Major of interest: International Studies and Chinese
GPA 3.0 UW, 3.2 W ( messed up so bad in freshmen year but getting almost all A’s senior year, sophmore year and junior year i got B’s and A’s )
SAT: 1210 ( should i do test optional )
ECs: Volunteered at an elementry school 200+ hours ( 11-12 grade )
Worked every friday + weekends for 5-8 hours (10-12 grade)
Studied japanese almost fluent (11-12 grade) taking the JLPT this december
studying chinese beginner -intermediate level )
Online MUN ( due to not having it at school and covid )
LOR: I don’t really know any of my teachers besides my art one due to covid and never having the same teacher in the following year
Essay: Is great
Why Us: Is great
i showed a lot of interest as in emailing the admission officer in my state and going to the webinars ( 9 in total )
AP: 6 in total
Honors: 3
my best friend is also applying ED however she has a 4.0 w gpa and 3.9 uw
im worried we wont both get in because of my terrible gpa and test score
i have been dealing with mental health and family issues for the last 4 years
I can’t chance you…but I will offer some free advice.
Stop worrying about whether your friend gets in with you…or not. Right now, you should be getting regular decision applications ready to submit or submit…in case you don’t get accepted to American.
You won’t get into AU unless you demonstrate huge interest.
And even then you are unlikely.
You’ll make more friends where you go and then you’ll have two best friends.
College is a whole new world.
Best of luck to you.
Ps put another way….if you two want to go together which is rarely a good idea btw…then you should pick a school you can get into.
Edit - I see you applied ED. so that’s interest as well as could be.
You are demonstrating interest as best you can…and you applied ED which is an extremely high way of expressing interest when added to what you already have done.
Have you visited American?
Agree that American will be tough with a 3.0. ED with tons of demonstrated interest is the only way I could see it working out.
Your interest has to go way beyond going to webinars. Reach out to the professors who teach things you want to study, ask questions about their classes or programs.
American has a program in which students study at a university in Japan for 2 years. It’s in their School of International Studies. Your fluency in Japanese may be of interest to them if you want to look into that:
As for your friend, yes, a higher gpa will demonstrate a stronger record of ability to operate in a rigorous academic environment. Don’t compare yourself. Admissions officers are looking for a well rounded class, so focus on what you bring that is unique, get super deep into what American offers that attracts you, and do as much genuine outreach to admissions, professors, current students, as you can. Have you been on campus? If not, definitely go. Not only bc ED is binding and you need to see a place before you commit, but because you can meet admissions reps and professors in person.
Meanwhile, make a college list with some schools that your stats are attractive to.
My last piece of advice is to make sure the struggles you have experienced for 4 years are well under control. Going to college is amazing, but it’s also overwhelming sometimes. If you’re still struggling with your mental health, please get the support you need so that you can fully enjoy and participate in your college experience next fall.
Good luck to you!
PS, I just remembered the ED deadline has passed—but I would continue to ask questions of professors or share what you are loving learning about American with your admissions reps.
Colleges use demonstrated interest to try and gauge how likely you are to commit if you are accepted. You can’t demonstrate a higher level of commitment than applying ED!
For now I think you’ve done just about all that you can. Are your LORs done? Maybe set up some time with your teacher to review your ECs and make she he/she understands that this is your top choice and you are applying ED (just being able to connect your conversation while they are writing your LOCs might make them put a little more effort into it).
Your grades are what they are, the good news is trajectory is going in the right direction, and like you there are lots of students that struggled early on with wither the pandemic or just getting adjusted to HS. Those Soph and Junior year grades are going to be what is important.
ED is certainly gives you a good chance (>80% ED acceptance rate) - But has other posters have stated. Time to think about what other colleges might be a good fit.
Not sure why this reply was directed to me…but I agree.
Congratulations on your achievements!! Please stay focused on your mental health, communicate with others and maintain your support network. Your desire to experience college with your BF is understandable. Hopefully it works out but be assured your obvious resilience will allow you to thrive wherever you land and whatever the circumstances.
