<p>Could I get some suggestions, please? I am applying to several liberal arts colleges and a few Universities. What chances would I have at Swarthmore, Amherst, Pomona, NYU, UCB, UCLA and Claremont Mckenna?</p>
<p>I am President of the debate society and the career counseling society in my school.
I play hockey but only district level.
I am a classical dancer and a classical vocalist.
I volunteered for teaching in my town at a small community service school.</p>
<p>ok no. you don’t need 5 aps. Some wouldn’t hurt, however its not the end of the world… Anyway College confidential is stupid, Honestly, if you have something unique about you- something that makes you memorable to the admissions officer , you have a pretty good chance. All this “only top-notch grades will get you in” is bullshit ( not total bullshit, but definitely over exaggerated) </p>
I agree with macrocker101. I’m going to tell you a little anecdote here - please don’t think I’m bragging! I’m just trying to offer a little insight into Swarthmore’s selection process.
I was the first student from my school to go to Swat in a decade, and the first to be admitted in eight years. I went to a private school in Connecticut whose Class of 2013 went to 31% Ivies. My college counselor told me that she really thought Swat would be a great place for me and urged that I apply - I think she just wanted to get a student into Swat, but nonetheless I’m happy she persuaded me to go here. After I got in, she told me she was so relieved - she and her coworkers had been trying to get students in for years, only for them to be rejected. Of course, these students would end up going to HYP instead, but she was worried Swarthmore was starting to hold a grudge against a them. Why were they turning down all these top-notch students?
I’d always felt out of place in my school. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great school (to be honest, I found Swat easy after high school), but the people just weren’t my type. They were… basically, the snotty kids others fear will be at the Ivies (and are). But at Swarthmore, every person I meet is endlessly interesting and fun and great to be around - and I can confidently say that Swarthmore judges its applicants not so much on grades, but much more on what they have to contribute to the community.
