<p>It’s so hard… I feel like they are really trying to boost average SAT and ACT scores, can’t blame 'em though… hahaha I’ve talked to kids who had 31’s and got rejected… Hopefully I get in at Oxy!</p>
<p>I should have played football so I could have been a"recruit" lol ;)</p>
<p>I wish I decided to apply earlier so I could have emailed a baseball coach. I included my batting average from last year under the activity section (lol) so hopefully they check it out and see that I have the possibility to walk-on if I really wanted to.</p>
<p>I showed some of my essays to a few people today and they started to cry…</p>
<p>So yeah there’s that.</p>
<p>Any more opinions would be greeeeeatly appreciated!</p>
<p>How are your LOR’s</p>
<p>2 good 1 okay</p>
<p>Okay, cool. Did you send in the app? And here is my profile if it helps… 
</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1592987-chance-me-occidental-ed2-i-can-chance-back.html?highlight=chance+me+at+occidental[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1592987-chance-me-occidental-ed2-i-can-chance-back.html?highlight=chance+me+at+occidental</a></p>
<p>But please, don’t obsesses about this school like I did… I know just how hard it is, though…</p>
<p>Yeah I’m starting to lose a little bit of hope…</p>
<p>Ultimately, your admission hinges on taking a chance on your story and overlooking your grades. I’m no admissions officers so I don’t know how much the story can affect the application, but if you were able to write that great essay that truly shows where you come from then all that is left is to wait. Your ACT is below but still, you’ve risen from where you were and are now a contributing member of the school. If Claremont McKenna is about diversity then they can’t get much better than you. But they must be questioning if you can handle the course load. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Return the favor? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1601346-hyps-mit-wharton-chances-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1601346-hyps-mit-wharton-chances-2.html</a></p>
<p>Well, to add to some depth to my story I wrote a VERY creative Common App essay. </p>
<p>I also talk about growing up in a troubled neighborhood and watching my mother and sister get held at gunpoint as a 7-year-old. Not sure how “unique” this may be, but I can tell you that my application does show that I have overcame plenty of adversity.</p>
<p>It can go either way really. You have got a great sob story. Don’t obsess over the college because the odds are against you, but you never know what’s going to happen. Keep your senior grades high.</p>
<p>Taken from CMC website -“We also seek a student body that is diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, race, geographic region, and life experiences.”</p>
<p>What really caught me here was LIFE EXPERIENCES. They are obviously going to put great value on my story. Perhaps more so than other schools would?</p>
<p>I’m not really obsessing over the college. No doubt I’ve fallen in love though.</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna: Reach</p>
<p>Carotid, I think that people understand your struggle and how it has affected you growing up. I would say it does help, but only comparatively. Schools probably wouldn’t pick that story over a student with 35 act/2300 and a 3.8 gpa if you are comparatively weaker. I think if they were going to admit a student of a similar stat but your essays are more compelling, they will admit you. I am not trying to be rude, but I just think this is something to consider. My dad’s coworker interviews for an Ivy (undergrad) and she has had several students start their interview with “As a (insert URM) and first generation student it has been difficult growing up”. Little known fact, she comes from the soviet bloc (she has some really ****ty childhood stories), learned english at age 8 as a 3rd language. I am not saying your point about your childhood isn’t valid. But don’t make it who you are, but rather an element that plays into the rest of “story”. </p>
<p>It doesn’t look like its an issue, because you have a bunch of good ECs and leadership. </p>
<p>ABOVE ALL: you have to remember that you are competing for 1 of 300. (40% are taken by ED and EDII). </p>
<p>Applying binding obviously helps, though I don’t know if that was an option for you when you considered financial aid. They are need blind.</p>
<p>It really depends on your course rigor and how you are handling your courses. Colleges like CMC, which are very small in student-body, cannot afford to let someone drop out. They are literally counting on every single student to graduate. Otherwise, they will fall in national rankings. The point that I am making is that these colleges want to see if you can handle their courses or not (through test scores and gpa). A college with a class of 300 cannot afford to see someone drop out, since every student is a relatively big chunk of the class, compared to a big university like NYU and UCLA. Even though you have a good story, you can’t get into this college without proving, one way or another, that you will shine in CMC. I’m just trying to be a candid reviewer</p>
<p>@bayernmunich31</p>
<p>I asked my counsellor about applying EDII. She said that given my financial situation, it wouldn’t be a feasible option if CMC were to provide me with a large amount of loans as aid.</p>
<p>Thanks for the post. That’s easily one of the most helpful pieces of advice i’ve read so far.</p>
<p>@Classof2018app</p>
<p>I really think that my senior year grades will help answer any questions about my potential to “shine” at CMC. I am easily taking one of the most rigorous schedules in the entire school and didn’t earn anything below a B+ in any IB classes. As I mentioned before, it is an absolutely tremendous upward trend.</p>
<p>At the end of the day though, I’m going to just have to keep reminding myself that there are people who populate the bottom 25%. Hopefully the rest of my application lands me somewhere in there.</p>
<p>Another question: How beneficial do you guys think contacting a baseball coach at CMS would be? I’m planning on giving him a call tomorrow and already wrote out a script about the various subjects i’m going to touch up on throughout the conversation.</p>
<p>I think the question is do you want to play baseball in college? You are late for most recruiting cycles but you should do everything in your power to get in.</p>