<p>Hi guys, I am planning on applying to BC cas RD, and I was just wondering what my chances are. Thanks! </p>
<p>ACT: 34
SAT II: Bio M-770 Spanish Lit-700 Chem-620
Unweighted GPA: 3.9
Top 5% of class (I assume, our school doesn’t rank)
Senior year classes: AP Bio, AP Euro, AP Econ, AP Spanish, Honors Calc, Honors English, International Foods (elective), Gym
AP Scores so far: Just Psych, 5</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:
Boys Cross Country- Varsity 3 years, captain senior year
Karate, Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai Kickboxing- I have been participating since I was 5 (so for about 12 years)
National Honors Society- Grades 11 and 12 (our school inducts in 11th grade), Secretary during grade 12
DECA- two-year state finalist in my event
Transition project ambassador- I help freshmen acclimate to high school</p>
<p>Work Experience:
I have worked at my karate school since January 2011
I refereed soccer games in my town for 3 years, after passing the necessary test</p>
<p>Volunteering:
I went to Costa Rica for 9 days this summer to help clean up and plant trees and crops in a small town
I volunteered at a special needs soccer clinic during my sophomore year for about 5 weeks</p>
<p>Essays:
My common app essay was not bad, I wrote about how i taught myself how to cook and how that has shaped me as a person</p>
<p>Recommendations:
My 2 teacher recommendations were probably pretty good, they were both from teachers who really liked me and knew me as a person.
My guidance counselor also knew me pretty well, so I assume her recommendation was also pretty decent</p>
<p>Miller:
While you have a seemingly strong academic profile, don’t give up maintaining a strong transcript and ECs till you get a decision letter in March. </p>
<p>As you found out with with your EA decision from UPenn, this CC board is filled with too many stories from students who applied to competitive schools, and thought their application was a slam dunk, only to be shocked when that decision was not an acceptance.</p>
<p>Dear Millerl17 : Let’s peal back your profile beyond the very strong Board Scores. The fact that there is only one AP exam through your junior year puts your application behind many other applicants that have already demonstrated an ability to handle “college level” work in their sophomore and junior campaigns. </p>
<p>It is not good enough to “assume” that your application is a Top 5% offering - you need to be sure; check this with your guidance department. To dispell the rumor about ranking one more time, your school profile will supply deciles of the grade distribution from your class. Hence, your placement will be known down to some reasonable level of granularity - you should get those figures.</p>
<p>The transitions program for freshmen from your profile has the capacity to showcase a strong leadership position - how has that been exploited in your application? There was little else here in the extra curricular area that was largely differentiating when viewed through a purely scholastic prism.</p>
<p>The volunteerism section calls out approximately 7 weeks from a four year High School career. Whether this requires additional consideration is your call. The special needs area could demonstrate some interesting personal skills and insights.</p>
<p>Recommendations that are “pretty good” from teachers that “liked you” are fine, but not differentiators for you. You need recommendations that showcase how you make a difference - effectively highlighting special skills, knowledge, leadership, passion, or ability to shape change or deliver benefit to the class. As for your essay (teaching yourself to cook), this could very interesting as a transition to “adulthood” but it is unclear how such a response would make it clear what you add to the fabric of Boston College.</p>
<p>Your profile is a fine set of academic elements. Just need to be sure that the “softer” elements can be framed in a very positive light. Good luck!</p>
<p>@jpm50 i wont slack off haha but thanks! and @scottj- I checked with my guidance counselor, I am in the top decile of my class. Thanks for your in-depth analysis of my app haha i really appreciate it! hopefully i get in!</p>