<p>I'm ranked 1/476 in my school (never gotten a B)</p>
<p>GPA: 4.0 (unweighted) 5.2 (weighted)
Sat: 2240 Superscored (2200 not)
Math- 760
Writing- 780 (10/12 on essay)
Reading- 660 (700 with past test superscored)</p>
<p>Sat 2 :</p>
<p>Math 2: 760
US History: 740
Literature: 710
Biology: 700</p>
<p>AP scores- 10th grade:
World History - 4
Calc AB - 5
Psych - 5
Chem - 1 (HORRIBLE teacher)</p>
<p>AP score- 11th grade:
Calc Bc - 5 (AB SUBSCORE: 5)
US History- 5
Bio- 4
Physics C: Mechanics- 4
English Lang- 4
Macro Econ- 4</p>
<p>Senior year AP classes:
Physics C: E&M
English Lit
Latin AP
Environmental Science
Stats
Gov
Micro econ</p>
<p>I take courses at the local community college:
Macro Economy- Grade: A
Business Management/ Development- Grade: A</p>
<p>This summer I'm at UCLA for 6 weeks to take "MultiVariable Calculus" </p>
<p>Other info:
4 year Varsity tennis (recieved Coaches Award) (We also won Southern California Division 2 my junior year)
President of Key Club
President of JSA
member of JCL
member of NHS
member of CSF
over 400 hours of community service
Ball kid for a HUGE tennis tournament every year since 6th grade
attended a RYLA
Part of the CTY gifted and talented program since 7th grade
AP scholar (10th grade)
National AP Scholar (11th grade)
Scholar Athlete
Academic Awards of Excellence
Maxima cum Laude on National Latin Exam (9th grade)
Magna cum Laude on NLE (10th grade)
Student of the month (general)
Math Student of the month
Science Student of the Month
Most Outstanding Student in Science
Most Outstanding Student in Math</p>
<p>I also go to Iran once or twice a year for a few weeks to visit family and to help out the people and kids in the slums.</p>
<p>I am planning on shadowing doctors throughout the whole of August and got a research internship during the school year.</p>
<p>I have GREAT letters of rec and great essays.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Its definitley possible</p>
<p>Looking good. SAT is a bit low but I’d say 85-90% chance.</p>
<p>The only reason it’s not certain is that nothing seems to be a given In todays elite admissions sweepstakes…</p>
<p>Good luck! Pomona is a fantastic school. (D attends)</p>
<p>An A in AP Chem, but a 1 on the test!? Good god lol! But anyway, your chances look great(:</p>
<p>the 85% chance is way off and the SAT is fine but you’re competitive. emphasize the Iran service project, the internship, and the tennis.</p>
<p>Not to split hairs, or debate the number of angels that can fit on the head of a pin with you santeria, but with a 1/476 standing; 4.0/5.2 GPA; A’s in supplementary outside college courses; a Div 2 varsity tennis schedule; AP 5s and 4s; hundreds of hours of community service; various club memberships and multiple presidencies; and assorted and sundry local and national academic awards, I maintain the OP is more than just “competitive”.</p>
<p>If the SAT score was 2300+ they would have a stellar chance at admission. As it stands, unless you’re seeing some weakness I’m missing, the 85% may have been a bit generous, but I certainly don’t feel it is “way off”.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pomona-college/1110501-official-pomona-college-2015-decision-only.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pomona-college/1110501-official-pomona-college-2015-decision-only.html</a></p>
<p>Keep in mind rejected students are less likely to post on that thread.</p>
<p>Pomona could fill up its entire class with valedictorians if the admissions office so wished. As it is, 25% of the 2015 class are valedictorians. They don’t particularly differentiate between top 5% and top 1%, so the valedictorian status isn’t something that makes an applicant stand out. The op has a very strong academic record, but so do most other applicants. The EC’s are good, but not particularly exciting. If the op wrote a mediocre essay, for example, then a rejection is very possible. I agree that the op has a great chance, but I would only say 80% if the op is a URM. If the op is from California and female, then i’d say not to expect anything. </p>
<p>Your SAT advice is simply wrong because the admissions office doesn’t particularly care as long as the op proves capable in the three sections (he/she has), so retaking would be a waste of time. Far better to work on the quality of the application. There is very little difference (a couple questions) between a 700 and an 800 on any section, and admissions understands that. In fact, during information sessions, they often specifically tell applicants not to bother retaking after getting a 700+ across the sections. The idea that a 2300 is needed to ensure an acceptance to a competitive school is a myth. Pomona’s SAT average - one of the highest in the country - is not 2300. Understand that each application gets a review and then a 1 minute summary. It is fairly obvious that this applicant doesn’t need to prove academic capability by getting one more question right on the SAT.</p>
