Chances????

<p>I have a 3.2 GPA. Although I don’t know if this matters but I go to The Dalton School. Does coming from a New York private school hurt my chances? I got a 2.78 Freshman year and I have gotten better and better each year.</p>

<p>I got a 30 on the ACT. I took 1 SAT II (Chemistry) and got a 710. I plan on taking Math 2C I expect something like a 750 on that.</p>

<p>I have a good amount of ECs: I worked at a local synagogue, tutored kids in Harlem, worked at a non-profit thrift shop for aids research, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney’s office, School Newspaper (Staff Writer), Editor in Chief of Tiger Wire (Sports Magazine), Varsity Football and Varsity Lacrosse.</p>

<p>How much does it help my chances if I apply ED?</p>

<p>don't take this the wrong way, but the chance of you being accepted RD is approximately 18% and ED (option 1 or 2) about 28%. Basically, its real difficult for anyone to confidently say either "yes your in" or "heck no." Keep chugging through high school and don't procrastinate when it comes to college apps. Good Luck!</p>

<p>nbnyc44 - talk to your guidance counselor (who I know as "Rob Dalton" but that's not his name). He knows more than anyone on this list and can give you a really solid idea of whether you have a chance of getting into Bowdoin based on past experience of Dalton students, and knowledge of who you are. He can also direct you to you to a good list of schools that you would like.
Oh, twowire's comment that you have little chance-- totally wrong. Dalton is a) a top private school with no weighted GPAs b) has gotten students below the top quartile into Bowdoin in the past. Applying ed tells Bowdoin you're serious, which counts a lot. But that's not the reason to apply ed. You apply ed because you know it's absolutely, positively the school you want to attend. My daughter thought that and changed her mind in April.</p>

<p>nbnyc44,</p>

<p>I hope you know that 18% and 28% are not meant to belittle your achievements. Those are the acceptance rates for RD and ED respectively. I'm am not saying you have "little chance" of being accepted. My comment and the blatant lack of me "chancing" you, merely conveys my opinion that these chance threads are bordering on ridiculous for top-notch colleges where applications are look at in many angles. Work hard (but not too hard) and you will have a fighting chance. G'luck.</p>

<p>I think both of the last two posts make sense</p>

<ul>
<li><p>the guidance counselor will know, people on this board will not</p></li>
<li><p>the most informed and accurate pieces of information a board poster can give probably ARE the average acceptance rates.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>"the most informed and accurate pieces of information a board poster can give probably ARE the average acceptance rates"</p>

<p>True, but the average acceptance rates assume you're dealing with an average student at an average school. I would be willing to bet that Dalton has far higher than average acceptance rates. Additionally, when you're talking about averages, it's important to make sure that you're comparing apples and apples. A 3.2 at Dalton is not the equivalent of a 3.2 at a public school. This is one of the dangers of this board-- it looks at averages without looking at the sources of those averages.</p>

<p>As others have mentioned, I would place heaviest weight on what a guidance counselor has to say if only because in cases where a school is particularly competitive- as I know the Dalton school is living in the NYC area- the relativity of the admissions process becomes far more evident. Attending an average public school myself, I don't mean to debase the value of an education at such a school. Still, as fatladysings had pointed out, your stats would most certainly place you at the very top of many high school classes throughout the country given the academic difficulty of Dalton. So, make sure you talk to your counselor so you can see where you stand in comparison to previous students from Dalton who have been accepted to Bowdoin, or similar schools. As for your ec's, I think they're good but you didn't mention how long you've been participating in such activities. Dedication, passion and a demonstration of leadership is important to colleges, so try to present your ec's as part of an overall pattern of interest in a given field.</p>