<p>I don't have many volunteer hours, but that is due to my devotion to wrestling--in addition to the season in which I am either practicing 2 hours every day during the week, at a dual, or at an all day tournament every day, I also attend a wrestling school in the fall and lift during the spring and summer. This summer I also volunteered for 6 weeks in Paraguay--best experience of my life!! Anyways, here are my stats. I recently retook the ACT and am expecting at least a 32, if not a 33--I will update when I get the score.My schedule is also most rigorous, with 4 APs and 2 honors classes this year. If you need any further information, don't hesitate to ask!</p>
<p>Student:</p>
<p>User Name: WiscoKid
Gender: M
Location: Madison, WI
College Class Year: 2015
High School: Public
High School Type: sends some grads to top schools
Will apply for financial aid: Yes</p>
<p>Academics:</p>
<p>GPA - Unweighted: 3.98
Class Rank: top 5%
Class Size: 500</p>
<p>Scores:</p>
<p>SAT I Math: 690
SAT I Critical Reading: 690
SAT I Writing: 670
ACT: 31</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:</p>
<p>Significant Extracurriculars: -NHS
-Spanish Honors Society President
-Worked over the summer at Pizza Hut
-Worked for a month in the summer at the UW-Madison physics department as a student assistant
-Sports reporter for school newspaper
Leadership positions: -Captain of the wrestling team
-President of Spanish Honors Society
Athletic Status - list sport and your level: -Wrestling V
-Track & field JV
Volunteer/Service Work: -Amigos de las Americas (Volunteer program which sends high school/college aged students to poor rural communities in latin america for 6-8 weeks during the summer Welcome — AMIGOS).
-30 hours at a Jewish preschool
-30 hours at Jewish Social Services
Honors and Awards: -Honor Roll every semester
-Most dedicated freshman wrestler
-2X (hopefully 3)Most dedicated overall wrestler
-5th place wrestling conference
-Captain of the wrestling team</p>
<p>Just a parent here, but maybe I can help. D helps with prospective students (“prospies”) as a tour guide, on panels etc. She herself took many tours, had many interviews and visited across the country before landing at CMC, and knowing what else is out there, she couldn’t be happier.</p>
<p>She said scores actually came up on the outdoor pre-orientation trip and while she doesn’t talk about hers…others did and she noticed that they did vary. I remember she said one guy was a little embarrassed about his being on the low end (lower than yours, which are very good, by the way) and she told him that he obviously had other strong points. Your scores just need to be in the ballpark.</p>
<p>I know when we ‘officially’ visited it was an off day and my D was the only student at the info session. It was just her and the admissions counselor. He really emphasized leadership and I don’t see how you will have any trouble showing that side of you, given your activities. Just make sure that your recommenders have all of that information and highlight your leadership qualities as well! D is not a ‘traditional’ leader. She chose not to do student gov, etc. But she did lead in the activities she was involved in, as you seem to do. That’s all you can do with such a packed schedule.</p>
<p>I think CMC will love you…the wrestling is a perfect fit and you are captain. They have many, many athletes and will get your schedule. They should like that you are from Wisconsin (right?) and it looks like you have some volunteer hours, other that the summer in Paraguay…which is interesting. Your rank and gpa are great. The rigor of your schedule is important. And you have work experience.</p>
<p>Honestly, CMC is very selective, but I think you have a great shot. Retake the test if you want…write a great essay. I think you are in very good shape. Congratulations on your accomplishments and good luck! I know D would love to have someone like you as a classmate.</p>
<p>WiscoKid… Impressive record, nice work. Critter had some good thoughts, and I’ll add a couple new ones.</p>
<p>First, as you probably know, CMC is very hard to get into, and many outstanding applicants get rejected or waitlisted. My S is a freshman at CMC this year, and your record is similar to his. However, I know applicants with better records (at least, on paper) than either of you, and they didn’t get in. Frankly, who gets in and who doesn’t looks almost random to me. I’ve heard their admissions staff say more than once that their “waitlisted” applicants are indistinguishable from their “admits”.</p>
