<p>Rising senior, female, NJ
-finances not an issue
-competitive public school, sends a fair amount of kids to very selective schools for being so small</p>
<ul>
<li> 4.32 W</li>
<li> 4.0 UW</li>
<li> Top 5% but my school only states if Top 10% I think
32 ACT (WILL THIS HURT ME?)
730 Bio (E) taken at the end of my frosh year
Taking LIT in Sept. </li>
</ul>
<p>Frosh:
World Cultures (no Honors)
English 9 (no Honors)
Honors Biology
Geometry
French 2</p>
<p>Soph:
Honors Modern Euro History
Honors Chem
Honors Brit Lit
Honors French 3
Algebra 2
US Gov (semester/no Honors)</p>
<p>Junior:
AP US 1
AP Language and Comp
AP Biology
Pre-Calc
Honors French 4</p>
<p>Senior:
AP US 2
AP Lit and Comp
AP Government
AP Stats
AP French 5
Physics (Honors couldnt fit)</p>
<p>ECs and Other stuff:
National Honor Society
French Honor Society
Youth Ministry @ Church (lead retreats, give speeches)
Big Sister to boy town over (weekly commitment since soph year)
Freshman-Junior year I have tutored 3 girls (2,5,7 grade when I started) who moved to my town from France. 3-4 days a week Im there. My essay will probably be on my experience with them and how it has shaped me today.
School Newspaper (writer all years, Editor as senior)
Key Club
Lacrosse all years
Lots of Community Service through the community coordinator at my school
Summer camp counselor @ local day camp summer 09 and 10 </p>
<p>Recs-
Im my Guidance counselors best student, so he has taken particular interest and me and will probably write a good rec. Junior English teacher and Junior History teacher will write good ones I believe.</p>
<p>I also may have the fresh girls mother write one. </p>
<p>Potential benefit: Director of the summer camp I work at likes me- she and her husband both graduated from Colgate. She could write a rec of some sorts? Also, my father is friendly with a trustee. I don't know if that helps.</p>
<p>i think you will be a cinch.</p>
<p>Athletic, hard working, academic, and you say you won’t need scholarship money. What’s not to like. You’ll have a very good chance. Keep in mind, though, that admissions decisions are not done by formula. They are done by whether the Admissions staff thinks you’d be good at that college as well as if they think you would offer something. That’s why people with 4.0 averages sometimes get rejected or why top athletes don’t get in. They might just have enough of those already. Your very good well-roundedness will work to your benefit. </p>
<p>It can’t hurt to have the summer camp people write a recc letter about you, but only if they really know you, and an academic letter or coach’s letter will be far more likely to impress the Admissions people. </p>
<p>Writing your essay about the three French girls (Sounds like a children’s book, doesn’t it?) is an interesting angle, I think, but remember to write about who you are and not much about them. They’re not applying. And be sure to edit, edit, edit your essay. It should be your voice and very clearly written with no grammatical, etc. errors. Cut out all the repetitive stuff. Send them about the tenth draft. That means start writing months ahead of time until what you end up with is really great. It’s fine to have other people look it over. They should not edit it for you, but they can tell you if it’s unclear, too rambling, too cute, or whatever. Three or four really great paragraphs is what you should generally aim for. No Admissions person wants to read a long manifesto or a rambling diary. They want a direct explanation about what’s interesting about you, what’s different about you, and why you are so jazzed about your life and going to college. </p>
<p>You’ve got a very good record and shouldn’t worry about gaining admission to some very good colleges. Apply to a variety of them, even a few “stretch” schools you aren’t sure you’ll get into. You’ll get into at least a few, go to one of them and be very happy. Promise.</p>