Chance me please?

<p>Hi, I am a senior girl whose dream school is Barnard. I go to one of the top schools in my state (Maryland) and I am in the top 15% of my class of almost 500.</p>

<p>In my sophomore year, I had massive problems with depression and anxiety after a traumatic event in the end of my freshman year. This massively impacted my grades that year, although I got straight A’s or close to straight A’s for the rest of my time in high school.</p>

<p>My unweighted GPA has come out to a 3.64, and my weighted is a 4.09.</p>

<p>I have taken 13 AP classes throughout high school, and here they are (with some of my scores):
Sophomore year= AP Statistics (5) and AP World History (3)
Junior year= AP Biology (3), AP Language and Composition (5), AP Calc AB (5), AP US History (4)
Senior year (I haven’t taken the tests yet obviously, so no scores)= AP Calc BC, AP Computer Science A, AP Literature and Composition, AP Physics 1, AP French, AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics</p>

<p>My SAT scores are as follows:
Writing- 730
CR- 740
Math- 670
Composite- 2140</p>

<p>My ACT scores are as follows:
English- 34
Math- 28 (This is because I didn’t finish about 15 problems. I consider myself the strongest in math but I am very slow!)
Reading- 31
Science- 35
Overall composite- 32
Writing score- 10/12.
I have just retaken the ACT plus writing on Sept 13, and am hoping to have raised my overall score to a 34 or 35 because I studied a lot and nailed the math timing :)</p>

<p>My extracurriculars/community service are as follows-
-NHS Member Grade 11 and 12
-Member of a club that helps raise money for childhood cancer
-Part of a club for suicide prevention and awareness
-Part of French Honor Society, grades 10, 11, and 12
-I ran cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track for the first three years of high school, but have decided to take a break from XC this fall to work on college applications and to focus on my 7 APs
-Spanish Club member
-French Club member
-Regular church youth group attendee
-Starting a club to raise money to help send girls to school in underprivileged countries
-Regularly tutors for Honors Algebra 2 and French 3 and 4
-Have gone on three 9-day Habitat for Humanity trips, serving as a Work Group leader last summer to lead a group of high schoolers on the worksite and in their faith</p>

<p>Awards/Honors-
Ben Carson Distinguished Scholar- Grades 9, 10, 11, most likely 12 as well
Minds in Motion Athlete- Grades 9, 10, 11
Top Scholar Athelete- Grades 9, 11
AP Scholar with Distinction</p>

<p>I think I would be a very good candidate for early decision, but because of the financial commitment my father is hesitant to let me apply. Do you think my chances for regular decision are reasonable? Or are my sophomore grades going to be too much of a problem? My counselor is aware and she can explain them, but do I still appear as too much of a “wild card”? </p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

<p>I think you should apply.</p>

<p>Your sophomore grades are the same whether you apply ED or RD. </p>

<p>You can strengthen your application with strong grades fall semester of your senior year – but those will be only considered if you apply RD. </p>

<p>Applying ED will not fix perceived weaknesses in your transcript. The admissions process is not a random lottery. ED is a process that allows the college to lock in students that serve institutional needs, including full-pay students, recruited athletes, other hooked applicants, and applicants who are at the top of the ED applicant pool. </p>

<p>I think that overall, you seem to have a strong application. However, if you need financial aid, then you also need to let go of the idea of a “dream” school and start thinking about an “affordable” school. Apply to Barnard, and also cast a wide enough net of application so that you will be able to compare financial aid awards in the spring. Especially pay attention to your safeties – I don’t know your financial circumstances, but your dad has already told you that Barnard might not be affordable. The safeties may be more likely to offer substantial merit money. </p>