<p>Second, the single most important thing you can do to increase your odds of admission is to write great essays. When my S received his acceptance letter, the Dean of Admissions handwrote “Great application… especially your essays”. Your academic and extracurriuclar record will look very similar to most of the applicants. It’s your essays that will set you apart. On your common ap essay, the key is to paint a picture about yourself that only you could paint. They want to know who you really are. On your “leadership” essay, don’t write about cliched picks like MLK or JFK. I heard an admissions officer say that he would slit his wrists if he had to read one more essay on Mother Theresa. Find someone unique who personally speaks to you. You want the admissions officer to think, “Oh, good… this sounds interesting.”</p>
<p>Third, does CMC have a wrestling team or program? If it does, and you’d like to continue wrestling, it’s a big advantage. A high % of CMC’ers are members of an athletic team. The school seems drawn to athletes, and there are many spots to fill on their teams. </p>
<p>Although I have not yet begun my essay, I have been thinking about it for almost a month now, and I think I am going to write about me advising Beowulf. We just read it in my english class, and I think it would be a fun essay to write.</p>
<p>And I don’t believe they do, but I would not participate in wrestling in college–it’s one of those things that you just reach a point where you can’t do it anymore</p>
<p>WISCOKID HEY!!! Congrats on upping the ACT score you’ve really done well for yourself. Here’s what sticks out for me about your resume:
Summer job at Pizza Hut - this is great because CMC kids love pizza. We have a round table here so how does that make you feel? Make sure youre comfortable with all aspects of whatever college you choose. also, a pizza hut in montclair is a popular first job for cmc grads so you might be able to use your current networking within the pizza hut system. just thought you should know.
Weightlifting experience - do you watch jersey shore? because cmc kids love the js (as we call it) almost as much as we love pizza.
Most dedicated wrestler - Did you really win that twice! Dang! Pretty impressive! </p>
<p>So regarding your chances of being admitted into the Stag Nation, 4.7% at best. Good luck with the admissions process and hope you get your third “most dedicated wrestler award.” We’re all pullin’ for ya!</p>
<p>Parent57, I’ll have you know that reading this thread and your responses made me laugh and singlehandedly convinced me to sign up and start helping the others here give well informed, balanced advice. </p>
<p>Thank you for your unfailing loyalty to the CMC cause and the audacity with which you defend it. You are amusing. Wisco- I disagree with Villagerboy’s assessment of your resume. Your numbers are, from my extensive experience with CMC students, solid.</p>
<p>Parent57- please don’t change who you are and don’t give up the good fight. There won’t be a new episode of Family Guy for at least another two weeks and I need something to make me laugh until then.</p>
<p>I see that some replies have been more helpful than others. gtdawg wrote what I was thinking about great essays. I think even more than a great essay, though, it is about fit at CMC. That was what my D’s acceptance comment was about and what was stressed repeatedly during her visits as a prospective student. She says that she sees it mentioned over and over again now that she is enrolled. I’m sure that your essay will be a part of figuring out who you are and if you belong at Claremont. Make sure that you get that point across in every part of your application. Any chance of an interview?</p>
<p>At one point I would have agreed that who gets in is random, and I agree that CMC is in the top dozen or so schools for selectivity so it is tough for anyone to get in…but now I think there really is a pattern. I think the stats just get you considered. You need to make sure that they get really excited about the rest of your application. They definitely receive applications that stand out. </p>
<p>Yep, gtdawg had good essay advice. D wrote on a person that I would be willing to bet no one else did when addressing leadership. She is herself, not necessarily following conventional advice, and she lived and died by that during the admissions process. It turned out that she did well in a very tough admissions year, with the attitude that she needed to be herself because if they didn’t want her the way she really is, she doesn’t belong there anyway.</p>
<p>Good luck finding the place where you belong and hopefully it will be Claremont!</p>
<p>Kio888, Thanks for your comments. You must have been reading some of my posts. When people mischaracterize CMC and the other Claremont Colleges, I guess I feel the need to set them straight. Unfortunately, there are quite a few people who talk about CMC without knowing anything about the school. The people who are familiar with the school know how great it is.</p>
<p>Your right I didn’t detect the sarcasm. Fortunately, you do not represent the typical student at Pomona or the other Claremont colleges and, hopefully, new posters are not turned-off to these schools because they read your posts.</p>