Colleges in order of intensity I put into my application: Emerson, UMich - Ann Arbor, Northwestern, Boston University, Brown, NYU, USC, GWU, American University, Occidental, UC Berkeley, and Missouri. U of I and DePaul are my last ditch attempts.
Intended Major: If the college offers Journalism as a BS, then Journalism. If not, likely an English/Communications double major or w/e is recommended for prospective journalists at that school.
Background: Middle class, around 90k a year in a rich neighborhood. I go to a well funded public high school, I am half South Asian, but white passing and I am gay and Jewish. I am the first in my family to go to college, and first generation kid of immigrants as well. I live in Illinois.
Test Scores:
ACT (I think this def makes up for a mediocre freshman year. I took it September): 35 (36 English, 12 Writing, 36 Reading, 34 Science, 35 Math)
SAT: didn’t take
SAT Subject Tests:
800 - Literature
770 - World History
760 - Math Level 1
750 - US History
750 - French
APs (School does not allow APs for 99% of underclassmen):
- World History - 5
- Lang + Comp - 5
- US History - 5
- European History - 4
- Taking French, Literature, Calc AB, Gov + Politics (American and Comp), and Physics this May
Transcript: (Note, I was in an incredibly selective humanities program at my school for all four years, classes were at AP level starting freshman year. Didn’t let us take the damn tests until at least sophomore year. Schools weighs honors/APs at same level, and on a 5 point scale.)
Freshman Year (worst year)
High Honors English - A / A
High Honors French - B / A
High Honors History - B / A
Honors Biology - B / A
Regular Geometry - B / A
Intro To Human Growth - B
Broadcasting - A
Gym - A / A
UW Academic GPA: 4.0 / 4.8
All subject GPA: 3.2 / 4.0
Sophomore Year:
High Honors English - A / A
High Honors French - A / A
High Honors History - A / A - Took AP World + Euro exam this year
Honors Chemistry - A / A
Regular Algebra 2 - A / A
School Newspaper - A
Broadcasting - A
UW Academic GPA: 4.8
All Subject GPA: 4.0
Junior Year:
High Honors English - A / A - Took Lang + Comp this year
High Honors French - A / A
High Honors History - A / A - Took APUSH this year
Honors Chemistry - A / A
Regular Precalc - A / A
School Newspaper - A
Broadcasting - A
UW Academic GPA: 4.8
All Subject GPA: 4.0
Senior Year Sem 1:
High Honors English - A - taking Lit exam this year
High Honors French - A - taking exam this year
High Honors History - A - Taking Gov + Politics this year
AP Physics - A - taking exam this year
AP Calc AB - A - taking exam this year
School Newspaper - A
Broadcasting - A
UW Academic GPA: 5.0
All Subject GPA: 4.0
Cumulative UW GPA: 4.7
Cumulative Weighted GPA: 3.88
Extracurriculars:
- Writer at moderately well known online magazine, have an editorial position on there - 4 Years
- School Newspaper - 3 Years - Editor in Chief this year
- School Broadcasting Team - 4 Years - Co station manager this year, have had own radio show for 3 years
- Speech Team - 3 Years - Chair of Prose Reading this year, made it to nationals past two years, fingers crossed for this year
- GSA - 4 Years - Board Member
- Feminism Club - 4 Years - Board Member
- Key Club - 4 Years - VP
- Literary Magazines - 4 Years - Editor in Chief for upperclassmen one this year
- Thespians - 2 years, been in some school productions.
- Member of National Honor Society and World Languages Honor Society.
Summer Programs/Jobs/Honors:
- Northwestern Cherubs for Journalism last summer, summer before that I did the screenwriting program there.
- National Merit Semifinalist
- Job in retail for two years.
- Volunteering through Key Club and other organizations, about 300 hours over four years.
Essays: 10/10 for all of these schools except safeties lmao I put my entire life into all of these
Recs: 9/10 from my GC, who I wasn’t really close with until recently. 10/10 for the other few - one from the Newspaper sponsor, one from the Broadcasting sponsor, one from my speech sponsor, one from my current history teacher
Financial Aid: few local scholarships, i’d need some aid definitely. i applied for some honors programs.
Hooks: Current history teacher who heads the advanced humanities program is on admissions at Northwestern, first gen college student, writer on online magazine and published there and locally since I was 14.
Chance me back?