Chances at Carleton

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carleton College
1

<p>Hey y'all!</p>

<p>So I'm applying to Carleton ED II (I didn't visit until Nov - fell in love early on but wasn't about to apply for binding admission sight unseen), but I'm pretty nervous. I love Carleton and think that I would be very happy there, but I don't know if I'm exactly going to come across as Carleton material...</p>

<p>I'm only in the top 1/2 of my very competitive Texas public school. (I'm ranked 196/727) I'm a white female, with a 3.something GPA (I also don't know my own GPA! :O) I have taken a pretty full load of APs/advanced classes, but I took regular pre-Cal and Physics last year (and didn't do fantastically in Physics...). I also failed Pre-AP Chemistry my sophomore year, which is the thing that scares me. I wrote about it in my additional info, but I'm frightened that it'll keep me from getting in where I want to go.</p>

<p>As far as tests go, SAT = 730CR/770M/790W. 32 on ACT. 770 on SAT II Lit and 790 on Spanish with Listening. I've taken World History, English Language, Spanish Language, US History AP tests and gotten 5s on all of them.</p>

<p>I've got a fair number of ECs - I've volunteered abroad and been involved with that same volunteer organization on the stateside end for the past three years; I'm a section editor on my school's yearbook staff; I'm the two-year vice president of my school's Gay-Straight Alliance; I worked at a summer camp this past summer; I'm the Historian of the German Club and Senior Rep of our Spanish NHS; I tutor in Pre-Cal, Stats, and German; I'm a member of the NHS and German NHS; I've done a couple of other miscellaneous volunteering activities.</p>

<p>I also have some awards, etc. I'm a National Merit Semi-Finalist (will find out about Finalist status in Feb); I've won a couple of regional awards for writing and got a National Scholastic Gold Medal for a short story my sophomore year; I won a gold award on the National Spanish Exam, as well as first place in a regional Spanish competition; I did fairly well on regional and state levels in German competitions last spring.</p>

<p>Anyway, that's a lot of info. Sorry, I'm very nervous. :O I love Carleton, as I may have mentioned several times.
Anyone have any insight into whether or not I look like Carl-material?
Please be honest!</p>

<p>Please and thank you!
theBybee</p>

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<p>If you’ve explained a bit about the failing grade, it should improve your chances. It sounds like you go to a pretty competitive high school, but you’re fairly close to the top fourth - if that one failing grade is the thing that’s bogging your GPA down, then they may look past that. </p>

<p>People may disagree with me, but I honestly think that your EC load is pretty extraordinary. Don’t let the College Confidential attitude scare you with the whole “you have to be top violinist in the nation and publish a book and blah blah blah etc.” You are clearly dedicated to them, you have leadership positions, and you obviously are able to balance your time and dedication with so many activities, so congrats on handling so many diverse activities! Also, your scores are excellent and put you right in Carleton’s admission range, and they speak to your intelligence (not to say that SAT scores automatically indicate intelligence, because I don’t always believe they do, but in your case I think it’s fairly obvious that you’re smart). Carleton in particular goes out of its way to “recruit” (so to speak) National Merit Scholars, so your standing as a NMSF may help you too. I can’t say for certain whether or not you’ll get in - applications are obviously competitive - but I do think you’re a qualified applicant and you have a good chance. Best of luck and I hope to meet you next year! :)</p>

<p>PS - feel free to PM me with any questions about Carleton.</p>

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<p>theBybee: Class rank is important. The class of 2014 had 78% in the top 10% and 91% in the top 20%. But it’s not UCLA or UCSD where 100% are in the top 10%. Your test scores and EC’s are excellent (in my humble opinion), but you really need to be more specific than “a 3.something GPA” for us to give you a decent chance. Admissions folk would rather see a rising than declining GPA, but they’d also rather see consistantly high than rising.
Do you know what percentage of graduates of your “very competitive Texas public school” end up at schools like Rice, the Ivys, or at Carleton itself?</p>