Hi guys. So I really want to see what my chances for Dartmouth would be. I am going to apply through Questbridge, and I am assuming I will be a finalist. I will only rank Dartmouth and if I don’t match I will apply ED.
ACT: 35
Gpa:4.0 (weighted 4.2) (my schools barely offers any weighted classes)
AP: English Language and Composition (5) (only AP class offered at my school)
Rank: Valedictorian
Honors/Awards: National Merit Finalist, Dean’s Honor Roll HS, Dean’s Honor Roll College
Classes: So I will be graduating with an associates of science with a 4.0 college GPA, I hope this makes up for my lack of AP classes
Extracurriculars: National Honor Society 9-12, Student Government (President) 12th, GSA 11-12th (President), Theatre 11th grade (several lead roles, over 20 hours a week), I run an LGBTQ+ account with over 12k followers, I raise chickens and have a garden, which takes up a lot of my time. My school does not offer sports or many ECs, so thats why I do not have a lot.
Community Service: I do a lot of random community service, but one that I do every year is volunteer for the Bataan Memorial Death March. I spend 14 hours (in one day) setting up and serving food to over 5000 people.
Gender: Female
Race: White
Income: 45000
Hooks: Woman in STEM, father is a permanently disabled veteran, no one in my family has ever gone to an elite college
None of them are hooks or even pluses to your application.
I have seen other people put these or similar, that is why I put them.
Do you have a zero EFC? Can you get to a zero EFC by applying and getting into a free lunch program which gets makes you eligible for the simplified Needs test? Look up Simplified Needs test for FAFSA
To get matched, you know , is a true lottery ticket. You can up the odds if you can get to a zero EFC.
The things you mention are not hooks but do make a slight difference except for the elite college business.
I qualify for a EFC zero based on this year’s income, but not the income year for the fafsa (we had a major financial change the past year). Thank you. And if I don’t match with Dartmouth, I plan on applying ED. I don’t actually expect to match with Dartmouth. I am hoping though, that I get accepted ED
Hey @boogy2020 I’m a current Dartmouth student (well, soon-to-be, I’m a '23) with recent experience with the college admission process and couldn’t help but notice your thread. While you have some strong ECs and grades. I notice you didn’t say what your intended course/courses of study were. That is the most important factor that will decide your admission, as you must be able to match your ECs with that/those. Before I can give you my input, I’ll need to know that.
@Gogreen19 My intended study is biology. I am also interested in chemistry though.
@boogy2020 I see. Well, what I’m seeing here is that you don’t really have a lot of ECs related to bio or chem. Your associate of science does help, but that’s all academic. You do a lot of different things, but the fact that you don’t seem to be specializing means that as of yet, you lack the spikes in particular fields that the ivies are looking for. That would, unfortunately, be a weakness in your app. But there are still things you can do! Here are couple options; 1) Find out if you can do any science/STEM related ECs such as research positions, internships or personal projects this semester 2) Find a way in which everything you’ve done will tie into your career goal
Let me share my own story in the application process as an example (I also applied to Dart ED). My intended major was Environmental Science, but I also intended to pursue Government as a course of study. My ECs were mainly between three fields: Environment, Journalism, and Community service. In order to make the latter two work, I used them in my essays and interview to show that I did them in order to properly represent and understand the needs of my fellow students and school community to push for measures that would help them, which relates to my second field of study, Government, which in turn all tied in to how I plan to work in Environmental policy.
This is really where the admission committee starts to sort between all the highly qualified applicants–they want to know that the applicant has an idea of where their studies at the university would take them in the future, that they are committed to a goal and have an idea of how their specific college can help them reach it, as well as having already made some progress towards that in high school. This is from loads of experience not only of myself but of family members and friends who applied to and were admitted to selective schools.
You don’t need to have a specific job in mind, but you should understand the area in which you want to eventually work and how your ECs tie into that (The more humanitarian that is, the better). You don’t need to have just one area of study, but you should have ECs that do relate to it. Even if it involves giving up some of the ones you have, it is worth it, trust me. I dumped Chess team and avoid MUN (which always intrigued me and I was briefly involved in) because I came to realize that I had limited time in high school, and while it was important to do things I enjoyed too, when applying to selective colleges I had to keep in mind what would help me get in as well. That balance was important. And it worked for me, and for many people, I know. I hope this helped! Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.
@Gogreen19 Thank you so much! Unfortunately, my school does not have a wide variety of ECs. However, I am currently trying to get an internship with the director of public health for my country (I want to go into public health/ epidemiology specifically). In my essays, I talk about my passion for theater and singing, and in another essay, I talk about my own LGBT+ experiences. I figured that I should use my essays to talk about other passions/interests. I have taken many biology classes (dual enrollment). Does not specializing affect my chances? Additionally, will having a lot of dual enrollment but only one AP class affect my chances. (my school only has one AP class)
All schools will look at your class schedule within the context of your school, so OP cannot be penalized when her school does not offer any AP courses.
If the DE classes are rigorous enough, then that should help. Overall the OP has done well all things considered with the circumstances presented.
Dartmouth is a reach to be sure for anyone, but there is something about the OP that I think could catch the eye of an admissions officer and result in a favorable outcome. Make sure to write good essays.
@Hamurtle Thank you very much!
I might consider the University of Chicago as well as a candidate school should Dartmouth not work out. I feel that the OP does have qualities that would enable her to succeed there. Plus she seems to write/express herself well. Certainly the GPA/standardized test scores are within range.
@Hamurtle If I do not get accepted ED to Dartmouth, I plan on applying to Yale, Princeton, Davidson, Bowdoin, UPenn, Vanderbilt, Williams, and a local state college. I am also considering Rice. I will look into UChicago!
If you are going to try to match through Questbridge, only listing one school as a match is closing the doors on opportunities at other schools. Many of the other schools you list in your comment above are also QB partner schools. Maybe rank them lower than Dartmouth.
Plus one on @Houston1021 's advice. I think QB apps are definitely read in the context of what was available to the student. Take advantage of the option to essentially ED at a list of schools. You’ll rank them, so are shutting no doors.
@boogy2020 If you get that internship, that would be perfect. Now, about your essays, one really should be about the field you are interested in and how you became interested in it. More than one is beating the same dead horse, so the other essays can be about other things, but you really need one to show the college why they should take you in, in which a major factor is your field of study and career goal.
Also, have you considered using the fact that you raise chickens and have a garden in an essay? Those are related to your field, and even if they are not how you got into or express your interest in biology to you, if you spin them right and show what you learned from those activities and give them insight into your unique background, you can get a complex yet down-to-earth feel in the eyes of the admissions office, which is a real plus, especially as a QB applicant. Check this link out: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/11/your-money/college-essay-topic-money-social-class.html
If you’re looking fpr an essay to cut, I suggest the LGBT+ one. While you certainly can mention it as part of another essay, using it as the main topic of an essay is risky. Not that it will subtract from your application as a whole but it won’t really add anything as the simple truth is that the admissions office is going to receive tons of essays about the LGBT+ experience. It’s just much easier to have your essay stand out when it’s about something few applicants will have done and fewer talk about than when it’s about something many other applicants will have gone through and will most likely talk about.
Update: Questbridge application submitted. I will know in a little over two weeks if I am a finalist. Also, I participated in the Distinguished Young Women program at my state, and was the first runner up for my state. I won $1,500 in scholarships.
Being Val could also work in your favor as almost half of admits to Dartmouth are Val/Sal.
Keep us posted!
@socaldad2002 I will! Thanks
Decent chance, esp since in the context of your school, you’re doing well