<p>GPA (unweighted) 4.00
GPA (weighted) 4.56
SAT reading 700 math 710 writing 780 Combined: 2190
no SAT IIs yet
5's on Lang & Comp AP and European History AP Tests
Currently taking US History AP and Chemistry AP, will take tests in May
Taking a ton of honors courses as well</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars
Drama Club
Involved in 3 school plays
Semi Finalist at Mother Lode Drama Festival
Youth & Government
Ambassadors Club
Presidential Service Award (for 200+ hours community service)
Actively involved in local music scene</p>
<p>And I'm doing the Stanford Summer College program this Summer.. is that a good thing to mention on another college's app?</p>
<p>There's also a pretty high chance I might apply ED, if that helps at all.</p>
<p>I know I also posted this on the CMC site because I'm really interested in both... I just wanted to see how the replies for my chances at Pomona would differ.</p>
<p>you're looking pretty good, but with schools like pomona it's never a surefire thing. your EC's make you stand out---the leadership and service is great. if you're involved with the local music scene, consider sending a supplement (that's what I did with environmental studies)---they should still have them available for the application. if you can't do a supplement, try and write about/send materials to demonstrate how you've positively affected the music scene you mentioned. with pomona, you really need to stand out. be original. i know this sounds cliche, but i'm a sophomore and everyone i know here is really interesting and unique, and they managed to convey something really good past the numbers.</p>
<p>also, your geographical location matters a LOT more than people think. i'm from the midwest, and i know that i was subject to slightly less scrutiny than applicants from washington state, oregon, california, and (to a lesser extent) new york/new england. if you're from one of these competitive places (statistically i'd guess you are), make sure you can make yourself stand out.</p>
<p>so my being from california would really pose a problem? i assumed most colleges preferred in-state students... i guess that must be more of a UC thing
also, theres a LOT i'd like to talk about regarding the extracurriculars im involved in... more details i'd like to flesh out, etc. is there anywhere on the app where i can specifically do that or would i have to dedicate my essay to that? theres so much i want to explain about my high school experience but at the same time i was hoping to use the essay to point out my originality... i'm a blond, white, blue-eyed muslim from turkey... and the cultural conflicts involved with growing up in california but staying true to my ethnicity is what i feel really sets me apart from other candidates.</p>
<p>You don't really seem to stand out in the EC dept at all. However, your essay sounds very interesting. Give more info about EC's if you want to know realistic chances. GPA and SAT's are good/ok, try to raise SAT and get solid SAT II's. I'm assuming that you are taking the most rigorous classes.</p>
<p>You've probably heard this, but Stanford Summer Program means very little. TASP would have been worthwhile though, try to continue volunteering. It's hard because everything is good, but you aren't someone i would remember on paper. This is why your essays, recs, and interview must be flawless. These could make the difference between acceptance and a waitlist in my mind. Good Luck! If things work out for both of us I might see you at Pomona!</p>
<p>Academically, you're a strong candidate, and applying ED may improve your chances given your geographical location. You didn't state the number of years in which you've been involved in your ECs. Admissions offices do like to see longevity in EC participation rather than quantity, especially if you grow into leadership roles.</p>
<p>Just thought I'd copy/paste the elaboration of my ECs here as well, to get more accurate feedback.</p>
<p>So Drama Club I've been involved with 9-12 but there are no leadership positions involved... if I wanted a leadership position I'd have to join Drama Board which is a position you are elected to. Due to the politics of the situation I haven't had a chance to run, but this year I might, which would help show leadership there.
Youth and Government is this program I'm involved in through the YMCA where you go to Sacramento and basically just mock the government for a week, I got to meet the Governator twice now. I did it 10th and 11th and I'm doing it again next year, I'm hoping to be delegation president and presiding NIC commissioner if things go my way, both of those roles being leadership.
Ambassadors is basically a leadership oppurtunity in and of itself, you are nominated by your teacher for your people skills/leadership abilities and then of those nominated only about 15 are chosen out of 60. I started doing it this year and I'll be in it again next year. It's a huge time commitment, basically you're in charge of freshman orientation, any new kids come to the school you're pulled out of class to escort them, whenever there's exchange students, you lead them around, we visit all the middle schools in the area to help prep the kids for the transition to high school etc. etc. I might run for secretary or something next year.
