Chance Me! (in-state)

Colleges and Universities A-Z College of William and Mary
1

<p>I live in state, in NoVA. I'm going to be a senior.</p>

<ul>
<li>GPA: 4.333W/4.0UW</li>
<li>SAT: 1680 (500CR/530/650W/10 Essay)</li>
<li>Ethnicity: African American, Female</li>
<li><p>IB Diploma Candidate (HLs=Bio, English, History & SLs=Math, Spanish, Psychology (Score=5) ) 1 AP (US Government, Score=3)</p></li>
<li><p>I am a member of: Key Club, Ecology Club, Spanish Honor Society, Math Honor Society, National Honor Society, Student Government, Chorus, Tennis, & Basketball. I've been a member of all of these since freshmen year, except the honor societies I joined in sophomore year.</p></li>
<li><p>Elected Spanish Honor Society President, Senior Class Secretary, Key Club Secretary (11th Grade) & Treasurer (12th Grade), Class Representative 9th-10th Grade, Co-Founder of a Spanish Daycare program at a local elementary school in 11th Grade</p></li>
<li><p>I tutor at my school's English Writing Center, at a local middle school for Spanish I students, and at my high school for Algebra 1-Trigonometry</p></li>
<li><p>I volunteer at a local hospital & with the county Red Cross chapter.</p></li>
<li><p>Some of my summer programs include: science internship at local university, internship with local soil & water conservation district, Virginia Girls' State, Virginia Governor's School, Virginia HOBY, 2009 CDC DDC, selected to attend William & Mary's STAR Program.</p></li>
<li><p>I've won many awards including foreign language literacy contests for Spanish, All County/District Chorus, Alexander Hamilton Citizenship Achievement Award, many student of the year awards, and others I cannot remember at this time.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>So, at the school I go to in NoVa, the average GPA of an accepted student from 2008-2010 is a 4.10, the average SAT score is an 1900, and the average ACT score is a 30. We have this cool thing called family connection, and it shows us the admissions rates from the past 3 years. This past year from the class of 2010, 3 were admitted and 12 applied (in 2009 5 were admitted and 14 applied). I KNOW my SAT is not up to par. That was from my May one, I did a little studying but my family can't really afford to give me prep classes and stuff. I'm really hoping to increase about 200 points or so to get my score to an 1850 at the least. I took a practice ACT yesterday and scored a 29 though. What do you think my chances at UVa are??</p>

2

<p>Hey do u by any chance go to Briar Woods High School xD</p>

<p>Your stats look good but really it’s hard to tell…because some are really good and some are really bad. </p>

<p>Definitely improve the SAT score :slight_smile: Prep classes are crap. Buy the Princeton Review and take a lot of practice tests (whether it be for the ACT or SAT) and then you have a better chance.</p>

<p>If you are looking for an exact answer, I can’t give you that…sorry :/</p>

<p>But either way, good luck :)</p>

3

<p>No actually I go to Robinson Secondary School :slight_smile: Are you from NoVa too?</p>

4

<p>I would say try to bring up that SAT score (or take the ACT), and you will have very good chances.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Definitely give the ACT a chance - a 29 would likely put you over the top. The rest of your resume looks really good, congratulations on that. </p>

<p>And forget SAT prep courses - they’re only useful if you need the structure to sit and study however often they meet. To me, they’re a waste of money, and you’ll get more out of simply studying on your own. If you’re self-disciplined, (and with your grades, I think you must be), then go to the library/Amazon, and get an SAT (or ACT) prep book(s), and sample tests (most prep books have a number of sample tests - the more the better.) </p>

<p>Work out a study plan / schedule, and stick to it. Most prep books have suggested study plans, so that’s a good starting point. </p>

<p>You can improve your test scores, often dramatically, by simply taking practice tests - getting comfortable with the ways questions are asked can be very helpful. </p>

<p>Check Amazon for reviews of such prep courses - it’s also a good place to find them cheap or “used” - but generally, they won’t run much more than $20 new. Before you buy, I’d go to Borders to check them out - stylistically, they’re all different, and some will feel more natural to you than others. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>ps - In answer to your question, UVA and W&M have similar entrance profiles, with W&M slightly more rigorous, perhaps. So, def. apply to both.</p>

6

<p>Yeah someone told me that it is harder to get into W&M. I definitely do believe that since it is a lot smaller, but I’ll be trying to apply to both. And thanks for the advice about prep courses! I just got the PR ACT book from the library and I’m liking the way the map everything out and explain things! A lot of people say prep classes are a waste of time so I’m not going to go through the trouble of having my mom spend extra money to send me to one!</p>

7

<p>Bring your SAT to a 1800 or above and you’re golden.</p>

8

<p>Can’t speak to your chances at UVA other than to say we’re both selective institutions and we generally have similar admit rates.</p>

<p>You certainly appear to be have many qualities that will make you a strong candidate. We encourage any applicant to try a standardized test twice or try each test at least once unless they hit it out of the park the first time around. Remember, we combine your best math and best critical reading scores into your best composite (or look at the best ACT composite) so you can hurt yourself by trying again.</p>

<p>It never hurts to apply right? Just use the application to express yourself and show us who you are as an individual. Personal applications that move us or are memorable in some way can always make up for a part of the application that’s not quite where you want it to be.</p>

<p>You may want to consider attending Autumn Blast, a program for multicultural students held in October. You can contact Assistant Dean Randy Tripp for more information. This might help you decide if W&M is the best fit.</p>

9

<p>Wait, so W&M does not count the writing section of the SAT? :frowning: That’s my best section…</p>

10

<p>W&M does focuses it’s SAT evaluation on the critical reading and math. We never required a standardized test of writing prior to the writing section being added to the SAT I. We evaluate a student’s writing ability via the Common Application essay. We do see your SAT writing but focus our review on the critical reading and math.</p>