Chance me for LACS PLEASE!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>hello everyone! um, lets get right down to business.</p>

<p>2011 grad
MALE: Asian/European (both parents are immigrants to US)</p>

<p>School: Private, Very Small</p>

<p>GPA: 3.89 UW </p>

<p>ACT w/writing: 33</p>

<p>I've taken the hardest classes that my school has to offer.</p>

<p>NHS: 3 years
Student Council: Freshman Class President. Student Body Treasurer
PLT
Small Group leader- 2 years
Debate Captain </p>

<p>300+ community service hours
Helped teach middle school debate
Peer tutor all throughout high school</p>

<p>Piano- 8 Years, somewhat competitive, some awards, was the pianist for 2009 fall melodrama at school.</p>

<p>Academic All-American (debate related)</p>

<p><em>I've had roughly 33 debate awards thus far in my high school career with around 30 being varsity awards. All have been state wide tournaments public and private, and are 1st-3rd place awards in pf and extemp. Some include national tournaments as well as qualifiers to the NFL national tournament. I have back to back state tournament championships etc.</em></p>

<p>Varsity Letters in Debate all 4 years, Baseball all 4 years, and Golf 3 years. Debate and Golf teams are top 2 in state and i've received awards in golf 2 consecutive years and have received a baseball award. </p>

<p>Featured baseball player in state's 2 main newspapers</p>

<p>I've also been on a travelling bell choir for three years that takes a week during the school year to perform for needy schools in the west. </p>

<p>Rock Climbing Club</p>

<p>History Award</p>

<p>high honor role and all that jazz</p>

<p>Some work experience</p>

<p>Recs will be great, also submitting a 3rd rec from debate coach</p>

<p>Essays should be good and show my diversity</p>

<p>PLEASE chance me for:
Bowdoin
Vassar
Midd
Haverford
Colorado College
Colby</p>

2

<p>Bowdoin - Reach
Vassar - match/low reach
midd - reach
haverford - reach
Colorado College - match
Colby - match</p>

3

<p>^ Looks about right. What about money? Is it an issue? The NESCAC (New England) LACs generally do not award merit scholarships. I think Colorarado College is the only one on your list that does, but the others may be more generous with need-based aid. Depending on your circumstances you may need one or more financial safeties (or “merit safeties”).</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the replies! Tk, as far as money goes, without a scholarship or grant I wont be able to afford to a 50k a year school, so do you have any advice for schools that are similar to that of bowdoin or haverford that gives merit based and can also act like a safety school? </p>

<p>sara12, I understand that all of the top tier LAC’s are also trying to find personalities that fit their school, and thus, its hard to tell who will get in or not unless you have a more than stellar record. So would you suggest that I apply to more reach/low reach schools, and just hope that one accepts me?</p>

<p>Also, Im from a state that matriculates like 1 person to all these schools each year, so i dont know if that also helps my chances…</p>

5

<p>Might look at Holy Cross-very good LAC-1 hour from Boston. HC has nice campus and a good combination of academics and athletics with great school spirit.</p>

6

<p>oh yeah, ill alos have taken 4 APs by the end of my senior year, if that helps.</p>

7

<p>Thx par72, I was just thinking the same thing! How about Smith and Bates? Matches?</p>

8

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<p>O.K., so you’re saying you would not qualify for need-based aid (because your family’s income/assets are too high), but your family cannot afford the high tuition of private schools unless you get a merit-based scholarship. Right? You’re clear about the difference? </p>

<p>Some of the Midwestern LACs grant merit scholarships. Check out and Grinnell and Oberlin. However, unless you pick a less selective school, any merit aid you get may not be enough to bridge the gap. Merit grants at selective Midwestern LACs tend to be about $10K/year. </p>

<p>How much can your family afford? Have you used an online FAFSA calculator to estimate your “expected family contribution” (EFC)? The EFC is what is expected, not necessarily what your family is able and williing to spend.</p>

9

<p>Tk- Here’s my situation. My family earns about 100k net, and my sister in college is 25k a year. So really we’re at 75k net and 50k a year would be like 2/3 of my family’s income lol. I havent calculated the EFC but thats something I definitely need to do. I know that the North east colleges only give grants based on need, and how my family stands financially right now, Im hoping ill get financial aid. Should I assume Ill get some money from the colleges i listed if I actually get in?</p>

10

<p>It looks like you should qualify for need-based financial aid, but it’s hard to say whether it will be enough without seeing the details. So you do need to estimate your EFC and talk to your parents about whether they can meet it.</p>

11

<p>Yes, I would definitely recommend adding some more high match/low reach schools.</p>

12

<p>Alright guys, thanks for all your help! It really makes me more comfortable about the application experience as a whole!</p>

13

<p>I’m not sure how people give your chances- it may be based on personal experience- and their backgrounds/accomplishments may be different, their goals/proposed majors may have been diff. I think all of the schools mentioned are worth exploring. See, while your gpa isn’t tippy-top, you show a well-rounded, broad, responsible range of ECs, actiities and awards. Colleges look for kids who can enhance their reputations, meet tough academic challenges, grow into successful adults who contribute back to the school. But they need to build a vibrant community of confident, engaged students. They need proof that both the academics and the social aspects won’t defeat the kid. That’s what you present. Watch out for an essay that treats your ethnic background too seriously. They’ve seen tons of these. They like essays that show how you faced a “turning point” in your life, made some realization about yourself, etc. Humor is good.</p>

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<p>Forgot to add: $100k family income is considered small these days, in the financial aid world. Having a sibling in college will help you. For a college that really wants you, you could get substantial aid. (Hate to quote numbers, but a friend at $100k, two kids in school, gets $28k each- would that help you?) However, the FAFSA and CSS Profile forms are mindbending. Pull their worksheets now. See what they ask. FAFSA has a “Forecaster” where you can play with numbers. Look at FinAid.org- it explains everything, keep digging thru it.</p>