Could I get into CC?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Colorado College
1

I’ve loved Colorado College since I first discovered it online, but it’s a reach for me. Can someone tell me what my realistic chances are of getting in?

I attend a highly ranked high school in New Jersey, but it does not provide class rank.
I’m Caucasian (Middle Eastern, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian) and Jewish
GPA: 3.71 UW, 3.82 W (in the middle of my junior year)
SAT (I know this school does not stress about standardized tests and yes I know mine aren’t great): 540 critical reading, 570 math, 640 writing.
ACT: I’m taking it in June but I’m expecting around 24-26.
Advanced classes: English I, US government, English II, Algebra II, English III, Pre-Calculus
Honors classes: biology, US history, Spanish III, chemistry, global studies, Spanish IV, personal financial management, chamber orchestra, physics
AP classes (taking all next year): psychology, comparative government & politics, english IV literature & composition
Extracurriculars: National Honor Society, Tri-M National Music Honor Society, acting/improv comedy club (executive member sophomore year, membership officer junior year, hopefully vice president next year) all 4 years, string quartets club all 4 years, junior varsity winter guard as a sophomore, orchestra in school all 4 years, school theatre (1 show per year), community theatre (I’ve been in 6 so far but plan on being in 8 total by the end of next year), I work at a theatre camp over the summer full-time while being in plays, I work at an elementary school in my town tutoring/helping at the after care program
Strong subjects: music, English/writing, social studies, social sciences, Spanish
Weaker points: science, math
Prospective major in psychology

I once emailed the staff at CC as a sophomore and they said that one of the most important things to them is that I find something I love outside of school and exercise my passion in it, so I think I’m good with that :slight_smile:

Thanks for the help!

2

Just got back from the CC ‘Accepted Students’ weekend. I guess that I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that CC has gotten more applications this year than ever before, with higher grades and test scores than ever before. That means that the acceptance rate is below 17% for the first time ever. You can google ‘Colorado College Freshman Profile’ and see the typical grades for yourself, but the information you reported is on the low side. The average UW GPA is above 3.9. The ‘middle 50%’ of ACT scores is 29 - 32 with a mean of 31. Most CC students were closer to 8 AP classes than the 3 which you mention. The good news is that CC is committed to getting a very specific type of person. They say this over and over again. Apparently, CC has declined valadictorians, and accepted talented people who fall below the numbers mentioned. My advice is to really work on the essays. Let CC know who you are and why you love the place. There is a whole lot to love.

3

Yeah I saw that online too-- I think I fall under the unusual categories and I’m a good writer so hopefully those will compensate for my lower grades and scores. Thank you for the information :slight_smile:

4

Make friends with Professor Steve Hayward. He is the creative writing genius at CC. Perhaps we would be your advocate if he liked your work.

5

If Colorado College is your first choice school, apply early decision where the acceptance rate is the highest, or at least early action, to increase your chances. Take the supplemental essays very seriously in your application. Study for and retake your standardized tests.

What is it about CC that you like so much? Perhaps we can suggest other colleges to put on your list that would fit into matches and safeties as CC would be reach for you.

6

How do I “make friends” with him

7

It is my first choice but I can’t apply early decision because my parents won’t let me and because I haven’t visited yet (I live too far) and don’t know the vibe of the campus well enough yet. I will take essays seriously and I can’t retake the SATs but I am taking the ACTs in June.

I mostly love the block program and the area. The students seem very unique and they’re all outdoorsy. The classes are so unusual and cool based off the website and colorado is my favorite state. There are small class sizes and it’s gotten great student reviews. Here are the schools I have toured so far: University of Rochester, Muhlenberg, Ursinus, TCNJ, Marist, Bard, Ithaca and Binghamton. Bard was my favorite by far but I also liked Muhlenberg, TCNJ, and Ithaca. In the fall I’m going to look at Union, Skidmore, Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson, and Gettysburg. Thank you for the help!

8

If you like the block plan (and the mountains) also check out Quest in Squamish, British Columbia near Whistler.

http://www.questu.ca/
Many students interested in Colorado College take a look at Quest. I’ve heard good feedback from the students in our area who are there now. Sticker price is also quite a bit less than other LACs in the United States- under $39K US dollars total cost including travel etc. (and that is without any financial aid). Check it out!

9

I’m not sure my parents would let me go out of the country but I’ll definitely ask them, thanks :slight_smile:

10

You are going to run into similar admissions hurdles at Rochester and Bard as you will at CC. Skidmore is similar to CC in culture and vibe, and is a bit more accessible in terms of GPA and standardized testing.

11

Based off my research, Rochester is about the same as CC, however; I will be applying to the Warner School 5-year school counseling program which is more lenient towards letting people in and doesn’t care about standardized testing (my sister is a junior working in admissions there now-- she had a 4.03 W, 3.9 UW in high school and got a 1710 on the SATs). They care more about what you have done in your high school life to prepare yourself for your career i.e. in my case, working with kids. However, Bard is much less difficult to get into than CC: the GPA is around a 3.84 W and 3.48 UW and they don’t require you to submit SATs. Plus, the admissions people said when I visited that they care much more about the essays than most other things. I am excited to see Skidmore though–curious to see how I will like it :slight_smile:

12

Hi! I’ve currently enrolled at CC but have not begun classes yet (high school senior). If you are first generation or have financial hardship, you may be able to get a free visit through CC’s multicultural open house. They also fly out your parents for free. Most of the kids who visit through MOH get into CC. It’ll be a good way to gauge if you can get in.

