<p>I'm hispanic, female, from Uruguay, and a first gen college student
ACT comp: 32 Math: 27 Eng: 34 Read: 35 Sci: 30 Writ: 10
GPA: UW 3.3 I realize this is extremely low but it is due to circumstances beyond my control. My family suffered severe problems that made it difficult for me to be at school and required me spending a lot of time at home taking care of siblings (oldest of 6).
Class Rigor:
Sophomore: AP World 4
Junior: (scores pending) AP SPANISH, AP ART HISTORY, AP CHEMISTRY, APUSH
Senior: AP PSYCH, AP ECON, AP ENG/LIT, AP BIO, AP CALC AB, AP GOV
Other than those, my classes are all Honors or advanced level.
EC: Key Club Historian, Photography club president, HOSA class rep, ART place officer, Costume Manager for plays
I volunteer regularly for a homeless/rehab shelter, gathering supplies and food as well as groups of people to go to the shelter and help clean rooms and prepare meals.
I attend a predominantly white school and felt that minorities were poorly recognized so I started a club for racial and ethnic minorities at school. We held tutor and study sessions, worked through college application stress together, and found and provided resources to the minorities at school that were otherwise ignored. Proud to say membership was constant and we will continue it next year.
I'm also very involved religiously so I have been involved in a lot of fundraisers and volunteer projects
I've also been invited to attend Discover Swarthmore so if any one has info about that I would really appreciate it!</p>
<p>You have a very good chance of getting in, because you seem to be they exact type of student Swarthmore is looking for. You have good test scores, which will probably make up for your GPA. Also, you definitely show leadership through your extracurriculars and seem very dedicated. </p>
<p>Chance me back (Swarthmore is my first choice)! <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1663258-chance-me-liberal-arts-some-ivies-some-sunys.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1663258-chance-me-liberal-arts-some-ivies-some-sunys.html#latest</a> </p>
<p>Most of time, those who know something about the school(s) hide from the “chance me” postings, because they know there’s no way for anyone to know (even someone in admissions). The question is literally a chat room “Do you think I’m pretty”? The 3 or 4 trolling around the SWAT page right now all look like great kids, but Swarthmore is full of them (as are Bowdoin, and Amherst, and Williams, and Dartmouth, and dozens more). </p>
<p>GPA, test scores, leadership, extracurriculars…all matter, but so does timing (ED or not), interest (Physics or English), perceived interest in the school (Discover SWAT, visits, overnight stays, interviews etc.), interest / ability in sports, and your essays.</p>
<p>My advice to you having been through this with children: Find a place you want to be with people you want to be around. If you’re not sure after one visit…go again. If you get a bad feeling anywhere…move on. A lot of people will say “you’ll find the place that’s right for you”. It’s hard to believe, but it really does seem to work out more than not.</p>
<p>Stay focused on High School, and use any free time to consider colleges. Worrying about your chances at SWAT right now is a complete waste of time. Hell, you might visit and not even like the place…unlikely…but possible.</p>
<p>Good luck. Take a deep breath. In 9 months it’ll all be over!</p>
<p>Hi from a current Swarthmore student! If you were invited to Discover Swarthmore, you will (I’d say with 80% confidence) be accepted. Only the best of the (already impressive) applicants are invited to that. Your profile looks great and you have unique experiences that will no doubt prove to be a valuable addition to your class. Congrats and I hope you choose Swarthmore! </p>
<p>I’m entering Swarthmore in the Fall, and If I remember correctly, there was a place on the Common App for you to explain circumstances that affected your GPA. Also, your english, reading, and writing ACT scores look great, but it could be a good idea for you to study and give that math score one more try…check out Swarthmore average scores: <a href=“Swarthmore College: Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores”>http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegeprofiles/p/Swarthmore_prfl.htm</a>. By the way, the club you started to support other minority kids sounds very cool. Good luck with your application, and have fun at DiscoSwat!</p>
<p>P.S. You new applicants are lucky. Last year, they made us write two 500-word essays, but I heard that this year you only need to write one 250-word essay</p>