Chance Me for Early Decision 1 at AU c/o 2027
Major: International Studies
Demographics:
White, Female, from CT, divorced parents, 2 siblings, 1 already in college.
I go to an all girls prep school in CT
Stats:
GPA 3.34 - This is only from my last 2.5 yrs of school, my school calculates GPA from the time you were there, and didn’t include my grades from the two high schools I previously attended.
Test Optional
6 APs and the rest are honors minus electives
ECs:
Two part time jobs
Lacrosse Captain & 4yrs on Varsity Team
Head of my school’s Community Partnership with a nonprofit that helps marginalized women in Connecticut. I lead ~30 girls and help them write testimonies that shape public policy for women in CT.
Senior Year Internship: I was chosen to represent my school and interact with donors and alumni as a Student Advancement Ambassador.
3 yrs on the Squash Team
3 yrs on a Club Lacrosse Team
3 yrs in Book Club
2 yrs as a writer and graphic designer for a social activism page
LOR’s:
First letter from teacher I had for two years I feel okay about it
Second from teacher I love and had for two classes
Third Letter from a family friend and alum of AU
Essay: I feel confident about it!
Supplemental: Really good
Demonstrated Interest: I visited, went to an info session, and went to a webinar during my sophomore year
Your HS GC is the best person to ask about your chances…what do they say?
American will calculate your GPA from all 4 years of HS. What is that (core courses only, on a 4 point scale, just to make it easy for posters to understand)? American’s mid-50% GPA for the last class was 3.47-4.0, which suggests they weight it somehow. Class of 2022 Profile | American University, Washington, DC
Did you apply for financial aid? If so, is the NPC estimate affordable?
I imagine since you go to a private school, your counselor will know best because they’ll know where you stand vs other students.
Your ECs are great.
I’m finding AU listed as need blind and need aware. Not sure which they are.
If they are need aware and you are full pay, then your chances go up. Just not sure if they are need aware.
Anyway if it’s your top choice and you can afford it, then try. Just have backups / safeties that can work such as College of Charleston, etc.
Good luck.
Ps make sure you get a second major or at least minor. At preview day, we went to the IS session. It’s actually where my daughter fell in love with the major and now studies it with a Chinese language focus. I challenged the department head on the ‘suitability’ of the major for life afterward. She acknowledged students would be wise to double up with something a bit more marketable, desired in the workforce (if that’s your goal).
Students cannot declare a double major or minor until sophomore year. No need to worry about this at all in the college process unless you have your mind absolutely made up. Many students in SIS don’t have a double major or a minor.
Yes they don’t require it but they should…is what I’m saying….similarly to most interdisciplinary majors.
Thank goodness my daughter’s IS major requires it although she’s doing Poli sci so similar in many ways and there are few internships, and even less that pay. Just letting OP know it’s something to look at and the dept head, who did a wonderful job selling the program in preview day to the point that my daughter chose that as her major that day …she acknowledged the suggestion was wise when I asked about career outcomes. It may not be required academically, but short of grad school, it’s a tough major to build success directly out of school. Not impossible but far less than many other majors.
If they are a need aware school ( I had suspected but there was an online clip from the past that said otherwise) - if the student is full pay - ED and full pay will certainly give them a strong push - strong enough? I don’t know. But a push nonetheless.
I do think it comes back to how other students with similar #s at the private school have fared and where this student ranks amongst her peers at the school. And the guidance counselor will be best to answer.
This may be true of your daughter’s school, but it is not true of AU. 93% of SIS undergrads do an internship during their degree, and 86% are working or in grad school after graduation. AU is not like other schools. It is on Embassy Row and has relationships with government officials.
I trust the University to know what is expected of their students and what makes them employable. The SIS major is extremely interdisciplinary, since there are 3 required concentrations for students (thematic, regional, and language). The School of Communication also requires students to double major or minor outside of SOC so if SIS thought it was necessary, they would require it as well.
But, the data you linked to doesn’t provide great insight to the IS major outcomes. For example we don’t know what proportion of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 grads are included in this survey.
Also, the salary data is self-reported (which is common), and only 44% of undergrads reported salary (median salary of those reporting looks to be between $40K and $50K).
We also don’t know what proportion of grads are working in a job that has anything to do with international studies. Some schools do track and report outcomes this way, which is helpful in understanding real, relevant outcomes.
I am guessing this is why you are here looking for encouragement. You certainly know what your grades were in G9 & G10! As @Mwfan1921 AU will see all of your HS grades, not just your last one. What is your actual, 4 year GPA? AU notes that GPA is ‘Very Important’ in admissions and that average GPA of applicants is 3.79.
I’m not sure what the unweighted GPA is because my transcripts only give the weighted one, but my cumulative weighted HS GPA that I calculated is 3.55. I also sent in my grades from senior year so far and I have a 3.6UW/4.2W GPA for this year. I think my main concern is my sophomore year transcript, and I am wondering if colleges will see my positive improvement since then.
Thank you for your reply! I’m not sure what my unweighted GPA is because my transcripts only give the weighted one, but my cumulative weighted HS GPA that I calculated is 3.55. I also sent in my grades from senior year so far and I have a 3.6UW/4.2W GPA for this year. I think my main concern is my sophomore year transcript, and I am wondering if colleges will see my positive improvement since then.
You can calculate your unweighted GPA on a 4 point scale…take all your core courses (Eng, Sci, SS, Math, foreign language) from all your schools, assign 4 points for As, 3 for Bs and so on, then divide by the number of grades you entered in the numerator.
Regardless, AOs will note an upward grade trend, but won’t ignore a poor soph year. It does sound like your unweighted GPA will be below the 25%ile mark of 3.47 based on last year’s class, but you will receive your decision soon enough. Good luck.
For you!