<p>hi,
I would really appreciate anyone’s input, I’m just a little worried about my chances.
I’m a white female from North Carolina, half-Jewish, but a practicing Catholic
I attend a competitive boarding school in the northeast and I am a legacy.
SATs: 1510 (780 math/ 730 reading)/ 700 writing 9 essay
SAT IIs: 730 literature, 750 US history, 770 math II
GPA: A-, mostly honors or APs when they were offered
APs: 5 AP Calculus AB
4 AP US History
senior year classes: AP Psychology, AP European History, AP Statistics, English (honors is not offered at my school), Economics, and French IV
Extra Cirriculars:
Tech Theater/ Stage managed 2 shows (11th and 12th)
marching band (9th and 10th)
concert band (9th, 10th, 11th and 12th) - All-District Honors Band (10th)
staff writer for school paper (11th and 12th)
MUN delegate (11th and 12th)
Mu Alpha Theta (10th, 11th, and 12th)
French Club (inducted into French Honor Society-10th)
Admissions Tour Guide (11th and 12th)
Community Service:
Healing With Laughter- clowning (11th and 12th)
Project Apoyo- spring break community service trip to Ecuador (11th)
Habitat for Humanity (10th, 11th, and 12th)
Job Experience:
soccer referee (since 2003)
cashier at dry cleaner (summer 2005)
cashier at food store (thanksgiving 2005-present)
Other:
Korean Exchange Program (10th)
Summer Signature- pretty much school program that allowed me to spend five weeks alone in Europe “pursuing a passion” (11th)
Intended major: Jewish Studies, Theater
I really love Brandeis and I have wanted to go there for years, but I’m a little worried because my interview did not go great and, since I switched schools my junior year there is a bit of a bump in my grades and I had to retake French III. Any feedback would be welcomed. Thank you.</p>
<p>Did you apply ED?
What does your class rank look like?</p>
<p>Given the info you have provided, I'd say your chances are "fair to good."
If you "really love Brandeis" and "wanted to go there for years" then applying ED would have helped.</p>
<p>What was wrong with your interview?
Was it on-campus or with an alumnus?
Did you make it clear in your application and/or interview what you like about Brandeis and <em>why</em> you want to go there?</p>
<p>I couldn't apply ED for financial reasons and I made that clear in the interview that I wanted to, but couldn't and that Brandeis was my first choice and the reasons why. I just didn't get a good feeling from the interview. Most of the interviews I did, I would walk out thinking it went well, but not this one. It was actually with the admissions counselor, but it was on my school campus when they visited.</p>
<p>oh and my school doesn't rank or at least they don't make the rank available.</p>
<p>I wonder if you puzzled the admissions interviewer by referring to yourself as "half-Jewish, practicing Catholic, anticipated major: Jewish studies"
If you're a practicing Catholic, perhaps it's better to describe youself as "with one Jewish parent."<br>
And a practiciing Catholic (or anybody else, for that matter) can certainly major in Jewish studies. But I'd replace the phrase "half-Jewish" with "I have one Jewish parent." (I know it's often said the way you said it, however.)<br>
It's strange but true that you usually can feel it in your gut when an interview went well or not.</p>
<p>Dear Cohen89,
I've been thinking about your post and my reply, which might have upset you since it touched on identity and things that already happened (interview) that you can't re-do. Also, how you were raised was your parents' choice (then).
But overnight, a few thoughts came together in my mind. If you live in North Carolina, were raised as a practicing Catholic, have one Jewish parent, and a list of applied-to colleges that are close/less expensive than Brandeis,
I'm picturing you this way: your Mom is Catholic, Dad is Jewish--I guess this combination since your last name is Cohen. (gosh, I'm so smart...)
Mom ruled the religious direction of the household, as Mom's often do; otherwise you'd call yourself "jewish" not "half-Jewish." AND YET, you want so much to go to Brandeis that it's a stand-out first choice for you. Your folks are ambivalent about whether or not to send you there. Dad probably and Mom certainly wouldn't see why spend lots and miss you lots to go to..a college with powerful opportunities to explore Jewish studies and perhaps practice.. when they clearly chose for you to raise you practicing Catholic. So they might be opposing it as some indication that you are curious (at best) and perhaps ready to explore or even choose a path that is (in their perception) Jewish.
