<p>4 AP classes total: Art History AP, Statistics AP, Environmental Science AP and Economics AP</p>
<p>AP Tests: Art History AP (5)</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars:
violin (since age 5)
awards/honors won:
-All State Orchestra (12) First Violin
-CJMEA Regional Orchestra (11 and 12)
-AFAF (American Fine Arts Festival) Competition Winner --> performed at CARNEGIE HALL and MERKIN HALL both in NYC
-Best Solo Performance at Annapolis Music Festival Annapolis, MD
-YPMP (Young People's Music Program) competition winner (11) and finalist (9)
-School Orchestra co-concertmistress
-Chamber Orchestra co-concertmistress
-ASTA Music Conference at Rowan University participant</p>
<p>volunteer music group
co-founded; president</p>
<p>school environmental group
secretary (11,12)</p>
<p>language school
president (9,10)
most creative script award (10)</p>
<p>fencing
JV letters (10,11)</p>
<p>literary magazine magazine staff (9-12)</p>
<p>library volunteer (9-12)</p>
<p>do you think there's a place for me at smith?</p>
<p>Your scores are good. Tell me about your high school...your GPA seems low as a correlation for those scores. What's your approximate class rank?</p>
<p>it's in one of the most affluent areas in the country and our valedictorian and saludetorian from last year went to Cal Tech and Yale. The year before, was both Harvard.</p>
<p>Our school doesn't rank actually and it only assigns 5 points extra to AP classes.</p>
<p>In that case, I think you've got a very good chance for Smith. There are several Smith parents as well as a couple of current students in this forum...please feel free to ask any questions you might have. A week from Sunday (Jan. 8) is a day that some Smith alumni associations are having information parties for prospects...let me know if you're looking for one in your area.</p>
<p>Are you applying ED? Even if you aren't I would say you are a likely admit unless your essay and letters of recommendations really suck. Smith cares more about the match then the numbers but I would think your high test scores make you a desirable canidiate. I got in ED this year with average test scores (much lower than yours), a high GPA, top 10% of my class (not very competitive high school), and with about the same ECs as you. I also took only 3 APs and no tests (our school has 10 APs). Plus, you are a minority which counts for something.</p>
<p>Anyway, I would put an extra effort into the essay and chose teachers to write recs very well and you should be fine. If you can make it to Northampton for an interview that would be a nice touch.</p>
<p>LadySky, congratulations on being accepted to Smith. I hope you have a wonderful time.</p>
<p>N.B., being Asian isn't a hook at Smith. Yes, they blend the Asian number in to make their totals for "minority" students higher but, as with all the competitive schools, there are substantial numbers of Asian applicants. Being Black/Hispanic/Native American would be an edge.</p>
<p>StuckInNJ, it's not true at all colleges that Asians are not a minority. It's mainly a factor only in about the 100-150 most competitive colleges out of approximately 3500. </p>
<p>However, there are two factors operating: a cultural & family dyanmic on achieving and/or overachieving. There have been several "You Know You're Asian When...." threads on CC over the past 2-3 years. Thus, the less competitive colleges are not of interest. (This CC board magnfies the effect as the board itself is of interest mainly to students/parents interested in and anxious about colleges with competitive admissions.)</p>
<p>Secondly, there seems to be a greater-than-norm disposition among Asian students and parents about "name" schools and "prestige." In some of the more extreme cases, Asian parents don't want to let their students apply to any college that isn't an Ivy because they don't think they're any good...and God forbid an LAC because what is that?</p>
<p>Anent parental expectations, my D, who went to a very multicultural high school, once accused me of being a "hard" parent. But, she continued, "If we were Jewish you'd be normal and if we were Asian you'd be easy." Sad LOL.</p>
<p>D says that Smith is supportive of Asians, a different matter than Asians getting a "hook." Certainly Asian students have been well represented on the research teams she's been associated with.</p>
<p>The group you're applying to makes sense as a group. Scripps is supposedly the Smith of the West Coast. Smith vs. Bryn Mawr is an interesting comparison but a point to remember is that BMC is about half the size of Smith...1300+ students. </p>
<p>D would have died of boredom at Mount Holyoke...and she just said that I could quote her.</p>
<p>"D would have died of boredom at Mount Holyoke"</p>
<p>LOL. After reading all your posts about her, I got such a crystal clear image of her saying that, complete with facial expressions, gestures, etc.</p>
<p>And people claim that people can't get to know each other online? Hee.</p>
<p>South Hadley, the "town", MHC is not really a town. There are a few stores across the street from the college and not much else. It is bigger now than when I was at Hampshire 30 years ago, but not much. If you want to do anything off campus you take the bus into Amherst or Northampton. Some people really like its beautiful quiet enviroment. David says it is less remote than Williams (where he went to college 30+ years ago).
Ellen</p>
<p>{i got such a positive impression from my admissions officer}</p>
<p>My two aunts went to Holyoke and I have affection for the college. But its the admission officers <em>job</em> to put the best spin on the college and ignore any negatives.
Its no different at Smith. Visit. Talk to students on your own around campus and in the student center. I wouldnt judge Smith by the recruiting parties either. Some are more representative of the actual student body than others. After my daughters first party, she would not even consider Smith even though she knew numerous alumnae she liked very much. I took her to the college to meet a much larger representation of students and she realized she received a distorted view of the type of students attending Smith via the recruiting party.</p>
<p>After our vsist to Smith and acquiring a much more positive perspective, it became her 1st choice and is now where she attends.</p>
<p>RLT, I'm glad that we have a large turnout of students to the recruiting parties. In what ways was your skewed? I'm glad that the first one was a positive experience for my D because I'm not sure she would have visited otherwise. D just said: "But Vivian's parties are always good." I dunno...we've only been to 6-7.</p>
<p>I shouldnt have said anything. Im in a no-win situation. Im bound to offend someone. Some people like Spam and Ripple. Who am I to question a persons tastes?</p>
<p>RLT, if you look at my posts on some of the other threads, you know that I don't worry about offending someone. Smith has black and white and many shades of gray. In the end, I think the most complete, accurate, picture helps everyone. I wouldn't want someone at Smith who was going to be unhappy there. Otoh, I want everyone who's there to get as full a potential as possible.</p>