I recently applied regular decision to Bowdoin College and am anxiously awaiting my letter of acceptance. It’s my top choice, but I chose not to apply ED because I just like to keep my options open. I just wanted to check in with College Confidential community to see what my chances are of getting into my dream school!
I am a middle class white man from southeastern Massachusetts. I go to a regional public high school with about 1200 students.
SAT: 1550 (780 reading, 770 math)
SAT II: Math 1 (750), Math 2 (720), US History (720)
AP Scores:
US History (5), English Language (5), English Literature (5), Psychology (5), Physics 1 (5), Calculus AB (5), Spanish Language (5)
Upon acceptance to Bowdoin College, I plan on being a Mathematics and Economics coordinate major with a Sociology minor.
During high school I’ve participated in theater all four years with a variety of acting, directing, and backstage positions. I have acted as a student director and writer for several 24 hour plays, and co-wrote and directed a Shakespeare performance for my school and community. This semester me and four other students are participating in a musical theater independent study where we are directing, producing, fundraising, and acting in a show which we will put on in the spring for the community (my personal role is as an actor and business director).
I have also participated in my school’s Gay Straight Alliance for all four years, two of which I have acted as the club’s treasurer. As part of my involvement I have advocated for LGBTQ students in my school, and as a result, we have been able to put in a gender neutral bathroom, change superlative categories to be more gender inclusive, and changed graduation robes to not color segregate by gender.
I have also participated in choir and acapella for all four years of high school (I have acted as the Select Choir treasurer for two of these years), and participated in several regional music festivals.
Additionally I have participated in Academic Decathlon my first and second year and National Honor Society my junior and senior year.
I additionally received my school’s Dartmouth Book Award at my school’s junior awards ceremony and a number of other school academic awards over the course of high school.
I have a 4.95 weighted GPA out of my school 5.3 scale (but I think it’s a 3.95 unweighted on a regular 4.0 scale; my high school’s GPA system is weird) and am currently on track to graduate second in my class.
Although I haven’t personally read my letters of recommendation, I am very close with all the teachers I asked for recs for (one of them is a math teacher I’ve had twice, another is an English teacher I’m also very close with, and one is the choir teacher I’ve had throughout high school), and I know that have consistently been impressed with my academic performance and contributions to my school community.
Additionally I feel that my college essay is very good, and has been well reviewed by teachers, peers, and guidance counselors alike.
Please let me know what you think my chances are! I know Bowdoin’s acceptance rate is dropping recently, but I’m confident in my chances and I wanted to see if everyone here agrees.