I’m applying to Duke ED as a classical studies (Latin, Ancient Greek, Sanskrit) major with a minor in classical archaeology. Also NU would be my 2nd choice, and I have legacy there. I’m a senior right now and am finishing up with apps so I can’t improve much.
Chance me for:
-Duke ED
-Northwestern
-Upenn
-Brown
-Cornell
-Dartmouth
-WashU
-ACT: 33 Composite but 34 Superscore (Duke superstores) (waiting for past ACT results and will most likely be a 35 superscore)
-APs: World (3), Bio (4), Lang (4), US (4), Stat (3), AB Calc, French, Lit, Gov (9 APs)
-Class Rigor: I’ve taken very hard class throughout high school, but my GPA isn’t great
-GPA: UW: 3.79 (I didn’t do that well junior year with 2 B+'s and 3 A-'s because course load was hard & had family issues)
-Extracurriculars: I am applying as a classical studies major & classical archaeology minor and have done a lot in classical studies & archaeology, so I’m hoping majoring in classical studies (since barely anyone does) will give me an advantage
Built a Classical Studies Non Profit Organization & received a scholarship for it from a Latin organization
I am student ambassador for Archaeology Institute of America (only high schooler who does it) & received archaeology grant for research
President of my Latin Honor Club
Studied Ancient Greek (8 credit course) at UPenn over summer for 7 weeks
I am the only high school writer for an online classical studies journal
Team Captain of Varsity Soccer (4 years)
President of SoupKitchen (volunteer at homeless shelter)
Vice President of Model Congress
Self Studied Sanskrit
Volunteered at a Museum
-Awards:
Received Latin scholarship from this classical studies organization and built a children’s program for classical studies out of it
Received grant from Archaeology Institute of America and am doing research and archaeology work with it
Scored perfect on National Latin Exam and then silver the next year
I was Team Captain of my Latin team for a classical studies contest and we received 2nd & 3rd
I received an honorable mention from this classical studies writing compeititon
-Letters of Rec:
From my Latin teacher: he LOVES me (will write me a great one) 10/10
From my English teacher: he liked me but prob an okay one (he had my brother too and loved him) 7/10
Guidance Counselor: will receive a great one, he loves me and knows my family very well. He spoke of my passion for classical studies & my family issues: 10/10
(Outside recommender) From president of Archaeology Institute of America and he LOVED me (will write me a good one and will talk about leadership) 10/10
-Ethnicity: Asian girl
-School: Competitive af school in NJ, everyone is asian or white and very affluent, our school is one of the best in the state with several going to great colleges
-Legacy at Duke: my brother is currently a sophomore at Duke and is doing very well academically & my mom did her medical residency at Duke but idk if that counts cause she didn’t receive a degree from Duke.
-Legacy at Northwestern: My dad went to NU for undergrad and med school (so lots of legacy there)
Common App Essay:
-wrote about one of my family issues and intertwined it with classical studies: 8.5/10
*I’m really concerned about my GPA since it went very done junior year cause I received a 3.625, will this impact me a lot?
What are your safeties? What state are you from? What is your budget?
I am not a classics sort of guy, but my impression is that you are likely to end up wanting to go to graduate school. There are a lot of very good universities that are strong enough that if you do very well as an undergrad, then you have a good shot at pretty much any graduate school.
You don’t need to attend a school on the level of your list. However, you do need to apply to a couple of safeties (unless you get in ED first). Also, I would strongly encourage you to attend a university for undergrad which is affordable for you.
@DadTwoGirls all these universities are affordable to me. money is not a problem for college (which I am very grateful for) but getting in is. im from NJ. my safety is Binghamton and a local college. I don’t care abt my safeties lol my question is do you think I have a shot at these schools? I just want an honest opinion cause I don’t want to shoot too high.
I think that it is worth applying. However, I think that they are all reaches. As such I don’t think that there is much that we can say other than make sure that you are okay with your safeties, and hope that you get in to one of your reaches. Good luck!
It sound to me like you have spend too much time and energy focusing on/dreaming about some big name reach schools and not enough time finding those great match and safety colleges that you would be excited to attend (and they are out there).
The 3 in WH is a challenge for tippy tops. You’d need to tell us what courses got those B grades. And get a reality check if you think an A- is an issue.
If your app/supps make the right presentation, hit the qualities and attributes they look for, no bombs, you have a fighting chance. Plus, Asian is underrepresented in classics (though female is overrepresented.)
What I wonder is just how much you researched those colleges. You squeak by in the EC “rounding” with Model Congress, soccer, and the meal site. But Brown (of course, with the open curriculum,) wants to see more than just a pre-set academic interest; what else, for you?
@happy1 actually no. I’ve always loved Duke/northwestern and not for the name. I have a lot of family down at duke, and love the basketball and spirit aspect of it.and I’ve grown up being surrounded by northwestern stuff cause of my mom who loved the school, which definitely put the college in perspective for me. Plus, they both have great programs for my intended major. and yes I know there are many like BC/umich/emory/tulane which im applying for, but I would obviously rather go to Duke/NU since they have always been my first choices and not because of the name. I just wanted advice on my shot at these schools lol… trust me I’ve done my research but thanks
@lookingforward I got a B+ in ap bio & precalc. and actually an A- is not great, especially since at my school an A- is a 3.6 which I think is realistic to be upset about considering the fact Duke has an average of a 3.91 GPA at my school. for brown, I wrote my supplements on both model congress and being president of soup kitchen as well as volunteering for an elderly home. many of my supplements for other schools have also been written on this. I don’t know how wanting classics has anything to do with researching colleges since many of these colleges (duke, NU, brown, upenn, Cornell) have great classical studies programs. but thank you for your honest opinion.
If an A- at your hs is a 3.6 (at most, it’s a 3.7,) it’s still got an A letter in front. Adcoms look at the transcript.
B grades in bio and precalc, for classics, may not be an issue.
The reason I advocate researching colleges is so one understands what matters (academics and ECs) and how best to present yourself. And Brown will like to see more than just interest in classics and allied depts.
I think you’re worrying a bit too much. You’re in a good position for classics, if your app and supps are done well. This is more than titles or a extra vol effort or so. Let’s leave it at that.
I would stress that perhaps you should think about your safeties . . . as in will you be happy attending them? Your list is made up of schools that are reaches for everyone. I agree you have good ECs for your intended course of study, and that will help. You mention you have family issues that affected your GPA and that you have a good relationship with your guidance counselor. Perhaps, he or she could explain family issues in letter of rec? Also, maybe consider adding an LAC to your list that provides a little more geographic diversity (Grinnell?).
Your GPA is fine, and your EC’s are great. While all of your schools are reaches, you are a competitive applicant. However, any student using the word “desperate” in relation to college applications should seriously focus more on safety and likely schools - not because you aren’t qualified for a reach school, but because it will give you some confidence and help you stop stressing.
Your stats put you in the ballpark at any of these schools but as others have said, they are reaches for everyone. Will you be satisfied and happy at Binghamton or your local college? If not, look into adding some match schools to this list.
@momofsenior1 ill admit emory and mich aren’t but I feel like NYU is probably not since I have double legacy there. also from my school my stats are much above BC & UNC. but once again these schools are amazing and are probably not reaches.
I wouldn’t bank on UNC as a match when you’re out of state (OOS). They have a quota for OOS applicants that sits at 18%. This means they can only accept 18% of their class from outside North Carolina. It is incredibly difficult to get into UNC OOS. Also, NYU is extremely expensive and isn’t good with financial aid. Unless you have a lot of scholarships or can afford the ridiculous tuition, I would be wary about that option.