Chances for a Canadian applicant

Colleges and Universities A-Z Williams College
1

<p>I am a prospective Asian-Canadian applicant seeking RD admission to Williams. I live in Ontario (but not in Toronto), and I hold Canadian citizenship. I am not an US citizen. I consider my overall performance to be above average, but not great.</p>

<ul>
<li>School Background: urban public high school, ~400 members in graduating class
<em>Will Require Financial Aid</em></li>
<li>SAT I: 2240 1st time (710W (11 essay), 800M, 730CR), 2280 2nd time (770W (10 essay), 750M, 760CR), superscored 2330</li>
<li>SAT II: 750 Math II, 740 Literature</li>
<li>APs: 5 on Caluclus AB last year; planning to take AP Physics II, AP Chemistry, AP English, AP Statistics, and (maybe) AP French this year</li>
<li>First-term grade 12 average: 94.3% (Strongest in physics, world history, and English; weakest in chemistry and French) - not sure of translation to weighted/unweighted 4-pt GPA</li>
<li>Previous years' final grades: 93% in gr 9, 95% in gr 10, 91% in gr 11 (gr 11 marks fell for a number of reasons, but mostly because I underestimated my course load and slacked off during the beginning of the year :P)</li>
<li>Ranking: no ranking, but I estimate myself to be in the top 5% of my graduating class</li>
<li>Course load: 4 AP courses this year (physics, chemistry, English, and French - besides bio these are all the APs offered at my school), U-level (university prep level, for those unfamiliar with Ontario course designations) world history, Canadian and international politics, and statistics and data management (but studying for AP exam in this course anyways); in previous years I always took the highest level courses in my grade level or high level courses above my grade level</li>
<li>Recommendations: 3 good teacher recommendations from history, English, and French teachers; 2 good community recommendations; not sure about counsellor letter (I didn't know him that well)</li>
<li>Academic interests History, politics, English</li>
<li>Majors: Economcs (?), history (?), political science (?) - not 100% sure, but probably one of these three</li>
<li>Career choice: Law</li>
</ul>

<p>ECs/Activities:
- Student Executive of Debate Club (4 yrs participation, 2 yrs leadership)
- Associate President of Trivia Team (4 yrs participation, 1 yr leadership)
- 1st Violin, Jr/Sr. Orchestra (3 yrs participation)
- Prime Minister and Head of School Delegation for 2013 FedProv Conference (local government simulation involving high schools from around the region; last year, I was chosen to be the Prime Minister (chair) of the conference) (2yrs participation, 1 yr leadership)
- Founder, Mock Trial Team (I founded this activity last year, and helped with the preparation , but was unable to attend the competition. My team, however, placed third in the southwestern Ontario round.)
- Member of the UWaterloo Quizbowl team (2 yrs participation)
- Weekly private Violin lessons since gr 7 (Lvl. 6 RCM)
- Weekly private badminton lessons since gr 11 (I'm not very good, and I never made the school team. I mostly just play on the weekends with my friends.)</p>

<p>Volunteering and community service (~150 total hrs)
- Volunteered local public library for 2 yrs, and earned 114 hrs
- Other volunteering experiences at debate tournaments, sporting events, and school events</p>

<p>Awards:
- "Commended" and finalist, Vellacott History Essay Prize, hosted by Peterhouse College, Cambridge University (2014); my essay was written on the formation of the "Byzantine" state between the 4th and 6th centuries
- Prime Minister's Award, FedProv (2013)
- 2nd place individual speaker, CWOR regional debate; 18th place overall team ranking, OSDU provincial debate (2014)
- 2nd place individual and 5th place team ranking, ONQBA Provincial Quizbowl tournament (2014)
- 1st place regionals for Reach for the Top since grade 9 (this is a trivia competition popular in Canada); made it to provincials every year, but never did too well there
- top quarter of participants in the Pascal, Cayley, Fermat, and Hypatia math contests contests (but everyone else at my school seems to get this distinction, soooo...)
- 1st place Financial and Accounting Literacy Competition, hosted by AFM UWaterloo (2012)
- Listed on the school Honor Roll (85% + average) since grade 9</p>

<p>Essays (I have always found it hard to judge my own writing...): Common App is alright, but not great (will be editing); Williams Supplement is better, but also will be editing</p>

<p>What chances do I have as an international RD applicant to Williams seeking financial aid?</p>

<p>Thank you for your help!</p>

2

<p>You are definitely a legitimate candidate, and I expect you have a better than average chance of admission.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for your response! However, can you elaborate my strength and help identify some potential weaknesses? That would be greatly appreciated!</p>

4

<p>Your only obvious “weaknesses” are that your international (a definite disadvantage, statistically) and you’re not sure your counselor letter (SSR) will be very strong or personal. Other than that, you check all the boxes. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Thank you!</p>

6

<p>Your statistics look great! Keep in mind that schools like Williams, Harvard, Yale, ect. look for more than just the “perfect student.” They do receive quite a few applications that resemble yours, so try to really showcase yourself though essays, teacher recs, sport involvements, and other personal criteria. I think you have a great chance at Williams, but admissions can be very picky in what they are looking for so it is difficult to guarantee. Otherwise, you look like you would be a wonderful fit at a school like Williams College :)</p>

7

<p>Thank you for your response!</p>