Chances for Georgetown, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, UChicago?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello all!
I am a rising senior in high school and am applying to very selective schools for undergrad. I’m excited! Some of the schools I am looking at include Georgetown, Bowdoin (where I am a legacy), Dartmouth (where I am a half-legacy, almost? My father did his residency following medical school at Dartmouth-Hitchcock), UChicago, Bates, USC, Boston College, Middlebury, Pitzer, Scripps, Vassar, Tulane, and Wellesley. As of right now, my first choice is Georgetown. I plan on taking my subject tests in August. My stats and some general information is listed below.

I am a white female from a rather privileged background and I’m from a rather wealthy town in New Hampshire. I attend a very selective boarding school in Connecticut where I have attended for the past two years. The workload is rigorous to say the least. Prior to coming to my current school, I attended a small private day school in Maine. I repeated my sophomore year at my current school as well.

FRESHMAN YEAR GRADES

English: B

Algebra I: C

Spanish I: B

World History: C+

Physics: B+

(I know… yikes. At this time, my rather severe ADHD had gone undiagnosed. I was diagnosed the fall of my first sophomore year and I was not on medication until the summer following my sophomore year.)

SOPHOMORE YEAR (I) GRADES

English: A-

Geometry: B+

Spanish II: A-

European History: A-

Chemistry: B

SOPHOMORE YEAR (II) GRADES

English II: A-

Algebra II: B+

History Seminar: A

Advanced Biology: A-

Advanced Spanish III: B

JUNIOR YEAR GRADES

CL (College Level) APUSH: A-

CL AP English Seminar (Language and Composition): A-

Advanced Precalculus: B+

Spanish IV: A+

AP Environmental Science: B+

SENIOR YEAR COURSES:

CL AP English Literature

Spanish V (Term Courses)

AP A/B Calculus

CL History Seminar (I was invited by my APUSH teacher to join the class)

CL Cell Biology

GPA: N/A (School doesn’t calculate)

Ranking: N/A (Top 15/20%, probably)

ACT Scores: 33 (36 on English, 35 on Reading, 31 on Science, 29 on Math)

AP Scores:

APUSH— 5
English Language— 5

EC’s:

Professional theatre and acting (I was a principal role in a Kevin James film when I was in 6th grade, and I have been featured in Off-Broadway productions, along with PSAs for Amnesty International and the Red Cross. I have acted in major productions across New England since I was five and am eligible to join Actors’ Equity and the Screen Actors Guild) (13+ years)

English Tutor for my school’s Writing Program (1 year)

Selected as an Emerging Writer by my school’s English Department (My poetry collection was put on display in our school’s art gallery and it was widely publicized across campus. This year, I was selected as a leader for new students involved in the program due to my returning to the program for my second year.) (2 years)

Prom Committee (2 years)

Varsity tennis (I was MVP and Team Captain my sophomore year at my old school) (4 [going on 5] years on varsity)

Departmental Recognition Award in Language (junior year)

National Spanish Exam Bronze Medal Winner (freshman year)

Lead roles in the Winter Musical (2 years straight)

President of my school’s Feminism Club (Fundraising for Planned Parenthood, political advocacy around campus, etc.) (2 years)

President of my school’s political think-tank (Invite-only, faculty supervisor is Head of School) (1 year)

President of my school’s AIDS prevention club (Founded by me; I’ve raised a few thousand dollars for AIDS organizations both domestic and abroad) (2 years)

Prefect during my junior year (Essentially an RA for underclassmen) (1 year)

Co-editor of my school’s satire newspaper (Started by my best friend and I in our junior year) (2 years)

School Dance Team and featured dancer for our school showcase (2 years)

Choir (3 years)

Singing for various campus events (I am invited by my school to sing the National Anthem for almost every sporting event including at the Special Olympics time trials that my school does a lot of work with. Off-campus, I sing annually at naturalization events for new American citizens, events attended by high-ranking state politicians, and at Division I hockey, basketball, and football games.) (2 [going on 3] years)

Audition-based singing group on campus (2 [going on 3] years)

Student Ambassador (2 years)

JV Field Hockey (1 year)

Boys Varsity XC Manager (1 year)

VOLUNTEER WORK AND EMPLOYMENT:

I serve food at soup kitchens over the Holidays when I am home from school through a local Episcopal Church

In 9th grade, I advocated in front of my local town hall in order to open a food pantry for children who might not have access to food over the weekends when they cannot get food from school. They opened the pantry following my speech which was a huge honor! :slight_smile:

Camp Counselor (I am currently a writing instructor for kids 6-17 and the editor of the weekly Camp Newsletter. I teach kids writing skills at a traditional all-girls camp)

Waitress and sandwich-maker at a local restaurant at home (2 years)

If anyone has any idea of my chances, I’d be really grateful. Please note that I am well aware of how my freshman year looks in terms of grades. I have worked hard since then to improve myself and I hope that it pays off!

