Chances for admission to Pomona!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pomona College
1

<p>Hello! I was wondering if anyone could give me a sense of where I stand right now in terms of my chances for admission to Pomona. I am currently a junior.</p>

<p>Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Caucasian
School: private, 180 students, rigorous
No GPA or rank, but I am among the top 3 students in my class of 55
Courseload: I have gotten all "As" (no A+ awarded)
APs by the end of my senior year: French Language, US History, Environmental Science, Music Theory, Biology, Calculus, Physics
In my senior year, I hope to conduct two independent studies, in Green Architecture and in Cognition Studies/Subconsciousness.</p>

<p>SAT: 1910 (Will take the ACT soon)</p>

<p>ECs:
Nonacademic in-school:
Founder and editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, (10, 11)
Executive coordinator for the all-school sustainable vegetable garden, (11)
Peer mentoring, French tutor (9, 10, 11)
Peer leader for the Outdoor Education program, (11); led several outdoor trips through Appalachia with 60+ middle school students
High School Forum, elected class representative, (9, 10, 11)
Tenor and piano accompanist, High School chorus, (9, 10, 11)</p>

<p>Interscholastic Sports
Varsity Tennis, No. 3 Singles (9), No.2 Singles (10, 11)</p>

<p>Community Involvement
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 50+ hours of community service, (9, 10, 11)</p>

<p>Extracurricular Academic Activities
Intensive journalism course, Summer@Brown Pre-college program, (Summer 2010)
Rassias Language Immersion program through Dartmouth College; family stay, intensive French language and literature course (Summer 2009)
Piano student, Peabody Preparatory Institute through John Hopkins University, (5-11)</p>

<p>Employment
Started a photography exhibition business, collect and showcase work from student photographers (10, 11)
Office manager and assistant to the Director of Education at religious school, (8, 9, 10, 11) -- attended the school, had a B'nai mitzvah with my twin brother and was confirmed in May 2010, a culmination ceremony for 12 years of Judaic studies classes every Sunday and Wednesday</p>

<p>Awards:
Very prestigious award from my synagogue for academic and community leadership
Prestigious scholarship for community service and green initiatives
6 achievement awards for piano through Peabody Preparatory Institute</p>

<p>Recs:
I won't read them, but I think they will be strong. Teachers really appreciate my passion for learning, my incredibly strong work ethic, my curious and ambitious nature, and sense of maturity. They also value my leadership in classroom discussion, and engagement and effort to motivate the community and spark others to action.</p>

<p>Essay:
I love to write. It is one of my passions. Ideally, this will really capture who I am and what I stand for. As far as topics, not a clue yet...</p>

<p>Interview: I will this year
Visit: I will this year</p>

<p>Academic interests: Foreign language, biology (biochemistry), environmental science, neuroscience, creative writing</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>You seem to have a pretty impressive resume thus far, so I suspect you will be among the strongest applicantsnin the pool next year. However, if I were you, I’d boost your sat or act to at least a 2000 or 31. Those tests aren’t everything, and your strengths do seem to cover for your scores, but getting to that 2000 mark would leave your app without any significant holes. Just make sure you stay true to yourself and follow your passions in terms of ec’s, keep the grades up, and I’d say you have at least a 65% chance (hard to top that at top schools like Pomona).</p>

<p>For the record, I have no expertise, I’m just an applicant for the class of 2015, but I think that you realistically have as good a shot as anyone! Good luck</p>

3

<p>You seem to be a strong candidate, but agree with FS about your SAT scores. SATs level the playing field, and given your school’s small class size, your application will benefit from demonstrating your strength on a standardized test.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>Thank you both! Really helpful.</p>

5

<p>I like your screen name! You seem like a really interesting guy. I’d admit you! ;)</p>

<p>But agree with the above about the SAT. I’d get a good study guide and do several practice tests before your next test session. You’d be surprised how much a little practice can increase your speed, which will increase your scores. Good luck!</p>