chances to get in

Colleges and Universities A-Z Lafayette College
1

<p>i applied ED to lafayette after being rejected from NYU :/. it's not NYU but i would definitely be really happy if i got in here! i got a letter today saying i need to send in my first semester grades before i can be considered, so im going to do that tomorrow asap.</p>

<p>intended major: english
white female, pennsylvania
highly-ranked public school
GPA: 3.249...had depression freshman/sophomore year, it really affected my grades. ridiculous upward trend though junior year and this one as well. my essay should explain this.
ACT: 30 composite, 34 writing, 33 reading, 26 math, 25 science
SAT IIs: 700 literature, 590 US history
all honors course taken aside from math, 3 APs, 1 college level social science course
8th place in the region on the national french exam</p>

<p>great recommendations
strong supplement/essay, in my opinion
lots of ECs: field hockey goalie, chorus/select chorus, bandfront, 2 community clubs, cancer fundraiser participant and committee member, outdoor adventure club,
work exp: babysit almost every week, interned at a business consultant office last summer. also was an assistant to a high-end party designer.
summer: week-long mission trip in appalaichia, my internship, young scholars program at clarkson university, pennsylvania free enterprise week </p>

<p>please be honest...im a litte nervous due to GPA</p>

2

<p>oh yeah and looking over posts i see that demonstrated interest is huge.</p>

<p>i had a tour and an interview which i feel went extremely well.</p>

3

<p>peanutbutter3,</p>

<p>Allow me to start by saying that, simply by applying ED, you have increased your chances significantly. That's not to say your GPA will be overlooked...just that admissions officers know how serious you are about attending Lafayette.</p>

<p>As for your GPA, an upward trend is always promising. It's great that you took the time to explain your circumstances, but I'm concerned that admissions officers might see you as a potential burden due to your previous bout of depression. Please don't get me wrong: I am in no way minimizing your condition. However, if I were reading over your application, I would definitely hesitate for a moment after seeing the word "depression." I'd ask myself, "Would I want to introduce a potential problem to the Lafayette community?" </p>

<p>Here's something the college guidebooks won't tell you: I've heard admissions officers make similar comments about qualified applicants with a history of mental illness. Depression and ADHD are some of the most common ones, yes, but in a stressful college environment, even these controllable conditions may experience a relapse.</p>

<p>I did not intend to dwell on your condition, mind you, but I think it's important for that information to get out in the open.</p>

<p>It's great that you took the time to show interest. Just out of curiosity, who conducted your interview?</p>

<p>Your ACT score is fine, and will put you square in the running. It seems that you challenged yourself in high school with Honors/AP courses, which will be viewed favorably despite your lower GPA.</p>

<p>I'll just have to take your word on the essays and recommendations.</p>

<p>I really like some of the ECs you chose to get involved in. Have you considering joining the field hockey team (Varsity or Club)? You might take a moment to get in touch with Coach Andrew Griffiths at <a href="mailto:fieldhockey@lafayette.edu">fieldhockey@lafayette.edu</a> or contact one of the Club members, listed here: Club</a> Sports. Club sports are great fun, and don't require the kind of time commitment of a DI sport.</p>

<p>Admissions officers could see you as a potential member of one of our chorus groups, which is always a good thing. I am particularly impressed with your work experience, especially that internship. Not as many applicants as you might imagine can boast about participating in an internship. How did you get involved with that high-end party designer? Does that correspond with some interest of yours?</p>

<p>Just with this quick flash of information you've provided, I can guess that you're the kind of applicant who took the time to put together an impressive application. You shouldn't be nervous about your chances (it's out of your hands now, anyway!). The simple fact that you applied ED doubles your chances of admission over those who applied RD. With that upward trend and rather extensive involvement outside of the classroom, I have high hopes. </p>

<p>After considering what you've posted here, I place your chances at around 60%. Of course, keep in mind I do not have access to your essays, recommendations, transcript, or complete activities list. 60% is simply an educated guess, and nothing more.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

4

<p>your stats look good to me.i know people with much lower stats then u applying there soo that is good.
why did u have to mention ur white.just curious.nothing personal.
and no offence.it just struck me as odd so asking.</p>

5

<p>polkaorange,</p>

<p>She mentioned she was white because ethnicity plays a role in admissions decisions, much to the chagrin of many an applicant.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

6

<p>candyman-</p>

<p>thanks for the help :) i see that youre pretty useful around here, and maybe ill be seeing you next year!</p>

