Colgate University Chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Colgate University
1

Hello!

I am a rising senior who is planning on applying early decision I to Colgate University. I wasn’t too keen on applying before I visited the campus (visiting makes all the difference!!) and it is now my top choice. I would like some input as to whether or not I have a good shot at getting in.

My GPA is my biggest concern – 4.02 weighted, but hoping to bring it up next year.
SAT I: Old SAT - 2190 superscored, 2150 single, 1430 CR and math
ACT: 31 - 35 English, 32 Reading, 29 Math, 27 Science (I am planning on bringing my math and science scores up)
Subject Tests: Math II and U.S. History (Projected 800 on Math, above 730 on History)
I didn’t do well enough on my APs this year to receive credit at Colgate :frowning: I plan on taking European History, Environmental Science, and possibly Spanish next year

Courseload:
Freshman Year
Art Experience
English I Honors
Biology Honors
Business Organization & Management
Plane Geometry
Spanish 2 Honors
World Civ Honors

Sophomore Year
English 2 Honors
Chemistry Honors
Algebra 2 Honors
Spanish 3 Honors
US History Honors
Media & Composition

(My school did not previously offer AP courses for underclassmen and juniors pretty much could only take a maximum of 2 APs, but I believe they are changing that next year)

Junior Year
English 3 Honors
Physics Honors
Precalculus
Spanish 4 Honors
AP US History
AP Studio Art

Senior Year
World Mythology and Archetypal Literature Honors
AP Environmental Science
Calculus
AP Spanish
AP European History
Honors Engineering
Honors Independent Study (Miscellaneous)

I have had two major concussions in less than a year which have definitely affected my grades…I’m not really sure how or if I should incorporate that into my application

Activities:
JV Softball (9,10)
JV Indoor Track (9,10)
JV Cross Country (11)
(^ these are embarrassing)
Student Council Representative (9,10)
Student Council Secretary (11, 12)
Military History Club (11, 12)
Gifted and Talented (9,12)
Graphic Arts Club Co-President (12)
National Honors Society (11,12)
Hand in Hand Club (9,10)

Work behind the counter at a restaurant
Volunteering - serve food for the homeless, tutoring disabled children
Habitat for Humanity
Teach kids at church–taught kindergarteners, becoming leader for kindergarteners through 3rd grade
Volunteering with Student Council at school
Went with church to Honduras for two years, taught English
Planning on applying to art competitions

My father attended Colgate University…I’m not sure whether that will help me at all
Not sure exactly what I want my career path to be yet, unfortunately
Planning on applying for financial aid

I could also use some suggestions for safeties and targets as well. I am considering Bucknell and Lehigh as well and am not too sure where else to look.

I know I am lacking in several aspects so please don’t be too harsh but feel free to be honest as well. Thanks so much for taking the time to read! :slight_smile:

2

I forgot to mention that I am an Asian female in a pretty well off area and that Colgate seems to accept at least one student from my school every year. I know diversity does not seem to be very strong there so I am hoping that helps my chances. My school is one of the most competitive in the area, I will have strong recommendations from my guidance counselor and two of my teachers whom I have grown close with over the years, and my essay will hopefully be stellar.

3

Your GC- not you- needs to include something about the concussions in a recommendation. You have many interesting academic and EC experiences, but you need to focus on a very small number of them in your application to develop a narrative that ‘packages’ you as a ‘something’. For example, global citizen (Honduras, Spanish, Habitat, student government) and how Colgate fits with that.

Your GPA is low and the SAT/ACT aren’t high enough to fully compensate. Intending to raise GPA before ED is virtually impossible unless your school starts really early. Has your father been an active alum, donating time and money to the alum association?

Definitely apply ED and work on your app. I think Lafayette is more like Colgate than Lehigh.

4

@Oregon2016 Thank you for replying! My father was active in the past, but times have been hard so more recently he hasn’t been able to contribute. I agree with what you are saying; I will definitely be sure to condense my experiences in order to put myself out there. I think it’s definitely going to be hard to compensate for my GPA next year; do colleges take mid year and final reports seriously? Again, I am hoping to bring up my ACT score so hopefully that works out! :slight_smile:

5

Senior year grades can make a difference in admissions, both up and down, if your app is on the bubble between accept and wait list.

