Chance Me for Middlebury?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Middlebury College
1

As of now, I am a junior in HS.
According to my guidance counselor, at the end of this school year, my GPA should be around a 3.8 weighted. My GPA used to be really low; it was around 3.3 at the beginning of the year and for most of high-school.

I have taken AP European History, AP U.S History, AP English Language and Composition, AP Music Theory, and AP Capstone Seminar.
I will have taken, in my senior year, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Psychology, AP, and AP Capstone Research (and maybe AP Chemistry? Unlikely though).

I believe I will score a 4-5 on the majority of my future ones. Maybe only in AP Theory could I score below a 3 on.

I’ve been in English 10 Honors and I will also be in English 12 Honors with ACE Credits.
Most of my electives are also English classes.
I’m hoping they notice that because I want to major in some form of English.
My English teachers were keen on me applying to NEHS, so I did;
Any knowledge of Middlebury and dual majors would be appreciated actually.

My science Regents scores have been pretty well, and if I get an 85 or above on the Chemistry Regents I would have mastery in science (my average is above a 90 on science Regentses). I did quite poorly in mathematics throughout high school, but I plan on teaching myself Algebra 2 over the summer to score well on the Algebra 1 Regents and Algebra 2 Regents; maybe I’ll teach myself Geometry again to score well on the Geometry regents. It’d be nice if I could get mastery in math.

I am a part of many extracurricular clubs, I have even founded one, and I am to be the president of one and an officer of a few if that matters.

I don’t know when I can even take my SATs/ACTs because they’re canceled for now during the coronavirus pandemic (I live in New York). I still plan on studying for the SATs and/or ACTs.

I am South Asian from a lower-income family if that matters. I’m also transgender if that matters?

My goal upon graduation is to do the following:

  1. Maintain a GPA above 3.8
  2. Score 4s or 5s on the majority of my APs
  3. Get an Advanced Regents Diploma with mastery in science and mastery in math.
  4. Get an AP Seminar and Research Certificate
  5. Get an AP Capstone Diploma
  6. Get an AP Scholar with Honors OR Distinction award
  7. If possible despite our current situation, score high on an SAT with a written section.

So what could I build on right now? Any advice at all would be appreciated.

2

To be honest, with a 3.8 weighted GPA your chances are not good. The average unweighted GPA of accepted students is (unofficially) about 3.9, and the average weighted GPA is likely higher than 4.6. GPA is one of the most important factors in admissions at Midd, and your unweighted GPA probably puts you in the lower ranges of the bottom 25% of admitted students.

Your AP scores don’t really matter, especially now that Middlebury has become test optional, and they only accept a few AP credits.

So Middlebury is probably a very high reach for you.

3

Have you considered applying for a Posse scholarship? Middlebury has a New York Posse. https://www.possefoundation.org/supporting-scholars

4

Unfortunately, a person cannot apply for a Posse scholarship. You need to be nominated by your public school or a civic organization. To be paired with a college as a finalist you also usually need to have stats that are with the college’s range, since they make the final selection.

Also - the chances of nominees being selected are really low. Last year, 3,200 students from NYC area were nominated, and only 122 were selected. That is fewer than 4%.

So if the OP attends a public school, they could ask their GC to nominate them. However, regular high schools are limited to nominating 10 students. If the OP is nominated, and makes it through the first two interview rounds to become a finalist, Posse will pair them with the college which they think is the best fit. This is very important, since it is the college which makes the final choice, and they tend to choose the people who the college thinks are the best fit.

With a 90% graduation rate, Posse it usually right.

5

As a 3x Middlebury household (me, husband, and daughter is a rising sophomore), I’m going to respectfully disagree with MWolf and encourage you to go for it. :wink:

Earlier struggles with grades can be spun into a positive story about how you’ve turned it around and continually demonstrated improvement. You sound organized and goal-oriented, and while AP scores count for less these days, your heavy AP courseload shows you embrace academic rigor.

But more importantly, I know for a fact how genuinely Middlebury values diversity in its student body-- whether it’s ethnic, socio-economic, or gender-related. The faculty, administration, and students are passionate about it, and it’s not just politically-correct lip service; you can literally feel it everywhere on campus.

Midd looks for strong academic profiles but is equally if not more interested in who you are as a person. When we do alumni interviews, we get most excited about kids who have an interesting background or a passionate point of view. I would encourage you to apply and tell your story – what you are passionate about and what drives you.

There is NO guarantee with ANY college app-- have some safeties, but go for the ones you really want. Good luck!

6

What is your unweighted GPA on a 4 point scale, core courses only? If your school doesn’t give you that, you can calculate it yourself.

7

The only successful applicants from our HS have had 4 years of foreign language and the NYS Biliteracy Seal. Languages are extremely important to Middlebury. You mentioned that you are South Asian so I’m not sure if you are proficient in a language other than English or if your school offers foreign languages but that is something to consider.

8

You might want to look into Kenyon College as well…somewhat higher acceptance rate than Middlebury, beautiful, rural campus, and renowned for their English department (especially creative writing, if that’s your thing). I have also noticed that Kenyon’s math scores tend to skew a bit lower than other selective peer schools. A reach school, to be sure, so make sure you have some solid match and safety schools.

What about SUNY Geneseo? I’ve read it’s a smaller, more liberal-arts-like SUNY.