Chances at Colgate?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Colgate University
1

<p>Hey all, I am applying to Colgate, and I was just wondering what you thought of my chances.</p>

<p>Caucasian Male from Southern California</p>

<p>Test Scores:
34 ACT Composite(R:36,S:36,M:32,E:32,W:8). SATII(Biology:750, US History:730)
AP's:Literature(5), US History(4), US Government(4), Comparative Government(3), Biology(4), German(3)
IB's: Pending. Taking six this year.</p>

<p>Public High School
G.P.A 3.5 Unweighted. 4.5 Weighted
Rank 35/745 in class (Barely hit Top 5%)
Full I.B. Diploma Candidate</p>

<p>Junior Year Courses:
Pre Calculus Honors, AP US Gov, AP Comp Gov, AP Bio, AP US History, AP Literature, German 4 AP</p>

<p>Senior Year Courses:
IB Bio, IB Math SL, IB German SL, IB English, IB History of Americas, Ceramics (Fill an art requirement), Economics (School Requirement), Health (School Requirement), Honors International Relations.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
1)500 Hours at Local Little League. I became a member of the board of directors last year, coordinating field maintenance, and the respective workers, for the entire league.
2)35 Hours a week filming football games and practices. I worked forty weeks a year here. I worked monday through friday (game day), staying at school till 7. On Fridays, I stayed at school till 2 A.M. I woke up on Saturday to continue working for the team. I did this for two years. Before that, I played for two years.
3)Four Years of MUN. Multiple awards won at different conferences. Elected to Upper Secretariat as Director General of Technology.
4)Created the Airsoft Club at my school. Elected to Vice President.
5)Four years in German Club. Elected to Vice President.
6)Created the Society for Appreciation of Literature. Elected to Vice President.
7)Member of Young Democrats Club for three years.
8)Poetry published in school literary magazine. Member of English Club, three years.
9)Played Rugby for three years. Team Captain
10)Presbyterian Youth Group for three years. Youth leader.
11)Green Belt in Jiu Jitsu</p>

<p>Work History:
1)4 Years working as Shipping and Handling Process Manager for Engineering firm.
2)2 Years working as freelance technology consultant.</p>

<p>Awards:
AP Scholar with Honors
Excellence in German Language
Three Best Delegate Awards
Three Research Awards
Honor Roll all four years.</p>

<p>Essay:Personal Statement is about baseball and how, behind the trivial veneer, it produces lessons of courage and perseverance. One story about my fear of the ball, and how I got over it. The other is about how I wasn't a good enough baseball player to continue playing. Thus, I tried a new way to participate through field maintenance(one of my EC's). It proved to be a successful venture. People who read the essay felt it was witty and representative of myself.</p>

<p>Supplemental: Right now I am still considering several options. I feel like a lot of my traditions are very vanilla and American as apple pie. I want to stand out, and I have traditions to do that, but I am afraid they may be negative in an application. They are by no means illegal, but they are risky. So, I'm dithering, but I will get it done.</p>

<p>Recommendations: (3)
AP Literature Teacher and AP German Teacher. My lit teacher is essentially a friend, and said she would write a very strong letter. My German teacher said I was one of the best students she has ever had, so I would assume her letter is fairly strong.
I also have an additional letter of recommendation from my football coach. In it he states how much I worked, my passion, and how I am the best film manager he has ever had. He has called several of the schools on this list in an attempt to help get me in through athletics. I included the letter of rec with all of these applications.</p>

<p>Thanks again</p>

2

<p>Why Colgate? You need to imply that in your supplemental essay.</p>

3

<p>I really like the campus, and I know I want to go to a small school with an excellent liberal arts program. I’d feel like a statistic at a large school, and I actually like the feeling of the rural, small town environment. I like the time and attention that students receive at schools like Colgate. I’m also tired of the West coast. Southern California is rather superficial, in my opinion. I would also like to major in International Relations, and I have heard Colgate has an excellent department. I am planning on incorporating that into my supplemental, the tradition at the top of my list involves my chosen major, but I just wanted to get a feel for my chances.</p>

4

<p>I think you are a slam-dunk for Colgate. Excellent scores, decent GPA, California resident, obvious interest in sports, substantial co-curriculars (work). I do not see how they could pass you by.</p>

5

<p>Not exactly slam-dunk. There are plenty of Caucasian males at Colgate with high GPA and good SAT scores with lots of volunteer activities and sports and the like. The question really boils down to- why is Colgate a perfect place for this applicant that no other university is? That’s the point of my seemingly simple question that gets him thinking about his supplemental essay.</p>

6

<p>The supplemental essay question has to do with diversity and cultural traditions. It’s not really a question about “Why Colgate is the place for me.”</p>

