<p>G.P.A. - unweighted: 3.9, weighted: 5.4
ACT - 23 (First time, pretty disappointed. Retaking a few more times)
APs - Junior year-bio, Senior year-Chem, Language, Psych and Anatomy and Physiology(independent study).*
Rank - Top 3%
Awards -Soph- Won exhibition award at my district art show and honors. Junior- 2nd overall piece in school art show.</p>
<p>ECs - NHS-12
Rotary-11-12
Peer mentor-12, have to be nominated to be considered, very competitive admissions.
Science Fair judge-11-12
Panel President- For Junior level English students</p>
<p>Medicare- volunteer periodically accompanying a nurse for senior home health.
Nursing home- Also volunteer periodically
Greek fest- help organize and work to raise money for St. Sophia Orthodox church.
Tutoring- tutor at school and independently</p>
<p>A little about me- Speak ,read and write Greek fluently, took Greek school for 8 years. (graduated last year).
Been playing piano for 8 years.
Want to major in bio (pre-med) and maybe minor in art.
Spending part of this summer at northwestern at their med school for a science conference.</p>
<ul>
<li>I go to a very rural school, hence my lack of AP's. Many classes don't run simply because they don't have enough people signing up for them. This also accounts for my lack of clubs. (I am in 2 of 4 offered at my school). Unfortunately my district is considering a 3 block schedule which will cause even more conflicts.</li>
</ul>
<p>Be harsh, I know my act isn't were it needs to be... but I will do better! I am aiming for ultimately a 32, which I've done before on the practice tests.</p>
<p>Being realistic, you absolutely have to crack 29 on the ACT, and better a 31. Good grades at a small public school unfortunately are regarded with suspicion unless the standardized tests match. The adcom assumes your grades are inflated and your classes easy.</p>
<p>Being the valedictorian would help, because no matter where, it is hard to be the best.</p>
<p>Unless you are financially disadvantaged, a URM, first generation, or a piano prodigy, I recommend a back up plan and a realistic realization this is a high reach.</p>
<p>Consider Bates-test scores not required, or seriously, look at St Olaf in Minnesota or Juniata in PA. Both send scads of kids to med school, give merit aid, and are underrated. Plus your Greek and music will be interesting to the Oles. They have a big music program and a huge study abroad program. Both are listed in “Colleges that Change Lives”</p>
<p>Sometimes adjusting your expectations can land you at a better match for you, anyway.</p>
<p>My daughter has a 3.9 unweighted GPA, and scored a 33 on the ACT with a perfect 36 on the English and a perfect 36 on the Math and applied ED I. She also got a 780 on the Essay of the SAT. She is still on Middlebury’s wait list. She has lots of AP’s, study abroad experience (a month in France studying French), she is a nationally ranked rower, 8 years of studies as a jazz drummer, and lots of community service including a month in Cambodia and Laos in remote villages, building homes in Mexico, working on an Indian Reservation, etc., and she placed 3rd in a French competition in Berkeley beating out kids who were going to Harvard. Getting into Middlebury is REALLY tough. I would say you need to get the ACT score up to a 34 to be seriously considered.</p>
<p>BTW: How do you get a 5.4 weighted GPA if you don’t have AP’s??? Kids in our high school who take every AP course offered never get more than a 4.5 or 4.6 weighted GPA.</p>
<p>Take the most serious SAT or ACT prep course you can afford in the nearest metropolis, and develop your “hook”. The Greek is interesting, but is it your only language? You will need to advance a unique or unusual skill set or ability to the degree that it will contribute something to your Freshman class. Not everyone has to have climbed Everest to get into MIDD, but you have to have do/be/know something special. Good luck.</p>
<p>Your GPA is good but your ACT don’t match so as OldbatsieDoc stated, your GPA will be looked at as if it’s easy to obtain that. Get it higher 33+ and you shouldn’t have to worry.</p>
<p>it has, what, a 17% acceptance rate? No one’s chance is 0, students have gotten into Middlebury, yeah, maybe it is the 4th ranked college in the US, as Harvard is the arguably the best Ivy with gradual decrease in acceptance rates, but students still got in there. I know of a student that got a 1500 SAT (post 2005) and got into Harvard, because he was a thriving musician. don’t ever tell anyone that their chances are close to 0. no one’s is. what the heck are you smoking?</p>
<p>I think close to zero is, in this case, less than 10%. The OP can, however, improve her record and her chances, especially with fabulous recs, a spot-on essay, and a better set of test scores.</p>
<p>upenn-I unfortunately have the experience to give pretty accurate advise. I try to keep aspiring students realistic. Of course, everyone who wants to should apply to their “reach” schools. But it’s important to have a realistic back-up plan. There are hundreds of excellent colleges that can provide a fabulous education to the right student.I try to get folks to have a back up in case their high hopes don’t pan out.
I actually have yet to hear from a person I gave a low chance to that they were accepted. I’d love to be wrong.</p>
<p>You can read my posts and I feel they are overwhelmingly supportive. But realistic.</p>
<p>Delayed comment/question for OldbatsieDoc:
On 5/24 you wrote: Being the valedictorian would help, because no matter where, it is hard to be the best.</p>
<p>I have a rising senior who is on track to be valedictorian, but when these kids apply to colleges in the fall, their “valedictorian-ism” will not be confirmed at that time. In fact, I believe most college acceptance letters will go out before valedictorians are confirmed/awarded. So, how can being valedictorian actually help your chances of admission, if this occurs after the review of the application?</p>
<p>Hey AlexandraD! I was just admitted to Middlebury for this fall and I have to say that there is no point in even asking this question because there is no way to know your chances of getting in to a school like Midd! As for me, I had above average grades, but nothing amazing. 3.7 gpa give or take unweighted, 12/375 for a class rank, and a 2040 SAT, (690,690,660). Grades are such an unreliable thing to go by, and colleges know that. One person could come from a school where they had a class devoted solely to preparing for the SAT or ACT, or an hour block solely for lab for AP Bio. What they really want is a person who is confident in who they are and know that they can handle a challenging school like Midd, and you can only show that in things like your essay and interview. Everything else they just use to verify that you’ve challenged yourself and that you’re going to enrich their campus. I strongly suggest doing an interview if its possible, because I know for a fact that without my interview, I would not have gotten in. It gave me a chance to tell the school things I can’t put on the common app, like how one of my biggest challenges was learning to drive a stick-shift and that maybe my grades aren’t perfect but that’s because I’d choose catching up with my grandpa over dinner than studying for my test. And with those not so amazing grades, I also got onto Dartmouth’s waitlist, which I thought was pretty cool! So clearly top schools also look for more than geniouses, they look for confidence. So even if you never score that 32, dont think your chances are blown, I thought for sure I’d be denied without atleast a 2100! Good luck and enjoy wherever you end up!</p>