OP Note: This is largely copied from my BC transfer post
Hi everyone! I’d really like to know my potential chances to get into Boston University as a transfer (sophomore) for the fall eof 2018.
Statistics
I was accepted Regular Decision my senior year.
High School:
I graduated with a cumulative weighted GPA of 96.35. My weighted average for senior year as 99, and my weighted average for junior year was 95. Unweighted averages were 93 for junior year and 96 for senior year. Throughout all of high school I took honors, high honors, and AP-level courses.
Senior Year Coursework (final grades for the year:
AP English (received a 5 on the AP Lit exam and on the AP Language exam): 94
AP U.S. Government (received a 4 on the AP exam): 94
Honors Humanities: 99
Honors Environmental Studies: 97
Pre-calculus: 91
Theater Studies: 99 (only a semester course)
Religious Education (mine was a private Christian institute): 97
(I’ll omit courses from my previous three years, as well as grades from junior year, as I’m not sure how important those are. If they hold a lot of relevance I can post them later.)
Extracurriulars:
-Bowling Team JV member (and Most Improved Player) (11, 12)
-Editor of School Literary magazine (11, 12)
-School Newspaper (9-12)
-Diversity Club officer (10-12)
-Theater (10-12)
-Debate Team (9-11)
-Gaelic Club Member (later President) (10-12)
-Asian Cultural Society (9-12)
-Girl Scouts (Kindergarten-12)
Awards/Special Honors:
-Published in school literary magazine 24 times in two years (11, 12)
-Published in county literary novel as a junior in high school (11)
-Most Improved Player award for Bowling (12)
-Honor Roll (9-12)
-Principal’s List (9-12)
-AP Scholar (12)
-National Hispanic Scholar (11/12)
-Scholastic Art and Writing Awards winner in my Region-at-Large (I received 9 silver keys and six honorable mentions) (12)
Outside of school, I also volunteered quite a bit, including on a political campaign (I later became a paid intern for a short while before it ended), and I edited papers for kids in my area (academic and recreational) as well as online. I also took music lessons for most of high school.
S.A.T./A.C.T. (I took the OLD SAT and NEW SAT):
Math: 500 (first attempt, old), 550 (second attempt, old), 610 (third attempt, new)
Writing: 740 (first attempt, old), 760 (second attempt, old); Essay was a 10 on both old exams and 19 on the new.
Reading: 710 (first attempt, old, and third attempt, new), 720 (second attempt, old)
S.A.T. II’s (Not required, I know, but I’m still proud of two of them)
History: 610
Literature: 710
(I also took one in math that scored rather low so I’m keeping that to myself)
College:
University: Colgate University
Courses:
English (a 200-level course)
Legacies of the Ancient World (a CORE required course, level 100)
Acting (a 200-level course)
I originally was taking a Developing Web Applications course (level 100 Computer Science department) but withdrew. Despite my best attempts at passing the class (seeing professor numerous times during office hours, seeking tutoring, talking with and getting help from a senior friend of mine majoring in Comp. Sci.) I could not bring my grade up and it kept dropping (I had a C+ when I withdrew, with absolutely no chance of raising it). I’m an English major, so I noted my reasons for withdrawing, as well as the notice that it wouldn’t impact my major, in the “Additional Details” section of the common app.
Goal GPA: Presuming I maintain an A in all/most of my courses, I’m aiming for at least a 3.7 by the end of the school year. Colgate is also well known for grade deflation, though, another thing I noted in the “Additional Details” section.
Extracurriculars
-Member of the Bowling Club
-Member of the Soccer Club
-Member of the College Republicans Club
-On staff for school newspaper, the school joke paper, and the school literary magazine
-Am apart of the Catholic Community on campus
-Community service through Random Acts of Kindness, Sexual Assault Prevention, and Animal Volunteering clubs
-Will soon become part of another political campaign, unpaid volunteer work
I still provide editing services to individuals from my high school and area (it’s a long distance dealing).
Special Achievements
-I am in the process of publishing a chapbook of poetry, and am about halfway finished with my first novel. As an aspiring author and a devoted creative writer, I feel that this is an extremely important accomplishment of mine.
I’m also a Creative Writing major.
Possible Hooks:
-I am a Hispanic female
-I am 1st generation college student
-I am coming from Colgate, which (according to some people I have talked to) can sort of be looked at as a hook. It doesn’t guarantee my chances, but if I can do well at a university as prestigious as 'Gate, it will look good for me as a student.
-I took courses at Boston College one summer for several weeks, and earned credit (again, not going to guarantee anything, but it can’t hurt to have not only attended the institution, but to also have done well in its courses as a high school student and to have received credit).
-I am applying for financial aid, but it is not a pressing matter. I would consider attending even if they gave me no aid.
I did receive a scholarship for being a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar when I applied as a freshman
I don’t know how well, if at all, these “hooks” would work for me, but I just thought I would mention them
So…I think I’ve covered everything. If there’s anything else that I should mention that could better reflect my chances as a student, please let me know. I’m just really curious as to how I look.
