Georgetown is my dream school - Chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgetown University
1

Hello,

I am currently a junior at the Hotchkiss school. My current GPA is a 3.6, but my overall is a 3.4, which I’m aware is below average for those accepted to Georgetown. My current ACT score is a 31, which I’m hoping to improve by next year.

Georgetown is my dream school because its SFS would provide a good base for international careers, which is what I’m sure I want to do. I will be going on the NSLI-Y summer program is Tajikistan this year, which is a State Department funded language program that is very selective. Additionally, last year I went on exchange to Colombia for a semester, and as a result I took AP spanish this year after only two years of Spanish class, and will be going into AP Spanish lit next year. I am also very involved with the Spanish culture and language club at my school, and I am involved in a project designed to help reach out to Latinx students and connect them with scholarships in my area.

In addition to that, I write for the school paper, have played piano for 12 years, proctor younger students during study hall, am involved with three sports teams (though I am not especially good at any of them,) help to build the set for the school play, and volunteer on the campus farm.

Next year I also plan to take AP Euro, and Honors English if I end up being placed in that class, and an international relations and national security elective.

All that considered, I know that Georgetown is very focused on GPA and test scores, and mine are not quite up to their standards, though I have improved greatly academically in the past year. What do you think my chances are?

Thanks for your time!

2

I also forgot to add that I took APUSH this year, and my school does not weight APs. If it did, I would have a 4.0

3

Honestly I think your ACT is fine, but I would work on the GPA

4

Georgetown is a high reach at this point. A 31 is at the 25th percentile and a 3.4 is extremely low for Georgetown. Your course list also doesn’t seem to be rigorous. Most colleges don’t use weighted GPAs, so whether your high school does or doesn’t won’t matter. The middle 50% for ACT is a 31-34, so you will need around a 34 or higher since your GPA is low.

With that being said, you have good EC’s and admissions is holistic. It will be difficult but it’s not impossible. Write a stellar essay and apply ED if you can afford it. Also apply to more match schools

5

This year I am taking AP Spanish, AP lit, and APUSH. That isn’t rigorous?

6

I am working on GPA. This year’s is a 3.6, which, at my school, is difficult to achieve and in the top quarter.

7

hotchkiss50,

Some observations and advice:

  1. You are correct: it is much more difficult to make good grades at a top prep school such as Hotchkiss than at a typical public high school.
  2. In my experience, many elite prep schools in New England do not emphasize AP courses because their basic curriculum in advanced courses often exceeds AP standards.
  3. Al other things being equal, a student in the top quartile with three AP courses at Hotchkiss may be comparable to an outstanding student with seven AP courses at a typical public school. Nevertheless, there is greater competition for college admission at Hotchkiss than there is at a typical high school.
  4. Like almost all top-20 colleges, Georgetown is typically a reach for even excellent applicants.
  5. Focus on things within your control such as:

    A. studying for the ACT by taking practice tests on a timed basis that duplicates actual test-day conditions,
    B. continuing your upward grade trend by doing as well as you can on your senior-year fall term grades,

    C. cultivating good relationships with the faculty members who will write your recommendations,
    D. creating a balanced college list that includes safeties, matches, and reaches with your counselor, and
    E. writing exemplary college essays this summer (the Georgetown application, I believe, becomes available
    in June.)

  6. Congrats on your NSLI-Y acceptance.  That’s a wonderful, highly competitive, and very prestigious program.  Given your evident strength in foreign languages, you may wish to apply as a proposed language major in the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics at Georgetown.

Good luck!

1 Like
8

Thank you very much!

9

I’m sure you know that the college placement at Hotchkiss is excellent, and the school carries prestige due to the course rigor. The best source of odds for you is to look at the Naviance data from your school. Your gc can also tell you if students from Hotchkiss have been accepted with stats similar to yours.