Do I have a chance for Georgetown SFS?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgetown University
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<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I'm a high school Junior, and have just started to take a more in-depth look at several colleges that I may be interested in applying to. I absolutely love politics and international relations, and of course, my first choice would be Georgetown SFS. I usually try not to freak out about colleges, but just for some sense of grounding, I was hoping to get some advice/information on my chances for Georgetown; I like almost every part of the school.</p>

<p>I guess I should write a little bit about myself. Essentially, I moved to California from the East Coast at the beginning of Junior year. The move was primarily motivated by my father's new job, but our family was also attempting to distance itself from several of his extra-marital affairs, which had started when I was around six years old. My family discovered several months ago that my father had been carrying on an additional affair here in California, and subsequently, my parents angrily divorced soon after arriving here. It's been a tough learning experience for my brother and I, especially when both of my parents have been forced to live in the same house, because of economic concerns. So, I've had a bit of a challenge in overcoming this, but I've tried to still continue on a degree of normality at school:</p>

<p>Male, California
SAT: CR 750, Math 630, (Writing 710, but I know this is excluded.)
I'll be taking SAT II's in U.S History and English, I'm taking Six AP's this year, two self-taught<br>
GPA: 3.97 Unweighted, 4.4 Weighted</p>

<p>EC's:
Founder, President, Model U.N Club
President-Elect, Mock Trial Team (County Champions, State finalists)
President-Elect of our nearby YMCA Youth & Government Delegation
Debate Team Captain (State finalist)
I'm also a recently inducted member of NHS
Member of the School Student Government</p>

<p>I'm taking a distance-learner course in Latin from the Cambridge Program, because my new school does not offer Latin as a foreign language. I'm not sure if these would be relevant, but I've gotten a number of state awards in Latin and French. </p>

<p>(Summer: Stanford EPGY, Community Service programs,)</p>

<p>Before I moved to California, I was an officer in my school's Debate and Model U.N programs; I was also the youngest-elected President of my school's 130-member Latin Club, and the Class Vice-President.</p>

<p>Anyway, I know that my resume certainly has room for improvement, but any comments or advice would definitely be appreciated. I hate to "obsess" about college, but I just want to see what my chances are, at this point. (Also, I'm sorry about the lack of information about my AP scores, they're not in yet).</p>

<p>Hoping to get your advice/comments,
Vetofor</p>

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<p>Also, as for course-work, I’m a member of the I.B program, and am taking fairly rigorous courses at my school (all AP/IB except for Math, which is my weak point)</p>

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<p>You’ve worked hard and should be proud of your accomplishments. I hope you’ve gotten to know the Guidance Dept. at your new school. No doubt, they can help you a lot.</p>

<p>As to your question, my non-expert opinion is that it might be good to take the SAT’s again and raise your math number. I think you will have a strong application when the time comes. Good luck.</p>

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<p>I echo the advise of parentstwo–don’t weigh self-studied APs in as heavily as the SATs.</p>

<p>Contrary to popular belief, they BARELY factor into the equation. When schools say they look at APs that means they like to see students TAKING AP courses. Nothing more, nothing less.</p>

<p>(Of course if you and another applicant have similar resumes then you will trump them with the AP exams, but it almost…never…happens that way)</p>

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<p>I do full-IB. :)</p>

<p>Retake your SATs, and don’t just raise your Math score, really try to target everything. Check out some books from the library or get them on Amazon and practice over the summer. I think my SAT score had a lot to do with my acceptance. Georgetown doesn’t have as many high scorers as, say, Stanford. </p>

<p>Your GPA is great. Work hard on your essays. Your extracurriculars are also good. Keep your grades up Senior year, watch your class rank, etc.</p>

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<p>I agree with what has been said. As for the Math SAT score, I got a 640 and I was accepted into SFS this year…</p>

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<p>Congrats to gtwnlvr. </p>

<p>However, don’t disregard what the others have been saying. Bringing your SAT’s up into the optimal range will give you a better shot. Don’t listen to stories that sound like: “but I got in with X!” or “my friend only had Y and got in!” - these stories represent the exception rather than the trend. Don’t leave it to luck. Cram your testing for a couple of weeks and retake. Best of luck!</p>

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<p>gtwnlvr, Congratulations! Thanks for all of the advice, everyone- I’ll definitely be taking the SAT again, hopefully with better results. (and much more preparation.)</p>

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<p>If you live in CA then your better somewhere closer to home! There are plenty of political science programs in CA. Check USC, Stanford, and UC Davis.</p>

<p>[UC</a> Davis: International Relations Program : Major Requirements](<a href=“http://ir.psdomain.ucdavis.edu/the-major]UC”>http://ir.psdomain.ucdavis.edu/the-major)</p>

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<p>You’re in pretty terrific shape overall. I have a daughter who was admitted recently to the SFS through Early Action. Try to improve your SAT score if at all possible and by the way, Georgetown requires 3, not 2, SAT II test scores so plan accordingly and take another in early fall. She had a similar GPA (4.54 at the time of application) and an indexed ranking of 3rd. Her test scores were strong (2340 on SAT and 2350 on Spanish, Lit and Math 2C SAT II’s combined). She is a full-IB candidate with strong EC’s, but frankly, yours are even stronger. Your natural leadership is very impressive. Good for you! Elaborate on these in your application to show your increased responsibility and ownership. </p>

