Chances (Hamilton, Kenyon, etc.) + a bit of a unique situation

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi everyone!
I’ve never done one of these ‘chance me’ threads, but I am just curious on what people think and if they have any advice as I’m heading into my senior year.

To give you an idea of schools I’m applying to, they’re small liberal arts schools. My current list is:
-Hamilton
-Kenyon
-Gettysburg
-College of the Holy Cross
-St. Olaf
-Sewanee
I plan on majoring in Spanish (and another language if possible) and History/Medieval Studies with a goal of eventually heading off to grad school.

Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Location: Suburban Virginia (way south)
GPA: UW 3.91/W 4.08
APs: US History, Art History, and Government
SAT: 1930- CR: 680 M:540 W:710
ECs:
Chorus (2 years–2 choral groups per year)
Theater (2 years, 5 shows, inducted into International Thespian Society)
TADA ( 2 years, Teens Against Drugs and Alcohol)
Exchange (See below*–while I was there I also started an English class and taught English to kids in the village near my neighborhood who otherwise couldn’t get the education. I also went to a regular Indonesian public school and learned the language quite fast so I could participate in class. Now I’m nearly fluent.)

*Now onto my kind of unique situation. In my sophomore year of high school I applied for a Department of State study abroad scholarship (YES Abroad). I had no idea I’d actually be accepted to go abroad for a year to Indonesia–free! But I was accepted and so I spent my whole junior year there. I came back very proficient in Indonesian and with tons of incredible experiences. However, my school wasn’t too down with the whole idea and I only got an English 11 credit from my SAT. This being said, I have no junior year transcript.
Hamilton and Kenyon both kindly looked past that and I was invited to Hamilton’s diversity weekend and received a travel grant from Kenyon. I’m still worried about my chances however. I will graduate with four English courses, four math courses (this year I’m taking Algebra 2 and Trigonometry), four social studies, three years of Latin, and three sciences (ending in Chemistry). I’ve been taking nearly all honors since freshman year but I know this year will be the year I’ll really have to prove myself. Any opinions?

2

I think you have a good shot… a few other schools to consider:
Wesleyan
Oberlin
Brandeis
Carleton

3

I think you have a good shot too, and an interesting story. It’s a good list. I’d add Macalester, Bates, Tufts and Connecticut College to consider. I think Hamilton, Kenyon, Holy Cross and Macalester would be spot on for you.

4

Also, if you would consider a women’s college, Mt. Holyoke and Bryn Mawr could be interesting.

5

@soze and @xhaavic thank you! I will look into these other schools. :slight_smile:

6

If you could prepare for and do well on a quantitative/scientific standardized exam, then your application would appear a little stronger. Nonetheless, as you stand now, your interesting application will be appropriate for highly selective colleges, those on your list included. Lots of luck to you.

7

@merc81 yes, that’s what I was thinking. I’ll probably study up for the SAT Math 1 subject test and take that this November or December. Hopefully that’ll help. Thank you!

8

That’s also what I was thinking as well, that the Math I SAT II might be good. Another option would be to work toward your potential on the SAT I math section and see what you could achieve by retaking that. In doing so, you may find you can even boost your already excellent CR or writing scores.