Chances at Chapel Hill, Bowdoin, Reed, Smith, and Wake Forest?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Hi, I’ll just go straight into this I suppose:

I’m a senior from North Carolina in a dual enrollment high school program. I’ll graduate with two associates degrees and about 90 college credits. I have a 3.9 UW and 4.7 W GPA, I’m 2nd in my class of about 67, and my SAT is 1380 old (will be taking the new one October 1st.)

I’ve taken the hardest curriculum my school had to offer. I’m mainly concerned about my extra curriculars; they’re a little lack luster. Part of that is due to a lack of transportation and money, the other due to a lack of initiative on my part (I know this is my fault, and I’m trying to work in more volunteer hours before I apply, but there’s not much else I can do.) Anyway, they are:

Students Against Destructive Decisions 2013-2016: Vice President 2014-2015. Helped organize Women’s Conference at my school for 2 years.
Student Government: 3 years. Organized a “Get the Vote Out” campaign for the 2016 Primary Elections within my school.
FBLA: 2013-2016. Placed 1st regional competition in Job Interview and 3rd in Public Speaking.
Beta Club: 2013-2016.
Selected to attend Chapel Hill Catalyst Conference 2015.
Peer Review Ambassador for Write the World 2016 (basically an online paid internship.) Also won several writing competitions and was published in the website’s annual book (for free, not a pay scam.)
Local non-profit Student Board Member 2016-2017.
Active volunteer at food pantry and local state park ( will have 100+ hours combined hopefully at time of applying)

I have played violin for 14 years and was briefly in a youth orchestra for one year. I have also played piano for 3-4 years. I am a recreational runner and have participated in several races, and I’m planning on doing a half marathon this winter.

Honors?

  1. Scholastic Achievement Recognition Program through a regional newspaper
  2. Honor Roll all 4 years, Dean’s List for my community college for 2 years
  3. Student of the Year for my school 9th grade

(Will colleges care about these honors or the fact that I run? I wasn’t sure if that was irrelevant information. Please do let me know if I should exclude it from my application.)

My teacher recommendations are from two of my English teachers, and although I’m trying my best with my essay, I’m afraid it’s not going to be anything phenomenal.

Bowdoin, Reed, and Smith are reaches for me. Wake Forest and Chapel Hill I believe would be matches. My guidance counselor informed me that my high school will probably be nominated me for the Morehead-Cain scholarship (for Chapel Hill), if that counts for anything. I feel confident in my grades, but I’m afraid I’m underqualified in extra-curriculars for a lot of prestigious schools. Reed is my dream college but I’m wondering if it’s even worth it to apply. I have other match and safety schools on my list. I plan on interviewing for as many of these schools as I can.

Any advice is highly appreciated, thanks to anyone who read through all of this!

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Bump :slight_smile:

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I don’t think that your ECs will prevent you from being admitted. However, a 1380 on the old SAT will definitely put you out of the running for Bowdoin, and it will make most of your other colleges reaches (unless the 1380 is the combined math and reading section w/o the writing section). Definitely try to get a 1400+ on the new SAT if possible.

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Oh, I apologize for not clarifying; my SAT score is just the math and reading, out of 1600. With the writing section, I have a 2110. Would that still put me out of the running for these schools? I know Bowdoin is a huge stretch for me but I was hoping the others may be doable. @ap012199

Thank you for your response!

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@mrskite Hey, I live in NC too. (A parent). A few things: the new SAT scores are running maybe 50 points above old, so you may break 1400. Bowdoin has been test optional for decades, but you are likely to get a score that helps, that you could submit. Smith is also test opt, Reed is not. But good scores submitted to test opt schools help admission. Scores above the median.

Your list of schools is quite varied. UNC Chapel Hill is simply the best bargain in the USA. Smith and Reed are very similar, both being lefty schools, no Greek life, LGBT friendly, etc. Smith is as vocally feminist as any school I can think of. Wake Forest seems the opposite of that–preppy, conservative. I’d think someone happy at Smith would hate Wake, and vice versa. Chapel Hill is large enough to find any community, if you like the big school feel. Applications to Smith Reed Bowdoin (and similar LACs you might like, like Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, Conn Coll, Wesleyan, etc) are really helped by applying ED, if you have a clear favorite. Have you visited any of the OOS schools?

Though your stats look great, you still need one or two safeties.

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@PetulaClark I agree, Chapel Hill is a great school. Thanks for the info on SAT scores; I wasn’t sure if I would be penalized for submitting not phenomenal scores to a test optional school.

