1490 SAT, 89.4/UW GPA (Which is not reported to colleges, they only see my transcript), ok letters of recommendation,
extracurriculars: hospital volunteer and research, board member of latin bowl (top finisher at multiple invitationals), volunteer tutor (latin, math, eng, other subjs), varsity sport, board member of social justice/activism (fundraised thousands of dollars, organized petition signings-- i’m being super nonspecific for privacy reasons sorry!), cultural club member (helped plan annual cultural show & fundraise), president of another humanitarian awareness club (nonspecific again! fundraised thousands of dollars, organized letter writing campaigns in the wake of XX crisis), Internship at an organization that works with at risk elders of XX racial denomination, worked on fundraising and mailing campaign to secure a million dollar grant), mixed martial arts
my supplement was probably… just ok
i toured and interviewed (ik smith doesn’t take into account demonstrated interest)
my biggest weak point is obviously my grades… i have had multiple wayyy below ‘B’ grades for multiple years in a row in a single subject!!!
Do I even have a semblance of a chance?
Smith is a major reach for you, but not impossible. What do you mean your GPA isn’t sent to colleges? You have to report it on the Common App. The things most hurting your application are your grades, and the fact you say your essay is just “ok”. It’ll probably be your ECs that got you admission if you get in, but it’s a giant reach. Don’t expect good merit aid if you somehow get in.
thanks so much for your response. when I say my gpa isn’t sent to colleges, my school chooses not to report gpa. it is completely internal and only used for our naviance accounts. no one sees it except us and our counselors. I was wondering if it’s a good or bad thing that I filled out the FAFSA and CSS )even though there’s a 99% chance I will get $0)?
You should always fill out FAFSA and CSS, even if you won’t get financial aid, because it’ll help you with loans. If you didn’t report your gpa, that’s fine, but it still doesn’t help.
It’s not a bad thing that you filled out the fin aid forms, even if Smith calculates your need to be zero.
FAFSA is used to determine whether the student qualifies for a Pell Grant (sounds like you won’t) and also gives all students, regardless of need, the ability to access Federal Direct Student Loans. Loans are limited to $27K over the 4 years of undergrad ($5,500 first year, $6,500, $7,500 each of last 2 years). Some schools use FAFSA only to determine need, but most private schools use the CSS Profile to calculate need.
CSS Profile has nothing to do with federal student loans.
Smith will be a reach for you if you have had many grades below a B (not sure I am understanding your GPA, but the AOs will understand it and it doesn’t matter that your school doesn’t put it on the transcript).
Did you run Smith’s net price calculator to see if you are estimated to receive aid? Can/will your family pay full COA?
Good luck.
There aren’t that many letters below B - when you say “multiple wayyy below,” do you mean you have a transcript full of Ds and Fs? Or that you are a B/C student in one subject and an A student in all the other subjects?
While Smith doesn’t consider demonstrated interest, the couple of times I’ve interacted with the admissions office, I’ve gotten the impression they care enormously about fit and actual (as opposed to box-checking) interest.
My kid had a kind of weak supplement, because the prompt didn’t speak to her. I wouldn’t worry too much about that
Hey guys just thought I would update this for future applicants. I got rejected, it was pretty much expected. And @allyphoe , yeah I’m a C student in a single subject and an A student in all the others. Thanks for all the advice everyone.
Aww, that’s too bad. Best of luck with your RD apps!
Aww, I’m really sorry. You’ll end up somewhere you belong and will be proud to call your home!