Hi guys, I know I already put a similar post in here but if I were to get any new information, that would be ideal.
White female for Nursing, ~70,000 yearly income, applying for finaid
3.4 W GPA; school doesn’t provide class rank; only taken honors, high honors, and one AP
35 ACT (36 E, 36 S, 36 R, 33 M)
only AP is Computer Science A senior year
Illinois State Scholar, National Merit Commended Student
Extracurriculars: marketing director, mentor, and DJ at my school’s radio station; cantor at local church; choirs in school like concert choir and choir opera; track & field junior and senior year; been playing piano since I was 8 or so; some volunteer work with Quilts Across America
Work experience: babysitting and nannying for years, cantoring for two years, worked as a barista two summers ago, worked as a beach attendant last summer
Level of Applicant’s Interest: very high!! This is my top school for sure, I would have applied ED but I couldn’t for financial reasons.
I have such a low weighted GPA because junior year I did an integrated studies program that’s more challenging than traditional courses, but focuses less on tests and much more on long-term projects. This was definitely not a good fit for me, and while I enjoyed my classes, I learned that I thrive on more structure than I got that year. I got Cs in the integrated classes I took, which brought my GPA down significantly. It could be helpful, however, that the program’s grading system combines letter grades as well as teacher-written narratives. The teachers wrote that I am “exceptionally engaged in class, and… contributes with sophisticated, evidence-based commentary that speaks to her strong intellect”. They ended my narrative by writing that “With these examples in mind, it should be clear that [she] is a capable thinker, and it is possible that the shadow of her potential was a heavy burden to bear while circumstances outside of her control hampered her ability to consistently make schoolwork a priority… Nevertheless, those shortcomings are indicative of some of the challenges in [her] life, and are not representative of who she is. We are very proud of [her] efforts to understand her strengths and weaknesses and leverage them to learn from her experiences and grow from them. She has exceptional potential, and as she notes, she thrives when she is able to connect her learning with a topic she is passionate about… As develops her academic habits and combines them with her interests, she is very likely to succeed in the future.” The full narrative is on my transcript, and one of the teachers who wrote it wrote my letter of recommendation.
Thank you!