Georgetown SFS, ivies and top schools

<p>I know, EVERYONE's applying to these schools. Humor me and chance please.</p>

<p>Gender: Female
Race: Middle-eastern
Location: Southern California
School: small private school
Rank: top 10%
SAT: 700 CR 660 M 700 W (retaken because was sick day I took it the first time so hopefully it's gone up)</p>

<p>SAT II: World History- 730, taking Lit, Spanish, Math IIC in Nov
ACT: 33 (retaking)
GPA: 3.7 UW 4.36 W
AP: AP Lang- 5, AP WH- 5, APUSH-5</p>

<p>NMSF, AP Scholar, High Gold Honors, Excellence in English, World History, Spanish, Biology, Scholarship Recipient</p>

<p>EC:
--interned at prestigious non-profit- co-authored pamphlet, formed partnership with Amnesty International in NYC to develop humanitarian curriculum for high schools, developed an online fundraising tool for building hospitals in 5 Latin American countries that raised around 5,000 during the summer and to date has raised around 10,000, helped launch media campaign and much more
- Founded my own non-profit that has reached 13 different countries and over 1,000 youth
interviewed on tv, radio, front page feature on newspaper, magazines, and internet websites/blogs,etc.
--received over 5,000 in grants and sponserships with many prestigous organizations and corporations
--shot a documentary of life of prostitutes in Ghana and their children; worked with children and women in skill-development workshops focusing on self-improvement and confidence
-created web portal to link students in the Western world to those in third-world countries
-created and leading a number of programs within non-profit- centers around advocacy and direct philanthropy and involving a large number of students from around the world in assisting/leading the various projects
-raised over 26,000 dollars for the non-profit to support villages and schools around the world--built libraries and funded the development of many programs, micro-lending for many communities- basically outreach on a grassroots level to areas like Tanzania, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Kurdistan, Ghana, Somalia, Honduras,etc.
--Political activism: letter campaigns, marches/protests outside the lobbied with house of rep representatives, senators, aides on behalf of cruelties and violence in Burma, Congo and Darfur and on poverty and education
---led a number of campaigns at school as part of social justice committee( head chair of the committee) that raised to date over 4,000 dollars--advocacy campaigns--things like numerous food, book drives, drives for wheelchairs/eyeglasses, connected local high schools in major fundraising night, a benefit concert featuring local artists and bands, numerous simulations on issues like women and children, genocide, hunger, slavery, education,etc.
--developed a monthly gathering for the muslim community and others who wanted to join- essentially, a monthly forum to discuss important themes in the muslim world, important issues, to foster dialogue and communication, and also a fun get together with potlucks, and other organized activities
--fluent/learning 5 languages- Arabic, Spanish, Korean, Hindi, Latin
--President of Amnesty International, Head of Urgent Action Committee
--involved at an executive level in Students Against Destructive Decisions and Interact
--over 400 hours in service at homeless shelters, clean-up days,etc.
--paid tutor for socio-economically disadvantaged inner city kids
--NHS, CSF, Spanish Honor Society </p>

<ul>
<li>Now, to explain my really low GPA. Essentially, I've had straight A's my entire life; I'm a hard working student but I also, like most of you guys, love to learn. I have taken, in context of my school, the most rigorous course level- definitely not as rigorous as many of you guys and I could have taken more AP's but it does satisfy that decile. My second semester of my junior year, I was sexually assaulted. I let myself go, spiralled into depression, and my grades plummeted to B's and C's. My saving grace was going to Ghana- working with the children and their mothers, who were prositutes, put my whole life, and what had happened to me, in a new perspective. Really, just being in another country, in really another world let me reflect on the past year. I may not be the smartest person, or able to stand up to challenges the way that I would like to, but I am a passionate person. And while I was stuck in my mire of self-ambivalence, I had lost sight of my passions- all the things I had worked so hard for, had pleaded for, had fought for! My non-profit, my activism, everything. I must have had one thread holding everything together because the assault was really the catalyst for my breakdown. I can not describe in words, in person what happened, how I was just stuck and it was the worst feeling the world. And going to Ghana was therapeutical- it sparked me back to fight for these people. The women who I worked with had no choice- they had to continue that line of occupation for the rest of their lives. But I could do whatever I wanted. So I came back, am in counseling, and the fighter is back! I've already started working on sexual exploitation campaigns, have straight A's and now, my primary focus is myself but, also, like all of you guys, the dreaded college applications. So, one of my other concerns is I know I have a low GPA( all due to one semester) so while it will improve with my senior year grades, should I write a letter/ or explain in an essay to college admissions officers my circumstance or what happened to me?</li>
</ul>

