Hey guys!
I am getting closer to applying for college, and I have realized that the higher Ivies are a far reach for me because of my GPA.
I have visited some other schools now, and would like some chances for these new schools.
I have a 3.7 UW, 4.2 W.
I go to one of the top public schools in CT, and my workload is relatively tough (I’ve taken AP AB Calc, AP Stats, AP Bio, AP Phys 1, APUSH, AP Phys 2, AP Environmental Science, AP BC Calc, AP Psych, AP Chem). I am planning to take SAT II’s for most of these subjects.
My ACT is a 34. (M36, R33, S34, E33)
I think I can get 5 recommendations easily from my teachers and three more from my bosses and advisors.
My essays will be strong, maybe 8 or 9 out of 10
My resume is posted below; there are some things missing.
-Mu Alpha Theta chapter founder
-French National Honors Society Member; 3 years member
-Math League Member: represented my town at many math competitions at the state and chapter levels; 4 years member
We went to the New England level and came in 6th
-Treasurer and VP of the Leo’s Club; member for 6 years
Local Public Library Board of Trustees; I help my public library make decisions about how to run the public library efficiently
-School JV Baseball Player, Tennis Varsity player
-Volunteer at a local well-known hospital in the summers; work with doctors (summer) {100+ hours}
I got an job shadow with a doctor this summer
-Local Little League Volunteer-- i was assistant coach for a team which went to States
-Volunteered a total of 300 hours in one 12-month period; Nov 2013-2014; 500 in 2012-2014
-Highest AMC10 score in my school as a freshman
-Highest AMC12 score in my school as a sophomore
-Local Kumon employee-- 5 years
-Kumon math program completer; second from district
-HOBY School Selected to represent at state
-HOBY World Leadership Conference ambassador
-DECA (2 years)
-Science Olympiad Team (3 years)
-Optimist International Chapter Founder
-Middle School MathCounts Coach
-Invited to the National Society of High School Students (i paid the fees for this, and I probably will get into it)
-Co-Founder of a non-profit organization that takes books and transports them to Africa (we’ve been very successful so far!)
-Founder of a Tutoring Program where all profits go to charity
-Went to a college for college prep courses in the summer regarding Biotechnology. It was a good experience in a lab setting (i was one of 40 selected out of hundreds)
-HOBY World Leadership Congress
-CT HOBY
-CT HOBY Alumni Association
-Started a free tutoring program for underprivledged students in southeast CT
Mu Alpha Theta Chapter Founder
Thanks in advance for helping me out! I will take any and all criticism in a positive manner.
You have a solid chance at these schools (especially Vandy and Notre Dame), however, I would definitely have some safeties in line just in case. Best of luck!
Honestly I think all 3 are reaches. GPA is on the low side for all. You also mentioned I think 8 recs you are getting. That is way, way too many and will probably detract from your application. I know ND only asks for 1 teacher and 1 GC rec. They will allow additional ones, but your number is excessive. Only send in additional recs if they really add something not found elsewhere in your application. As I’ve heard numerous admissions counselors say, the thicker the file, the thicker the applicant. I have two kids currently at ND if you have any specific ND questions.
Dartmouth is particularly holistic, and your ECs demonstrate passion and commitment - I wish you the best of luck. Notre Dame should be a given, assuming your essays are stellar, and Vanderbilt is somewhere in between.
If I apply Early Decision to Dartmouth, do you guys think that I have somewhat of a chance of getting in?
I visited Dartmouth last weekend and I absolutely loved it there, and it is now pushed to the top of my list. However, I do know that my GPA is lower than the average, so I don’t know if applying Early Decision is a good idea for me as an applicant…
@TheAmazing777 if you aren’t admitted Early Decision your application rolls over to Regular Decision providing you aren’t denied. However, if you are denied Early Decision then you would have been denied Regular Decision in all probability. Dartmouth is interested in more than just a GPA and testing scores. If your heart is with Dartmouth, in my opinion, I don’t see a downside to you applying Early Decision.
You are silent on class rank (or grade distribution information, which most non-ranking high schools provide to colleges) and how you did on the AP exams. A 3.7 at one school is top 10%, but only top third at others – these colleges all know the difference. The test score is definitely in the ball park for Vandy, but I disagree with the comment that they prioritize scores over grades; they’re almost as holistic as Dartmouth. Please, please, listen to the earlier post regarding excessive recommendations. Adcoms consider this practice irritating and not remotely impressive. If your AP scores are good, there’s no point in taking more than two or three SAT II tests.
@higheredrocks my school, as of this year, has stopped ranking. My school is very competitive, and students were under lots of pressure because of this. So, my school does not rank anymore
@ejcclc and thank you for the advice on college recommendation letters; I stated that I could get five from teachers, but not send all of them. I guess what I am trying to say is that I have lots of choices of teachers from different subjects that I can reach out to when/if I need anything.
My son also attends a school like yours (no weighting, no ranking); however, they send out to colleges a “class profile” on each year’s seniors with a grade distribution (it also has information like median SAT and ACT ranges for the seniors and information about the school’s rigor). So even though there is no ranking, colleges still will know that only three kids have a 95 or better average; 17% of kids are between 91 and 93; and so forth. They do not distribute this profile directly to students or parents (because they don’t want to stress out students and parents), but it was on the website (typically under college counseling). I happened to know about this practice (I work in higher ed – not admissions, but I know a number of people in that area) and asked our college counseling office where to find it. All high schools send out information to colleges and sending out grade distribution information is very, very common – it can be very helpful to kids who go to tough schools. Our school also cautions colleges not to translate rank directly because the grades are unweighted. Everyone should ask their college counseling office about the information that is sent to colleges about the high school.
@higheredrocks Yeah, I talked to my counselor about what kind of information is sent to colleges and she said that the only two things that are sent (as far as student performance goes) are both the weighted and unweighted GPA.
Sounds like you’re on top of things. I would only add that you shouldn’t stress about taking more than three of the subject matter tests – no one requires/recommends more than that and you’ll already have AP scores that you can self report. Remember, you can only take three SAT II tests per session. Take a deep breath, keep doing what you’re doing, don’t risk looking like you’re trying too hard by adding on additional things, and good luck.