<p>Don’t underestimate the competitiveness of college admissions… far better to overestimate them. </p>
<p>To the op: if you are really interested in Pomona, I’d be happy to help with your application/essays.</p>
<p>Your articulately expressed points are well taken, santeria, though I’m not sure I agree with your views on the URM angle in this instance. Unfortunately, diversity/minority status is an aspect of the admissions process that, IMHO, stretches if not breaks the bounds of fairness, but I agree that it plays a major role. Accordingly, since the OP is apparently Iranian, his/her atypical status may be of some interest to the admissions folks, although I confess that is just a guess based on the experiences of a few other students I know with similar backgrounds.</p>
<p>Concerning SATs, I did not mean to suggest that one needs to have 2300+ to obtain admission to Pomona, or that having that total guarantees admission –only that, all other things being equal, posting a score like that would take the SAT question off the table and make the student more competitive. I agree with you that the strongest app is one that is balanced across the board, and in that regard, I took the OP at his/her word when they said they had excellent essays and teacher recs in addition to their solid academics. </p>
<p>In the end, I concur that it is a crapshoot; one without guarantees of any kind. And yes, it is better to approach the process with an attitude that errs on the side of pessimism. Better to be pleasantly surprised than sadly crushed when the letters go out. Perhaps I should have made it perfectly clear that even an 80-85% chance of admission does not imply 100% certainty.</p>
<p>BTW: Your offer of help to them is both generous and kind. In other words, you’re a typical Pomona student!</p>
<p>There are certain parts of the minority question that are legitimate. Many of the minorities that are accepted actually had less opportunities to succeed, which makes them interesting applicants. </p>
<p>Obviously it doesn’t hurt to have a higher SAT score, but the 2300 idea is so prevalent on CC that it’s almost annoying to read because it’s not necessarily a true idea. There is no SAT question with this applicant and many others, but many students feel obligated or are advised to waste their time studying, stressing, and taking the test more times than was ever needed.</p>
<p>It’s standard causation/correlation confusion. People see the statistics and assume that students were admitted to schools because they had high SAT scores rather than assuming that the students who were admitted were so brilliant and interesting that they scored well on the SAT.</p>
<p>At the risk of beating a dead horse, your stance on high SAT scores does presuppose a choice between the chicken and the egg.</p>
<p>People do see the statistics and do note the high average SAT scores therein, which leads them naturally to believe that SATs are one scoring factor in the admissions game. One of many, yes, but still one that plays a role. And I’m not sure it follows that all those we might consider “brilliant and interesting” would necessarily find themselves at the top of the SAT heap.</p>
<p>I accept your position that Pomona may not consider the difference between a 2240 and a 2300+ to be significant, and if one must choose between spending time polishing up other aspects of one’s application and rewriting the SATs the choice would surely be the former. But in order to succeed without losing forward momentum, one only gets a single chance at the college admissions game. If you feel your app is sound in all other aspects, why not beef up your score if you can?</p>
<p>Or are you suggesting that the die is pretty well cast, and that, essays notwithstanding, it is impossible to materially improve one’s chances this late in the game?</p>
<p>The leap from 2240 to 2300 would be so insignificant that it is not worth spending the time studying. Even with studying, that leap couldn’t possibly be guaranteed. </p>
<p>I am not saying that it is impossible to improve one’s chances. But you’re going about it the wrong way. Beefing up your score would require a lot of time and, as I said before, isn’t guaranteed. That time can always be used on something else. So if you’re trying to win the game… do not bother working on an SAT score that isn’t very significant. Do something that helps your actual application. If you’re a musician, organize a concert. Sell some paintings. Volunteer at a drama program. With that time, do something legitimate that admissions will appreciate. They won’t care about your SAT score when they can look at that.</p>
<p>I had a lengthy discussion about this topic with a Pomona admissions officer. I also got into Pomona with this philosophy. I took the SAT sans studying, early in my junior year, one time.</p>