Hi everyone! I’m a senior in South Florida going to a relatively competitive public high school. One of my top choice schools is George Washington University & I applied RD. I’ve listed below any and all relevant information about myself that I could think of. If you could please give me your thoughts on my chances at getting into George Washington, I would greatly appreciate it!
Objective:
- SAT I: 1350 composite (700 ERW, 650 Math, 7/8 Essay)
- ACT: 30 (28 English, 27 Math, 33 Reading, 33 Science, 8/12 Writing)
- SAT II: 750 U.S. History, 660 World History, 570 Literature
- Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.4355
- Weighted GPA: 4.621
- Rank: 92/566
- AP: AP Human Geography (4), AP World History (3), AP Psych (2), AP Capstone Seminar (3), APUSH (3)
- Senior Year Course Load: AP Macro, AP Lit, Debate 4 Honors, AP Capstone Research, AP Calc AB, APES, American Political Systems Honors (Semester 1)/AP U.S. Gov. (Semester 2), Dual Enrollment (ENC1101 Composition I, ENC1102 Composition II, PSY2012 General Psychology)
- Major Awards: AP Scholar; a few more school-based and/or local awards; I’ve competed at numerous debate tournaments in Congressional Debate at the local, regional, state, and national levels, and I’ve advanced at many from preliminary rounds to being a top finisher in multiple quarterfinal, semifinal and/or final rounds.
Subjective:
- Extracurriculars: Speech and Debate Team (Executive Vice President 11 and President 12), Muggles United/The Harry Potter Alliance (Treasurer 12), NHS, Student Government Association, Inter-Organizational Council of Clubs, Science Club
- Job/Work Experience: A fall internship with Hillary Clinton’s campaign from September-November 2016
- Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered in the Activities Department of a local nursing home (i.e. I interacted with residents in a one-on-one or group settings, with tasks including social visits, playing games, setting up activities, teaching a skill or talent, reading out loud to individuals or groups, helping staff members, and more); helped partner (through my Debate team) to develop the nearby middle school’s own debate team, from its inception, into a nationally recognized, competitive team; annually participated in the local Relay For Life event (through NHS).
- Summer Activities: The Summer Learning Institute at Broward College: a test prep/career exploration program involving curriculum focused on ACT/SAT prep, career exploration, strategies for success, computer instruction, and dance/P.E. (between 8th grade and my freshman year); the Champion Briefs Institute debate camp, for Congressional Debate (between both my sophomore & junior years and my junior & senior years)
- Essays: 8/10 (my personal essay discussed Debate re: an accomplishment… that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of myself); 1st Honors Prompt 8/10 (talked about why I want to make the Honors program a priority for my undergraduate experience); 2nd Honors Prompt 9/10 (described how debate camp allowed me to take ownership of my intellectual growth and mold my education to meet my own goals and what I learned about myself through the process); Writing Supplement 8/10 (described how my internship with Hillary Clinton’s campaign helped transform the way I view the world and how this perspective prepares you for GW).
- Recommendations:
– Counselor Rec: ?/10… I’ve heard she generally uses a template but I’m one of her favorites in the overall senior class so who knows?
– Teacher Rec #1: ?/10… I’m sure it was a good letter; I not only had him for APUSH but he’s our NHS adviser
– Teacher Rec #2: 10/10… It was very good; I had him for Pre-Calc Honors, and he came to know both me and my goals very well.
– Additional Rec #1: 9/10… Another very good letter; she’s my Debate coach and she chose me to be Team President; the letter itself was relatively short but sweet nonetheless.
– Additional Rec #2: ?/10… Another letter that I’m sure was good; she was my field organizer when I interned with the Clinton campaign, and we cultivated a very good-natured, professional working relationship.
Other:
- Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
- Intended Major: Political Science
- State (if domestic applicant): Florida
- School Type: Public, suburban high school
- Ethnicity: White (Jewish)
- Gender: Male
- Income Bracket: $40k
- Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): A devastating family death: my grandmother passed away late during my junior year, tangibly effecting some of my grades in the remainder of the year for the worse. Her passing also resulted (in addition to my having come to struggle a lot with grief and depression) in my family and I becoming the primary caregivers for my aunt who has Down syndrome, which has certainly been a profound alteration to our lives, if nothing else.
Reflection:
- Strengths: Strong essays and recommendations; leadership re: extracurriculars (not to mention, coming across as more interested in the chosen activities with leadership positions and appearing less like somebody who just took up activities to have something to put on my app).
- Weaknesses: Test scores and rank, for sure (and quite probably GPA, too).
I’d love any sort of feedback. Thank you for any and all help in advance!
but thanks for inquiring!