Did I essentially interview for nothing?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Barnard College
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<p>Ugh, so I went and visited Barnard on Thursday, and I absolutely loved it. But I don’t think my chances are so hot, even if they do “look past the numbers.” </p>

<p>Applying RD
Senior; high school gets about 3 or 4 kids into top schools each year, but if it makes a difference, most kids just apply to state schools. </p>

<p>GPA - 3.81UW ?W
Rank - 1st Decile</p>

<p>Courseload:</p>

<p>English - all Honors 9th-11th
Social Studies - all Honors 9th-11th
Math - Honors in 9th grade, then dropped to accelerated, plus AP Stat in 11th
Science - regular level 9th-11th</p>

<p>Senior schedule: AP Biology, AP Economics, APUSH, AP German, Latin I, Honors Humanities, regular Calculus</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Treasurer of Student Historians Club 10th-12th
More on the club: we worked with special needs kids and helped them do crafts/helped organize activities for them to do; We do this “Walking Tour” where I’m a tour guide for the elementary school kids. I take them to different historically significant landmarks in our town and explain why they’re important.
Civil War Reenacting in Gettysburg for about 5 years
NHS
Won 2nd place at a German Fallfest competition at Millersville University
Scored in the 85th percentile on the AATG (National German Exam)
Been working as a cashier at a supermarket for over a year</p>

<p>SATs (blargh) - 650CR 630M 700W = 1980T
SAT II’s (even worse) - 670Bio 570USH 570German (my score here was messed up because my proctor told me that I could disregard the listening portion of the test if I wanted to do reading only. So I have to call collegeboard now -_-)</p>

<p>Interview: Well, we were friendly and all that, but I don’t really remember any of what I said. I was so nervous. I think I might have been too professional, if that’s something to worry about ><</p>

<p>Intended Major - Comparative Lit</p>

<p>Ugh, I really like this school. Should’ve ED’d it. Thanks guys.</p>

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<p>I think you definitely have a shot.:)</p>

<p>By the way, I don't think your stats are bad at all, your GPA is great and your SATs are not significantly lower than Barnard's average.</p>

3

<p>You've got a really great chance of getting in.</p>

<p>The reason I say that is that when you described your "stats" above you gave a very detailed account of your EC's... rather than simply saying that you were treasurer of the history club, you explained what you did. You made it come alive. </p>

<p>If you do the same with your application.... well, that's pretty much what they are looking for. Applications that come alive and give a sense of what the person is about, rather than a list of numbers.</p>

4

<p>Thank you guys. The Chances forum told me it was a high reach, so I was worried. I feel a bit better, though.</p>

5

<p>Advice: don't ask, and don't read, anything to do with "chances" on the CC board. </p>

<p>My daughter's SAT's were slightly lower than yours, and she was admitted RD in what to date was the most selective year of Barnard's history, in terms of percentage of students admitted. She also had a high school record with some gaping weaknesses (example: no math beyond Algebra II) -- and when she arrived on campus she found a roommate who also had an imperfect, like a "D" on the high school transcript. Both girls also had some amazing strengths -- so, knowing them both, I think what they had going for them was self-confidence and the ability to portray themselves and their unique strengths well in the admissions process. </p>

<p>I don't think its a competition about who has the best stats. I think the ad com looks at the stats & high school record to determine whether they think the student has the demonstrated ability to do well in Barnard's very demanding academic environment... and beyond that they are looking to see what stands out about that student, not necessarily in terms of specific achievements -- but something in the application that intrigues them. They are trying to construct a class of interesting people... not hold a contest. The only way Barnard or any other college can have a "median" score range is by accepting 25% of their students with test scores below the 50% median range -- so the whole process by which people try to extrapolate "chances" by looking for scores in the top end of the range simply shows a poor grasp of numbers. </p>

<p>Focus on your strengths on your application & try to get your guidance counselor to include an explanation of significant weaknesses. For example, it looks like you did the same thing that my daughter did -- took the SAT II in US History at the beginning of the same year that you are enrolled in APUSH, meaning you are essentially taking the exam ahead of the actual course. (My d's score was even lower -- but she did great on the AP exam in the spring... it does really help to actually complete the course being tested first). I assume, that like my daughter, you had scheduling issues that left you taking a course out of sequence. In any case.... a gc can be your friend -- though I don't think the test scores are all that important. </p>

<p>Do your best on your application but also pay attention to some safety schools -- I think there are also many other excellent colleges for a prospective comparative lit major where your admission would be assured. So rather than getting too caught up in fretting about one school, I think its best to look at the college application process and to set yourself up with an array of good choices in April. That's one thing the successful ED'ers miss out on -- the chance to compare and weigh the different offerings in the end. My daughter was admitted to 9 different colleges! We really needed financial aid and fortunately Barnard came through -- but I think my d. would have done well on just about any other college on her list. Barnard was my favorite for her, but she was leaning towards NYU -- which accepted her but did not offer enough aid to make it even remotely feasible.</p>

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<p>First of all thank you for all of that advice. It's quite a relief to hear of someone putting down the Chances forum, as I've been skeptical about it. :-/ This whole college thing has just made me very worried about whether or not I'll wind up at a local state school that doesn't offer my major. I have three schools that I could consider safeties, and I'm definitely putting time into them, plus eight schools alltogether that I'm applying to. NYU and Barnard are my top picks, simply fo rmy love of NYC. </p>

<p>Your daughter was also accepted at NYU? I've begun to abandon all hope at that school, again, because of what people over at Chances have told me, plus seeing the scores and grades of the other kids from my school who are applying. That's great advice about making yourself shine and showing them your strengths. I'm hoping I'll successfully do this on my app.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot!</p>

<p>Oh, and I was supposed to enroll in APUSH for my junior year, but my school decided not to offer it. So I had to wait until my senior year. This probably would have made a difference in my score :(</p>

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<p>Yes... well the issue of when APUSH was offered is exactly the sort of thing that a gc can explain. My daughter spent a semester living abroad her junior year, which is what pretty much threw her schedule completely out of whack & also limited the number of AP's she could take. But of course it made for an interesting essay....</p>

<p>My d. applied to Gallatin at NYU -- I think that helped because she had a really great independent studies proposal (I think) and I am sure that Gallatin is as focused on test scores & numbers -- they obviously are looking for students who have a strong independent streak and are likely to be more quirky. </p>

<p>One reason that the "Chances" threads aren't useful is that the most significant aspects of applications to selective colleges are things that usually aren't shared online, like contents of essays & recs. So everyone focuses on stats... whereas, as noted, the ad coms are using a somewhat lower threshold as their bottom line, but once the application is in the running, they are looking at other stuff. The other thing is that most of the people posting there are other high school students who are as clueless as you are. ;) </p>

<p>I don't think its wrong to view Barnard as a reach --but the point is that it isn't impossible and your application will definitely be given serious consideration. My daughter got into most of her reach schools - she was also admitted at Chicago & Berkeley - and then she was waitlisted at a couple of schools that we thought were matches. So you never know, really -- the best advice we got along the way was simply that the chances are 0 if you don't apply.</p>

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<p>I think that you will get in!</p>