Chances and Areas in Need of Improvement

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington & Lee University
1

<p>Applying to the Williams School. Also, a counselor at my school is an "active" alumni of Washington and Lee University (gives the book award each year); would this increase my chances?</p>

<p>RACE: African American / Black</p>

<p>GENDER: Male</p>

<p>LOCATION: South Carolina</p>

<p>MAJOR: Political Science</p>

<p>GPA: 3.8 Un-Weighted / 4.7 Weighted</p>

<p>RANK: 3 / 337</p>

<p>SAT:
Critical Reading - 660
Math - 600
Writing - 610 (7 Essay; 63 MC)</p>

<p>SAT II: Taking Literature and US History in November (maybe 650+)</p>

<p>GRADES:
FRESHMAN YEAR
Algebra 1 CP - 97
French 1 CP -99
Algebra 2 Honors - 91
Physical Science Honors - 88
English 1 Honors - 98
World History Honors - 95
Honors Seminar - 99
French 2 CP - 96
Physical Education (CP) - 100
Computer Applications (CP) - 96</p>

<p>SOPHOMORE YEAR:
Geometry Honors - 94
Biology 1 Honors - 90
English 2 Honors - 95
AP European History - 89
French 3 Honors - 97
Visions of the Future Seminar (Honors) - 95
Art 1 (CP) - 96
Health (CP) - 96</p>

<p>JUNIOR YEAR:
Algebra 3 Honors - 97
Chemistry 1 Honors - 93
AP English Language & Composition - 99
AP United States History - 96
AP Art History - 97
Introduction to Philosophy Seminar (Honors) - 97
Global Issues Seminar (Honors) - 96
French 4 Honors - 97</p>

<p>SENIOR YEAR:
Pre-Calculus Honors
Physics Honors
AP English Literature & Composition
AP United States Government & Politics
AP French Language & Composition
Talented & Gifted Art (Honors)
AP Studio Art
AP Human Geography
Twentieth Century Seminar (Honors)
Economics CP (could not fit AP)</p>

<p>EXTRACURRIULAR ACTIVITIES:
Youth Action Council: Co-Chair / President; Finalist in the Project Ignition National Seat Belt Campaign; presented multi-media campaign at the National Youth Leadership Council's (NYLC) National Service-Learning Conference; recipient of the Best Grassroots Impact Award for working with South Carolina legislators to enact stronger seat belt safety laws; recipient of the $25,000 State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant; distributed over $45,000 in mini-grants to district teachers and students since inception year to support service-learning and civic-engagement projects</p>

<p>Student Government
Senate; House of Representatives; Representative-at-Large; National Association of Student Councils (NASC) Council of Excellence Award; Certificate of Excellence and Varsity Letter for 300+ Hours of Service; South Carolina Association of Student Councils (SCASC) Gold Honor Council Award; Junior Class Leadership Council Secretary; Certificate of Excellence for 200+ Hours of Service; Sophomore Class Leadership Council Secretary; Outstanding Freshman Class Service Award for 100+ Hours of Servce; South Carolina Association of Student Councils (SCASC) District Conference; School Improvement Council (SIC)</p>

<p>Scholars Symposium / Honors Forum
Senior Class Advisory Council Representative; Junior Class Advisory Council Representative; Sophomore Class Advisory Council Representative; Freshman Class Advisory Council Representative; Peer Mentor / Tutor</p>

<p>National Art Honor Society (NAHS)
Awards and Ceremony Coordinator; Scholastic Art and Writings Award Competition; South Carolina State Fair Student Art Show; Spring Visual Arts Show; Photography Club</p>

<p>National French Honor Society (NFHS)
President / Awards and Ceremony Coordinator; Darfur Advocacy Campaign (Co-Chair); Peer Mentor / Tutor</p>

