chances at these liberal arts schools

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey, I'm a new member and feeling a bit paranoid about the application process. I'm a US/UK dual citizen, and I have lived in the UK for the past eight years, which means I really do not understand the US admissions process. </p>

<p>The schools I am planning on applying to are:
Middlebury
Colgate
Colby
Skidmore
Goucher
St. Lawrence
Connecticut College </p>

<p>Here are my basic stats:
GPA: 3.6 on a 4.0 scale
Classes: Full IB diploma. Predicted Grades: History HL 7, English 7 HL, Economics HL 5, Spanish B SL 5, Biology SL 6, Math SL 6 = 36 pts nc TOK/extended essay
SAT (first try): 720v, 760w, 620m
Extracurriculars:
Equestrian
Model United Nations (I have been an officer)
Newspaper (editor)
Freelance web design
Volunteer work:
I have been to various countries in Europe and in Asia for humanitarian projects over the past 4 years. </p>

<p>What chances do I have at each of these schools? As I said before, I really don't know how to evaluate my chances. It's easier with English schools, they just tell you how many IB points you need, and that's the end of it.</p>

2

<p>I am a senior who got accepted into Amherst, which is the top-tier LAC along with Swarthmore and Williams. I am also an IB certicificate candidate, I might as well have been IB diploma but I opted not to because of CAS.</p>

<p>my credentials are:
3.94/4 GPA UW; 670v, 800m, 690w on the first try and never bothered to retake. I'll just come out and say IB test grades don't matter as much as the
other credentials. They'll look at it and go "wow, she got a 6 on IB SL Math?"
but it won't be much of a help whether you score a 5 or a 7. It might help
you reduce your courseload in first couple of years or place you in a more
advanced course if you do well on it, but it won't be a big admission factor.</p>

<p>This means that I don't have any incentives to do well on these IB tests, since Amherst doesn't seem to accept AP or IB credit. So I'll definitely email
those schools and ask if they would accept IB credit before even I apply. </p>

<p>your extracurriculars seem a bit shabby(there are thousands of music champions in All State Orchestras or Chorus, or Varsity Sports maniac, or editor-in-chief of the newspaper and yearbook); but your international humanitarian projects definitely would seem to make up the losses, it's a very strong plus, i'd say. The only thing I'd worry about is your GPA, although
I am a bit unaware if 3.6/4 is a top-tier or second to top-tier in British standards. A better judgment may be given out with a class rank system--
my GPA, seemingly high with 3.94/4, produced a rank of 5/431. The best story would be for you to belong in the first decile of your class, if not top ten. (of course things would change if it is an incredibly competitive private school.)</p>

<p>Being an IB diploma candidate would certainly bolster your chances at these LACs. LACs are much more fond of IB than other universities. With an understanding that you'd bolster your SAT scores(especially math), i dont understand why you would do 620 on SAT math with a 6 on IB Math SL test, so I'll say it will definitely increase. </p>

<p>With that in mind, essays are incredibly important.
I got rejected from Wililams and Swarthmore, but was accepted to Amherst
because I believe my Amherst supplemental essay was "special". Write a
special essay that would distinguish you from the rest. Your experiences in
the international humnitarian work might be a viable factor.</p>

<p>Make sure to take SAT IIs as well, or the ACT, because I'd believe
most schools on your list would require it.</p>

<p>I'll say Middlebury and Colgate are slight reach schools,
with Colby/Skidmore/Goucher being reasonable range.</p>

<p>But if you improve on either your GPA or SAT, all of those LACs are very
reasonable for you to be accepted into.</p>

3

<p>I wish I could tell you my class rank, but unfortunately the school refuses to rank. I can understand their position. This year, I have 26 other students in my class. As an international school, it also means that our turnover rate from year to year is about 25-40%, this makes it impossible for the school to even estimate as we could get some students coming with outrageously high GPAs from easy schools that weight or some coming in from very difficult international schools, also, not everyone is on the same footing, about 8 people in my grade are learning in their second, or even third language. </p>

<p>I'm trying to boost my SAT score, but finding it difficult as I've always been terrible with multiple choice questions. IB is fantastic, you can get the wrong answer and still get 7/10 points on the question, so long as you use the correct formulas and the working is logical, not so with the SAT. </p>

<p>Also, with England and GPAs - they don't have them, or care. Admission at English Universities is entirely based on your final A-Level or IB exam grades. I'm applying to both US and UK schools, the British schools have all given me a number of IB points: saftey schools: around 32-34, match 34-36, reach around 38, where I get in will be dependant on how I perform on exam day. </p>

<p>As you can imagine, since I am only familiar with UK admissions, the US seems a bit daunting and unpredictable.</p>