Chances for admission

Colleges and Universities A-Z Middlebury College
1

<p>I am a senior at a large public high school in Anchorage, Alaska. I hate to say it (because it sets me up for a fall) but Middlebury is my first choice. Perhaps I'll apply ED but I suspect my parents will veto based on financial concerns.</p>

<p>The big hole in my application would be class rank; mostly that stems from a blown first year (mostly Bs). Part of my trouble was that I entered high school from home schooling in Korea (military) and it was overwhelming for me.</p>

<p>Lately I have earned exclusively As in the most demanding courses available at my school. I am an IB diploma candidate and barring any unforeseen catastrophe I should finish the program with decent marks.</p>

<p>My ECs seem okay, but I've seen much stronger EC profiles just on this forum. I am a fairly strong skier but I'm not D1 material.</p>

<p>I guess the most pertinent question here would be: are schools willing to overlook a poor first year if there's evidence of significant improvement? I know I'll get strong recommendations, and maybe I can elaborate on circumstances in my essays.</p>

<p>Anyway, here's the info:</p>

<p>1.) Numbers</p>

<p>--SAT Reasoning: 2380 (800 CR 800 W 780 M)</p>

<p>--SAT Subject Tests: To be taken on the fourth of October.</p>

<p>--AP Tests: U.S. History: 5, Calculus AB: 5, Chemistry: 5</p>

<p>--GPA: 3.8</p>

<p>--Class Rank: Not entirely sure. Comfortably within top decile in a class of approx. 400.</p>

<p>2.) Honors</p>

<p>--National Merit Semifinalist</p>

<p>--Honor Roll 10-12</p>

<p>--NHS</p>

<p>--Mu Alpha Theta (Not sure if it’s widespread. Essentially NHS for math nerds.)</p>

<p>3.) ECs</p>

<p>--3 years at the teen section of the Anchorage Daily News. Recently I became editor.</p>

<p>--3 years of varsity tennis.</p>

<p>--3 years of Nordic skiing with school team. Will most likely letter this year.</p>

<p>--1 year of Nordic training with local university’s devo program.</p>

<p>--2 years of stream testing for the Anchorage Waterways Council.</p>

<p>--4 years in school’s environmental org.</p>

<p>--7 years of piano study. Will possibly file an artistic supplement.</p>

<p>In addition to Middlebury, I’m considering Carleton, Bowdoin, Colby, Bates, and Whitman. (Could I at least hope for admission at those last two?)</p>

2

<p>Middlebury is a great school, but you should also apply to HYP because of the great financial aid they offer. Check out the various HYP financial aid websites and you may be amazed at how much money they hand out. (My son is a freshman at an HYP school, and it costs him less to attend there than it would if he were going to a state school.)</p>

<p>You have excellent stats (great SAT's), an interesting background (military, some homeschooling, lived in Korea), and you'll be applying from Alaska, which I assume is an underrepresented state--all in your favor. I think most college admissions offices will be sympathetic regarding your "transition" year grades. Good luck.</p>

3

<p>There's nothing wrong with your application--like xyz said, I'm sure if you explain the transition into high school you won't be penalized. I sympathize with the EC issue--so many people on CC have ridiculous ones! </p>

<p>I'm sure you could get into Bates. Not too sure about Whitman, I don't know much about it. And as for applying to HYP for the financial aid, do it if you like those schools. They're within reach, especially with your SAT scores. </p>

<p>:) Good luck! Maybe a miracle will happen and we'll be classmates...</p>

4

<p>At this point Midd is an obsession, so a miracle would certainly be nice.</p>

<p>The dean of admissions came up here and gave a talk a few days ago. I spoke with him afterwards -- pleasantries, queries, etc. A very bright man but it was terrifying all the same. While we talked I could only imagine him in some richly paneled boardroom, frowning over my file and muttering darkly.</p>