<p>All of the above is great, but when my daughter and I attended the Georgetown Open House/admit days in late April, the assistant dean of the SFS told those admitted students in the audience that “you were admitted because you demonstrated a profound interest in international affairs.” This is critical. </p>

<p>My daughter wrote her extended essay on a topic related to international issues dealing with national security. She had also attended a leadership conference in D.C. over the summer that focused on national security. </p>

<p>When you ask your teachers and counselor for the letters of recommendation, they’ll ask for an EC resume to reference. Make sure you also ask them to please emphasize your interest in international affairs. Your initiation of your school’s Model United Nations Club is a wonderful example. Your EC’s are great and your natural leadership is evident throughout all your activities. Although you have many strong political and government related activities, keep focused on the international interest. </p>

<p>Also, we believe my daughter’s proficiency in a foreign language was huge in her acceptance. By the end of her junior year she had completed four years of Spanish and had received a 5 on the AP test and a 7 on the IB/SL test. She had also spent the summer before her junior year studying in Spain. The SFS requires its students to be proficient in a second language, so demonstrating this in high school is significant.</p>

<p>Don’t underestimate the importance of the essay(s) in all your college applications. Georgetown requires three: a personal statement, one that discusses an activity in which you’ve been most involved, and the SFS specifically requires an essay on a current global issue and why you consider it to be important. Try to consult any students you know who have already applied to G-town’s SFS, especially if they were successful in their admissions. </p>

<p>If you can get all your ducks in order, especially your testing, I would recommend applying Early Action. I think you’re a strong candidate who will shine in the early pool which is historically smaller but more competitive. </p>

<p>Remember to keep your GPA up, finish out your testing or retesting, choose your rec letter writers carefully and don’t be shy about your mentioning your intnat’l interest, dazzle the admissions folks with strong essays, emphasize your interest in international affairs and your language proficiency (include those Latin and French honors and any test scores that you have at the end of your junior year) everywhere and anywhere you can. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Teachcounsel, thank you for your post, it is very much appreciated. I can certainly understand the importance of the essays - I’m going to try and start on them this summer. And of course, I’m going to make an attempt in raising my SAT score in October after some practice. It sounds like your daughter was quite a candidate! I wish her the best. </p>

<p>(Thanks for the tip about the SAT II’s- I was initially planning on only taking two, but I’ll add an additional one)</p>

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<p>Glad my post was helpful. One other recommendation I have is about the essays—read up on the most powerful way to write them. Too many kids make the mistake of either restating their EC resume or simply TELLING the reader about themselves. Another mistake is that kids try to find some super grand event to write about when one is usually better off writing about something much simpler that reveals a side of you not blatantly obvious in the rest of your resume. Georgetown’s essays, however, are a bit more straightforward, although the personal statement always allows for some creativity which should reveal your voice and passion. You need to show them who you are, NOT tell them.<br>
Some excellent books that cover college admissions essays are the ones by Collegeboard and Fiske. I also like 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays book—a terrific reference for applying to any college. Also, although it’s always a good idea to start your essays early, take a good look at them again in the fall right before the application deadline. The changes in kids your age in just a few short months are amazing. You will gain more insight between summer and GU application deadline.<br>
Finally, read up on ways to go about the application process. Here’s a good article from U.S. News & World Report on the entire admissions game: [How</a> to Get Admissions Officers to Say Yes - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2008/08/21/how-to-get-admissions-officers-to-say-yes.html?PageNr=1]How”>http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2008/08/21/how-to-get-admissions-officers-to-say-yes.html?PageNr=1) Also, I especially liked what the dean of admissions of Yale said in a NY Times interview a few months back about the application process. Here it is: Questions from Times editors:</p>

<p>What part of the admissions process is most misunderstood?</p>

<p>Jeff Brenzel of Yale University: It is not well understood that we are not aiming to pick out the best candidate in a particular school or from a particular area, as measured by some predetermined criteria. Rather, we are trying to assemble the most varied and most interesting class we can from an extremely diverse group of close to 25,000 outstanding applicants. We do not aim to compare a student primarily with other students from his or her school; we look instead for students who will bring something of particular value to the entering class.
Second, few people seem to grasp the weight given to various aspects of the application, though this can vary considerably by institution. For us at Yale, for instance, standardized test scores generally do little to differentiate applicants, because virtually all our applicants score very well. Most important to us are the transcript and the school and teacher recommendations, which students can do little to influence once it comes time for an application. We also look closely to see where and how a student has developed talents or engaged the school or community outside the classroom. Essays and interviews round out an application, and we look here mostly to see whether they convey information that enlarges or enhances, while remaining consistent with what we hear from counselors and teachers.
Good luck!</p>

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<p>@teachcounsel
Although I am not the OP, I just want to echo how very helpful your comments above are.
Great advice, with great SPECIFIC information.
Thanks!</p>

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<p>teachcounsel, that was the most useful post i have ever read on this board.
thanks!</p>

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<p>I shall third (fourth? IDK) that notion. Thanks, teachcounsel.</p>

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<p>Hi,</p>

<p>My dad went to SFS and said he loved it. he had surprisingly average grades but did awesome on the SATs. I am a white male from texas but live in Switzerland. I am a freshman in high school with great grades (all As and one B) I am in Model UN, Student Council (president of my class) and am on the Newspaper team. what does it take first hand to make it into Georgetown? do i have a shot?</p>

<p>Best of Luck to you Vetofor,</p>

<p>Switz</p>

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<p>Oh yeah, and how do you start a thread?</p>

<p>Switz</p>