Pres. Service Award is through City Year which is a division of Americorps. I was involved with them my 8th grade and freshman year but then stopped b/c the intense time commitment was interfering with my school work. It was a really eye opening experience though that would definitely make for an interesting essay.
As for the active involvement in music... I just said that bc music is a huge passion of mine. I love going to concerts and go to them quite often. Even though I have no talent of my own therefore no band of my own, I support a lot of local bands and am really involved in music.</p>
<p>So I'm hoping if maybe I can get more leadership positions within my Drama Club, Ambassadors Club, and Youth and Government program, that might help me a little? I think I'm probably too late in the process to start getting involved in some new activity. I heard its more about quality than quantity anyway.</p>
<p>TASP = Telluride Association Summer Program. It is this summer program which lasts 8-9 weeks and is completely free. The application process is very selective and only around 9% are selected. You study in a seminar with a college professor and others from around the country based on interest.</p>
<p>Your EC's are fine, they aren't bad at all, but your EC's won't make you stand out and don't have that "WOW" factor that the AdCom is looking for.</p>
<p>With a 15% accpetance rate, no amount of affirmation or criticism on this thread should deter you or make you overly confident. It really is up to admissions and they're truly unpredictable. You're definitely the caliber of student that pomona is looking for, but then again so are most applicants. My suggestion is to check out the acceptance threads and glance at the profiles of the kids who got accepted/rejected for 2011.</p>
<p>I would encourage you to apply and don't worry about your test scores. Many applicants with perfect SATs were rejected by the ivies, etc. Admissions offices at LACs do not judge applicants by their test scores alone. They'll look at the big picture.</p>
<p>Little Mother is right. Test scores are less important than you think. Especially at Pomona. And also, darnshorty, as someone who got into Pomona this year - my SATs were a combined 2220, 710 Math/710 Critical Reading/800 Writing and that didn't seem to matter. But if you've taken them only once, there's no reason not to take them again. But really, what Pomona is looking for is someone who they think is interesting, smart, and will add something different to the college, not a perfect test score. My college counselor said Pomona was the ONLY private college/university that did not really give a damn about connections/legacy/rich parents. Your interview will be very important, as will your essay (note: Pomona puts a huge emphasis on writing, they make their students take compulsory writing classes because it's incredibly important to them that they write well- a very well-written essay will do wonders) and any supplements you can send. I suggest sending in a tape of you acting. I read an article in the Pomona paper that said the admissions committee looks through the smokescreen and doesn't pick kids who have just set themselves up perfectly for college. Do what you love. And good luck. If you're applying next year and get in, I'll be in your class because I'm deferring a year!</p>
<p>i definitely plan on taking the SAT again, perhaps in october... but if i apply ED 1 in november, would they get the scores by then? or would it even matter... i could just mark on the test to get it sent straight to them, i guess.</p>
<p>for early decision, when would you go for the interview?</p>
<p>lavieenrose51 -
Your profile sounds very similar to my own and I will be attending Pomona this fall as a freshman and made it past this year's extremely selective admissions not only at Pomona but at CMC (where I was chosen as a McKenna scholar), haverford, Wellesley, Swarthmore, Tufts, and Bryn Mawr. My SATs were a touch lower than yours, 2170 and although i had a 800V, my math was a depressing 690. I got 5s in my AP Lang and Euro exams last year just like you and I'm very involved in things like MUN, student gov't and drama. So....I think that my essay was truly instrumental in my admissions at selective colleges. I wrote my essay on my interest in Machiavelli and how conflicted I felt about taking a realpolitik approach to life or listening to my morals. Admissions counselors from Haverford and bryn Mawr both made personal comments to me about how much they liked my essay.
Be yourself but be unique. A well-written quirky essay will go over better than "how I built houses in Costa Rica and learned the importance of volunteership"....unless of course you had some brilliant epiphany whilst laying bricks.
I will say though, that I attend an international school in Bangladesh and this probably helped me get in...
best of luck to you and I hope I helped</p>