If you are planning to use your ACT score you probably don’t need SAT II tests. Check the requirements for the schools you are applying to. Seems like “projecting” an 800 on Math given your actual record is a bit optimistic.

Colgate travels with Bowdoin and Davidson for admissions “road shows”. You might look at Davidson- depending where you live you might add some diversity to its enrollment which draws more from the southeast. Other schools to seriously look at where your profile is stronger: Gettysburg, Dickinson, Alleghany, Union, Hobart & William Smith. I’m a fan of the Sisters and always think those should be considered an option.

Good luck, update us on your progress.

6

Hi hi!
I’m a rising junior at Colgate (I randomly saw this post haha)
Your profile actually sounds really similar to mine. I had/have the same SAT/ACT score as you, similar ethnic/family/socio-economic background, and was really involved on campus. I had a bit more leadership positions than you have for your extracurricular activities but I think you have a solid shot at getting into gate (being a legacy also helps in some ways). I would definitely mention the concussions and your experience with it (ie how you overcame your struggles) in your Personal Essay somewhere (my brother has had 7 concussions so I have some 2nd hand experience with it).
Hopefully I’ll be welcoming you to gate next fall!!!
Best of luck

7

@JennyPRob Oh wow hahah thank you for taking the time to read and comment!! I hope your brother isn’t playing anymore sports with 7 concussions :frowning: thank you so much for your input, I hope to see you there! I know Colgate isn’t necessarily known for its diversity; what’s it like attending as an Asian American?

8

Hey! While Colgate doesn’t have the best diversity of students, there’s a place for everyone at gate. Colgate’s demographics reflect the national demographics (I believe, I don’t work for admissions so I don’t know the statistics as well). As an Asian American, there’s a lot of opportunities to interact with other Asian students on campus. Colgate has some Asian culture associations as well as the sushi club (none of these organizations are exclusively Asian in anyway). I’m pretty “white-washed” so I didn’t feel too out of place at gate. Personally, I didn’t feel like I had many obstacles immersing myself into the culture. I will say that many of students of similar ethnic and racial backgrounds tend to stick close together (but that’s really at any school). It’s more or less up to you to branch out and make a variety of friends. Colgate has a lot of friendly and outgoing student who love to socialize and meet new people (there’s not much else to do in the middle of nowhere). I’d just take advantage of that opportunity as much as you can. Like any other school, I’d just suggest getting involved as much as possible and engaging in many social activities when entering college. Hopefully this helps! I’d suggest contacting the admissions office and other alumni/students to see if gate is a good fit for your personality, aspirations, and so on!

9

Chance me to Colgate!!!
I’m an international student from India, and have taken a gap year after my 12th grade. I plan to apply for ED1.
Academics :
95/100 avg weighted GPA(full scores in math and physics) . Class rank 1. Class size :512.

Standardized tests:
SAT reasoning test - 1940(M-800, CR- 540, WR- 600)
SAT math- 760
SAT physics - 800
ACT - 30 (M-36, SC-30, En-28,R-26) (writing 8/10)
Toefl - 102

Extra curricular activities and Honors:
*Robotics - have participated in national level competitions including World robotics Olympiad, Indian robotics olympiad, have completed specializations on Coursera in robotics by UPenn.
*Dancing - teach orphans different forms of dance at weekends(3years), have participated in school level competitions, and also at the national level (Republic day event show done in the presence of the country’s prime minister and president).
*State level cricket player.
*State level participant in 400m relay, 200m.
*Worked for an NGO dedicated to rural development.

  • Active participate of the Rotary club under its sub branch, Rotoract.
    *Coursera certification in robotics, 3D printing, entrepreneurship, and mentorship in 3D printing on coursera(by UIUC).
  • School level quizzing and MUNing (Modern United nations)
    *KVPY scholar. (cleared the first round of KVPY,which is an examination to get direct entry to Indian Institute of Science(ranked 9th in the world in science and innovation).
    *WRO(World Robotics Olympiad ) - reached the final round in nationals .
  • FIRST TECH CHALLENGE INDIA - participant.
    *INSPIRE CAMP- an invitative by Indian Institute of Science to increase scientific enquiry in students, highly selective program which takes upto just 100 students from thousands of applicants.