Chance Me: Dartmouth ED

I am an American-Ukrainian Jew, but I go to school in England (hence the A-Levels). I would be interested in hearing your feedback.

Objective: Russian Studies Major

ACT (breakdown): 35 English, 33 Reading, 30 Maths, 27 Science
SAT II: Waiting on Results
GCSE: 9 As, 1 A
Predicted A-Level Grades: 3 A
, 1 A
Rank: N/A
Subjects: Russian, Art, History, Politics
Major Awards: Iris Murdoch Competition Gold, ‘The Pitch’ Prize Creator, Scholarship for the Fine Arts

Extra Curricular (As we can only put 10, these are the ones I’m picking from):

  • Secretary General MUN --> Have won Highly Commended
  • Young Female Enterprise Sales Director --> Ran our own business. --> Social Media Award; Centre Lead Award; Regional Finals
  • Jazz Band Manager and Bassist
  • President and Founder of Diversity Club --> Bring in speakers, lead discussions, etc
  • PWC/Naftogaz/Investohills Crossover Intern in Ukraine --> High letter of recommendations
  • Yale Young Global Scholars --> Capstone Project
  • Global Young Leaders Conference
  • Ukrainian Volunteering >50hrs --> Volunteered with military + refugees
  • EPQ (1.5 Year Long Thesis) --> Thesis based on Ukraine's development since the collapse of USSR
  • Leiths (2 Years - Highly Prestigious Course) --> Merit Certificate in Food and Wine.
  • Peer Mentor

Skills:
-Fluent in Russian and Ukrainian

-Assistant Managing Director for Media Club

-Editor + Artist for School Newspaper

-Have run a successful personal business (aside from YE) for 3 years.

Misc:

  • Grade 6 Bass Certificate, Bronze DofE
  • ESB Distinction
  • Debate Team (Mace), Law Club, Regional Speaker, Programming Team

Your accomplishments are very impressive. I don’t do chance me’s, but here area a few comments…

  • Be careful with programs like Global Young Leaders Conference. IMHO, I don't think it will be given much weight. Here's an article you should read - it's a few years old, but still applicable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/education/edlife/leadership-t.html

  • Make sure you list your ECs in order of importance to you. The list should be ordered in such a way that it supports your overall application narrative.
  • You also need to include how long you've been doing the activities. It makes a big difference - 4 years shows commitment. If you've done things for an even longer time, that's even better.
  • Three of your skills are actually extracurriculars....and then under Misc, you have four more extracurriculars. IMHO, GYLC should not be above editor of school newspaper. Don't forget that you do not need to include all 17 extracurriculars. Again, take time to think about your story - which ECs are going to make your application stronger? Which ones are just extra words?
  • Your ACT is a bit low compared to the accepted class of 2021 (average 33) - I think your composite is a 31. You may want to take it again. Dartmouth does not superscore the ACT, but you can send your highest composite score.
  • What about your recommendations? You need two teacher, a counselor and an optional peer rec. Make sure you get commitments for those locked up now.
  • Also, take a look at the essays Dartmouth asked this year.

https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/apply/choose-your-path/early-decision/essays

FYI the prompts were released at the end of July last year, so keep an eye out for them again this year.

  • Besides that, make sure you research Dartmouth well (know its strengths and what makes it unique) and craft a narrative that shows that you will be an excellent fit.

Best of luck to you.

That’s super helpful actually, thank you so much. I’ve been really on the fence about where to place GYLC. And I’m hoping Diversity Club becomes one of the main ones in my app, as I’ve led it for a long time, and my very conservative school was rather against it.
I’m kind of confused about the recommendations - is it mandatory I get two teachers? I was considering having my former bosses give a recommendation. My issue is that with my A-Levels, I literally have 3 teachers - the other 2 are art teachers (which would be a bit strange since I’m not applying for art).

You do not need to declare a major when you apply. My daughter (currently at Dartmouth) expressed an interest in Engineering Hydrology but submitted an art portfolio and art awards.

Recommendations - so here’s a rundown.

Required (3): 1 counselor and 2 academic teachers (Junior or Senior year) - so yes, it’s mandatory.
Strongly Recommended (1): peer recommendation
Other (2): arts teacher if submitting an arts portfolio; additional recommendation from somebody that does not fit into any of the other categories (e.g. coach, employer, etc.)

Here’s the link with the information:

https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/apply/choose-your-path/regular-decision/recommendations

I understand your predicament re:A-levels. I know that some schools will allow you to submit recommendations from an O-level academic teacher. With that said, you should contact the admissions office directly and find out what they will or will not accept. I know they have to be from academic teachers though. The admissions office get plenty of applicants from England, so I’m sure they’ve answered this question before.

As for Diversity Club, if it’s really important to you, by all means you should include it. Nonetheless, it’s often helpful to first think about the story (narrative) that you are going to tell in your application. Then think about how your EC’s reflect that and determine which ones provide the strongest evidence or support. The various parts of your application should all work together.

I’m not too familiar with most of your ECs, but they look strong. However, your ACT score is quite low. I suggest you retake it and aim for at least a 33