Demographic:
US Permanent Resident (Brazilian Immigrant since 2016)
State: CA
I go to a magnet public high school.
Male, White, Latino
Coursework:
9th: 1 AP, 2 honors, and rest is regular classes (All A’s, 1 B first semester)
World History at a CC (A)
10th: 3 honors, 1 AP (All A’s and 1 B both semesters) (AP Chemistry - B)
US History at a CC (A)
11th: 5 AP and a regular art class (All A’s except 1 C which turned into a B second semester) (Took AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish Language, and AP Biology - C/B)
12: 4 APs, 1 regular, 1 free period
Extracurriculars:
USC Summer Research at College of Pharmacy with a professor
Key Club (Countless leadership positions)
Activism Club (President of 3 years, countless fundraisers, and volunteer op)
City’s Youth Council
Pre-EMT Program (Countless leadership positions)
CDC Online Summer Course (a selective program that deals with introductions to CDC workers and the public health field)
Small Business (raised over 3K in a year, sold used clothes in a good state to lower socioeconomic classes in my hometown in Brazil)
HOSA (1 leadership position)
Hospital volunteer (2 years, 2 hours a week)
Over 500 volunteer hours
I plan on applying for test-optional and my GPA is 3.86 UW
W GPA is 4.19
I got a 4 in AP Spanish Language and predict a 4 in AP English Lang and a 5 in AP Spanish
I took honors bio freshman year and will take honors Anatomy and Physiology senior year
Senior year:
AP Stats
Honors A&P
CP English (It’s a writing course offered by cal state schools called ERWC)
AP Psychology
AP Gov/Econ
My school doesn’t really rank but it’s around 40/256
Your chances are not very high, because acceptance rates are very low. Your GPA is borderline (>3.9 is competitive, <3.8 is not), but the fact that it doesn’t put you in the top 10% (or so) of your graduating class is unhelpful. On the other hand, being Hispanic does help a bit.
I would say that you are in the lower range of competitive, so not out of the running, but you will have to make a very good case for yourself.
Why Amherst? It’s a great college, but there are a couple dozen colleges with psychology programs which are just as good or even better.
Yes! I can afford Amherst. Amherst has just been recently been one of my top colleges, and I love everything from the location to the collaborative community to its diverse community. I just think I’d be a great fit there. Thank you so much for your help!
If you are able to afford ED, I would consider a different school where your probability of acceptance is higher.
Your rank is what gives me the greatest pause. Even if your school does not release rank to colleges, Amherst will have a sense of where you are if they regularly see applicants from your school, if others apply this year, and possibly through the strength of your LOR. Amherst only accepted about 7% of applicants this year. I am not sure what ED was, but even those odds are tough.
I don’t meant to be discouraging, but there are many wonderful LACs with similarities to Amherst where your impressive application may stand a better shot.
(When you say you can afford Amherst, does that mean you are full pay?)
Regarding your regular classes: were there honors options for these? Do others in your school have significantly more AP/honors than you or did you max out your rigor and you have more than many others in the top 20%? Your GPA and your rank make this a harder road for you…but if you love Amherst best beyond all others then you might as well shoot your shot!
There are lots of colleges you should explore which have some similarities with Amherst- but are easier to get accepted to. (Ranging from a “skootch” easier to somewhat easier). Let us know if you’ve fully explored these other options- if so- terrific. And if not, we can help you!
Conn College, Skidmore, Bowdoin, Vassar, Bates… we can put together a robust list for you to check out!
Nobody can reasonably chance you for a super selective college like Amherst. Apply and give it your all.
But as others suggested – focus on creating a solid application list with reach (including Amherst), match, and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be happy to attend. There are so many great schools out there!
I support an applicant wanting to “shoot your shot,” but when someone uses ED, it makes sense to be strategic. Is an ED application to Amherst going to move the dial enough to get you accepted, or could it make a bigger difference at another school?
Obviously, if you make a good choice and are accepted ED elsewhere, you may be left with regret about what might have been. No one wants that kind of buyers remorse, so using ED more strategically requires a ton of thoughtfulness and maturity in the decision — I am not sure I could do it! On the other hand, you may realize after research similar, but slightly less selective, schools that you could be happy at many places.
There are a ton of variables here that make your scenario complex, including trying to understand the odds for an international student (is that how Amherst would see you?) applying as an URM at a school that already has great diversity in its enrollment. Would your college counselor at schools be able to give your more insight?
