I love this school so much. I visited it once maybe three and a half years ago and I loved the campus and the tour guides. I am not applying ED I because my dad isn’t the hugest fan of the school and because I would be scrambling to finish things in 1 week. I will definitely try to convince him in time to apply for ED II though! Could someone please chance me? My GPA is not the greatest and I know that Wellesley is extremely competitive. I do have extracurriculars that I think are unique and could potentially separate me from the rest!
Public High School, Class of '18
Majoring in Chemistry
Chinese
GPA: 3.9
Classes this year:
CSIPH
AP Microeconomics
AP Government & Politics
AP Enviro
AP Lit
Calculus (I take this class at my local college instead of my high school)
Classes last year:
AP Lang
Physio H
Spanish 3 CP
CPUSH
AP Psych
Math Analysis H
Also I took a Chem course at my local college over the summer (lecture as well as lab)
SAT: 1530 (Math 790, Reading 740)
I also took the Chem and Math II subject tests but I did rather poorly on them and don’t think I will submit it; I looked on the website and it says they don’t look at that anyways. I am planning to take Math II this November though.
EC:
Volunteering with the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden(CVBG) (4 years)
Collaborated with the CVBG to start own non-profit organization (I’ve been in the local newspaper a few times and have worked with school districts)
Interned with OptionCare Home Infusion services
Single-handedly Devolping an ARCGis Database for the CVBG
Captain of Lacrosse team (Junior, Senior)
(Dont know if this counts) Worked as a tutor in English and Math for Kumon (2 years)
Treasurer of Student Surgical Club (Junior, Senior)
I have such a low GPA (~3.4 unweighted, ~3.98 weighted) that I’m not sure that I should even try to apply here. Feedback would be greatly appreciated so I have time to “fall out of love” with this school! haha
I’m getting letters of rec from my AP Lang teacher and my Chemistry professor from my summer class. My lang teacher is known for doing AMAZING letters of rec, and she absolutely loves me.
The part I’m extremely worried about is obviously my GPA. I had personal problems junior year second semester, and my grades absolutely plummeted. Obviously no good school wants a “red-flag” student. Does my GPA completely obliterate my chances of getting in?
Your GPA and weighted GPA mean NOTHING without context. What is your high school like? If it does not offer class rank, do you have any idea what percentile you might be in? A 3.4 GPA and 3.98 WGPA might make you in the top 1% in some schools, but barely cracking the top 50% in other schools where there is significant grade inflation.
Does your school have Naviance guidance as to where students with similar grades have been accepted?
As for your personal problems affecting your GPA - have you talked with your Guidance Counselor about how it impacted you long term? Some kids with personal problems struggle and absolutely overcome their issues, while others may take significantly longer to work through them.
For example, lots of highly selective schools are willing to overlook temporary drops in GPA that are associated with medical issues, for the kid that fits what they are looking for.
And yes, your work experience at Kumon definitely counts as an EC.
With all of this being said, looking at the entire picture, I don’t think Wellesley is completely impossible for you - it may be a reach, but it is a reach for an awful lot of kids.
You noted your Dad is not a huge fan of the school. If that is because of the price tag - Wellesey does not provide merit aid - then I’d agree you may be better off at schools that do provide merit - you may be competive for merit based on your great test scores.
If he is not a fan for other reasons - ask him why. Is it too far away from home - will he miss you too much? Most parents will be happy if their kid attends a college that is affordable for them, that they are happy with. If he knows you really want it and you can afford it, he will be happy for you.
Your GPA may not be immediately disqualifying, especially in light of your awesome sat scores. Play up your unique EC’s, maybe mention that you want to work at the Wellesley greenhouse (or something specific along those lines). Showing some more demonstrated interest (i.e. alumni interview, another visit, etc.) might also help.
@txndebater, thanks for your input! I actually have a meeting with an alumna coming up. Do you think I should wait until i have my meeting to turn in my Wellesley application so that I can write it in my Why Wellesley? essay? also, do you know if the interview plays a part in the admissions decision?
@unhreal just finished my interview and even though it was an easy going conversation my interviewer did make a lot of notes and points based on whatever I said, it’s pretty evaluative they want to know you better as a person, so do make the best out of it!
@unhreal The meeting might give you some insight into wellesley/ give you a chance to ask the alum why she chose wellesley. At least for me, i think the interview did play a role in my admission.