Chances at Carleton or Other Top LACs?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>As a Junior who as just recently began looking seriously at colleges, I really need a little bit of help figuring out where I stand in the scheme of college admissions. I'll begin by just giving info about myself (test scores, grades, personal characteristics) and then throw out some schools that I have been looking at. I would really like some feed back on what you think my chances would be at Carleton and other schools that I mention.</p>

<p>Homestate: Oklahoma (don't know if that matters)
GPA: 4.0 unweighted; about 4.5ish weighted
top 5% of class; about 10 out of 550ish
ACT: 33 sophomore year (I've always wondered if they care when you got your score)
SAT: 710M, 710CR, 730W (Taking again in June and October to raise it)
SAT II: I've taken Math II and Physics but have not gotten my scores back yet. I took a practice test for each and got 800s, but who knows how reliable they were. I'd predict atleast 700s. I'll take Lang in Oct. as well which i feel confident about at the moment.
AP: Took Lang, Calc AB, and Physics C Mech. and felt great about all of them. Just for the sake of Chancing me, I'll predict 5 on physics, and 4 or 5 on Calc and Lang.
APs for next year: Calc BC, Euro, Lit, Physics C E&M, Chem
I also will be attending a course on Cosmology at Colorado College this summer with a full tuition scholarship</p>

<p>If there's anything else test wise, just let me know and I'll add it on</p>

<p>ExtraCurriculars:
President and Founder of Philosophy Club, Head Programmer and Captain of Award winning and World Championship Finalist FIRST Robotics Team, President of Mu Alpha Theta, paid TA in summer courses for Pre-Engineering Academy that I go to half the day, Homeland cashier (represent), Math tutor, Acting outside of school for 7. I have some athletics as well but I'm not sure if they'll really matter, soccer for 12 years, Cross Country Letterman Freshman and sophomore year. There's a little bit more but it's mostly lame stuff so I'll leave it out.</p>

<p>I feel like my essays will be pretty strong but an interview will be my strongest non-academic portion of an application. I've done acting and speech competitions for years so I probably have more people skills than the average Physics major, but, being an LAC, i'm not sure if that would be true.</p>

<p>That's about all I can really say about myself so I'll leave the rest up to you. I'd just like to know what you think my chances at Top notch LACs would be and Carleton in General. I'll be majoring in physics but I dont think that matters in admissions at all. A few others I've been looking at are Hendrix and Grinnell, but if you know of any that sound as though they would fit me just let me know and I'll look into them. </p>

<p>Thanks for all of your time, it means a lot!</p>

2

<p>Should this be on the “What are My Chances?” portion of the forums?</p>

<p>I forgot to add that I’ll be National Merit, but I’ve heard that virtually everyone that applies to Carleton and the like is National Merit so it probably doesn’t look as good as it would at a state school.</p>

3

<p>I think you have a fine chance at any top LAC. Very good marks, scores, class rank, G.P.A., ECs, Leadership. I would suggest posting this (again) in the ‘college selection’ sub-forum as a general ‘LAC chance me’ thread and you will get many more responses. </p>

<p>Just one thing. Interpersonal skills will take you far but remember that the interview is not so much about winning the interviewer over (like a job interview) it is more about sharing who you are and what makes you tick. It’s a bit more about sharing info that ‘sells you’ more than winning the interviewer over.</p>

<p>Say the interviewer asked you what was the difference between your sophomore year and your junior year. You could tell them that you took more challenging classes and got better grades and did more community work in your junior year. Or you could tell them the key shift was finding X that has taken you over and how it happened. I’d suggest the latter, it shares you and the other stuff can be gleaned from your application.</p>

4

<p>Protest, I think your stats look very good and that your chances are good at Carleton and other top LACs. I think coming from Oklahoma does matter in that most LAC like having geographic diversity. </p>

<p>Also, there was an earlier thread about how much (or little) the interview and showing interest matters in admissions. Work on those essays–they really are your best shot at showing just who you are to adcoms. Start now by opening a document where you can jot down any ideas or themes that occur to you for essays. Just by thinking about what you want to write, ideas will start to come to you–not while you stare at the computer screen but as you do your usual routines. Jot them down as you think of them, and then examples and anecdotes will pop into your that go along with those ideas. Then when it comes time to write the essays, you’ll have a notion of where you want to go as well as some material to illustrate your ideas. The best writing has time to percolate, both before and after it’s on the page. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>protest, your stats look competitve, however I’m continually amazed at what I read in this forum about people with great stats that aren’t admitted and people with medicore stats that are admitted. When I got into Carleton, my stats were not as good as yours or a lot of students I read about…I turned out OK though.</p>

