Chance Me (several liberal arts schools) *UPDATE*

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Some of you may know that I am a junior at a public high school in the Northeast, and a white female. I know it’s a bit premature, but right now I’m looking to major in International Relations and minor in Spanish. This is an update from my previous “Identify safeties/matches/reaches” thread.

Average: High school WEIGHTED cumulative GPA as of right now - 94.8330 (INCREDIBLY LOW… I am aware and cannot stop beating myself up about this. I had a poor academic stretch towards the end of sophomore year.)
Rank: 17/117 (also unsatisfactory)
SAT (new format): 1380/1600 without any studying or preparation (taking 2 more times and have been studying, taking in a few weeks) I am in two prep classes.
ACT: Taking in October, my guidance counselor expects me to score somewhere between a 32 and a 34. I am in a prep class.
SAT Subject Tests: Took World History Subject Test in June, scored a 650 (not good enough, obviously). Taking a Spanish subject test, US History subject test, and Biology subject test on June.
ECs: JV Soccer 8,9 (Captain both years)
Varsity Soccer 10
Varsity Basketball 9,10 (talking to a lot of small liberal arts schools’ coaches, currently being recruited)
Student council PRESIDENT- 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (will no longer be participating in student council) ** Will dropping student council hurt my application? I have joined many other clubs and have obtained some more leadership positions.
Leo’s Club 9,10 (Community Service)
DECA Club 9, 10 (recently appointed Vice President of Finance)
Stage crew 9
Fishing Club 11
Community service club 11
Language Club 11
NHS 11
I work 12 hours a week at a local plant nursery during the school year, 36 hours a week during the summer

I will continue with varsity soccer, varsity basketball, Leo’s club, DECA, fishing club, community service organization, the language club, and National Honor Society (starts this year).

Freshman Year:

Algebra
Earth Science (no honors or AP offered)
AP World I
Spanish I-B (honors/AP Spanish is not offered at my school)
Honors English
Electricity
Design/Drawing
Film

Sophomore Year:

Geometry
Chemistry (considered honors because I took this as a sophomore)
AP World II (4 on AP Exam, by the way. Somewhat bummed.)
Honors English
Spanish II (honors/AP Spanish is not offered at my school)
CADD
Meteorology
Marine Biology

Next year I’ll be taking:

Trigonometry
AP Composition
AP Biology
AP U.S. History
AP Psychology
Spanish III (honors/AP Spanish is not offered at my school)

Senior year I will take:

AP Physics
Government
Economics
AP European History
Pre Calculus
Spanish IV (honors/AP Spanish is not offered at my school)
AP Literature

Here’s my list. Please feel free to recommend some other LACs or universities with strong IR programs, preferably.

Middlebury
Carleton
Bowdoin
Macalester
Bates
Colby
University of Vermont
Oberlin
Kenyon
SUNY Geneseo
Hamilton
Colgate
American University

Will not be applying for financial aid.

Here’s the deal: I cannot stop beating myself up on a few pieces. For instance, my GPA, astoundingly low, and I’m really concerned about it. But, I really do feel confident about raising my GPA this year. 4 APs should weigh my GPA considerably, and I have excellent teachers this year. I’m genuinely feeling better about this year. I am expecting at least a 98.0 weighted average for the first semester of my junior year. My rank is also an extreme letdown. I am in the top 15%, but if I can pull off the hefty upward trend I’m hoping for, I think I will be in the top 10%. I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself lately, and my guard is up, while most scholars in my class have let their guards down. I know this is merely a slight update, but I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed and stressed, so I wanted to share in search of some valuable feedback.

Note: My family has some pretty prominent connections to some really notable Middlebury alumni. Some of the alumni would certainly be able to put in a good word for me/write recommendations (as 2 did for my sister and she applied ED to Midd and was accepted).

I will be doing an agricultural/horticultural research internship next summer, do you think this will tie in well with my job at the plant nursery?

Also, I live in a very rural, agriculturally dependent community. Without sharing my location, I can reassure you that I’m not a NYC kid, I would’ve mentioned it. Will my agricultural experiences captivate the adcoms? Do you consider my agricultural roles unique in any way? What can I do to “sell” the agricultural aspect more on my application?

Identify my safeties/reaches/matches? Middlebury is still my #1 at this point in time. I am visiting Macalester and Carleton later this fall. I am stressed beyond words, and any constructive criticism would be immensely beneficial.

2

I will have more updated information including new ACT/SAT scores, new rank, and new GPA in January.

3

My recs will be superb. UChicago sent a gift basket to my AP Biology teacher last year because she wrote such an outstanding letter of rec for a student from my school. She will be writing one (she mentioned it to me without my initiation) for me. My AP World I teacher was recognized by Holy Cross for an excellent letter of rec a few years ago, and he will definitely write one for me. I have built strong relationships with the administration in my school district (primarily the superintendent, principal, and assistant principal) and I will most likely ask the assistant principal who has already mentioned a letter of rec for me to write one.

4

First of all, stop beating yourself up. Not only is it unwarranted but it is counterproductive. Your grades aren’t bad at all nor is your class ranking. Depending on how they are distributed and how your school converts that’s probably a 3.75+ which is fine.Sure, they could be better, but they could be a LOT worse. As it is you are competitive at many of those schools. If you do, indeed, get a 32+ on the ACT then you’ll be even more competitive.

Your world history score is a bit weak, although nothing that would disqualify you. Hopefully your other subject tests are better.

If you are recruited for basketball that is a hook and really improves your chances at those schools.

Your agricultural background will be a plus, although not a hook. They see so many suburban and city applicants that rural ones do stand out somewhat.

I think it’s great that you are making an extra push, it can only help you. But I think that if you had just stayed the course and applied to the schools you listed you would have been admitted to at least half of them, one or more with good merit aid.