<p>I want so badly to go there, but looking around I'm so thoroughly impressed with my fellow hopefuls that I'm not particularly confident. I mean, I'm happy with my SATs and all, but some of these EC listings are just absurd. Seems like admissions will be a toss-up at best this year.</p>

5

<p>I would encourage you to apply ED. Middlebury has great financial aid which would be comparable to if not better than the other schools you mentioned. Your grades and scores sound great - just write an interesting essay about living in Korea, writing for the newspaper, and send in a arts supplement. Don't worry too much about the quantity of your ECs, emphasize the quality.</p>

6

<p>Oh, no, no, no, I think you might have misunderstood me. I'M the one who needs a miracle, not you. With your SAT scores, interesting background, and Alaska, you've got the better chance. Me on the other hand...I look pretty good in comparison to the rest of my high school (pretty much everyone goes to UMass), but the fact that I'm a Massachusetts girl with only decent ECs is demoralizing in the context of Middlebury. :( </p>

<p>Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? As so many people say, "admissions is a crapshoot, anyway."</p>

7

<p>Well Azul, try not to be discouraged. Cause I know we all have weakness in specific areas. Like for me in particular, my grades are just mediocre. When I think that Midd's applicant pool this year will be extremely competitive, and the school is going to be ultra sensitive, for example a D grade and you're out, it really terrifies me.</p>

<p>As for me, I hope to make I will make myself standout thru my essays and my personality and SAT hopefully(taking in Nov). I'm really not the kind who can score straight A's btw. Sometimes it makes me sad that credentials matter that much, why not virtues or something. So yeah, find your strength and your distinguishing factor ;)</p>

8

<p>Thanks, Mimanchi! It's very comforting to hear that there're other people out there who won't have utterly perfect applications but who are still trying. :) Good luck with your application! I hope you get in! </p>

<p>Dave, I hope this has been helpful to you also...I'm sure you'll do great with this whole application process!</p>

9

<p>Yeah, it's helpful. Overwhelming, yes -- but you folks have placed things in context. Sure, things will be competitive but there's no harm in trying.</p>

<p>If I can persuade my parents (no small task), I'll apply early.</p>

10

<p>I'm pretty sure you're in. 2380 SAT + Alaska + Pretty good GPA (as long as you're in the top 10%). If you could possibly apply ED, it would be a nice boost, but I understand that financial aid is not always certain. Good Luck.</p>

11

<p>apply regardless of your financial situation, don't let the almighty dollar stand in your way. it's pretty lucid you want to go to midd., so go for it man!</p>

12

<p>So ED isn't looking so hot. Parent consensus is that we'll want to compare packages, and I can't really argue with that since they're paying. I'm trying to get them to at least contact the aid office and get our situation appraised (or something).</p>

<p>Maybe I'll apply for the second ED deadline, but if I don't I'll apply RD of course. It's not a question of whether I'll apply, just if ED would be too much of a gamble.</p>

<p>My question is: would RD be a gamble, admissions-wise? The Midd literature gives the following:</p>

<p>"Any perceived statistical advantage due to the smaller ED applicant pool is misleading due to the self-selecting nature of Early Decision, and we would discourage a candidate from applying for strictly strategic reasons."</p>

<p>However, the folks I've spoken to (friends, mostly, but savvy ones) claim that ED raises chances, simply as a matter of a school's yield. Who's right?</p>

13

<p>I've heard arguments for both: the numbers for ED certainly point to a higher admit rate, but a lot of people also point out that ED is by nature a self-selecting pool of applicants (a larger number of really excellent candidates apply ED; the RD bunch is more all over the map), so it's actually every bit as hard to get in ED as it is RD, perhaps even harder. </p>

<p>Then again, if you're up there with most of the EDers as far as chances go, ED would seem to be a better bet. But...with credentials like those, you'd probably also stand out more in the RD round. For you, specifically, I think you have a good chance in either pool. </p>

<p>Complete toss-up. I'm going RD to all my schools because I'm not absolutely without a doubt in love with any school I've visited, and because I want to compare financial packages--but that's just me. :)</p>