Chances For Someone Who Has No Clue

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
1

<p>I know these chances posts are annoying, but I'm really not sure of anything. And no, I'm not about to list perfect 800 board scores, a 4.0 UW GPA, and one billion and twenty-two thousand page EC list. I'm just a normal (well, very strange in real life, girl). </p>

<p>And so it goes:</p>

<p>Caucasian female from middle-class suburb in Pennsylvania. Highly ranked high school, 1900 plus students. Number one student in my class has a 4.62 weighted, I believe, to put things in perspective. </p>

<p>4.155 W, 3.8 (?) UW, 45/400 (top 11 percent, I believe)
2020 SAT 1 (hopefully I’ll raise it to a 2150) (770 Writing- 12 essay, 2 MC wrong) That’s my strong point, but unfortunately, they aren’t really looking at that)
Graduate with 5 AP (I received a 4 on English Lang Comp)
Pretty strong (but not great) course load (upward trend with GPA junior year-4.36 W); honors/seminars/AP
Haven’t taken SAT II yet</p>

<p>EC:</p>

<p>Editor-in-chief of Newspaper: yay! (highly ranked public school with 1900 + students)
Editor-in-chief and re-founder of the school literary magazine (published periodically)
Founder of the Literature Club (President) (10,11,12)
Co-founder of the Asian Awareness Club (11,12)
Best Buddies Associate member (9,10,12)
Library Aid (12th): involves one-two hours per day of shelving/cataloguing/etc.
Participant in the GIFTED (accelerated) program: 4th through 12th grade
Spanish National Honor Society
National Honor Society
Studying Japanese (Level 1) at language school in nearby city (every Saturday, 2 hours); unfortunately, my parents couldn’t afford a college course (checked out one at Villanova, but too pricey)
Community service is pretty strong (estimated time is unknown, as of now)</p>

<p>Employed at Bagel Shop (essentially a sandwich shop) for three years, part-time (9th through 11th) </p>

<p>Plan to major in Anthropology and minor in East Asian studies (focus in Japanese language)</p>

<p>I left out all EC that aren’t as significant (I.E focused on leadership roles; I suppose I‘ll include them on my application)</p>

<p>I know that I’m not especially strong as a candidate right now, but I’m hoping that with a 2150 SAT and solid grades in my APS next year I’ll have a chance. My essays/EC will most likely be my strong point. It’s definitely my character/effort put into explaining passion for literature/asian culture that’ll be beneficial. </p>

<p>Reach:
NYU
Vassar</p>

<p>Reach (match if SATs rise):
Bryn Mawr </p>

<p>Match:
Smith (I think?)</p>

<p>Safety:
UMASS- Amherst </p>

<p>If anyone has any other suggestions, they’d be greatly appreciated. I kind of half-assed this post, but only because my mother’s screaming at me to clean my room. Sorry for being so bland! Also, I sliced open my middle finger with a staple; as result, I’m not able to type proficiently.</p>

2

<p>I think you're looking pretty good for Smith but a "why Smith" factor in your app would be good. Your selection of schools at least kinda makes sense, which is nice, as opposed to looking random.</p>

3

<p>Thank you; oh, and I definitely will have a good "why smith" essay. I've prepared many reasons as to why I'd like to attend an all women's college.</p>

4

<p>You're actually one of the rare ones or else you're on an accelerated curve. Most Smithies I've talked to didn't <em>intend</em> to attend a womens college. It's more like they discovered something they liked during their search process and it never let go. </p>

<p>It's true that based on Smith, my also expanded her apps to include Wellesley and Barnard, but not Bryn Mawr (too small, "wrong" geography for her) or Mount Holyoke (remote enough that she thought she'd go stark raving if she were there for four years). I think Vassar might made the co-ed list if it hadn't been so remote...Northampton and the other four colleges nearby made up for some things for her.</p>

<p>NYU was on her list until she visited. I was a bit surprised at how fast she crossed it off because she had liked George Washington, which also is an urban university without a traditional campus.</p>

5

<p>I've always been a bit of a (closet) feminist, what can I say? But in all actuality, I really just believe that I'll receive a stronger education (for me, personally) from a women's college. I suppose it's a very personal decision. I've definitely noticed that in classes that are primarily female, I definitely voice my opinion more frequently (and also excel in class discussions).And plus, Bryn Mawr College (which I actually live only twenty minutes away from), has a very high acceptance rate to prestigious graduate schools/programs (or something to that effect). </p>

<p>I'm definitely anticipating my visit to Smith. I've definitely researched Wellsley/Banard, but they're definitely reaches, and I all ready have two of those. In attempts to put the maximum amount of effort into each application, I'm limiting my number to five or six. Next month I'll be visiting NYU, though I've taken an unofficial tour of the campus previously. </p>

<p>Thank you for your help!</p>