<p>Georgetown is my first choice, but my extracurriculars are horribly mediocre. I feel like my grades and scores are relatively average, but can other facets of the application make up for weak extracurriculars?</p>
<p>SAT: 1400/1600
SAT II: 650 Bio M, 740 US History, 670 Math 1
GPA: 4.3 - my school has an odd weighting system and doesn't publish unweighted. We have limited APs but I've taken all that I can. I get mostly As with one or two Bs, mainly in AP Bio.
Extracurriculars: Debate, President of Model UN, NHS, a few other things not even worth mentioning.</p>
<p>I don't spend my summers doing anything spectacular. Most of the time I am traveling by myself to meet up with friends/family and explore random places through the US.</p>
<p>I am low income, first person in my family to go to college, and I have had a pretty unique life, although this isn't something I convey in my stats. Recs are fabulous but I'm not sure how much that will help either.</p>
<p>My question is, do I even stand a chance, and how large of a part do extracurriculars play in the admissions process? Can weaknesses in some parts of the application be overshadowed by the stronger parts?</p>
<p>Thanks a bunch.</p>
<p>Best advice I can give you: In your app, focus on your strengths. President of Model UN is cool. Talk about it and how it influenced you and how it reflects your personality. Talk about the low income/first-in-college aspect. You should be proud of yourself. Let that pride shine through in your app!</p>
<p>It’s awesome that your the first in your family to go to college… you can bring that up during the interview. My recommendation is to focus on your essay… just remember that it’s not a resume, SHOW the admissions office who you are through words, and that you’re more than just numbers.</p>
<p>You have a good chance. I also don’t do anything really over the summer and I got accepted. You have a lot of leadership experiences and you should definitely mention what you’ve learned through leading and helping people in your essays. Also, you need to dazzle your interviewer. The better you get along with them, the better your chances. Basically talk up Georgetown as much as you can when they ask you questions and prepare yourself beforehand (I didn’t and I was so nervous). Good luck!</p>
<p>Don’t stress about the interview. It’s not a make-it-or-brake aspect of your application. The interview is an opportunity for you to present a side of yourself not already presented in your application. Most importantly, it provides you one-on-one access an alumni to ask about the campus, campus life, academics, student social life, etc.</p>
<p>Why do you think that exploring “random places through the US” can’t be spectacular? I bet there’s a fabulous essay waiting to be written about something you’ve seen or done in your travels that was totally shocking to you and maybe changed you in some way. Don’t stress on things you haven’t done. Relook at what you’ve done, and make that work for you.</p>