Thanks! :slight_smile:

2

chances look pretty slim tbh

3

Strong ECs but rank might hold you back. Make sure to point out your ADHD situation in your app. Chance me back?

4

Not sure you are going to qualify as a legacy at Dartmouth. Your ACT is strong, but I think your grades are going to make it tough for most of the schools on your list. You have very few solid A’s and too many in the B and C range for the top schools. But your ecs will make you stand out, so certainly take the chance and apply, just make sure you have some true safeties and matches.

5

Do you think the fact that my grades have improved so much since I was getting low B’s and C’s will be compelling in terms of improvement? @wisteria100

6

If your high school in CT is a feeder school for Gtown, it will help. Do lots of students from your high school matriculate to Gtown?

7

Yes, a lot do matriculate to Georgetown, but my school is mostly a feeder to the NESCAC. My stats are fairly similar to a lot of students from my school who got into or at the very least applied toGeorgetown this year. @preppedparent

8

I would keep your grades absolutely tip top during senior year, write a great essay- ideally in which you acknowledge your sub-par grades freshman year and highlight your improvement process- kill those subject tests, have a good interview, and apply early if you want a shot. The thing is, when it comes to admissions at elite schools- as we all know- once you’re qualified, it comes down the soft factors- mainly essays, recs, and interview- and it just so happens that the only things you WEREN’T able to give us were those factors. The function of grades is to show what kind of academic workload you can handle. If you can show Georgetown that you are NOT the same person you were freshman year, rather you’re an awesome, intellectually curious kid who challenges herself and gets top grades in the most rigorous schedule possible, you’ll have a shot. Simply because once they have determined you’re qualified, grades don’t mean a darn thing, the only function they serve is getting your foot in the door by showing you’re at least good enough, the rest comes down to who you are as a person. Once they’ve concluded that you’re smart and tenacious enough to stay afloat academically at Georgetown while also pursuing what you love, it’s all who you are. So, prove you’re qualified by acing all your classes, then show them you’re an awesome person by writing great essays ) recs, and rocking the interview, and you’ll have shot. And, like I said, it would be OPTIMAL if one of these- ideally your essay, as that’s really the only one you can completely control- could somehow highlight your improvement and upward momentum in grades and use it to write a great essay about maybe your struggle with ADHD and/or the motivations behind your personal transformation. This way you would be putting as much of a spotlight as you can out of the fact that you’re a changed person now in terms of academic motivation, because quite frankly those grades- not even just underclassmen, but a few in junior year as well- will be your biggest hurdle. I mean the average student at Georgetown this year was in the top 2% of his/her class, and a lot of these kids come from tip top prep schools.

You’re clearly a great person who is going places no matter what school you go to. I’m not going to sit here and say that going to Georgetown and having that name on your resume wouldn’t be anything less than stellar, but understand that you’ll do fine no matter what, you’re clearly a great person who is going to live a full and successful life. So, do your absolute best and leave everything out on the field, fight like you-know-what to be the kind of kid who is granted the privilege of becoming a Hoya during March of senior year, show that admissions committee what you’re made of, and, come late March time- whether you get in or not- know that you’re all the better the person for it. Even for the most awesome and qualified people, admissions at schools like this are a complete crapshoot- this will give you comfort in rejection and if you get in will be a gentle reminder to not let it get to your head (although you should still be very proud!)

I wish you nothing but the best of luck, and if you have any questions throughout this whole process, feel free to PM me as I went through this same crazy thing just a few months ago.

Hoya Saxa :slight_smile:

9

@HistoryGeek40 - yes, an upward trend is compelling and tells a good story. The issue is, for schools on your list like Dartmouth, Middlebury, Chicago, Georgetown, they get so many strong applicants, they can likely fill their class with kids who have straight A’s for 4 years. For Georgetown, the supplements are really important as are the subject tests, and you still have plenty of time to focus on those. Good luck!