Chances for Boston College?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston College
1

I’m about to enter my senior year of highschool and definitely regret a lot of my “career choices” in terms of my academic history. Nonetheless, I still am hoping to get into and be able to attend my top choice school: Boston College.
My GPA is not the strongest, but part of this has to do with the fact that I’ve taken 6 APs thus far and am taking 6 more this year.
The AP’s I’ve taken are:
Human Geography, Biology, World History, US History, Environmental Science, and Physics 1. I’ve gotten a 4 or higher on all these except Physics, which honestly… I can’t be upset about, I was really, really bad at physics.

The ones I will be taking this year are
Art History, Macro Economics, Am. Gov, Lit, French, and Stats.

My unweighted GPA comes out to about a 3.7, (5.07 weighted on 6 pt scale- my school inflates our GPA quite a bit) but there is definitely an upwards trend in my grades- the first semester of junior year, I got 4 B’s and 3 A’s, but by the second semester I had pulled almost all my grades up to 6 A’s and a single B (in Honors Calculus.) I definitely got my act together but I don’t know if that’s enough to prove I’m capable.

I’m part of NHS, Rho Kappa, French Honors Society, English Honors Society, National Art Honors Society, and a few other clubs like GSA that promote social awareness as well as an anti-bullying/mental health awareness club that I am president of (I am also vice president of French Honors Society).

My standardized test scores aren’t completely awful despite having mediocre preparation for the most part; I did some prep for the SAT but very little for the ACT, and got a 750 Reading + Writing & 790 Math, thus giving me a 1540 total with a 21 on the essay (which was required for the BC app at the time, ((it isn’t anymore))). I haven’t retaken it just cause I don’t want to deal with tests anymore, and I’m not sure I would be able to top that anyways.
I got a 32 on the ACT with a 10 on the essay with a 35 in English and Writing, 30 on Science, and 29 on Math. There’s definitely a discrepancy in my scores on the ACT math and SAT math, and since my SAT is technically better, that’s the score I’m going to submit.

I have 300+ service hours with a lot of them coming from a local theater I volunteer at on a weekly basis, as well as a local public school that I volunteer at during the summer as mostly a guide to help during orientations.

I’m a Hispanic female from a lower middle class background, and I’m almost positive I will be majoring in Art History with a possible minor or even double major in Film Studies. I go to a private school on a scholarship but I don’t really know if that affects anything.

Just to get to my main question:
I’ve definitely struggled with my grades for a lot of personal reasons that I’ll specify on my application, but I’m hoping that they’ll see my capabilities through my SAT scores and rec letters. I still feel like despite all that my GPA makes BC a reach school for me and definitely hinders me in a lot of my apps. I don’t know at this point. Any thoughts/tips? Chances? Anything is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

2

Hey. I’m not usually one to “chance” people, but I’d say that BC is a solid match (bordering on a “safety”?) for you. I don’t think that BC is a lock for anyone by any means, and people with stats similar to yours are sometimes rejected. That said, I want you to be aware that your scores are stellar (as in… high enough where they will not inhibit your chances at any school in the country) and your GPA – while not perfect – seems to have been earned in extremely rigorous, challenging courses. All this to say: be confident! You have worked hard and I am sure you have learned a lot in HS. Don’t come across as apologetic or give the impression that you are making excuses for yourself in your essays because that is the sort of thing that MIGHT land a qualified applicant like yourself in the rejection pile. That said, some humility is super attractive in this process, but you also need to give yourself some credit. Describing 99th percentile scores as “not totally awful” actually comes across as a bit cocky (not that this was your intention!).

The only caveat to the “borderline safety” comment above is if your rank (whether provided to or ascertained by admissions) is well below the top 10% of your class. I mean, I was accepted with a sub-3.5 UW GPA, but I was still comfortably within the top 10% of my class (coincidentally, this had a lot to do with the fact that I, like you, took 12 APs in addition to DE courses). I think it was somewhat clear from my app that my school has grade deflation as even our Val had something like a 3.8 UW. So GPA in context is important.

Alllllllll of that to say, you have a great shot at BC. I’m also a Hispanic female, and I am not going to pretend that that does not provide a small boost, particularly if you are also lower income. I wouldn’t say that it is as large as some people claim, but it exists.

More importantly, make sure that you make it very clear in your app that you will add value to the BC community. Make your ECs shine (particularly those in your chosen field) and write compelling essays. BC really does take a holistic view of its applicants. This is in keeping with its mission to provide a holistic education, and why I love BC!

Good luck!!!

3

I agree with the above. Your GPA and Stats are exactly what BC are looking for. If anything they’re higher than the average. However there are no guarantees in college admissions, but with your stats (and if you also provide a well written and insightful essay) you should have a solid chance at getting into BC

4

You’re solid. Write a great BC essay and good luck!

5

I would never tell anyone they’re solid.

I used to think a profile like the OP’s was solid. That was until I began reading through the decisions threads posted on this forum each year.

After seeing several applicants each year with strong profiles not get accepted to BC, while at the same time seeing several with weaker profiles get accepted, I gained an appreciation for why “chance me” threads have such a poor reputation.

6

@edgeook8 I know, like the person above said, that no one is truly “solid”, but even so it’s somewhat reassuring to know that BC would still see me as a competitive applicant despite my lackluster GPA. As for the comment on my SAT score- I’m so sorry! It really wasn’t out of arrogance; at my school, a lot of the- er, “try hard” kids (for lack of a better term) who get 1580+ definitely make me insecure about my own scores. Needless to say, I’m getting a little flustered (but excited!) about the application process. Thanks so much for your reply! It is nicer to hear something from someone who actually attends the school rather than speculation from someone who has just “heard things” about BC.
Thanks again!!

7

@sabmar – I totally get it. I was trying to encourage you and also let you know how those comments could be construed. I was told the same thing when I mentioned to someone that I “only” scored a 30 on the ACT when that is a 95th percentile score. And your scores are higher yet.

To echo the above, and to reiterate what I said in my original post, BC is not a true safety for anyone (maybe “borderline” for some). They routinely reject strong applicants, though much less routinely then they do weak applicants, of course. You have the numbers, but now you have to make your case. It has been said that in college admissions your numbers get you in the door, but it is the “soft” or subjective factors that ultimately get you accepted. I would hazard to guess at BC, that threshold may be a 30 or 31 ACT or mid 1300 SAT combined with a top 10% rank in rigorous classes. After that point, it is about essays, extracurriculars, recommendations, uniqueness, “hooks,” and – especially at BC – penchant for service. Higher stats may mitigate weaker soft factors, so the higher one’s stats, the more likely they are to be admitted.These numbers are purely conjecture, but seem to be in line with what I saw on the results threads and within my circle of friends who applied. Also note that some people do get in with stats even lower than those above, but they are likely even stronger on the soft factors or have multiple hooks in their favor.

Good luck with the application process! Hope to see you here – that is assuming BC remains your top choice school, which of course it should. :wink:

8

To clarify @jpm50 and @sadmar you are a solid “candidate”. I would not ever represent myself as anything above a poster on this site. Obviously no one can be assured admission.