Chances for William and Mary?

Colleges and Universities A-Z College of William and Mary
1

<p>I'm a white female from a competitive high school in New Jersey. I'm applying early decision.</p>

<p>Intended Course of Study: Political Science / Pre-Med</p>

<p>8th Grade:
Algebra 1 Honors</p>

<p>Freshman Year:
World History Honors
Geometry Honors
Spanish 1 Honors
English 1 Honors
Biology Lab Honors
Intro to Anatomy and Physiology
Computer Applications (Mac)</p>

<p>Sophomore Year:
US History 1 Honors
Algebra 2 Honors
Spanish 2 Honors
English 2 Honors
Chemistry Lab Honors
Anatomy and Physiology 1
Computer Applications (Windows)</p>

<p>Junior Year:
US History 2 Honors
Pre-Calculus Honors
Spanish 3 Honors
English 3 Honors
Physics Lab Honors
Anatomy and Physiology 2
Art Therapy
Intro to Forensics</p>

<p>Senior Year:
AP Calculus A/B
English 4 Honors
Ethics and Public Policy (It's basically a class about modern government.)
Cell and Molecular Biology
Advanced Chemistry
EMT Class
Nutrition
Senior Mentorship (A student shadows a doctor 3 days a week and learns about their field.)</p>

<p>My overall GPA is a 92/100. The reason I'm not taking Spanish my senior year is that I had to choose between it and Ethics, and since the Spanish classes at my school aren't very good, I thought that I'd get more out of Ethics.</p>

<p>AP Calc A/B is the only AP that I'm taking because it's the only one offered. At my school, everyone's schedules are pretty much the same; we don't really have that much choice about what classes we take.</p>

<p>I'm in the top 25% of my class. I have recommendation letters from my US History 2 teacher and my Pre-Calc teacher.</p>

<p>SAT Scores
CR: 760
M: 660
W: 710</p>

<p>SAT II Scores
Math 2: 650
Bio: 690</p>

<p>Extracurriculars
Global Affairs Forum: 9,10,11 (President 12)
Gay Straight Alliance: 10 (Founding Member),11 (Club fell apart - budget cuts)
Chorus: 10 (Only lasted one year due to budget cuts)
Church Handbell Choir: 9,10,11,12 (Practice 4 hr/wk, tour during summer)
Hospital Volunteering: Over 150 hours
Job: Filing and Charts at a pediatrician's office (9-15 hrs/wk)
Vacation Bible School Volunteer: 4 hrs/day for 1 week every summer</p>

2

<p>Glad to hear you’re interested in W&M. Applying ED if W&M is your top choice is always a good plan. The applicant pool has only 1100 students (as opposed to 13,000 overall) so it’s easier for any applicant to stand out in the smaller pool.</p>

<p>We would definitely recommend Spanish 4 (a core class) over an elective like Ethics assuming you can do well in Spanish 4. The fourth level of a foreign language is one of the classes we use as a benchmark of a more rigorous schedule (along with physics and calc). Additionally, if you complete Spanish 4 in HS you will not need to take FL at W&M. If you don’t complete it, you will be required to take FL.</p>

<p>Your SAT scores (1420 Critical Reading + Math) are strong but your class rank seems a bit low. Is it unweighted? 80% of our students graduate in the top 10% of their high school class so if there are any low grades or extenuating circumstances related to your rank we’d recommend you provide us that explanation.</p>

<p>Also, you didn’t list a lot of four-year commitments in your ECs. That’s definitely something, along with leadership in ECs, that helps an applicant stand out so be sure to highlight your long-standing commitments and feel free to explain any ECs that were dropped, like GSA, due to circumstances beyond your control.</p>

<p>We encourage anyone interested to apply to W&M because our process is such that no student is automatically in or out. Everyone is considered and reviewed holistically. That being said we also caution students to remember that we are selective (admitting only 27% of the OOS students who apply) so to be realistic about their chances.</p>

<p>For more on our process and any applicant’s chances, check out our Admit It! Blog ([W&M</a> Blogs Chance Me](<a href=“http://blogs.wm.edu/2010/12/14/chance-me/]W&M”>http://blogs.wm.edu/2010/12/14/chance-me/))</p>