<p>Hey everyone. I'm looking to get into poly-sci/government during college, and my ECs reflect that. However, I do not have the best GPA (nor class rank). My school does not weight GPAs, so many people have taken easier classes than I and have a higher GPA. We also only report year-long grades. Anyway, this is what I am expecting my application to look like:</p>
<p>Background:
White Male
Middle class family, will require significant financial aid
Competitive public school (best or second best in state) in Vermont</p>
<p>Freshman Year: 3.65 GPA UW, with all required courses (no honors level courses offered), except for an advanced math class that I recieved my only B in. It's accelerated, around AP-level difficulty.</p>
<p>Sophomore Year: 3.4 GPA UW, with all required course (once again, no honors level courses), with the same math class (you have to test into it btw) that I got another B in. This was a very bad year. I slacked off and basically had no motivation.</p>
<p>Junior Year: 3.75 GPA UW
YL = Year-long, fully averaged into GPA as 3.67, 4, etc.
OS = One-semester, averaged into GPA half as much as a YL course
Trig/Pre-Calc: B+ (YL)
Writing Prose: A or A+ (OS)
Experimental Theater (most advanced acting class): A (OS)
Trends in Contemporary American Fiction: A (OS)
US History (did not take Honors course as teacher is horrible and I was told by countless people not to take it): A (YL)
AP Biology (most difficult course in school): B 1st sem, B+ or A- second sem (These are reported seperately) (YL)
Driver's Education: A+ (OS)
Spanish IV: A- (YL)</p>
<p>Senior Year 1st semester: 3.94 GPA UW (this is predicted, if I work hard I should have this)
AP Government: A (YL)
AP English: A- (YL)
AP Calculus: A (YL)
Spanish V: A (YL)
Physics/Mechanics: A (OS)
Current Issues: A (OS)</p>
<p>Overall GPA: 3.66 UW
Class Rank: ~65/336 (incredibly difficult school; top 10% have >3.86 UW)</p>
<p>This may seem like a light course load, but I have taken/will take all hardest courses avaliable with the exception of Honors US History, AT Chem and AT Phys. These are the only AP courses avaliable.</p>
<p>Test Scores:
ACT (may re-take depending on writing score): Composite 34
English 32
Math 35
Reading 34
Science 35</p>
<p>SAT II: Expecting 700+ on IIC, Bio and possibly History (taking to show colleges that even though I took regular US History, I have done a lot of self-study and know the material).</p>
<p>AP tests: Expecting Bio 5 (2/3 of the kids in my teacher's class get 5's every year), don't know about senior year APs.</p>
<p>ECs:
Scholar's Bowl 9, 10, 11, 12
Cross-Country JV 10, 11, 12
Outer Limits (film discussion club) 9
CY anti-drug and alcohol camp (over summer): 9, 10
Math League 11, 12
Amnesty International 11, 12
National Honors Society (earliest you can get in is 11th grade) 11, 12
Drama Club 9, 11
Princeton Model Congress 11, 12
Leisure Sports & Barbeque Club 11</p>
<p>50+ (not sure how much it will be yet) hours volunteering for local Senate campaign during Junior Year</p>
<p>Attended Governor's Institute on Current Issues and Youth Activism, a two-week intensive seminar about world issues and global politics. It basically turned my life around and accounted for the big switch in GPA and activities between sophomore and junior year. I was selected to be a Junior Counselor this year-only 2 of the 50 students who attended are given this honor, and I will be getting a recommendation (most likely) from the politics teacher there. I will also likely write my college essay about this experience (and have begun).</p>
<p>I was in the Student-Directed One Acts this past spring as Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld. I've gotten at least 50 people saying I was the best in the show, so I must've been pretty funny =D. I am sending along a tape of that to hopefully catch admission's peoples attentions.</p>
<p>Worked at the Vermont Expos, local AAA baseball club, serving food from summer before 9th grade through summer before 11th grade.</p>
<p>Awards (will have more by the time I apply, of course):
Excellence in Social Studies, 9th grade
Positive Risk-Taking in Writing Prose, 11th grade
National Merit Commended (possibly semi-finalist, although I doubt it)
National Honors Scholar (based on ACT)
Honor Roll every quarter throughout high school</p>
<p>Some questions:</p>
<p>What are my overall chances for Dartmouth (I'm assuming at least reach)?</p>
<p>Would it be a significant benefit for me to kill myself raising that 34 ACT to 35?</p>
<p>Does Dartmouth prefer the SAT to the ACT? I don't think I could do better than 2200 on SAT, if that, so I figured I would probably skip it..</p>
<p>Will Vermont residency (vs. New York, NJ, etc.) help at all?</p>
<p>I was told by many colleges that my class rank will not be used extensively because it is unweighted-I have taken what is basically the hardest curriculum avaliable at my school, within reason, but have a lower GPA because many people have taken all easy classes and have 3.9's. Is this true for Dartmouth and other high level schools?</p>
<p>THANKS A TON!</p>