We are only flagging the weak spots in your opening paragraph; should you be able to bolster your case here, that would be useful.</p>
<p>Thank you for the responses. I knew the biggest hurdle would be the lack of rigor in high school coursework offered, so any suggestions on how to compensate for that, if it’s possible, would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>How much would it impact my application if I can score a 32 on the ACT?</p>
<p>AP classes separate the boys from the men. I know kids who got A’s through their whole life and have c’s and d’s in AP Bio and Chem. (those are the two that i am in). That is not to scare you, because there are also kids getting A’s. Its just that you really gotta work hard for them.</p>
<p>47, to answer your question about the 32, it will help A LOT. Although, yes, BC looks at everything in your application, a sub 25th percentile ACT score will prob not get you in. </p>
<p>A 32, above the average, will be a bright spot in an already good application.</p>