Chance me?

Hi, I applied to Kenyon and am really hopeful that it works out. I applied for Religious studies and creative writing. Here are my stats:

Kenyon specific: I applied to the writing award, and although it’s such a shot in the dark that I’ll get the scholarship, I think my portfolio displays a considerable degree of skill.

I also went RD. I had an interview that went 10 min overtime — I think it went super well.

ACADEMICS
-3.82 GPA (does have a pass fail junior year)
-33 ACT (35 English, 33 Reading, 30 Math, 32 Science, 12 Essay)
-APs: APUSH (4), Physics (3), Comparative Gov (5), English Lang (5), World History (3), taking Stats, Lit, and Euro now
-Although it’s not a ton of APs, I go to a competitive Catholic prep school that limits AP classes and I have taken advanced coursework in every subject, 4 years of each core subject

EXTRACURRICULARS
-MUN: Secretary-General of top-25 ranked team in country, organized conference with over 1000 attending
-Kino Teens: Executive Board considerable volunteering and advocacy with the Kino Border Initiative, a Catholic organization focused on justice at the US-Mexico Border
-Feminism Club: executive board, organize fundraisers, self defense class
-Volunteer at Easterseals, a school for students with autism
-IL Girls State
-work w/campus ministry in a few capacities

ESSAYS + RECS
-Common app essay really well written in my opinion, focuses on me growing up with a disabled sister and being bullied as a kid, then focusing on finding refuge in writing and how being a writer has shaped who I am as a person and how I interact with the world around me (despite this descriptor being a run on, I think the essay is well-crafted)
-GC Rec: really likes me, interested in “how I think” and believes I see world in an interesting way
-Rec 1: social studies teacher (ap comparative), also my mun moderator, knows me super personally and academically — I cannot imagine this being anything but fabulous
-Rec 2: English teacher for British Literature, went to the border with me over the summer, told me that my rec would be his “easiest to write,” would likely praise my writing skills.
-Rec 3: 3-year religion teacher, really close relationship, says he’s seen a lot of growth and a lot of work at digging into hard texts and challenging social issues

Thanks so much!

@politicsnerd While I’m certainly no expert and can’t Chance you, I think you’ve done a wonderful job of it in high school, and I certainly hope you get in. And I definitely hope you get the writing scholarship. After all, someone has to get one, and why not you?

You seem to be concerned about a lack of AP classes, but given that you’re working within the limitations set by your school it seems as though you’re taking a rigorous load by their standard. It concerns me that kids are taking so many AP classes… it seems so stressful… as though high school is the new college.

Your extras are very interesting, and there’s a ton of responsibility being the SG for a MUN team, so kudos to you! You sound as though you’re a very kind person, and your recs seem as though they’ll really go to bat for you. I sure hope so. You seem pretty fantastic.

The best of luck to you!

You don’t say if your GPA is weighted or not. If not then I would say you have a better than decent shot at getting in. Your stats are a wee bit higher than my S19 & he was accepted ED1. He had less APs than you b/c his school doesn’t offer many. APs don’t actually get you much from Kenyon anyway, but it’s still good for showing strength of curriculum.

I like that your ECs show a loose cohesion. I believe I read a blog from a Kenyon AO who mentioned using ECs to show a passion for something, rather than a laundry list of “good sounding” activities.

Good Luck!! My son has already been accepted and received merit, but we’re also waiting to hear about the Writing Award. :slight_smile:

Thank you both so much @chaosparent23 and @buckeyeinbama ! I’m worried about it being RD and having not visited at a LAC, and with a school like Kenyon, you never know. @ChaosParent23 Good luck to your son on the writing award (there’s 3 per year so hopefully it works out for us both), and congrats on his acceptance!

Demonstrated interest is important to Kenyon. Visiting, attending a class, and having an interview are all ways to show interest… especially in regular decision where the acceptance rate drops from around 66% to 30% and approx half the incoming class taken from ED rounds.