<p>National Honor Society (NHS)
Peer Mentor / Tutor</p>

<p>National Senior Beta Club
Peer Mentor / Tutor</p>

<p>COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS:
Amnesty International USA
"Malaria No More" Campaign (Duke University Medical Center)
STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition
Genocide Intervention Network
Andy Thomas Radio Network Teen Forum Show
National Service-Learning Partnership
Service-Learning and Civic-Engagement Collaborative Workshop (Instructor)
Good Neighbor Home Works Renovation Project
Winter Holidays Service Project
Board Election (Co-Manager for Gregory Branch)</p>

<p>SUMMER EXPERIENCES:
The Governor's School of South Carolina at the College of Charleston (Collective Memory of World War II; The Holocaust in Film)
South Carolina Business Week at Presbyterian College
Clemson University Program for Academically Talented Students</p>

<p>ACADEMIC HONORS:
Principal's Scholar Honor
National Ventures Scholar Program
National French Contest Level 4 Honorable Mention Award
Junior Marshal at Senior Graduation
Coker College Scholar Award
Lander University Junior Fellow Award
Newberry College Scholar Award
University of South Carolina Aiken Scholar Award
University of South Carolina Upstate Scholar Award
AP English Language & Composition Award of Excellence
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Junior English Award
South Carolina Governor's Scholar Award
Golden Palmetto Leadership & Service Merit Award
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Sophomore History Award
National History Day Certificate of Achievement
Outstanding Academic Achievement in Freshman Social Studies Award
Academic Honor Roll
Duke Univeristy Talent Identification Program Scholar
Scholars Academy / Honors School</p>

2

<p>interview.</p>

<p>otherwise, ring the brass bell. but i'm sure you knew that.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for commenting; however, I'm kind of confused about what you mean...lol</p>

4

<p>smart. many awards.
very involved--you have to know that.<br>
finish the sat iis.</p>

<p>you have what every school in America is looking for.</p>

<p>now you need to visit and interview and make sure it is the right school. more than any other factor in college selection is whether the school is the right fit. why be miserable for four years. if you don't like a school--no matter which one--don't be afraid to transfer.</p>

5

<p>Oh okay, I kind of thought that's what you meant. Thanks for the reply; I'll try my hardest to visit and interview :).</p>

6

<p>I would also highly recommend visiting. It is a great school, but as an African American with stats like yours, I would not want to spend 4 years of my life there. Look towards the Ivies and some of the other top schools. Trust me on this one, go visit.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the post! Could you elaborate on what you said :) I'm just curious. Cornell University is the only Ivy I've given a thought to (it seems the only one I might have some chance to get in to lol). Also, I have A LOT of schools I am thinking about but I'm just not sure which ones to narrow down to lol. I am going to try to visit my final list of schools at the beginning of the school year, though. Any more replies are welcome!</p>

8

<p>Washington and Lee is not very ethnically and racially diverse. I am not saying there is racism at the school as I have never been a student there. It seems to me from visiting that the kids do not mix, the African American population have their own fraternities.
It is a school that has traditions they revere and people they revere. One of these being buried at the school along with his horse, Robert E. Lee. Now people may get on me here saying that the civil war was not about slavery, but I will never agree.</p>

9

<p>While I do beleive that the Civil War was not about slavery I do not beleive that it would be possible to convince you, however, Robert E. Lee's involvement in the war was certainly not out of support for slavery but instead out of support for Virginia. Also reverance for Lee at W&L is quite justified considering that he was President of the University and enacted major changes which significantly affect W&L to this day. As to race issues while I do know that there is a lack of minority students I did not notice any sort of tension or division while I was on campus.</p>

10

<p>Many people don't realize that Robert E. Lee was torn between whether to swear allegiance to his state that had seceeded or to cast his lot with the Union. His family was chock-full of ardent Unionists, many of which severed all acquaintance once he chose to fight for the Confederacy. Associating Robert E. Lee with the school does not mean that the school embraces slavery or the Old South; rather, it embraces the traditions of honorable gentlemen like Lee and Washington who, during turbulent times, took stances on issues of moral and political significance and maintained their integrity throughout their respective ordeals. </p>

