<p>im really afraid of amherst. not planning to apply. i really don't have the "typical" long list of ECs though I have one that i do for passion.</p>
<p>yeah--i agree w/ all you guys, this is so frustrating. you may work your butt off all through high school, and then have 1 or 2 classes that for some reason you get a c (or even a d) in. def. know how that feels....i got all a's until last year, then got screwed b/c i got a c in precal (the class was REALLy hard, and the teacher was a genius, but i didn't understand much that he said.) </p>
<p>i'm hoping for all our sakes that the top colleges will have some heart and look past the grades...i'm not applying to any ivies, but nd and georgetown can be pretty strict.</p>
<p>but all the stories that people have of getting into places w/ c's, d's, etc. are kind of encouraging. </p>
<p>i also have a question: how much does the difficulty of a class matter when colleges are looking at a "bad" grade? for example, how bad would a c be in a college-credit course (such as my lovely precal class?) does it make a lot of difference as opposed to a regular hs honors course or something?</p>
<p>You definitely need to be "exceptional" in ALL other areas to get in. Why did you take honors anyways? If it means anything to you, my lowest honors math grade was in Honors Geometry--my only B. The other math classes, like AP Calc, Stats, Alg 2, pre-calc are MUCH easier than honors geometry</p>
<p>if people are getting rejected for one B in grade 10, lol then i definitely have zero chance at the school i applied to (harvard, darthmouth, and princeton and upenn, those are my reaches anyway) first semester of grade 10 is horrible for me, three 80s, only one 90s. I moved a lot during high school so my grade was affected (especially in grade 10 because i moved from the US to Ontario, stay there for only 6 month, and then moved to atlanctic canada) I thought about writing that on my essay but ultimately i didn't. do u think the adcom would understand that the frequent relocation affected my marks?</p>
<p>I got two Cs freshman year (extenuating circumstances, though) and got into Dartmouth ED.</p>
<p>?oes anyone else not get the irony that the OP miscalculated their grade for a MATH class?</p>
<p>Okay, I shouldn't laugh, but that was funny</p>
<p>Everyone needs to take a chill pill, and I mean a universal one, cause this collegehunt thing is out of control</p>
<p>You have 14 year olds freaking out because of a couple of Bs or Cs and they think life will suck if they don't get into the "top" schools</p>
<p>THere are thousands of schools to go to, and kids are happy there, they are getting good educations, having fun, and a future</p>
<p>The top 50 or so schools are great, but that does not mean the other schools stink, they don't</p>
<p>So do not think you are a failure or whatever if you don't get into schools that are helping to create this nightmare called the admissions process.</p>
<p>Yes, they hold a HUGE responsibility for this drama that is caused</p>
<p>Sure, reach for that star, but dont be disappointed if you get a star that is a bit closer, its still a star, and you will get into a good college that is a good fit</p>
<p>And remember, this site is "special" and does not represent most students</p>
<p>Sorry, but so true</p>
<p>And, don't believe a third of what you read here, gee, cause people make stuff up and exacgerate at times</p>
<p>Get some perspective, and make sure you see the big picture and not focus on one snooty school that plays the game of look how elite we are, we encourage more applicants so we can reject more and we all now thats true</p>
<p>the only admission officer that really seems to be kind and thinking deep about each applicant's application is Mr. Parker (in the video). He and another person were the only ones to accept the person that got 2 Bs or something. I would definitely accept that person. (my goodness, the applicant was under "tremendous parental pressure")They should know he did his best and just because a B he gets rejected?</p>
<p>i mean waitlisted. they could have just accepted</p>
<p>wow, i watched that amherst video--it made me want to cry. i wish someone would have told me at the end of eighth grade that i had to do so much if i wanted to get into an elite college--told me that grades and doing the most ecs were absolutely the most important thing in the world, and really drilled it into me...i would have been much better off. i could have known that i would have to do whatever it took and sacrificed everything, or i could have decided to relax and not have my hopes up for four more years.</p>
<p>doesn't seem fair...when you live in a rural area and are at the top of your school, you don't really think about the bigger picture, and that it's really not that easy to get into a good college.</p>
<p>anyhoo that's my rant....</p>
<p>but i have a question....you know how the ppl in the video were like, oh, so-and-so lives in a tiny apartment, has to do their homework in the middle of the night, etc...how do they know? do the applicants talk about it in their essays? i thought that kind of stuff was taboo, that's why i didn't say anything about the setbacks i've had. i was afraid it would seem like i was asking for pity or something...i thought it would be better to appear like a "strong" type of person.</p>
<p>any thoughts on how they find out about the challenges ppl have had to face? (just wondering)</p>
<p>ps. citygirlsmom, thanks for the encouragement...i kind of feel the same way about admissions madness. it makes you really dislike the colleges...they are so strict and so critical, and they can have such an effect on people's lives. i guess all we can do is go with the flow and realize that adcoms' decisions are usually not an accurate assessment of who applicants really are.</p>
