Chances? =)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
1

<p>Never thought I'd actually be doing one of these..</p>

<p>WUStL is one of my top schools right now. I went to the Philadelphia info session last week, and I'm flying out to visit next weekened. I've been on the mailing list and I plan on applying for scholarships and emailing an adcom once I get back, so I think I've definitely covered demonstrating interest.</p>

<p>Anyone care to shed some light on my chances at WUStL?</p>

<p>Here are some brief stats:
GPA 4.53W, ~3.9UW (Straight A's 10th and 11th grades - it's 8th and 9th bringing me down)
Ranked 11/512
ACT 34 (Taking again Saturday - already registered before I got my score)
APs: Euro 5, English Language 4, Statistics 5, USH 4 (AP Scholar award - one of only two in my class)
5 APs Senior Year - Spanish, Calc BC, Physics C, US Gov't, English Lit</p>

<p>ECs - Here's where it falls apart a little
Babysitting - 10 hours/week, 4 years
Tutoring - 6 hours/week, 4 years
Young Life (Youth Group) - 4 hours/week, 4 years
Organized Church Christmas drive last year, plan to do so this year
Total Community Service ~200 hours (various activities with Youth Group, Teen Court, etc.)
Freshman Field Hockey team, Freshman Lacrosse team, etc. - No real school involvement but should be explained in counselor rec (redistricted away from all my friends right before 9th grade)
Random other little things I haven't listed, but they aren't significant.</p>

<p>Essays should be decent, rec letters OK (I'm shy and don't know my teachers too well, even though I do well in school)</p>

<p>Sorry for the lack of organization, I've never really put one of these together before and I'm not sure how to do any formatting (like bold or italics).</p>

<p>Thanks for anyone who takes the time to read this - be honest and tell me what you think!</p>

2

<p>Your stats look good. In fact, they'd put you in the running for scholarships, as long as you write some excellent essays. Try to get to know your teachers better! Recs are pretty darn important.</p>

3

<p>Pretty good chance, given your stats, GPA, class rank, and decent ECs. You shouldn't worry too much about your lack of school related ECs. Clearly you were heavily involved in ECs outside of school, and you should detail them as finely as possible on your app. That is, don't lump them all under community service, or youth group, but break out the details of what you did - Teen Court for x number of hours, Soup Kitchen server for x number of hours, etc. I think you'll find that you actually did a ton of different stuff.</p>

<p>Couple of other comments:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Ignore your 8th grade grades. No colleges will include them when calculating your GPA.</p></li>
<li><p>Even though you've signed up to take the ACTs again, you really shouldn't bother. A 34 composite (about equal to an SAT CR+M score of between 1510 and 1550) is really, really good, and you're just as likely to score lower as higher.</p></li>
</ol>

4

<p>I think that your grades are great, and youe EC's are pretty good....you have a decent chance....</p>

5

<p>I already spent the money for the ACT and it's tomorrow, so I'm just gonna wing it. Last time I was one question off from a 35 so maybe this time I'll get lucky, but it doesn't matter either way.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice! The only reason I mentioned 8th grade is because it gets factored into my rank. Without that I'd be a few spots lower. I'll be sure to try and detail my ECs as much as possible - I'll divide them up into each different activity. But it's hard to give too much detail with the limited space available on the Common App, and I really don't want to make a resume (feels too much like bragging).</p>

<p>Thanks for everything! Any more feedback would be appreciated - I realllly wanna go to WashU!</p>

6

<p>Don't worry if it seems like you're bragging. I felt the same way, but was told to include everything anyway. This is our chance to brag for once! Show off what you've done!</p>

7

<p>I visited WashU this weekend and L-O-V-E-D it. My first choice, 100%. I'm just praying I can get in!</p>

8

<p>Very strong stats...WashU is a match for you</p>

9

<p>If you can't fit all your ECs on the common app, mail a supplement with your ECs to the WashU admissions office. In fact, anything you can't fit on the common app that you want the adcoms at WashU to know about, you should mail in.</p>

<p>By the way, if you want some information on how to arrange and present your ECs (among other things) pick up The Truth About Getting In or Rock Hard Apps by Katherine Cohen. She does a good job of explaining what top schools look for and how to arrange and present your accomplishments to your best advantage. Take her advice about applying ED with a grain of salt though.</p>

10

<p>Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely look into it!</p>

<p>I know that WashU tracks interest and I want them to know they're my first choice. I was thinking of writing a short little letter/essay about what I love about WashU so they know they're my #1 and everything. Does anyone have any opinions on this?</p>

11

<p>If you apply for scholarships that will underline your strong interest.</p>

12

<p>If your second ACT is worse than your first you don't have to submit it. Unlike with the SAT you can pick and choose ACT scores to send. But if you go up in only one section it could bring you to a 35 in Wash U's eyes because they combine ACT scores. Not every school does. Either way a 34 or a 35 is awesome.</p>