<p>I want to apply ED to Tufts next year. My stats are:</p>
<p>GPA: 3.6UW 4.1W
SAT: 2070
ACT: 30
EC: Congressional Summer internship, Started our school's stock market club, mock-trial, part time volunteering at local democratic center, will volunteer at the Denver Democratic convention, Photography (Macro-photography, I've submitted stuff to the county fair and helped assemble a darkroom on a budget), Senior center volunteer hours, part time work for my dad, built/maintained my dad's website, heavily involved in my school's drama department and have taken the roles in many plays.
I also go to one of the toughest private schools in California and I'm half Iraqi.</p>
<p>Maybe if you try extra hard to raise your GPA or to show that your grades are on the upward trend, then the admissions people will take you more into consideration. Your ECs look pretty good. Just a few thoughts.</p>
<p>Your ECs and background are interesting, but your boards and GPA will not impress because of how many applicants with better numbers Tufts gets. My guess is that you apply RD, your chances are 20-25%. If ED, they would be somewhat better.</p>
<p>IMO if you write phenomenal essays, really show your interest in the school, emphasize your geniune interest in your EC's, as well as any additonal perspectives you may have from mixed cultural heritage, and have a really great first senior term, apply EDII. You have a good chance.</p>
<p>Well, my GPA has a HUGE upward trend. 3.1 freshman year is why it's so low. 4.6W this year though. Oh yeah, I speak fluent Spanish (5th year next year) and Arabic and I forgot to mention that I'm took 3 weeks over summer to study Arabic in Jordan. Is it a big hook that I'm an Arab interested in Political Science/Humanities?</p>
<p>P.S. Does anyone know the admission rates of EDI vs. EDII. Are there really any advantages to applying ED there? I know they say there's no real difference, but do any Tufts ED applicants have any info? Thanks. </p>
<p>BTW, I plan to show a lot of interest. I'm not just applying to get into a school early; Tufts is my DREAM SCHOOL, I would pick it over Harvard.... Not that I'd get into Harvard, lol.</p>
<p>"Is it a big hook that I'm an Arab interested in Political Science/Humanities?"
Again, this is only my opinion, and you can check further, but the idea of a hook is to make you stand out from the crowd, you want to show them not just what makes you a competitve student, but what you have that is special to bring to their community, the university environment. So yes, being an Arab, interested in political science, your experiences in Jordan, or in the US as an Arab American can help you if you show how those things have shaped you, etc.</p>
<p><em>sigh</em> Honestly, I wish the adcom would just videotape me for a year and really get to know me. But I guess it's my job to portray my life to them. Thanks for the help Expatme, please join the Tufts admission committee.</p>
<p>Hmm... will the first semester of my senior grades be used to calculate my cumulative GPA? If so, will it be weighed as if it was a full year or a half year... HELP! So far my gpa is:</p>
<p>9th grade: UW 3.1 W 3.1</p>
<p>10th grade: UW 3.4 W 3.5</p>
<p>11th grade UW 4.0 W 4.4</p>
<p>12th I'm expecting about the same as junior year, maybe with a higher weighed gpa, since I'm taking one more AP.</p>