<p>I think the reason that the basic stats aren’t a perfect predicter is probably a combo of whether or not you’re requesting aid, whether you legacy(It might make a difference if you are a legacy who’s parents have been regularly contributing vs parents who don’t contribute…nobody would ever say this though), and your fit. Fit could be based on your essays, where you live, etc.</p>

<p>With this being said I would focus on the essays. I like you Summer Cosmology course. Carleton is big into astrophysics and Cosmology. I’d check out the physics homepage and try to weave your Cosmology experience into an essay somehow. Also, check out this CC link about the Carleton physics major below:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/carleton-college/651486-physics-major.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/carleton-college/651486-physics-major.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also, I would get it thru in your essays that you’re interested in multiple different areas, not just physics. At Carleton, you don’t get a major advisor or declare a major until late sophmore year. They strongly encourage you to shop around a choose a major.</p>

<p>The oklahoma thing should help. They tend to like that type of diversity. They brag about it in thier literature.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for all of the responses everyone, it’s very much appreciated.</p>

<p>Limner, that sounds like a great idea for the essay. I’m quite sure that I’m going to be applying early decision to several places so I probably need to start on that pretty soon.</p>

<p>Jack, Thanks for the great link. I’ve actually seen that in the past, and it’s one of the things that really helped to solidify my interest in Carleton.</p>

7

<p>Protestthehero, I assume you mean that you will be applying early action several places (although Carleton actually does not provide this option)? Because “early decision” typically means that the decision is binding (i.e. if you are admitted you are obligated to attend that college barring financial complications), so you should NOT apply to more than one school early decision (unless you apply to one, are not admitted, and then decide to apply ED 2 to a school that offers it). Anyway, you should know that Carleton only offers regular decision, and then a binding early decision 1 by Nov. 15, and early decision 2 by Jan. 15. </p>

<p>Good luck with all your applications!</p>

8

<p>protest, just be sure you understand the difference between ED, EA, and SCEA. ED (early decision) means your application is a binding agreement to attend if you’re accepted to that school, so you really only apply to one school ED. EA (early action) means you can apply early to that school as well as others and your application doesn’t mean you agree to attend if accepted. Keep in mind, however, that some ED schools will not allow you apply EA to other schools when you apply ED (Brown used to be this way–not sure if it still is). And SCEA (single choice early action) means that your application isn’t a binding agreement to attend, but you can only apply early to that one school, not to any others (I believe Yale is an SCEA school). </p>

<p>There are also rolling admissions, where there isn’t a fall or winter deadline, but the earlier you get your app in, the better. Even schools that prohibit other EA apps don’t usually count rolling app schools in that prohibition. UMich used to be a rolling app school. It’s a good idea to include one of those in your app process, because it gives you some contol over the porcessa as well as some early peace of mind. I know when UMich did rolling apps, there were kids who got in in Sept. who wouldn’t have gotten in December. </p>

<p>Welcome to the admissions process!</p>

9

<p>Sorry about that, this stuff is all really new to me. I knew what ED and EA were, but I guess I just got them mixed up. I had no idea that SCEA or Rolling Admissions existed though.</p>

10

<p>Protest, it’s early; you’re not expected to know all this stuff yet. That’s why you’re on CC–to figure it out, right? ;)</p>

11

<p>“I forgot to add that I’ll be National Merit, but I’ve heard that virtually everyone that applies to Carleton and the like is National Merit so it probably doesn’t look as good as it would at a state school.”</p>

<p>I didn’t even make the first rounds of the NM stuff and I got into a bunch of top LACs (and chose Carleton!!!). My ACT was 32 and I think past that score you’re among the contenders. I also didn’t write a “Why Carleton” essay or do any butt-kissing, so I think just make your essays show that you’re different (or at least have different perspective).</p>

12

<p>Concerning physics grad school prep, first posted by interesteddad:

</p>