13

I do really want to visit CC but I don’t think I would meet the qualifications because we’re a middle class white family. I would go on my own, but my parents said I can only go if I get in because of the cost of travels from New Jersey. Thanks for the information though I’ll check it out! And congratulations on getting in :slight_smile:

14

Your realize that Warner School is a graduate school, and has nothing to do with University of Rochester undergraduate, right? University of Rochester is actually quite liberal with its testing requirments, but you still need to show some sort of tests that put you in the top 10% at least. If you did poorly on the SAT Writing, they will let you submit an AP English grade of 5, for instance. Warner does not require the GRE but, again, that is graduate school, not undergraduate.

Your best shot at CC is by showing your passion via essay. 75% of admitted CC students got an ACT Composite of 29 or higher. I am guessing they also wrote good essays. So the challenge is to demonstrate to CC how you are passionate about something, and write a killer essay which compensates for the ACT scores that you state you expect to receive.

15

No I mean, I’m applying for the 5-year counseling program at Rochester that is through the Warner School–I know it is real because my sister is in it right now.

I should be good on that, I know how to write I’m just not the testing type of person. And thank for the tips

16

I’m going to echo what has already been said (I’ll be attending CC next year!): CC is getting more and more competitive but they definitely look beyond GPA and test scores. Essays are HUGE for them especially the Block Plan essay and the Why CC essay- start writing those now if you can so you can edit them to perfection by the time you apply. Definitely apply ED or EA as the acceptance rate drops from like 20% EA to 10% RD. I’d definitely look into visiting; from my experience the admissions staff is super helpful and if you explain your circumstances they’d likely try to find a way for you to get out! Good luck!

17

Thank you! And congratulations :slight_smile:

18

My fellow member of the Class of 2019 and ski bum makes a great point. The first rule of attending CC is going EA or ED. The counselors make it clear that they want people who understand the CC culture and who want to study in a very special way. They search the applications for those traits and the essays help pullthat out. He is also right (maybe too cheerful) about RD numbers. I am just spitballing, but it seems like 300 or more of the 500 students in Class of 2019 were ED or EA. Applying RD is giving up on those spots and also signaling that CC is one of your favorite schools, not THE SINGLE favorite school. With a total admission rate below 17% this year, there are clearly more and more people who do think CC is their unquestioned #1.

Again, I was told, point blank, that the absolute deciding factor at CC was the impression they got from essays. Scores and GPA are not ignored, but at this point it is assumed that everyone is well above 4.0 weighted and has at pretty good test scores. So the old methods don’t define students as they did a while back, and this is not a big state university with 5000 spots. CC is never getting bigger. Never. So there will never be more than 500 +/- slots. Those slots are going to people who should a profound understanding of what CC is. Show that in your essay, apply EA, and you will probably find yourself celebrating over on Tejon.

19

Yes I’m definitely going to apply EA to as many of my schools as possible–and my writing is the one thing I’m most confident about so that’s good :slight_smile: Would you advise I write informally, persuasively, entertainingly, or a mixture?

20

If I had to use a word I would say passionately. This is a chance to express youself but also a chance to prove you know how to express yourself. In that sense, I would keep the tone pretty formal. Obviously, you want it to be persuasive. I am not sure entertaining is the right word, but the essay should certainly show your personality. You don’t want them falling asleep. You have 1500 words to paint a picture of yourself.

You also have another 1500 words to design and describe a Block Class. I used 1499 of those words. . If I had to guess, the Block Class essay is the thing that decides a lot of applications. I have seen a few other people’s essays in this forum, where they use 250 words to barely descrribe why they would want to study Dante or Homer ( author of Odyssey, not Simpson, though I bet there is an interesting Sociology Block Class about Homer Simpson to be designed.) The CC staff is not looking for a 250 word description. They are looking for curiosity, insight, imagination and individualism. That takes more than 250 words. My guess is that they can smell a load of BS a mile away. I suppose we all put a little quotient of BS in our essays but at CC over all my other applications, I got the impression that sincerity is a really important component.

Just one more thing to be clear. EA is a tool which is pretty much self serving. The fact that you say you want to do that at as many colleges as possible is the precise thing CC does not want to hear. It sure as heck does not scream. “I love CC and would do anything to go there!” Applying EA can help a college, in theory, if your intent is to accept an offer and not worry about completing other applications. But if you are still waiting for that envelope from Penn or Rutgers or Stevens it means they have to wait until March 16th at the earliest to find out your decision. ED is an entirely different animal. It is selfless. It states that you are willing to drop everything and accept admission if offered. It suggests that you took a long hard look at all your colleges and decided that CC was the one and only one. Maybe that is a good choice for you. Maybe it is not. There are financial aid concerns, obviously. You can go to this website for a good estaimate: https://npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/coloradocollege . My package was within dollars of the estimate received 6 months prior to applying. The thing that all colleges love about ED is that it helps them paint a picture of their incoming class. No college wants a freshman class of 508 English majors from the Northeast. ED allows all colleges, and especially CC, the opportunity to paint that masterpiece with the vibrant colors of their choice. Do they really want a few music majors this year? The ED list makes that possible. Do they need to bulk up the Physics Department? ED lets them take an extra 10 students with that desire, which allows them a better guess at how many open slots there will be come February. I guess what I am trying to essay is that Applying EA shows interest, but applying ED shows commitment to a college which you love.