<p>Look, folks, there is a reason for GPAs, honors and AP classes & its to see who rises and who doesn't. And, honestly, if you can do very well in something, be it clarinet, football, swimming to be first class in, AND do very well academically, you have a shot at things. They are looking for variety. And if a NE school is short on their SW hispanics, they may consider someone with a 3.5. Look at the demographics - and take your best shot! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.</p>
<p>"im really afraid of amherst. not planning to apply. i really don't have the "typical" long list of ECs though I have one that i do for passion."</p>
<p>Despite what many posters on this site incorrectly assume, colleges are not looking for long lists of ECs. The top colleges are looking for candidates with (in addition to excellent grades, a tough curriculum, excellent scores) about 2 strong ECs that the candidates have pursued passionately, in depth, and that have made some kind of impact on an individual (such as a kid who was tutored), an organization or a community or have resulted in major awards or recognition (such as having articles or research published in a professional publication).</p>
<p>The students who post here with long laundry lists of activities that they did for many hours (such as 500 hours of random community service in which they basically answered the phone or did what they were told without ever showing any leadership or implementing anything themselves), memberships (not impressive to colleges) or empty leadership positions in which they had titles, but no responsibility, do not impress the top colleges.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, how would a college look at an applicant whose passion is relatively new? In 11th grade, I joined Model UN and it was the first year it was established, so naturally, we have no awards and participating in conferences is difficult for us. Additionally, I have been playing on the varsity tennis team for 3 years (will be 4) but I have only won 2 awards (1 of which is only a team award). I'm under the impression my ECs are weak, and in addition to my bland grades, I have low chances at most of my schools.</p>
<p>KRabble, your ECs do sound very weak. If you were one of the people who started the Model UN chapter, and if you documented that via an essay or recommendation, that would be a clear passion. If you were basically an enthusiastic member, that wouldn't make you stand out in a pool in which many students will have started organizations that had a major impact or would have participated in organizations in a way that demonstrated a lot of leadership, won awards, served the community, etc. </p>
<p>To stand out as an athlete it really helps to be ranked in one's state or country. Many applicants participate on their schools' teams, so doing so wouldn't make one stand out.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, do you have any insight that might give me hope? (PS- I was the treasurer of Student Council & Honor Society, but I didn't change the world or anything)</p>
<p>without extenuating circumstances (or a major hook, such as your grandfather's name is on the library), you should assume the top 10 schools do not accept more than a handful of students with a C. Think about it from their perspective....well over half of college classes (sciences and social sciences -- the 'ologies' and econ) require advanced math, at least precalc, and many require calc. Humanties does not require math, but outside of Brown, where you pick your own classes, nearly every other college has distribution requirements for graduation. Thus, students must take classes outside of the humanities, i.e., math/science or social sciences. Even Physics for Poets is likely to have at least an Alg II component. It is just not in the best interest of the school to accept someone that may strugggle academically, or who are precluded from taking 60% of its classes bcos they require knowledge of advanced math.</p>
<p>citygirlsmom and northstarmom give great advice!</p>
<p>I think colleges are willing to forgive poor grades freshman year. I got a 3.5/7 or something in english during freshman year, and a 5.4ish average overall. Since then my grades improved. I got a 7 in english the following year, and a 6 in junior, and 6.5 first simester senior year. I'm an IB diploma candidate and ended my junior year with a 6.25 average. I was just accepted to Swarthmore ED1. I don't have a laundry list of EC's but instead several that I have persuede for 6+ years and am extremely interested in.</p>
<p>I really liked the audio file on Amherst.</p>
<p>schoenhs, in your opinion do you think it's absolutely necessary to have a hundred awards in a particular ECs to show interest? I think that's my main concern, for the # of ECs does not necessarily equate the quality of ECs.</p>
<p>you're an idiot sophomore...i got a D a lot of quarters - they only see semester grades, particularly FINAL GRADES.
and that averaged to a bish.</p>
<p>so you're fine.</p>
<p>I do think you need to have quality EC's in your areas of interest, whatever they may be. However, I don't think you "need" awards. Although, it really depends on your background. I have lived in Switzerland for the past ten years and there arent' the same kind of awards as those in the states. On the otherhand I worked at CERN for five weeks last summer. As someone who is really interested in physics this is one of the best EC's that I could have been lucky enough to get. (CERN is the largest center for physics research in the world.) I do think it's important to do the EC's that you do because you want to do them and not for colleges. I think people who have an eclectic group of EC's without a real passion will be at a disadvantage.</p>