<p>Hi -
I'm a junior at a very prestigious high school in Connecticut. I take hard classes (3 APs this year and planning on 4 next year, plus plenty of honors classes in all four years), and I consider myself to have fairly strong ECs. I won't go into detail on those just to save length, but I was wondering what my chances would be at the following schools:
Bowdoin
Colby
Bates
Tufts
Middlebury
Amherst
Darmouth (Super Reach, I know, but i absolutely LOVE it there)
Colgate
Hamilton
Boston College</p>
<p>I woke up kind of late, and as a result did not do as well as I would have liked freshman and sophomore year. I didn't do poorly, but just not well for the schools I'm looking:
Freshman Year GPA: 3.6
Sophmore: 3.67
Junior year I'm really starting to try, and for the first semester I have a 4.1
Senior year I will probably have about the same as junior year</p>
<p>ACT Score:
Science 35
Reading 36
English 33
Math 34
Composite 35</p>
<p>I will most likely do well on AP exams and SATIIs, because I consider myself a strong test taker. Do you think my freshman and soph years will screw me in the college process? Or will a strong Junior and Senior year + great scores compensate for that? Thanks to everyone who answers</p>
<p>Congrats on the ACT (that is great)!
So I am confused as to if you GPA is unweighted or weighted (the 4.1 threw me off).
Also senior year tends to not matter to colleges, since they will see only your first quarter grades when you apply. Which means that this is the last year that matters Can you elaborate on your ECs (CC tends to get a lot of people who think they have amazing ECs when they are in fact good, but not amazing for top schools) especially because they matter so much to LACs. Also could you speak to the anticipated quality of your essays?</p>
<p>Hi ArtsyGirl -
Those GPAs are weighted (I know, freshman and soph are pretty bad)
I will have very strong teacher recs, I have great relationships with two teachers I intend on asking. My essay will be strong, as there is a huge college counseling business in my town which can help a ton with essay writing. As for my ECs:
-President of Kindness Club, essentially visiting 2nd grade classrooms and trying to instill a sense of kindness and awareness of all people
-Town Youth Commission, group of about 12 high school students making executive decisions for the town on a variety of topics
-Town Kindness Project, similar to Kindness Club, but on more of a town wide scale. Hoping to be president by senior year. All three of the previous listings tie in very closely so I am hoping this is my strong involvement in the community
-Work 6 hours a week in the fall (10th, 11th, and assuming 12th grade) at a Tennis Club
-3 Years varsity lacrosse
-Lacrosse volunteer at Coach’s youth clinics (40 hours total, 10th, 11th, 12th grade)
-Offseason Lacrosse Conditioning (4 hours/week 9th and 10th grade, 2 hours/week 11th/12th grade)
-Scholar Athlete of the Week for lacrosse
-Elite summer lacrosse travel team (10th, 11th, 12th)
-Service League (60 hours by the time i graduate)
-Tutoring in inner city (10th grade fall, sophomore summer, 11th grade fall, assuming junior summer and 12th grade fall) (3 hours/week)
-Service Trip to Ecuador (I know colleges see that kids do this to look good on resume, but I got selected as an ambassador to the program so that’s good I think)
-Intern at a lab at Harvard Medical School Junior Summer (cousin is a prominent researcher there, managed to get me a spot for this upcoming summer)
-National Spanish Exam 9th grade honorable mention (will take again in spring this year)
-Second Honors 9th grade
-First Honors (10th) (assuming 11th, and 12th)
I am probably missing some stuff, but this is all I can think of? Is this a good list of ECs? Any suggestions as to how to make it stronger if not?</p>
<p>Have your ever thought about Williams or a Pomona? Those two schools seam as though they would be a good fit for you. As far as your stats go, you have a great ACT score and ECs. As far as your GPA goes, colleges like to see an upward trend, but most schools will re calculate your GPA based on their scale. But good luck with everything! And try to visit all your schools on your list during see if your breaks!</p>
<p>I think you have a great chance at those colleges! I go to Hamilton, and I think that your scores would be impressive to admissions. As far as your GPA freshman/sophomore year go-- don’t sweat it, admissions care more that you continue improving than if you started off strong, and if your baseline is a 3.6, I really doubt that it would be an issue for you.</p>
<p>Bowdoin - Low Match / Match
Colby - Low Match
Bates - Match
Tufts - High Match
Middlebury - High Match
Amherst - High Match / Low Reach
Darmouth - High Match / Low Reach
Colgate - Low Match / Match
Hamilton - Low Match / Match
Boston College - Low Match / Match</p>
<p>The only thing bringing you down is your GPA (which isn’t even that bad). You’ll definitely get into at least half of the schools you’re applying to, and probably at least one or two of the top ones (Middlebury, Tufts, Amherst, Dartmouth). My brother got in with SAT scores slightly below yours (1530 I think?) to Amherst and Middlebury, rejected at Dartmouth and waitlisted at Tufts. His GPA was like a 3.9 UW, BUT he had virtually no ECs and was Asian. So honestly, I see you as a better candidate especially to the schools you’re applying to (they’ll look beyond your GPA and more so your ECs).</p>
<p>They are all low reaches for the most part (just because they are all fairy hard to get into in), is nothing on your part. That being said applying ED II would probably push Dartmouth to a match.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is hard to get into. My friends aunt is an admissions officer there and she told me when I toured the school that something that can really tip the scales is the originality of the essays, so I think that could be a deciding factor for you. Just make them as “quirky” and distinctive as you can, especially since you go to a school that sounds like it has a reputation for being very good, and admissions officers often lump kids from those schools together.</p>
<p>Bowdoin - Match
Colby - Match
Bates - Match
Tufts - Low Reach
Middlebury - Low Reach
Amherst - High Match
Dartmouth - Reach
Colgate - Match
Hamilton - Low Match
Boston College - Match</p>