Chances of admission

<p>Hey, </p>

<p>I’m sorry to bother everyone with this sort of question, but I am interested to know if I can get into Amherst. Over all, it is currently my top college. </p>

<p>So…</p>

<p>Year: Junior</p>

<p>Class Rank: 3 of 381</p>

<p>GPA: 4.3 (unweighted)</p>

<p>AP’s:4 this year with another 3 next year. Aside from the four this year, I am also taking 2 honors classes. Next year I will also be taking 2 honors courses.</p>

<p>SAT’s: 2070
Verbal:760
Writing:710
Math:600 (I’m wondering if this will harm me. But these are only my first test scores.)</p>

<p>EC: President of Model United Nations
President of Model Congress
President of Mock Trial
General Editor of Literary Arts Magazine (Soon to Senior Editor)
Historian of NHS
Chairman of local church’s food pantry
Recording Secretary of Deacons
Youth Group
Pianist
Handbell Choir
Peers As Leaders
Interact (a type of leadership group)
French Honor Society (Soon to be Vice President)
E.R.A.S.E. (End Racism And Sexism Everywhere)
History Club
Drama Club (Lead for 3 consecutive years)
Indoor soccer (4 years)
One year of marching band
International Language Club
Computer Club
Video and Film Club
New Jersey Boys State Member
Nominee for International Studies Govenor School
Founder of Marketing Club
Founder of DECA Cafe </p>

<p>Awards:
United Nations 2006 Outstanding Delegation (St. Peters College)
United Nations 2007 Outstanding Delegate (St. Peters College)
Honorable Mention (Princeton University)
1st place instructional-regional DECA competition
3rd place overall-regional DECA competition
1st place instructional-New Jersey state DECA competition
3rd place over all-New Jersey state DECA competition
3rd place over all written portion-New Jersey state DECA competition</p>

<p>As for SAT II’s, I intend to take English and US history. The class average is about a 75 in my AP English and I have a 104. In AP history the class average is about an 85, and I have a 100. I imagine I’ll get high scores in both of these subject tests, especially since I’ve been studying for them since September.</p>

<p>PLEASE respond to this message and tell me my chances.</p>

<p>Thank you so much.</p>

<p>your chances are probably pretty good. i advise you to work on that math score though, get it up to 700.
as for your extracurriculars, they seem pretty good. colleges dont really care how many you have, but what the commitment is to them. I know, I pretty much only had 4 extra curriculars basically, but i did them all 4 years of high school and they took a hell of a lot of time each week.</p>

<p>and on a side note, I hate people that have like 30 extra curriculars because that really must mean a lot of them are complete bs. because i kno for a fact, each one cannot take up that much time or else you would have no life at all. I'm betting on the fact that only a few of those are ones that you truly spend a great deal of time on.</p>

<p>Ethnicity/state?</p>

<p>How many APs could you have taken? How many APs does the person who takes the most at your school take?</p>

<p>Get that math way up. And since you're going to take the SAT again for the math, go ahead and try to get the other two sections up as well. For next year's cycle, which is supposed to be the peak in terms of admission difficulty before somewhat tapering off, you'll need every advantage you can get.</p>

<p>Last year, I would have said not to worry about the math too much. Yes, bring it up a bit, but not to worry, because many schools know that some kids do better in liberal arts, and not in math, and vice-versa. A 600 is respectable. However, considering that this year, Amherst is overenrolled, it will be even harder next year, so by all means, get that math score way up there! And focus on your passions in your EC's. Since there are no interviews, you will need to really work on those essays - that is where you distinguish yourself from all the other terrific applicants, and where you let them know who you are. good luck! No one can tell you for sure if you will be accepted, just if your stats are in line.</p>

<p>raise your sat and do well on the SAT 2s. also dont write all of those ec's on your app. You spread yourself wa to thin</p>

