<p>Hello all, </p>
<p>I'm a Canadian international applicant who's pretty solidly in love with everything about Smith, but I think my chances are shaky to non-existent at best. Eventually, I will apply RD (I would apply ED if finances weren't such a major consideration), but given my academic record and SAT scores I'm not sure if this is a realistic possibility. The bulk of my application is structured around my creative writing portfolio and the awards I've won in that field. Academic options at my small, rural school are pretty picked over (budget cuts have resulted in the axe for quite a few advanced courses and electives), but my recommendations and essay will be strong. </p>
<p>School type: public, rural, non-competitive
GPA:...at or around a 3.75, I think.
Rank: Top tenth
Size of grad class: Approx. 70 students
Classes:
English 12 (no AP, or I would have taken it)
Academic Math 12
Biology 12 (equivalent to upper-level biology)
Extended Core French 12 (a little bit more "challenging" than Core French)
Independent Study in Creative Writing (an advanced course I'm designing with an advisor) </p>
<p>SATs (the unfortunate part):
780 CR/ 690 W/ 440 M (yeah, I know...) </p>
<p>I have never tested well. The 690 in writing, though, is apparently (I just got the score report yesterday) due in part to my essay not scanning correctly. There are weird, dark black blotches all over the essay, many of which obscure my punctuation. Grr. </p>
<p>The 440 in math, however, is entirely accurate and waaay too low for Smith. </p>
<p>ECs:
Co-Editor of student literary publication
Amnesty International
Youth Health Centre (I helped launch a confidential, drop-in health clinic for youth in the basement of my school...mainly sexual & mental health-type stuff.)
Gay-Straight Alliance
Improv Club
Yearbook
Former co-judge of an international literary competition
Respect for Diversity (it's an anti-racism/anti-bullying thing) </p>
<p>Awards, etc.:
First place in a poetry competition judged by the writing faculty of ____<strong><em>University (U.S.)
First place in a poetry contest in the U.K.
Finalist in another poetry contest in the U.K.
Finalist in a poetry competition sponsored by _</em></strong>_College (U.S.)
Several school awards for writing </p>
<p>I've also been nationally published in the U.S., both in print and online. </p>
<p>So...how should I tackle this? :) </p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to read my somewhat long-winded post. </p>
<p>Any feedback is greatly appreciated!</p>