But, if it means the world to YOU (not them) to go to Brandeis, and if you find yourself terribly disappointed in APril about it (I HOPE NOT! You have such great stats, a great heart, and people even get past interviews that don't sing...besides you might have been nervous and it was better than you think!).
Yet, if B doesn't accept you and you're not happy with any of the closer places that do, here's a mind-bending thought I'll give you. Your parents can't shoot me b/c of the confidentiality of these posts..he-he...
Consider, instead of going someplace you don't want to, pick the least of the bad from your accept list; then DEFER admission for a year. GO TO ISRAEL for a gap year. If expense is a problem, go onto a kibbutz/ulpan (language training immersion) where you can earn your way by kibbutz labor and become fluent in Hebrew there, too Then, reapply next year to Brandeis FROM ISRAEL. Perhaps they'll accept you, and your identity quest will become more clear to you.
To me, that seems a better idea than not going where you want to go. I have a gut feeling that you want to explore your Jewish heritage and options, at least academically. Your folks might be opposing it because you're resolving something that was hard for THEM to resolve. If they said, "We'll raise her one way and when she grows up, she can choose..." well, maybe you're in the process of choosing now, and that's why you so want to go to Brandeis.
IF, in my intuition, I called this right, I hope you'll try to think of more options for a gap year in Israel, press for it. One of our sons did and we're going to let him go to kibbutz/ulpan when it's the right time for him. If they get all bent out of shape about safety/security, that's not the last word; kids and adults are going all the time now.
Good luck to you.</p>
<p>For cryin' out loud, all the poor girl wanted was her chances for admission to college assessed. </p>
<p>She didn't ask for (nor she should she receive) endless conjecture about her family life, her parents and their hopes and dreams.</p>
<p>Not to mention the fact that I think your suggestion is atrocious. She is a pretty solid candidate, so if she does not get into Brandeis, it will be that she "just missed." This means that I'm sure she will have been accepted by many other fine schools where she can get an excellent education.</p>
<p>If, she choses to go to one of these, and STILL pines for Brandeis, then she certainly can apply as transfer. A year spent picking oranges in Israel will really not accomplish much (other than getting a tan and perhaps getting killed).</p>
<p>Oh my gosh, Cohen 89, PLEASE accept my humblest apologies. I criss-crossed your situation in my mind with that of "Hopefulbob" whose college list referred to not liking anything but Brandeis, and fearing if he didn't get in there he disliked his closer choices but his parents were lobbying him away from Brandeis.
I am SO sorry. I should have re-read both posts before replying.</p>
<p>Soze, no apologies in your direction from me. My suggestion is not atrocious (although NOT appropriate for Cohen89 as you see I've just apologized). If you think kibbutz life is still about picking oranges, and that volunteering there only gets you a tan and the chance of getting killed, you are quite out-of-date. Sorry. I'm not sorry to suggest a year in Israel to anyone.</p>
<p>yeesh, not hopefulbob; but a different poster</p>
<p>you guys got me mixed up b/c there are a lot of people asking the same chances questions, espec re: Brandeis:
will being Jewish help or hurt me?
and describing yourselves as "half Jewish"
some families supporting your app list, others not, when it has Brandeis on it.</p>
<p>I regret that I got a few mixed up.</p>
<p>No permanent damage ahs been done, since I've readily apologized to Cohen89 for this. And hopefulBob has another set of concerns. </p>
<p>And I think I'm going to retire from responding to "Chances" threads. I had hoped to offer from my knowledge base of Judaism, but there's a lot going on here.</p>
<p>I meant well. Am a Brandeis supporter. Want to see students realize their dreams, at Brandeis or elsewhere.</p>
<p>Soze, please as a new member of CC, as well as an alumni interviewer representing Brandeis, I realize you have an important task.
Please spend some time reading posts and do not refer to kids' situations as "trainwrecks," other posters' suggestions as "atrocious" on this site.
You sound like you're sucking on a lemon. IMHO</p>
<p>Cohen, your stats are very high. The other poster, to whom I was trying to give some kind of fall-back position (go to Israel) was seeking an identity. I think you can follow Soze's guidance that you have quite good chances at Brandeis, b/c she's closer in to their decision-making environment. So, don't worry and enjoy your senior year of high school a little.