<p>Ethnicity: White</p>

<p>As for EC's, yes they all take an incredible amount of time. I'm up until 2 in the morning most days. But anything that I don't hold a position on, I don't care about THAT much. My true passion is Model United Nations and Model Congress.</p>

<p>AP clarification: 4 this year (AP Gov, Language, US history, Psychology)
Next year: 3 AP (French, Math, Biology)
I am taking the most AP classes in my school. Most take about 2.
I'm in 2 honors classes this year, and 2 next year. They don't have AP tests, but are weighted the same at my school.</p>

<p>Oh,btw, I have NO varsity sports. Will this hurt me?</p>

<p>Finally, are you all Amherst students/alumni?</p>

<p>A few things that stand out to me:</p>

<p>You should try to raise your math SAT, as it is below Amherst's middle 50%. For [url=<a href="http://www.amherst.edu/about_amh/cds/2006/CDS2006_C_First_Year_Admissions.pdf%5D2006%5B/url"&gt;http://www.amherst.edu/about_amh/cds/2006/CDS2006_C_First_Year_Admissions.pdf]2006[/url&lt;/a&gt;] (class of 2010), the middle 50% on Math was 660-760. You will be competing for admission in the Most Competitive Year Ever, so that range will likely be even higher. Your scores on the other two sections are right in the middle of that range, so you should be fine there. Raising them would not hurt, of course, but focus on the math.</p>

<p>Your taking 4 AP's and 2 honors classes this year, but 2 honors and 3 AP's next year. What's your sixth class?</p>

<p>Be sure to prove to the adcoms your dedication to your most important activities. I used the "other information" box on the common app to give a one or two line summary for each of my most important activities explaining major accomplishments and leadership positions. The EC grid doesn't have nearly enough room. </p>

<p>Also, cut out the stuff like "one year of marching band". That just distracts from the more important things.</p>

<p>No varsity sports won't hurt you; I've never so much as played little league and I'll be at Amherst in the fall.</p>

<p>Best of luck.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice Catfish. I was considering cutting out all of the "1 year" stuff. </p>

<p>My other two classes will actually just be normal classes. One will be Economics/American Law, and the other will be creative writing/philosophy.
With these two classes, I'm really just ensuring that I win both the History and the English award at the end of my senior year. My school's guidance department is also incredibly incompetent, and scheduled AP classes over other AP classes, so this is really all I can fit in...</p>

<p>As for SAT scores, if they don't go up, I'm considering taking a course in the summer, and trying again in the fall. </p>

<p>Thanks for all the advice guys. </p>

<p>Anyone have anything else to add?</p>

<p>It sounds as though you are taking the most difficult courses avialable due to scheduling. Make sure that you GC lets the school know that you are taking the most difficult courseload available, that students can only take so many AP's per year.</p>

<p>oh wow, it pains me to see how much people do just to get into great colleges. staying up till 2am on a regular basis, geez thats crazy. if i really wanted to, i could probably go to sleep before 11 maybe even 10 every night. I feel like ive done a lot but i just dont have too much that keeps me up that late. its been a good high school career. I didnt drive myself crazy to get into elite schools.
plus, i have to get sleep or else my running performance will just collapse.</p>

<p>Your schedule should be fine, then. If you could have taken another AP, but elected to take Advanced Relaxation Studies instead, that would be a different story. If you have the time and desire, you could self-study for a fourth AP test, but only if you can manage that without sacrificing your normal school work and EC's. Don't kill yourself.</p>

<p>I dont like this one
United Nations 2006 Outstanding Delegation (St. Peters College)??
This does not show that you did something. It might as well mean that the rest of the delegation did the job. It looks more like a resume builder rather than an actual honor. Now, other ones like the PU honorable mention are great!
But this one, noooooo.....IMO :D</p>

<p>Delegation refers exclusively to my partner and I, NOT the entire team.</p>

<p>if you're white, it's gonna be damn near impossible with those scores.</p>