<p>TEACHER RECS: one from my spanish teacher, another from my history teacher
--I'm concerned as well about these recs. Basically, from my above explanation, I was a mess second semester. So, my reccomendations will not be strong because the teachers really have no idea what happened; they may believe that I was uninterested in school.</p>

<p>SCHOOLS( this list does not include my safeties because two of my safeties are guaranteed ins- students with 1.0s get in- so I'm essentially guaranteed admissions. This is not to sound cocky- our teachers even tell us to discount those schools as far as admissions notices.</p>

<p>1.Georgetown SFS- my dream school, I love too much about this school it would take me hours to describe how much I am in love with this school
2. UPENN
3.Columbia
4.Duke
5. Yale
6.USC
7. Cornell
8.Dartmouth
9 UCLA
10. UC San Diego
11. UC Santa Barbara
12. UC Davis
13 UC Berkeley
14UC Irvine</p>

<p>PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!</p>

<p>Write the commonapp essay on that and Ghana. 3.7 GPA uw is relatively low for the ivies but not too, too low for Georgetown. If you can write a good essay about the rape and explain the grades, you should be fine. I feel you need to be most concerned about SAT; you need to get those up.</p>

<p>Excellent chances at all!</p>

<p>Anybody? Please? Can anyone give me suggestions on what I could do to improve my application? Please?!</p>

<p>Please please please help!!!! Bump! :]]</p>

<p>You will probably be admitted to all the UCs. I think that you face an uphill battle at the other schools as your anxieties are reflected in your writing.
And your teacher recs may allude to a stressed out/anxiety laden individual. It may simply be an issue of maturity.
Of the eight non-UC schools on your list, Dartmouth College may offer the best low stress environment.</p>

<p>Please bump!!!</p>

<p>Oh come on guys, please!? Stressing out like major!</p>

<p>Can you get your guidance counselor to write something about your emotional state and why you were struggling academically?</p>

<p>Wow, you have a dream resume for the SFS school, my only concern with your transcript would be SAT, but I think your work abroad should negate that. You're a shoe-in for all the UC schools and I'd be feeling good about everything else, including Georgetown.</p>

<p>Your resume is outstanding, simply unbelievable. I'd be shocked if you didn't get into Georgetown.</p>

<p>Make a sob story about your rape.</p>

<p>a 3.7 UW isn't nearly as bad as you think. You have to think about the context. If you go to a school that is extremely competitive, a lower UW GPA is expected. Think of the kids in texas, oklahoma, etc (no offense), but their public schools are inferior to those in NE, so they may have a 4.0 GPA UW, but if they were at a competitive school it may translate to a 3.2. Your GPA is fine, don't stress about it. Honestly just get your SAT scores up a bit (which it sounds like you have) and you should get in at Georgetown! :)</p>

<p>My post #6 may have been a bit too strongly worded. I encourage you to consider my first impression contained in my post above when writing application essays. I think that many of the schools to which you are applying will have substantial interest, but all are highly selective & competitive regarding admissions so it is important to avoid giving admissions committees an easy reason to deny your application despite the tremendous strength, courage, energy & accomplishment that you have shown.
You offer an interesting background & world view. Your linguistic skills should interest Georgetown's SFS. Your organizational skills are incredible. Clearly you are highly intelligent. It is best to focus on positives, in my opinion. You have done a superb job of turning a very negative event into multiple positives for you & others. No excuses, just successes & examples of strength & determination & growth. I think that you should be admitted.</p>