chances with only decent ECs?

<p>hi, i'm a high school junior- i just discovered william & mary, and it seems really great! i feel like my stats are competitive for admissions, however it seems like they base a lot on ECs, and while mine are fine, they are by no means impressive since i commute 30 min each way to school so i can't always commit as much time as i want to for things (for examply, i enjoy theater, but i ended up not acting in any plays after freshman year since rehearsals are in the evenings so i'd have to drive back and forth a lot). so i was wondering, will these ECs look ok?</p>

<p>my ECs:
-school chorus since 7th grade (a class during the day w/ some after-school commitments)
-vice-president of our school's GSA (probably president next year)
-amnesty international (hopefully some sort of officer next year)
-photo club
-political involvement (i've helped on campaigns by making calls and going door to door, volunteered as a poll-watcher, and participated in a model congress. i'm also hoping to intern with a state congressman this summer.)</p>

<p>other stats:
-GPA: around 3.8 unweighted, 4.3 weighted, 4.36 by the end of the year (upward trend: 4.25 -> 4.35 -> 4.5 hopefully)
-SAT: 2350
-Math 1 SAT: 800</p>

<p>does it seem like i'm in good shape, or should i be doing more? thank you so much for your feedback!! :)</p>

<p>Like grades, standardized tests and essays, extracurricular activities are only one component of many that we evaluate. They are definitely an area in which students can distinguish themselves because most of our applicants have admissable academic qualities. It is oftentimes the personal qualities (which include ECs) that help differentiate an admit from a waitlist from a deny.</p>

<p>What we look for in extracurricular activities are two-fold: 1) demonstrated commitment or passion (hopefully they are some activities which you have pursued all four years assuming you’ve attended the same high school all four years) and 2) any way you distinguish yourself within this arena such as leadership positions. You didn’t really list the years for your ECs but it sounds like they are fairly consistent and you are already leading and plan to pursue that further during your senior year!</p>

<p>Feel free to explain your commute and its effect on your ECs. If you weren’t able to become more involved because of it or because you couldn’t until you had a car or something let us know that.</p>

<p>I was admitted under the Monroe Scholars program this week with a very similar (but actually lower) SAT score and a very similar GPA, and a similar worry about my extracurricular activities. Pay very close attention to your essays, especially the supplement, and you will probably be fine. While you don’t have a ton of activities, your have many that you seem to be involved in with some depth, especially the political involvement. Maybe try to use that topic for your essay? Best of luck!</p>

<p>Congrats bandgeek. No doubt your extracurricular activities were in fact quite strong to not only be admitted but to also receive the Monroe award.</p>

<p>smwhtslghtlydzed, while no doubt bandgeek’s admission is comforting, remember that one applicant’s admission does not guarantee a similar outcome for an applicant with similar stats. Every applicant pool is different and things change a bit each year. Additionally, our process is so contextual and holistic that stats alone are not what makes or breaks a decision.</p>

<p>For more on any applicant’s chances and our process, check out our Admit It! Blog ([W&M</a> Blogs Chance Me](<a href=“http://blogs.wm.edu/2010/12/14/chance-me/]W&M”>http://blogs.wm.edu/2010/12/14/chance-me/))</p>

<p>great to hear back from people who know the process- thanks so much for your advice! :)</p>

<p>Any time. You can also show your EC resume to your counselor. He/she may be able to help you put that resume together so that it highlights your accomplishments and they can let you know what admission offices may see as pros and cons.</p>

<p>It’s also great to give your resume to your recommenders. They can often highlight your dedication and contributions in that arena in a way that’s a bit more substantive than a resume is.</p>

<p>thanks again for your response- i have one more question, if you don’t mind: next year, i’m not taking a lab science course (i’m taking bioethics, a semester, partially online course) in order to take 2 history courses and a mentoring program which i’m very interested in. i haven’t taken any AP sciences but i’ve been in advanced courses in it, and i will be taking 3 AP classes (euro, french, and bc calc) in addition to 2 other honors/accelerated courses and the mentoring program, so my schedule will still be rigorous. will missing a complete fourth year of science hurt my chances of admission?</p>

<p>Have you taken bio, chem and physics? If not, we’d recommend you take one of those in place of bioethics. If you’ve taken all three, we’d still recommend an AP science over bioethics if at all possible.</p>

<p>While we certainly appreciate that students wish to take the courses in which they are most interested, W&M is a liberal arts university and our students will be taking courses in and outside of their academic comfort zone. We do not consider your intended major when reviewing your transcript or making admission decisions so we expect humanities-oriented students to take advanced math/sci courses and we expect math/sci-oriented students to take advanced humanities courses. </p>

<p>We encourge students to take the most demanding courses they can in which they can be successsful. Many of our applicants will take physics or an AP science their senior year so we encourage you to do the same if at all possible.</p>

<p>it’s not really an option for me-there’s no class in my schedule that i’m willing to give up for a class that will ultimately be meaningless for me, but it’s good to hear the truth. i guess i’ll just accept that my choice is going to hurt me in the admissions process even though it’s the right choice for me. thanks for your feedback! :)</p>

<p>To say it will “hurt” you in the admission process may be too harsh a term. It may just mean that the rigor of your course selection is not as competitive as other applicant’s. That being said you may be more competitive in other areas of our review (grades, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, recs, essays, etc) than they are.</p>

<p>Please don’t think the courses we recommend are meaningless. While they may not be in your area of interest, they do expose you to different ways of thinking and learning and do force you to be outside your comfort zone which is always a good experience. They may also challenge you more than classes you’re traditionally good at which is also a good experience. At W&M, all students are required to take General Education Requirement courses across the curriculum (math, science, social science, history, English, fine arts, and philosophy/religion) in order to make them more well-rounded in their education and to show them how different disciplines can in fact support their preferred course of study. Many students remark that GER classes they were dreading are in fact some of their favorites so keep an open mind about the academic opportunities available to you in high school and college.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>sorry, i didn’t mean to imply that physics was a meaningless subject- i just meant that there are amazing social studies classes at my school that i want to take, so even if picking them over physics will impact me negatively, i’m just choosing to do what i love. would you mind telling me a little more about the GenEd requirements? i know that W&M has them, but i don’t know much about it, like how extensive they are. thanks! =)</p>

<p>[William</a> & Mary - General Education Requirements](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/curriculum/gers/index.php]William”>http://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/curriculum/gers/index.php)</p>

<p>The GERs are in seven subjects: math, science, social science, history, literature and history of the arts, fine arts, and philosophical/religious thought. You have to take one math course, two sciences (a biological and a physical science), two social science courses, three history courses (one Western history course, one non-Western history course, and one cross-cultural course), one literature or history of the arts course, two credits of performing arts and one philosophical/religious thought course.</p>

<p>There are numerous courses you can choose from to fulfill each requirement and most have a non-majors type course (example biology for non-concentrators) as we recognize that all students do not excel at all courses.</p>

<p>They are designed to give your course of study at W&M breadth and to give those undecided about a major the opportunity to explore a wide variety of disciplines and topics.</p>