Do I have a shot?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Amherst College
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<p>Hi all! I’m a junior in high school, and I’m wondering if those of you more experienced with the college process think I have any chance of getting into Amherst. Here’s some facts about me:</p>

<p>White male. Last summer I worked at a summer camp, this summer I plan to volunteer for a political campaign. I go to a very respectable private high school in Connecticut, which gives neither GPAs nor class rank. This year I’m taking audited AP French and AP US History courses, and I’m taking the AP English Literature exam as well, but we don’t have audited (ie AP moniker) English classes. My grades haven’t been as great as I would have liked… I kind of fell apart for a little while after going to high school, but that’s another story. I got a number of Bs Freshman and Sophomore year, and I think I might have gotten a B- in English last year because my teacher hated me. If I calculate my first-term GPA this year, I think it would be 3.8 weighted (AP US History is second-semester only, so that makes 3.6 unweighted). I haven’t seen my midterms yet, but I know I have an A- in French, which is great, because that’s most consistently been a problem for me through my carrier at high school. I’m dropping French after this year (hopefully capping it off with a 5 on the AP) in favor of doubling up on physics next year, so hopefully turning by “B class” into an “A class” looks good.</p>

<p>Anyway, this is getting a bit long, but here are my extracurriculars:</p>

<ul>
<li>Fencing every year I’ve been here… I’m almost positive I’m going to be captain next year.</li>
<li>Debate team starting this year. I might be “captain” next year if we want to have more than one person because I can only think of one person who would actually be better, but I feel like the decision will go in favor of someone who’s been around longer.</li>
<li>Writing for this satirical publication my friends and I run… I’ll probably have some sort of “editor” title next year to stick on my app.</li>
</ul>

<p>One of my recommendations is going to come from an incredibly eloquent English teacher who loves me, so hopefully that’s helpful.</p>

<p>I tend to do incredibly well on standardized tests… so if I get excellent SAT scores, coupled with 5s on all my APs (US History, English Lit, French Language, BC Calculus, and Physics C) by the time I graduate, do you guys think I’ll stand a chance of getting in? I’m sure you get people asking stuff like this all the time, and I really appreciate any help. Thanks a bunch guys!</p>

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<p>Also I neglected to mention that the classes I've taken have with exception been the most difficult available, if that's worth anything.</p>

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<p>fwiw, the dean that did our info session said that the most important factor was taking the most rigorous schedule you could and that Bs in APs were better than As in regular classes.</p>

<p>If she's right, then you've got as good a shot as many others. But find some more likely schools that you'd love, too. My d has Amherst and Wheaton (MA) tied after visiting and Wheaton's much more likely than Amherst
Good Luck
Alison
Good</p>

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<p>Ha well.. I will be an ED (prbly) applicant to Amherst this year; I could show you how weird my grades are. </p>

<p>I go to school in England and I got 10A*s (A+s?) for GCSE exams, and am doing 5 A-levels now (average taken is about 4). </p>

<p>Unfortunately my transcript (here, its called internal reports) really really sucks! This year, I've had a mix of roughly 25% As, 35% Bs, 35% Cs, 5%Ds, with the worser grades gained in September (I was depressed T.T)... </p>

<p>But I'm expecting to get 700+s on my SATs (I&II), and As on my A-levels.. My hook is that I will be a 3rd generation legacy (grandpa, aunt, mom went there.. donated some)...</p>

<p>Lol? I think my admittance/rejection will depend wholly on my essays to woo the admission officers that I am actually prepared for a full college education.</p>

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<p>to put it succinctly: you have a shot, but there's nothing here that would seem to indicate that you are any better or worse than any other candidate applying for admission</p>