Given you have applied ED I would not be concerned about demonstrating interest (you are clearly interested). Keep your fingers crossed and no one can accurately predict your results based on such limited visibility of both you and the applicant pool.
Stay strong while planning for the worst and hoping for the best. Please let us k ow how it works out and don’t get discouraged by the opinions of strangers.
Curious if anyone thinks that continuing to communicate with American about what this OP wants to get out of the experience can help them during the application review process. Agree that applying ED is the best way to show interest and commitment, but maybe (since the GPA is on the low end), if the admissions team is very clear about “why American” it will help the student overcome some of the knee jerk reaction to the grades (which are on the upswing but may cause concern). Maybe not, just thinking about how the student might get a leg up.
From what my mother and others have told me my “Why American” writing is great however I feel like they don’t really know what American is looking for which is a huge worry of mine
I was replying to your other reply however i’ll just respond in this one instead
You’re right that applying with a 3.0 ED with a ton of demonstrated interest is the only way to get accepted
I can’t go onto campus due to my parent’s recent seperation and my dad doesn’t have enough money for me to visit + bringing along my 4 other siblings
I do have a list of other schools which most are reach schools…Temple University, George Washington University and etc. If I don’t get accepted into AU ED1 or 2 I plan on going to a Japanese University with the MEXT scholarship which im confident i can do with my japanese skills ( My dad really frowns upon going to a community college )
As you can tell im really deadset on AU. I’ve spoken to many students who attend and they can only say great things about SIS and SPA.
Thanks for the advice, it really makes me happy
Well…given this…can you afford American University? Will your family be able to pay your cost to attend if you do get accepted? American costs about $80,000 a year and does not guarantee to meet full need for all accepted students.
Your 4 siblings should not be coming on a college visit anyway. That’s way too many extra people.
If GW, and especially Temple are reaches for you, then AU is a reach even if you’re applying ED. Temple is a safety school for AU applicants. You also should not be applying ED anywhere that you can’t afford 100% of the costs too, since it’s a binding agreement with little wiggle room. If you can’t afford to even visit the school, you should probablly have a realistic talk with your parents about whether they/you can afford to go. No university is worth a lifetime of debt.
To express interest, you can always email the admissions team at AU to get connected with a current student, since that’s part of how they track demonstrated interest. In responding to another suggestion above, contacting anyone outside of admissions (i.e. professors) won’t help your chances, they don’t track that.
George Washington is even more costly than American? Is your family on board with these costs?
Yeah they are
dont worry
i just meant with christmas, thanksgiving stuff and etc sorry 
Can you go on your own to visit?
Please clarify. Your parents do or don’t have enough money so you could have visited American University.
And with four siblings…are you sure they can pay $80,000 a year for you to attend college?
Exactly…the student could have gone on a visit. Or gone with one parent while the other stayed home with the four siblings.
It’s a little late to do that now for an ED application, I think. Maybe someone else can comment on that.
It’s not too late. AU tracks interest up until decisions are released. The deadline for ED1 was today, and the deadline for ED2/RD is Jan 2. However, there is no greater interest than applying ED. Ultimately, OP you have to make up for your GPA and test score in interest. Highly recommend emailing admissions to get connected to a current student. And tour.
Also, run the NPC. Merit scholarships are based mainly on GPA and test scores, so it’s extremely unlikely you’ll get one from AU. You may qualify for need-based aid.
They are on board with the costs yes
My mother left across the states for a new job so she couldn’t watch my siblings and we really don’t have any other family members available to watch them around this time
Bottom line is even ED, unless full pay, they’re not getting in. Need aware schools like AU use their need aid for kids who lift the school or meet a need (diversity). Short of full pay, an unhooked student is not getting need aid.
Merit yes…but we demonstrated including attending their preview day and was a 4.6, 32 act10 or 11 APs and got $15k. The most I’ve read is $25k.
In the last cds only 37% of kids got any need aid. This won’t be one.
It’s just the reality.
I hope the student was guided properly and has a proper list.