<p>And to say that the Civil War was not fought over slavery is ridiculous. Slavery became an issue because the founders refused to address it in the Constitution. Needing unification behind the American cause to save the fledgling states, they deferred the inflammatory topic to later times. As a result, sectionalism emerged. But it emerged because of slavery. The struggle over states rights versus federal supremacy also surfaced. But it surfaced because of the issues of Bleeding Kansas and the caning of Charles Sumner, where the chief issue was that of popular sovereignty (over the issue of slavery). The divide between Northern manufacturing and Southern agriculture contributed to the tensions. But it contributed because of the culture of the South (James Hammond said in 1850 "Cotton is King;" the South was bound to a bucolic lifestyle because of their reliance on slavery) against the culture of the North (where slavery was outlawed and, as a result, industry was paramount). The issue of slavery definitely was the PREVAILING and FOREMOST cause of the Civil War.</p>

<p>Sorry for the digression, Blazer. You have a good shot at gaining admission to W&L (good involvement and passions, URM), but you may want to closely examine the school before making a decision.</p>

11

<p>Thanks, I will!</p>

12

<p>I have to clarify, I really like this school.
Robert E. Lee above all was a Virginian, opposed to seccesion. I realize the war was about the power of states to govern themselves, but if it would not have been for slavery, the war would never have occured.
As for an African American as gifted as Blazer seems to be, it would seem to me that he would be better served going to a school that it more ethinically and racially diverse. I speak of this coming from an ethnic family. My son loves the school, and if he chooses to apply and attend he will have my blessings, but I think he and Blazer would be better served at another school.</p>

13

<p>If you tell highly qualified URMs not to apply to W&L, how do you expect W&L to become more diverse?</p>

14

<p>Agreed, Motherdear.</p>

15

<p>I have not told him to not apply. I think after visiting, he can make that decision on his own.
My son loves DubyanEl. I love it's tradtions, it's campus, it's honor code, etc... But if by chance you don't happen to fit in well, which happens to about 20% here, it is a miserable 4 years. Do searches on the internet and you will find many sites where students as recently as last week talk about this. If you are not part of a frat or sorority, you are an outcast. Also, how many kids (or their parents) can afford the 'dress code' at this school? Polo's at $69-$79 each. Some of the boys have over a dozen! Don't get me wrong I love the way they look, but we are talking about (social) fit and comfort for four years.
The great things that may make you disregard these cons are the pros. Incredible professors who know who you are and call you out. As for the world of business and politics, W&L has the most incredible alumni network you could hope for. At this school a visit is essential. My son visited and fell in love, Blazer may also, or he may not.</p>

16

<p>Don't make the "dress code" an issue. Yes, many of the students wear brands like Lacoste and Lilly Pulitzer. However, not having these items does not make you an outcast. Students on campus look nice because their outfits are well put together -- wear a combo of slacks and a polo from the Gap and no one will look down on you for not having a tiny alligator embroidered on your chest. Many students wear the brands -- many do not. Also, some people I know wear name brand clothes they got from second-hand stores. I won't deny that students at W&L dress well, I will simply say that the emphasis is on looking nice, not dressing head-to-toe in Ralph Lauren and Lacoste.</p>

17

<p>It's an honor system, not an honor code. Just saying.</p>

18

<p>No the dress is not an issue for me, but there is pressure to conformity. If you are an individualist you will get stares. You just need to know what W&L is about before you commit to four years. And please be truthful about whether kids don't notice whether your dress is a Lily or your tie Vineyard Vines. My niece attends and I have heard otherwise.</p>

19

<p>Vineyard Vines, Lily and many other labels are sold at outlet and discount stores. Last time I checked, the W&L students aren't wearing the price tags on their outfits so you really don't know who bought what at Nordstrom's vs. Marshall's nor do you know how much they paid.</p>

20

<p>FWIW -- perceptions by visitors may differ from reality on campus. Although W&L does offer students the option of historically black Greek organizations, many minority students choose to join other Greek houses. S has very active frat brothers (incl his pledge trainer) who are black -- no segregation in their social lives, to say the least. It's all about choice, including whom you listen to.</p>