Hey all, thinking about applying to a number of schools in the fall. Let me know my chances of getting in!
Intended Major: Economics/Business depending on the school
STATS: SAT; 1380 700M 680CRW, No subject tests, GPA: 3.7 UW (one of the top public school in the country, known for rigor, taken hardest classes offered at school)
EC’s: Interned at Fortune 500 Company,
Interned at High-end PR Firm,
Interned at Nationally Recognized Museum,
President of Best Buddies Chapter,
Started a Social Media Marketing Agency and amassed 700K social media followers for companies.
Then some minor EC’s like swim team and school store etc
Applying for Financial Aid
Schools:
Skidmore College
Boston University
George Washington University
American University
Trinity College (CT)
Reed College
Colgate University
You seem like you’re pretty on target for most of those schools! Reed may be a stretch. My D had similar numbers for class of 2022 and totally different ECs / major - we considered all of those schools except Reed and GW and at the time they were all matches - she ended up applying to two of them and was accepted to one! :). I would say you’ve got a great list so get out there and show interest. Many non-T20 schools are very sensitive about their inclusion as “safety” or fall-back schools for top perfomers. Make sure you learn what makes each of these schools special and show how it fits your interests in the “Why” essay. These days schools get so many applicants they are looking for students who really want to attend, not just get admitted.
@CaMom13 thank you so much! Will definitely take that advice. For the “why” essays, would you recommend like pulling specific professors, courses, facilities etc that attract me, or the feel of the school generally?
I’ll reiterate that you need to convince them that they are your top choice. Northeastern essentially asked my DD to withdraw her application unless she was absolutely sure she wanted to attend a month before decisions.
@respacings I may not be the best person to ask! I don’t work in admissions so my ideas about essays may be trite but I think expressing who you are and how the school fits you is a great approach.
Details are great but I wouldn’t make a laundry list of the things you like, I would think generally about what appeals to you about the school, what excites you and add in a few concrete particulars. They’re all academically excellent but how about the people you’ve met who went there? Schools like applicants who like their alumni. Or maybe it’s something else, a department or a program or a particularly strong “extra”. Whether it’s the nature preserve at Reed or the arts at Skidmore or the sports at Colgate - each of these schools has a lot to offer a student. Think about what aspects convinced you to apply. A good salesperson believes in what they sell. Take the time to envision yourself at each individual school, really happy - and sell that vision in your essay . To me that is a genuine “Why _____?”. And don’t try to do them all at once.
