Unweighted GPA: 3.95
school doesn’t rank or weight GPA
SAT:
2350
ACT:
35
SAT Subject Tests:
not sure yet
Freshman:(1st semester) (2nd semester)
10th Grade Science (A-) (A)
AP Human Geography (A) (A)
Pre-AP Literature (A-) (A)
Geometry (A-) (A-)
French 1/2 (A) (A)
Band (A) (A)
Sophomore:
Chemistry (A) (A)
AP European History (A) (A)
Pre-AP Literature (A) (A)
Algebra 2 (A) (A)
French 3/4 (A) (A)
band (A) (A)
Junior:
AP Biology (A) (A)
AP US History (A) (A)
AP Literature (A) (A)
Pre-Calculus (A) (A)
French 5/6 (A) (A)
Band (A) (A)
Senior:
AP Physics (A) (A)
AP Government and Politics (A) (A)
College Writing (A)
College Literary Analysis (A)
AP Calculus AB (A) (A)
College French (A) (A)
Band (A) (A)
AP Scores:
AP Human Geo (4) AP European History (5)
APUSH (5) AP Lit (5) AP Gov (5) AP Biology (5) AP Calc AB (4)
AP French (5) AP Art History (5) AP Physics (5)
AP Psychology (5) AP Chemistry (5)
Extracurriculars/Awards:
Varsity Tennis (9-12)-qualified to state
JV LD Debate (9)
Varsity LD Debate (10-12)
Varsity Marching Band (10-12)
National Honor Society (10-12)
National AP Scholar
National Merit Semifinalist
Washington State Solo and Ensemble Contest winner for Alto Saxophones (11-12)
Part of the We the People team for my school which placed top ten in nationals.
Stats:
Residence: WA
School: midsize public high school (1800)
Ethnicity: Asian (Vietnamese/Sri Lankan)
no hooks
Are you a rising senior? Your stats such as senior grades must be projected. And are all those AP scores real or projected? Your profile looks competitive but the presence of senior year grades and 12 AP scores makes me wonder if these stats are real or anticipated stats. For example, you can’t yet know for sure you’re NMSF although you can anticipate it if your PSAT is above your state’s usual cutoff.
That being said, you look like a competitive applicant. My D had similar stats (as an unhooked white female) and got in ED1.
yes! sorry I forgot to mention that my senior grades are projected and my AP Gov and AP Physics are my anticipated scores. and my PSAT was about 5 points higher than my state’s cutoff @Corinthian
Well you certainly have the stats to be competitive for Pomona and Stanford and the UC’s (which I see you asked about in your other thread). Are you aware that the UC’s don’t offer financial aid for the OOS portion of the tuition? Assuming you can afford the OOS tuition, I think you are good for the UC’s. Pomona and especially Stanford have such low acceptance rates that they’re reaches but you certainly have a better shot than many. Good luck.Write great essays. For Pomona, I think it helps to visit, interview and make contact with your regional admission officer.
Yes, you certainly look like you could have a good shot at Pomona. However, as a small liberal arts college, how well you fit in the class is also taken into account, but you don’t really have control over who else applies, so that’s just a matter of luck. for what you can control, make sure you thoroughly research Pomona so you appear genuinely interested and invested in the college during your interview. Also, for your essay, find something that you are passionate about, or something unique about you.
that’s true! I have been researching colleges for a while now and I’m absolutely sure that Pomona is my top choice, and I’m planning to apply ED! Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it! @Scrippsie
Are you at all interested in playing tennis in college? If so, reach out to the tennis coach at Pomona, if you have not already. A high percentage of Pomona’s students are student athletes, I believe it is over 20%. Many student athletes are given an Early Application Read by admissions. Not a guarantee for admission, but certainly helps if you are a competitive player.
I agree with Rav525 about the tennis. Also, if by the time Nov. 1 arrives you’re still sure that Pomona is your #1, then applying ED is definitely the way to go. Here’s a link to a thread I made a year ago wondering about strategy for my D. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pomona-college/1648023-how-much-of-a-boost-is-ed-for-an-unhooked-high-stats-applicant.html#latest. In particular look at the #1 reply from Cptofthehouse, who makes the point that a lot of candidates with your stats will shoot for HYPS in the first ED/EA round, so if you apply ED1 you are more likely to stand out. In addition to applying ED1, my D worked very hard on her CA essay and the Pomona essay (she did the Critical Inquiry essay), visited twice, interviewed, and made sure the regional admissions officer knew who she was.
Of course nothing is guaranteed in the college admissions business, so make a balanced list of schools and be sure to discuss finances with your parents and run the NPC’s. Pomona has no merit aid.
Totally agree with Corinthian about ED1 if you are absolutely sure Pomona is your #1. This is what my son did as well, applied only to Pomona, and he has never really had any regrets. Of course, applications were ready for oher schools, but were never sent as he heard back early. Made for a more relaxing senior year!
He sometimes wonders if he would have gotten in HYPS (and so do I), but he is so happy at Pomona that it really does not matter.
Also, have a very serious conversation with your parents about their financial contribution as well. Pomona is fairly generous with need-based financial aid, but if finances are an issue, ED1 might not be the right choice.
Also be prepared for the fact that most of your family and friends will not have heard of Pomona. I remember early in Fall of senior year, one of D’s friends (another top student at her HS) asked her where she was applying. She said Pomona and he said: “Don’t you want to go someplace competitive?” Lol. This kid had a 36 ACT and top grades. Long story short, he then looked into the 5C’s, decided to apply to Princeton SCEA and Pomona and HMC RD. Deferred then rejected at Princeton, waitlisted at both Pomona and HMC. Happy ending for him is he is going to Rice. D is thrilled to be going to Pomona but does feel that the average person doesn’t appreciate what an achievement it is to get admitted.
Very true about many people not knowing about Pomona! Classmates, teachers, friends and relatives were initially shocked at son’s choice. This upcoming school year, 2 students will be applying to Pomona from his high school! Both sets of parents have already asked us about his experience at Pomona thus far. We’ve been teasing him that he was a trailblazer!
@alexgaskarth - make sure your essays and extra-curriculars show what you are passionate about in life. You mentioned that you don’t have any “hooks”. I think your passions can be your hooks, but make sure you convey what they are in your application.
What differentiates you from the next applicant in the stack that has the same stats as you (my son’s were similar as well). What makes you tick, what drives you to be so hard-working and successful, or what was your highlight of high school? Is it your We the People group, is it tennis, or some combination of things. Your essays must convey who you are, and what you can offer to the next class at Pomona. Why should they want you to be one of the 400 or so students in the class of 2020?
Son was very passionate about his sport, but instead chose to talk about his many years of volunteer work at an organization, and a summer class that he took at a university that changed his career goals in his essays. Use the summer to write and re-write the best possible essays that you can that allow the Pomona admissions committee to see what makes you - YOU.
ahh thank you so much for all you wrote! I will definitely use all the advice you gave! I feel more confident with my application now and what I will say in my essays. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to help me on this @Corinthian@rav525
