<p>-GPA: 3.6 unweighted, 4.02 weighted
-10 Honors classes taken, 5 AP taken (all 4's and 5's on the tests)
-Will run college track if my times permit (14.91 in 110m hurdles, 41.09 in 300m hurdles), both indoor and outdoor</p>
<p>-Senior class president
-Founder and President of Philosophy Club
-Founder and President of Pyschology/Sociology Club
-President of Politics Club
-Diversity Club member- went on school trip to Canada, and hosted a student from Canada for two weeks
-Debate Club member
-"Friends of the Orphans" Club member- went on week long mission trip to an orphanage in Mexico during spring break</p>
<p>-225 Hours Community Service completed upon graduation (of 125 required for graduation)
-Varsity Track for school (two years JV, two years Varsity)
-Run club track during the summer and off season (Track Athlete Year Round)- went to USATF Junior Olympics NATIONALS for 110m hurdles
-Very, very good recommendations
-Graduated Summa Cum Laude from a prep school in Arizona
-School does not rank, but about 25 out of around 200 usually graduate Summa Cum Laude</p>
<p>-SAT: Math 730, Writing 760, CR 710, Total: 2200</p>
<p>-?Possibly going on a mission trip to Tanzania to help with cataract surgery for underprivileged children
-?Possibly going to study philosophy at Oxford for two weeks over the summer</p>
<p>-Wrote a very personal essay about my father's alcoholism, and how he took his own life when I was eight years old. It is very, very good (If I dare say so myself).</p>
<p>While I don’t like to interfere or direct applicants on this crucial question of whether or not they might be accepted to Colgate based on my own impressions, your statistics look good to me in terms of what the colgate.edu Admissions and Aid page for the Class of 2014 shows. The extracurriculars look broadly based and show commitment as well. Then there is the essay; posters say that applicants must take it seriously and use it to describe their individuality and commitment to participating in the Colgate/Hamilton community with some degree of imagination and specificity. Your essay sounds as if it addresses who you are based on your life experience. Good luck with any changes you may consider making to it.</p>
<p>If I were you I would try to center and ground myself for upcoming discussions with the track coach and other individuals on campus whose areas of responsibility extend to your own interests. Then you will be a lot closer to knowing if Colgate is right for you considering your expectations for prestige. Show what you can do with your past achievements. Make those calls or appointments in anticipation of that all important campus visit or second visit. Anecdotal evidence I have seen shows that ED candidates with good essays and your standard of profile with a level of coach contact and support do well in the admissions process. (I changed my RD application to ED when I visited many years ago and I was admitted shortly thereafter.)</p>
<p>So it’s over to you now. If I were in your shoes I would be on the next plane to Syracuse airport and book the 50 minute taxi to Colgate for a tour, a schedule of meetings and an overnight with current freshmen. Ask the coach and Admissions Office for any assistance with the on-campus aspects. </p>
<p>Best of luck! Try to contact me with a notification if I can be of more help off thread.</p>
<p>You have been immeasurably more helpful than any other member that I have met on this blog. I cannot thank you enough for your thorough responses.
I should point out that I am currently still only a junior, but these are my expected academic and extracurricular statistics upon ED application (don’t worry, I’m not assuming a 4.0uw for the rest of my high school career- I have made reasonable assumptions).</p>
<p>I would absolutely love to visit Colgate when the time for application is nearer, however, for me, there is a problem of distance. I live in literally the opposite end of the country (Arizona), so a visit would be expensive and lengthy. I plan to attend a summer program at a university in the Northeast this upcoming summer, so the most feasible way I could visit Colgate is to make a pitstop in Hamilton for a few days on the way home. For now, I can only fantasize about the beauty of the campus based on pictures.</p>
<p>I hope to be able to visit! Perhaps a first hand experience will convince me to apply ED</p>
<p>This is a great outcome! You are firming up your summer plans and possible campus visit as you focus on achieving results on those all important SAT scores, secondary school grades and framework of your essay for your application. You know what you need to do and I have confidence that you will drive this all home.</p>
<p>This is rewarding for me too and so I am gratified. As I said before you can use the notification service of this site to contact me outside this thread as things develop.</p>
<p>Good luck with your junior year’s achievements!</p>
<p>Early decisions (and all admissions decisions, really) are never predictable. If they were, you’d just add your GPA to your SAT and you’d know for sure. Every college or university looks for a variety of different types of people from different places who have had different experiences. No college I know of even wants all “smart, successful students,” believe it or not, since that would be very, very dull. Everyone would be studying all the time! </p>
<p>Still, your facts are very strong. Your athletics on top of very good club involvements make you interesting, moreso than the typical student with strong grades of which there are so many nowadays (with grade inflation beign so rampant). Does anyone ever get a GPA below 3.0 anymore? But, I digress . . . yes, you look good (but you never know–maybe they’ve got lots of smart runners who debate, etc?), but you should be pretty confident that Colgate is for you. The best way is to visit. It’s a beautiful campus, but a bit chilly and bleak in the depths of winter. Fall is ideal, spring is good, and winter is fine if you like snow and cold. Actual seasons! Totally different from Arizona! How nice. </p>
<p>Good luck, and also be sure to get in touch with Colgate’s track coach to inquire how interested they might be in you. That’s always a good move.</p>