We visited and just loved Colgate. I was relieved when my son told me after seeing all we saw that it was his 1st choice and he wanted to switch to ED because he totally felt it was a perfect fit. I was feeling the same way and while there were some objective reasons why, I cannot totally explain it, it was the first time it just felt like the right place for him. We have visited a ton of colleges since his sophomore year and actually meant to go see it in 2017 since it was always top 3 on his list, but I am glad our schedule did not work out to fit it in, as we had everything to compare it to, so I am 100% confident his decision is based on knowledge and experience. I never thought we would end up both thinking the same school was #1 for him, but we did. The only hard part is that he will be giving up some generous scholarships to go there.
I’ve been really detailed below, as I know how both students and parents use these stats when they are going through the application process. I hope it helps.
My S stats
ED II
Date application was complete (if ED II when agreement and Senior grades were received): 1/8/2019
Date decision postmarked/received: 01/10/2019 in the afternoon on the portal (yes, that quick, as ED II is rolling and once you have 100% in, you go to committee). For the record, applications are due 1/15/2019 and you can change to ED until 3/1/2019.
Which major: Double major in biology and theater
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 35 R: 36 E: 35 S: 35 (36 if you super score it) M: 33
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II 790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Weighted GPA: 3.88 (very few classes can be subbed at his school for AP, curriculum is very prescribed)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): they do not rank
AP (place score in parentheses): BC Calc (5) AB Calc (5) US Hist (5) Human Geo (5) Chem (3)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics Mech & Elec; AP Bio; AP English, Concert Choir, Government/Economics, Acting/theater
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended, National Honor Society, French National Exam Bronze (twice), Rotary Youth Leadership Award
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Lacrosse all 4 years, multiple seasons per year (MVP defense)
Skiing
Theater: 2 leads in musicals; 2 leads in plays, did theater all 4 years
Choir: Concert (auditioned) choir for 3 years, regular for one, chosen for solos several times
Improv: 3 years
Tri-M Honor society president (increased membership by 300%)
Job/Work Experience: Rec league lacrosse ref (3 yrs) and paintball ref (2 years)
Volunteer/Community Service: Not as strong here, as he was left will little time: Red Rocks church mission work in Denver, Inspire program working with mentally challenged kids with bowling, NHS service projects as ambassador to 7th grade kids
Summer Activities: Did summer academic programs for 3 years (one month of genetics at Columbia, 2 weeks of biotechnology at American University and 3 weeks at Vanderbilt in Neuroscience).
Trip to France with French class and a lot of domestic and international travel with family with educational experiences in mind
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: I am biased, but I would call it a 10. It was very personal and emotional and I and every one of my friends that read it shed a tear. His Colgate supplement was also good, but maybe an 8. It was less flowery of a write up due to the topic (3 adjectives your friends would use to describe you. He did get all 3 of the from his friends, as he sent out a text to 10 friends and asked them all to pick 3 and then took the ones he thought he could write about best)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 8-10: His physics and French teacher did these and they both love him, based on parent-teacher conferences. They know him differently (physics very academically and French more personally) so I think they would show different sides of him.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: He met with his counselor many times, so he knew him well. Prob 8+
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): His theater director wrote one and S has been a real leader in expanding the program, so I would say 8-10 on this one too. His Assistant Principal offered to write one and worked very closely with him on building better community at his school, so I would also think an 8-10.
Yes, 4 is a lot and prob the most you should have, but each really knew a different side to my S.
Interview: S is very personable, so very high here. He felt good about it and really connected with his interviewer, which was part of what put him over the top for the ED II decision.
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
State (if domestic applicant): Colorado
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public option (like magnet) school. Very rigorous liberal arts curriculum. top ACT/SAT scores in the state.
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: High, we will not get aide.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
Strengths: Test scores, essays and LORs.
Weaknesses: GPA, he totally over committed to ECs and was knee deep before he figured out it was affecting his grades. That said, all he did made him a better person, so although we would have preferred he got it higher, the experiences will serve him well in the long run and the level of leadership he gained was superb. He ended up with a C in BC calc because of it all and we were really worried some schools would not look past that. Colgate obviously really looks at the whole picture.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Overall strong application, but definitely had one major weakness (GPA) we were concerned about.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Cornell, Darthmouth, Vanderbilt, Tulane, Bucknell, Lehigh, Union, Hillsdale (accepted EA with $84K merit), Hanover (accepted EA with $84K merit).
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: If he could have gone back and change that C, he surely would have. It was a good life lesson learned, especially since he wants his PhD and his college grades will really count towards his future. When we visited schools, we tried to meet with the biology chair and the theater chair. Doing this really helped my S (and me) get a feel for the programs that were most important to him. I really think too many kids just pick schools based on rankings (which I think are mostly worthless) and perception rather than for what they are there for, their education. Going through this process really allowed my S to know the program as much as possible. He also usually attended a class, but it was winter break so he did not for Colgate, but we have no doubt they will be amazing based on the student’s he has spoken to.
Go Gate!