Hope that helps. Best wishes.</p>
<p>Sorry, but I call them like I seem them.</p>
<p>(and as to your suggestion about reading posts, I do)</p>
<p>I already apologized for the "trainwreck" comment (it was insensitive, but accurate).</p>
<p>As far as the "atrocious" remark goes, I stand by it.</p>
<p>Telling someone to put their academic carer on ice and put their life in danger so they can spend a year picking fruit and brushing up on their Hebrew is an "atrocious" suggestion (IMHO).</p>
<p>So, no gap years for anybody?</p>
<p>Nobody should go to Israel?</p>
<p>If you are going to have a "gap year", then it should either be to do something worthwhile or because you don't have much of a choice (e.g. you didn't get into any college worth attending). Clearly this candidate will get in <em>somewhere</em> fairly decent, so what purpose would a gap year serve in her case?</p>
<p>Going to Israel involves putting your life on the line the moment you get off the plane. You have to weigh the odds and IMHO, it's just not worth it.</p>
<p>Your life would be on the line the moment you stepped off the plane in Israel as much as my college admissions process could be described as a trainwreck.</p>
<p>OK, so not the best analogy if you still think it was a trainwreck, but the point is that Israel is much safer than it is commonly perceived to be, unless you go to certain areas during certain times. And unless you are overgeneralizing to make a dramatic point, like with the "trainwreck" comment, you are wrong. It's not at all bad and while going there for a "gap" year would be a life changing experience and may not apply to some people asking about chances, it could be an amazing and worthwhile experience.</p>
<p>It might be "much safer than it is commonly perceived to be" but it's still an extraordinarily dangerous place.</p>
<p>An 18-year-old recent H.S. graduate literally has their whole life in front of them and I think it's irresponsible to recommend they engage in high-risk, life-threatening behavior. </p>
<p>I would not send them to Israel anymore than I'd recommend they go skydiving or polar bear hunting (I'm sure these could be described by their fans as "amazing and worthwhile" experiences, but the risk/reward ratio is just too high).</p>
<p>Israel isn't "extraodrinarily dangerous" and going there isnt a "high-risk, life-threatening behavior" - unless you went to the north last summer or were there during the worst parts of the latest intifada. Right now, going to a kibbutz or Tel Aviv is safe. The region is unstable, however, and things can change quickly - but this shouldn't stop someone who wants to visit from visiting. It doesn't stop Israelis from going about their everyday lives.</p>
<p>For some, the "risk/reward" ratio is higher than for others. If you went to a city south of Tel Aviv and had a passion for Judaism or Israel, you would hardly think about the risk. If you went to a city on the Israel-Lebanon border, knew nothing about Israel and just went to waste some time and hope Brandeis would accept you from there, the risk wouldn't be worth it.</p>
<p>Maybe going isn't right for this one applicant. The original comment was based on wrong information. But you can't say it's irresponsible to recommend going to Israel to any 18 year-old who might be interested.</p>
<p>More people should visit and understand the situation for themselves so we can help prevent the violence that sometimes occurs.</p>
<p>Sorry, but we are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one.</p>
<p>If you want to work on a kibbutz, go to Wisconsin and spend the summer working on a farm milking cows. You will have pretty much the same experience and you will not have to worry about the region being "unstable", missiles hitting your house or getting blown up on a bus.</p>
<p>I just can't see someone just out of childhood taking their life in their hands that way.</p>
<p>I am kind of worried about my blue ribbon application</p>
<p>I am a white female from California and I am Jewish.</p>
<p>My unweighted GPA is a 3.94/4.0 and my weighted is a 4.45
unweighted class rank is 12/440 and weighted class rank is 23/440</p>
<p>SAT</p>
<p>Critical Reading 800, Math 730, Writing 730</p>
<p>SAT 2s</p>
<p>US History 740 Math 2 C 710 and Literature 700</p>
<p>Extracurriculars....
I swim competitvely right now, and will swim at Brandeis if I go there next year (I went on a recruiting trip last month). I am in my school's National Honors Soceity, NHS. I am the founder and president of the Save Darfur Club at my school. I am also the commissioner of community service for Red Cross Club. I've been in National Charity League for 6 years and have served as tresurer and secretary. From all these different organizations I have over 600 hours of community service. </p>
<p>Please let me know what you think...... thanks!</p>
<p>Your stats are better than mine and I got in, so you should be pretty good.</p>