7

<p>minoafrau, yes, the question isn’t literally “why Colgate,” but you still want to imply that in your essay. They change the supplemental essay every year, but it’s always a similar goal: tell them what the rest of your application doesn’t say about you and how you’ll contribute positively to the campus community. </p>

<p>This one is pretty clear - they want you to show them how your cultural traditions will contribute to the community at Colgate. The year I applied, it was to write a recommendation letter for yourself from the p.o.v. of a Colgate professor. A few years ago it was to write page 271 (or something) of your autobiography.</p>

8

<p>lydia08- why do you think that the question reverts back to “why Colgate”. I don’t agree with that at all. All you have is space for 250 words (not much). I think you need to answer the question they specifically ask, which would then give them some insight into who you are outside the world of academia, sports and service. (All of which are items that are clearly mentioned on the common app and ones resume.) If you get into “why Colgate” I think you are missing the boat on this question. </p>

<p>Then again maybe you know something the rest of us don’t. I’m not an expert I just think that sounds very risky.</p>

9

<p>It’s implied. What we are saying that you don’t write your essay “I want to go to Colgate because blah blah blah.” Instead, you should think about YOU and what is it that you have that you think you can bring to Colgate campus. It sounds a bit backwards but it’s basically asking, “Why should Colgate accept you?” What makes you special? What is it that you can contribute that perhaps you cannot at other campuses?</p>

<p>Fortunately, I think that my question was quite more direct, judging from my essay. I think it asked for a snapshot moment as a Colgate student. I volunteered in the admissions office and learned quite bit about the admissions process, and I can tell you that the adcoms do take that supplemental essay seriously when they think about putting the class together.</p>

10

<p>I was a senior intern in the admissions office. :)</p>

<p>While the deans may not say explicitly “it’s to figure out ‘why Colgate,’” they do tell students that it’s a way to get to know the student in ways that the numbers on the application can’t show. It’s a small enough school that they can and should pay pretty close attention to the supplemental essay. Every application is read at least twice, by two different readers, and if it’s not a clear decision, it goes to the committee.</p>

<p>You need to show, not tell. Show “why Colgate” through your story, don’t tell them explicitly. Write to the prompt, but chose a topic that allows you to imply why Colgate would benefit from your presence.</p>

11

<p>Ok. Apparently, you both have a lot of background on this. I hope people read this thread before applying because that question is poorly worded if that is what they are truly looking for. Why can’t they just be straight forward about things? Anyway, good luck to everyone. If Colgate is the school you want, I will keep my fingers crossed that you make it in.</p>

12

<p>The reason they don’t explicitly ask “why Colgate” is because I don’t think the answers they get would be very helpful. Tons of students would write about how they want small class sizes and access to professors and study abroad and blah blah blah all about the school rather than about themselves. No one’s personality comes through in their transcript or SAT scores - this essay is for the adcom to try to get a glimpse at who you are as a person, not as numbers, and essays about why Colgate is great wouldn’t show that at all.</p>

<p>Also, it’s probably pretty boring reading thousands of essays. Interesting prompts that change each year are much less painful to read than the same “Colgate is awesome and I do lots of community service” spiel over and over.</p>

13

<p>Agreed with Lydia08. The transfer application does actually ask “why Colgate?” as many transfer applications do. At the end of the essay, I wrote about how I valued traditions-both in sense of family and academics (like the CORE). So in a sense, I said in my last line that Colgate just felt like home, academically and community-wise. I also had a legacy status so I implied that I wanted to be part of the Colgate family and carry on the family tradition of going to Colgate. Then Gary Ross wrote in his acceptance letter to me how delighted he was that I wanted to be part of the Colgate family. </p>

<p>That’s the kicker and I think Gary Ross (the dean)uses them to distinguish one applicant from another and be able to remember everyone’s names and something about the application upon acceptance. Being a legacy is a lot easier :slight_smile: but you need to think of something you want HIM to remember about you when he sees you.</p>

14

<p>What is the essay prompt this year?</p>

<p>I think the essay can be handled lots of ways and work to your advantage. If you can get across your enthusiasm for Colgate specifically, that’s great, but the essay can also work well if it shows something about you that doesn’t otherwise come through in your application. </p>

<p>When my son applied the prompt was something like what will you bring with you to Colgate. Some students answered this literally - in terms of an object that would be brought, and apparently the ipod was the most frequently mentioned. Some of those essays were probably funny and worked, although at some point admissions must have gotten tired about reading about ipods! My son decided to cast his essay in terms of an intangible, an enthusiasm for Colgate. This can be tough - you don’t want a sappy essay that reads like an admissions brochure. You need to be specific and really think about what your life would be like at Colgate. He knew a lot about the school, and it showed - his note from Gary Ross noted that his “enthusiasm for Colgate came shining through”.</p>

15

<p>Might also look at Bucknell and Holy Cross.</p>