Chance me for L&C, and suggest LACs?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Class of 2015
Intended major: Music with an emphasis in history, culture, etc.</p>

<p>Cumulative GPA: ~3.2 weighted, probably not much lower UW, a dip in sophomore year but a general upward trend since
SAT: Not yet taken, I plan to take SAT II Lit as well
PSAT: 185
ACT: 31 Composite (36 English, 25 Math, 28 Science, 33 Reading, haven't taken writing yet - I just got my results back today and didn't study at all)
Class rank: Top 50%
State: Colorado
ECs: LINK Leader Junior year, Theater Junior & Senior year, Choir since elementary school and I made one of my school's top choirs for next year, Key Club (secretary for Senior year), possibly another leadership/community club next year or maybe GSA
Hooks: URM (half black), I interview well, interesting life story with overcoming obstacles, good writer
Possible disadvantages: Both parents highly educated (dad has PhD from JHU and mom has MA from Middlebury I believe), massive need for financial aid</p>

<p>I know my GPA is fairly alarming. Part of what makes it so low is my 2.6 first semester of freshman year when I was under immense stress at home. Since then my GPA has never been below a 3.0. I have ADD that has now begun to be treated, and I have high hopes for my grades next year.</p>

<p>I'll have taken 5 APs by the end of high school; Lang, Euro, Music Theory, French, and Psych. I haven't gotten my Lang or Euro scores back yet but I'm guessing I got a 3 on Lang and a 3 or 4 on Euro.</p>

<p>My letters of rec should be very positive. My GCs will focus on how much I've grown over the course of high school and I'm planning on asking my Music and French teachers for recs.</p>

<p>Other schools I'm considering: Willamette, Linfield, Reed (reach), Oxy (low reach), Whittier, possibly Puget Sound</p>

<p>Lewis & Clark is my top choice though. I've talked to my region's representative and gotten on their 'list' and I submitted my ACT scores there. Hopefully I'll be visiting this summer and I have a friend who is going there in the fall to study Music Business who has offered to let me stay with her at some point during the year.</p>

<p>Thanks guys!! :)</p>

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<p>Please?</p>

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<p>Did you look at Colorado college? I know that is a fantastic but unique LAC program that a couple of my good friends were interested in.</p>

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<p>Yeah, it looks like a great school but a bit too selective.</p>

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<p>What location are you looking to end up in? In the midwest I would suggest Depauw and The College of Wooster, you could probably get in with your scores and I would say that they are better schools than their acceptance rate indicates. Good luck in your search.</p>

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<p>I’m looking for schools hopefully in the west but unarguably near/in major cities, so DePauw and Wooster are out, but thanks!</p>

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<p>Your ACT is good for L & C… 26- 31 is the middle 50% (why did you not take the writing portion?), but your GPA is low… 3.7 - 4.3 is their middle 50%…
Maybe you can explain the reasons behind the low GPA in your essays and bring it up a bit first semester. You may qualify as an URM. L & C is a great school - good choice! I also really like Willamette and Puget Sound - do they both have your intended major? </p>

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<p>Yeah, my GPA is really low…I’m hoping they’ll be able to overlook it, especially if I can maintain a 3.8+ next semester, which is my goal. That with a good ACT score (I plan to retake later this year to get my math score up), good recs, good essay, and a good interview and hopefully they’ll consider me? It’s my absolute top choice, I’m honestly in love with the school and I can’t imagine where else I’d rather be, so hopefully they’ll be able to tell. Is it possible to apply early action and then reapply regular decision if you get rejected from EA? Cause I would be willing to commit myself to L&C if I got in EA.
BTW, my school doesn’t offer writing, so I have to take it somewhere else, but I do intend on taking it.</p>

<p>Willamette and PS do have my major. And I think Willamette is lovely too. Unfortunately an audition is required to get into the program at PS, and they come to Denver to audition in person, so that knocks it down on my list a bit…still heavily considering it, though.</p>

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<p>Bowdoin is the greatest school on earth</p>

