<p>Hello, there! Hamilton is my dream school, and I've already applied ED. My response will come in the thirteenth, but I'd really like an outside opinion on my chances. So! I'll try to make this as organized as possible.</p>
<p>GPA and Class Rank:
-Unweighted GPA is 3.6047
-Weighted GPA is 4.1395
-Class rank is 84 out of 716</p>
<p>Classes: (Only advanced classes and electives noted)
-PreAP English freshman year
-PreAP geometry second semester (first semester was level, my counselor moved me up) and English, honors World History sophomore year
-PreAP Physics and Algebra II, AP English and US History junior year
-AP English, European History, Economics, Statistics, Environmental Science, and Government senior year
-Three years of foreign language (French)
-Four years of theatre and JROTC
-Since the second semester of freshman year I have taken Theatre Production, a voluntary eighth period (normal students have seven classes) that is a local credit and marked as office aide on my transcript, though I clarified what it was in my application</p>
<p>Test Scores: (I selected the option for the school to choose which to use in my best interest)
-ACT (Took it once) Composite score of 32, English score 35, Math score 29, Reading score 36, Science score 26, Writing score 6
-SAT (Took three times) Highest composite was 2040, highest English was 770, highest math was 630, highest writing was 670
-AP (I will be taking quite a few this year) English Language & Composition score 4, did not report my AP US History score (2)</p>
<p>ECs:
-The big one is theatre; it's my passion, a good amount of my application is centered around it. I have participated all four years, both in the normal class, and the aforementioned production class. It's every day for about two and a half hours, often longer, with plenty of weekend rehearsals as well. I've participated in about a dozen shows, including three UIL productions. I mainly do technical theatre and won a best technician award at UIL last year. I'm a member of the International Thespian Society, and president of our troupe. I was also the junior class officer last year.
-Going with the above, I'm a student worker up at my school. I basically work as a sound technician/lighting technician/stage hand for school groups (Choir, band, dance) and visiting groups (Bands, outside dance studios, the occasional church or school district-wide meeting) that use our auditorium. I've done this since junior year, and it's a job that requires a recommendation from the two theatre teachers/directors.
-I've also been in our Army JROTC program all four years. I've won numerous ribbons and awards, primarily for community and school service. Both last year and this year I've been the Battalion S-2, Public Information Officer. Basically, like the historian. I'm a member of the academics team, and we've won first or second place at several drill/military skill meets.
-I've participated in the UIL Journalism team, mainly doing editorial and news writing, since sophmore year.
-I am a member of our chapter of the National Honor Society, inducted late junior year, which is the only time new members are inducted.
-Over the summer, I did an internship at a community radio station.</p>
<p>Essays:
-I feel that my personal essay is very strong. My subject was the place of contentment, and I wrote about being a technician, basically about how I don't mind the lesser recognition that we receive in comparison to actors because I honestly enjoy what I do and find it very rewarding to be part of a great show. I edited and re-edited it around a dozen times, with input from various people.
-My supplemental essay I also feel was very strong. I am extremely passionate about the school and I feel that it showed through. An alumni who I've been talking to for about a year -she was representing the school at a college fair- helped me edit it.</p>
<p>Recommendations: (I chose to waive my right to view them, but each recommender ended up showing me anyways)
-A very positive recommendation from my last year preAP Algebra II/current AP Statistics teacher. He all but called me a genius.
-A GLOWING recommendation from my Assistant Principal, who talked about how I was the highest PSAT scorer at my school freshman and sophmore year, explained how I started in mostly level classes and went on to excel in advanced classes, and called me a perfect example of the 'ideal Renaissance Woman' because of my varied interests. Plus more, but you get the idea.
-Another really great recommendation from my theatre teacher/director/boss for my student worker job. Mostly talked about my great work ethic, punctuality, reliability, etc. Also discussed my leadership positions, and explained how participation in after school theatre at my school is EXTREMELY rigorous and time consuming.
-The alumni I mentioned earlier also wrote me a letter, though she submitted it through the alumi website instead of the common application. I never saw this one. We met at a college fair a little more than a year ago. She was representing Hamilton, and this was the first time I'd ever heard of it. I did research for about a month after, realized it was my dream school, and emailed her asking her for advice on how to get in. We've been emailing back and forth very regularly ever since, with me updating her on my progress in school and in my application, and her telling me more about the school. She helped me edit my essays, and one of her majors was theatre, which I obviously want to major in.</p>
<p>Other:
-As I mentioned earlier, I applied ED.
-I live in Texas, and I'm told that they don't get too many applicants from here, so I hope that'll work in my favor.
-I'm the first in my family to be attending college.
-We drove all the way up there specifically to visit the college, which I mentioned when my interviewer asked if I was doing a 'college sweep'
-I did an interview over the summer, and I think it went really well. My interviewer -a senior intern- and I hit it off right away because of our shared rural backgrounds and interest in theatre. I spoke a lot about my passions for theatre, learning, and travel, and I feel that I showed a pretty good knowledge of the school. She seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. Later, after I'd gotten the official 'thank you for visiting' type letter and email, I got a shorter, more informal letter from the dean of admission basically saying that she just thought that I'd like to know that my interviewer told her about me and my passion for theatre and wishing me luck in my college search. I that that one was a bit odd, but I took it as a good sign.
-The Alumni I mentioned earlier spoke with one of the school's theatre professors about me, and he told her that he'd keep an eye out for my application. He requested that I email him when it was submitted and, when I did, he said that because of my connection to the alumni my application would go through the normal process, and then get a second look over before any decisions were made. I also took that as a pretty good sign.</p>
<p>That's all, I think! Thank you if you actually took the trouble to read all of that. If you chance me, I'll do my best to chance you back. Sorry if any of this was hard to comprehend, I just got up and really wanted to submit this before heading off to school.</p>
<p>Good day to all! :)</p>