I toured Wake Forest, and liked it, but I didn’t speak to any of the students. I’ve been hesitant about their Greek life and preppy reputation. Exactly how conservative would you say WF is? I’m a fairly liberal person but I wanted to apply somewhere out of my political comfort zone. However, I’m not sure how far out of it I want to go, haha.

I’ve considered some of the other LAC’s you mentioned, but due to an unusual financial situation, they weren’t offering as much aid as I need. I currently have 10 schools on my list (I’m a little indecisive), so I probably won’t be applying ED, plus the fact that I would need to see the financial aid package first.

Besides these schools, I plan on applying to Sarah Lawrence, Kenyon, New College of Florida, Hollins University, and UNC Asheville (the last two being safeties); that is, if I don’t knock any off my list before apps are due. I’ve toured Bowdoin, NCF, Hollins and Wake Forest.

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@mrskite You can check niche.com for student reviews of colleges, especially to get info on student life. Might help with Wake, with any of them. If you like digging into stats, you can also google ‘common data set’ for each school. That’s where the college comparers get their info.

Your list of colleges is one of the best and balanced I have seen on CC. Applying to 10 or more schools is fine. Some of these even have free applications, like Smith. Sometimes all you need to do that is extra is a small essay. UNCA and Hollins should be sure things. Generally the higher ranked/regarded the school, the less merit. So it’s good to have a range and at least 5 or 6 or more acceptances, to consider all the fin aid packages.

As for Wake, I’m just going on what I see on internet and read, so who knows? There will be some liberals there, and most of students come from OOS, so it would not be provincial. Wake does not have a big endowment, though, and is not known for great fin aid. Smith IS rich, per student, and therefore may be able to give more. Plus they’d like more Southern students.

If you get into UNC CH, that would be hard to turn down. I am a grad and I remember the big classes. My oldest D is at NCSU and loves the big campus. Other 2 Ds want LACs.

Even if you don’t visit a college, be sure to be on their email list. Send an email to the rep for NC. That way your application won’t come in as what they call ‘stealth’ which is an app from someone they’ve never heard of. For example, Sept is the time that college reps make trips. You can, for example, ask if a rep from Smith or Sarah Lawrence is coming to NC.

BTW, please check this link out. I don’t know, or need to know, where in NC you live. But this event will be in Durham on Sept 12. Kenyon and SLC will be there. A group of 8 colleges. Individually well-know, but as a group not as famous as CTCL. You can meet their reps there.

http://8ofthebestcolleges.org/programs/2016-fall-raleigh.html

Sorry I know nothing about the dual enrollment high school program. Would you enter a LAC as a transfer?

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Oh ok haha. Then you’re in a good position for all of your schools, Bowdoin being the exception. I think a tad higher test score would benefit you for Bowdoin. Good luck!!

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@PetulaClark Thank you, I’ll definitely check out that event in Durham.

If you don’t mind me asking, what did you major in at Chapel Hill? I think I’d be interested in their journalism program but I’m sure it’s very difficult to get into those classes.

I’m going to be applying everywhere as a first year student.

That’s good to know about Wake Forest…I was disappointed to hear from them that they don’t take any dual enrollment credits whatsoever.

I guess I may end up applying to all 10, then. Thanks for your advice! :slight_smile:

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@ap012199 Thank you!!

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@mrskite I majored in Geography. Switched from History major as a junior. 8 of my last 9 courses were Geog, but I never lost any credits, doing 120 semester hours.

UNC Chapel Hill is much harder to get into than when I went. The state has doubled its population to 10 million and UNC has not grown that much. A lot of students who used to get in now go to UNC W, App State, UNC C. But you have great stats for UNC and are in-state, which is a huge advantage.

Bowdoin is probably in the Top 5 LACs, definitely the Top 10. You might look at Bates and Colby, also in Maine. Similar to Reed and Smith would be Oberlin, Grinnell, maybe Skidmore (which is easier to get into than any of these). It’s a good idea to consider both big schools like UNC and smaller LACs—more options to consider as you get closer.

As I think I mentioned earlier, if you need/want lower tuition and room costs, consider schools ranked maybe 40 to 80 in US News, in both universities and LACs. (Ratings are roughly fair, except that they gyp Reed!) All are excellent schools, if not as well-known as UNC. But then, hardly anyone in NC has heard of Bowdoin or Reed, so who cares? Your old SAT of 1380 is already better than a new 1400. Good SAT, great GPA, and the smaller schools will look at your running and violin playing.