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<p>@codexsplanade‌ if you apply EA and are rejected, you cannot then apply RD… But you may be deferred from EA and then you would be put in the RD pool and be considered again. The L & C website states that they do not use the writing section of the ACT but other schools may. I say go for it EA - it is not binding and it shows your enthusiasm…I think you are doing all the right things. An interview is a great idea ( if you interview well), you should practice beforehand with someone asking you hard questions about your GPA so you can effectively communicate your upward trend and the reasons for the slow start. I wish you the best of luck! My D just graduated from L & C and really enjoyed it. She loves Portland and would like to return there to live.</p>

<p>Just an afterthought- if you need your first semester senior grades to be considered it might be better to apply RD so you can show your continued upward trend…</p>

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<p>I think you have a decent shot at L & C, especially if you let them know that they are your first choice. I’d say that Reed is a reach for you, but their admissions process is pretty quirky and holistic. Reed only awards it on the basis of need, and your URM status will help you there - they want to achieve as much diversity as they can, and have limited resources to distribute. I think your odds are excellent at Whittier, and very solid at Puget Sound and Willamette. My son got into Willamette, Occidental, and Whitman with a 31 ACT and a 3.3-3.4 unweighted GPA. They all offered him some money; Willamette was the most generous. Reed waitlisted him. His weighted GPA was significantly higher, and he has lots of leadership activities, but he is not a URM. I’d say you have a shot at all of those colleges.</p>

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<p>@Sdgal2 Thanks! I should probably wait RD then, just to show that I’m working hard…I plan to work my butt off next year especially first semester. So if I do really well that would raise my chances a lot.</p>

<p>@woogzmama‌ Good to know! Do you think merit based aid is likely at Whittier? It’s not my favorite but I do like the location and financial aid will play a big part in the school I choose. I looked into Whitman but it’s a bit isolated which is a con for me. Also is it worth interviewing at Reed if I know it’s a reach? I’m going to Portland next month and hoping to tour and interview at L&C and probably Willamette, tour at Linfield and Reed, not sure about interviewing at Reed though.</p>

<p>I’m glad I’m getting positive feedback here. I’m really excited about college and I’m glad going out to OR/maybe CA or WA isn’t a pipe dream after all.</p>

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<p>If you are interested in Reed, then I strongly recommend interviewing. I can’t remember whether it was Reed or Pitzer - one of them required an interview (even if by Skype) for all ED applicants and strongly recommended it for RD applicants. Both are small and want a strong sense of the applicant as a person. My son did not apply to Whittier, but we visited it. He just graduated from a Quaker school, and Whittier was founded by Quakers (they are no longer affiliated, but emphasize traditional Quaker values). They all but guaranteed him admission with a scholarship, and his SAT/ACT scores were lower at the time (both increased on second rounds during the fall of senior year). The Whittier admissions officer was familiar with my son’s school, and had called them to ask about him before we arrived. The Quakers have always prided themselves on reaching out to underserved communities. By the way, I have an old friend whose daughter attends Whittier and loves it. </p>

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<p>@woogzmama Thanks! What kind of Quaker values does it emphasize? How does it affect the school campus and student body vibes?</p>

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<p>The Religious Society of Friends (aka “Quakers”) believe that the light of God is present in everyone. They believe in service, tolerance, peace (they have a tradition of exemption from military combat service on religious grounds), community consensus-building, equality (everybody at my kids’ school goes by a first name), individual integrity, and environmental stewardship/sustainability. That doesn’t mean that students don’t do the same things that they would do elsewhere, or that they are not worldly. Quakers believe in engagement in the world, in all areas of life -success is not frowned upon. University of Pennsylvania, Haverford, and Swarthmore all have Quaker roots. Other Quaker colleges include Earlham (Indiana) and Guilford (North Carolina). Whittier is small and intimate in feel. I did not have much opportunity to sense the campus “vibe,” because we visited in the summer when classes were not in session. My friend’s daughter has no Quaker connections whatsoever, incidentally. She liked the small size. My friend graduated from Stanford (undergraduate and MBA degrees), and so she has high educational standards. </p>

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<p>@woogzmama That sounds fine by me. As long as it’s a genuinely tolerant and inclusive environment, I have no problem with religion, just bigotry. What is your friends kid studying at Whittier?</p>

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<p>Is next month too early to interview if I’m planning on really getting my grades up next semester? I don’t have much to show for now and I feel like that could really hurt me…but I don’t think I can interview on campus at any other time.</p>