<p>as for the depression issue...i didnt really make a huge huge issue about it on the application or anything. it's just in my essay, which isnt about how it troubled me but basically explains a particular experience that i had and how it really helped me to overcome my depression as a whole. there is probably a mention in my guidance counselour rec, but both teachers i got to recommend me were from junior year and have no clue about all of that. </p>

<p>Dana Matassino conducted my interview. she was very easy to talk to and i think that as a whole it went extremely well. in fact, we spent most of the time talking about my ECs in way more depth than i got into on here and she seemed really into all the stuff i did and how i could continue those interests on campus. </p>

<p>As for field hockey, i havent completely decided. I'm about 90% sure that ill do club, at least. i am a goalie who had an amazing season with a team that had an 17-1 season record, won hocal honors, played on the county senior all-star team, and only 10 goals were scored on me the whole season. when i was looking at colleges my junior year though i wasnt so interested about playing in college and didnt seek out coaches, so im worried that it will be too late. plus division one is tough and i have no idea if im THAT good, haha.</p>

<p>as for the high-end party planning, a close friend of my mom's retired from beign a lawyer and began her own business. i live nearby mainline philadelphia (a really expensive/upscale area, if youve heard of it), which is mainly where she caters to. im really into design/aesthetics, so i help her whenever needed. i definitely learn a lot; its a very high stress job for very stringent clients, but ive seen some of the most gorgeous designs and setups at a party. its also fun when i get to dress up really fancy and do various tasks in these multimillion dollar homes.</p>

<p>anyway, thanks again. i really appreciate it.</p>

<p>polka orange-</p>

<p>yeah, as justin said, race can be a factor in admissions. colleges want to diversify student body, and therefore will sometimes cut a break to applicants of certain minorities. which doesnt really help me because im a white female applying to an east coast school, so thats why i mentioned it to anyone considering my profile. for example, when i applied to NYU early decision, there were kids with lower gpas that mine even, but they were hispanic/asian/etc. and got in whereas i was rejected. im still a little bitter about it, but i guess the plus side is a lesser number of campuses with complete clones for their student bodies.</p>

7

<p>Justin, I think you do a great job of explaining on this site. You don't sugar coat things, but are very skillful in teasing out the truth of a situation, without insult or injury. This is a tremendous skill and will take you far.</p>

<p>PB: Ok, so an adcom might look twice at your medical history... I don't think it would be enough on its own to bump you. The ED will look good to them, and perhaps balance that out. </p>

<p>good luck!</p>

8

<p>peanutbutter3,</p>

<p>I'm glad to hear you didn't dwell on your depression in your application. It deserved to be mentioned, if only to explain the upward trend. Looking at the other pieces of your application, I don't believe it'll single-handedly keep you from the admit pile. As suggested by fencersmother, a decision to apply early is the ultimate show of interest in a school, and you definitely have that going for you!</p>

<p>Dana is a fun person to talk to, isn't she? As I said before, your extensive EC list is quite impressive. You deserved to have the opportunity to elaborate during the interview, as I'm sure an activities list couldn't capture your true level of involvement.</p>

<p>You don't have to decide about field hockey just yet. I think it would only be natural for you to join the club team...you'll develop an instant network of friends, be able to take your mind off of work, and get some exercise in the process (Freshmen 15, anyone?).</p>

<p>I'll admit that I was browsing through your previous posts just to get a better sense of your situation. It's natural to feel disappointed after any sort of rejection, but you've got to keep it all in perspective. There are many colleges out there that would serve you well over the course of four years...it shouldn't be about that one "dream school." I know it's easy for me to say this from my position (after all, hindsight is 20/20), but given some time, I'm sure you too will make some sense of this stressful process. </p>

<p>I hope you aren't seriously considering transferring before even stepping foot on campus...maybe it's just the bitterness and disappointment coming through? For your sake, I hope you head off to college with an open mind and a willingness to learn and grow...that's what it's all about!</p>

<p>I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again: college is what you make of it, whether you find yourself in the middle of NYC or in Easton, PA.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

9

<p>hahah oh god those posts. those were pretty much the instant reaction after i received the rejection....i was SO focused on nyu and so stressed out because notification letters had been coming the past 2 weeks before i found out and i basically had to wait until the very end. it's just my complete frusteration with the system and my upset at my rejection showing through...ive moved on since and learned that it makes no sense to dwell on something that i cant change. and no, i definitely wont show up at lafayette or any school convinced that i will be transferring no matter what :)</p>

10

<p>peanutbutter3,</p>

<p>That's good to hear! I had figured those previous posts reflected an instant reaction.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>