Curious about admissions....

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
1

<p>I just read about Swarthmore and think it sounds like an amazing school with a great vibe! I'm a total hippie and very laid back(except when it comes to college!) so it sounds like a great fit for me. I know its extremely competitive to get in but I would like to know what type of standing a student with my stats would have. I'm a junior in high school and I will be the first person in my family to go to college in the U.S. My parents are both immigrants from Pakistan. I go a public school in CT that is nationally ranked and sends many kids to Ivy Leagues and Top LAC's. I am going to take the ACT and expect around a 29/30. Also my course load is in the top 3% for challenging. I have some kick ass recomendations lined up and my essays will be good as well. </p>

<p>Here are my grades: </p>

<p>Freshman Year
English Honors:B+
History Honors:A-
French 1: A
Latin 1:A-
Math Level 2:B
Physics Honors:C
Physical Education:A-</p>

<p>Sophomore Year
Math Level 3: A
Economics Honors:A
World Religions Honors:A+
History Honors:A+
French II Honors:A+
Latin II:A-
Chemistry Honors:C+/B-
Physical Education:A+
English Honors:B</p>

<p>My Schedule this year with grades so far this year
AP U.S. History : A-
AP English Language: A-
Biology Honors: A-
Ap Macro-economics: Pass (done as an independent study)
Pre Calculus: B-(math is definately not my best subject by a long shot!)
French III Honors:A-
AP Government and Politics:A
Criminal and Civil Law: A+ </p>

<p>Extra Carricular Activities </p>

<p>Student Council (9 & 10) Vice President </p>

<p>Student Council (11) Cabinet Member</p>

<p>Principal’s Advisory Council (9,10,11) </p>

<p>Model United Nations (10,11) Vice President</p>

<p>Amnesty International (9,10,11) </p>

<p>9:05 News (11) Anchor- News broadcast seen throughout the school by over 1000 students and faculty weekly basis. Responsible for script writing, current events, sporting events, & various competitions.</p>

<p>(10) News Reporter- Responsible for writing, editing, and producing stories based on important current events. </p>

<p>Friends (10,11) Volunteer during lunch to work one on one with
Special needs students. </p>

<p>Community Activities </p>

<p>Around 150 volunteer hours at the local public library</p>

<p>Volunteering over the summer at my school to give incoming freshman tours </p>

<p>Farmington Continuing Education Chinese class (grade 10) </p>

<p>Participated in a book Club organized for students who demonstrated leadership at our school. </p>

<p>Have started and am president of a Young Democrats Club </p>

<p>I also want to start a club modeled around the SDS from the 1960's, expressing discontent for the wars going on today. </p>

<p>Awards </p>

<p>Second Place, Model United Delegation</p>

<p>French Participation Award </p>

<p>Farmington Library Certificate of Recognition</p>

<p>The CT C.O.L.T. Award For Excellence in languages </p>

<p>Latin Honor Society</p>

<p>Honor Roll 9,10,11</p>

<p>Skills
Fluent in 6 languages including arabic, urdu, sindhi</p>

2

<p>I’d really love to say that you have a chance but your transcript really just doesn’t seem to be up to par; 2 C’s are going to drag you down a lot. An ACT score of 29/30 wouldn’t really be enough to cancel out what I see as a weak transcript.</p>

<p>That being said Swarthmore is ‘holistic’ in its reading of applications but given the types of students applying who not only come from unique backgrounds and have great ECs and great essays and recs and the lot are also more academically qualified based on the profile you’ve given here.</p>

<p>Just my opinion.</p>

3

<p>The 6 languages really stand out… you can apply but it might be a reach for your grades</p>

4

<p>I say don’t worry about the transcript and what you’ve not succeeded in the past. Just keep working as hard as you can, and make sure that Swarthmore <em>is</em> the school you want to go to, keep your eyes open for other opportunities, and make sure your passion and your interests make you a unique candidate, not just your average Joe IWantToGoToCollege. It’s very competitive to get in (I’m sad that some of the very qualified people I’ve interviewed didn’t get in) so just keep on trying hard your senior year. Also one thing to make sure is not to give yourself airs - the first thing I noticed when I was at Swarthmore was that I felt like I was an “admissions mistake” (you’ll hear that a lot) in which I felt there were so many more qualified and intelligent people than myself at Swarthmore!</p>

<p>Best of luck to you!</p>

5

<p>Thank you very much for your input! I appreciate all the advice!</p>

6

<p>More advice: take a good ACT/SAT prep course to get your score up. Try to take both SAT and ACT - you may do better on one or the other.</p>

7

<p>I am far from an expert in admissions, but I do believe you have a chance. My transcript was not outstanding ( two C+'s…math was not my strong point either) and I was admitted EDII =] Swarthmore will take note of your ECs, recs, ect. As riverguardian stated, just keeping working hard and good luck!!</p>

8

<p>I think you have a chance, too. When you fill out your “Why I want to go to Swat” essay, write a very convincing one that reflects how your values dovetail with Swarthmore’s.</p>

9

<p>Thank you guys so much! I will keep working hard and hopefully with a little luck all of my work will pay off! Your input is really encouraging and I really appreciate it!</p>