HELP! '21! FIRST CHOICE

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgetown University
1

Hello… After thinking about it since my freshman year, I know Georgetown is the place for me. I stay in DC three times a year, know the area like my home now, and have visited the university multiple times to confirm my seriousness about it. So, that being said… These are my stats. I will apply to the college for humanities and double major in theatre… What are my chances and how can I improve? Plan to write my Gtown essay about John Carolls message of educating both mind and spirit and being a woman for others, etc. I have done my research, and this is my top choice by far.

Stats:

Hello! I am going into my junior year at a private, top-ranked, exclusive Catholic prep school in New Jersey. here are some stats about me:

White female
freshman GPA- 3.53 UW / 3.68 W
sophomore GPA - 3.701 UW / 3.923 W
junior year GPA (should be): 3.85 UWW / 4.1 W (about)

****On Naviance it has just my weighted GPA as a 4.22 and counselors say that is correct.

SATs (I plan on submitting ACTs, though. I know Gtown wants all sittings, but only require one of the two.)
1st time: 1790
2nd time: 1810
3rd time: 1920
Super score: 1940

ACTs:
1st time: 30(.25)
2nd time: hope to get between 31; 32 is the goal

SAT IIs:
Am taking Biology, History, Math and Literature. Might retake one or two of them… is that too much?

Every two years or so, 2-4 kids from my school get into Ivies or Gtown/Duke/Notre.

Also keep in mind something that ‘sets me apart’ - I am a performer and take vocal, piano and ballet lessons weekly and have been in professional theatre with broadway stars and have performed in Philadelphia at the Kimmel Center. I also sing opera; hence I will continue this in college.

My school doesn’t rank. And AP and honors count as the same level class and my school isn’t very generous with weighted GPAs. Science also counts for way more credits so a B in that can cost you lots, while history is the smallest. You can only take AP starting junior year, and some classes are just honors level at their highest. I usually take 1 (math) non honors class; my freshman year I had 2 honors and 2 regular.

Freshman Yr: Honors English and History
Sophomore Yr: Honors English, History and Geometry
Junior Yr: Honors English, AP History, AP Biology

ECs:
(and grades doing them) (NOT ALL FIT ON MY COMMON APP, THOSE THAT ARE ARE STARRED)

Drama (10, 11, 12) ***
Friends of Rachel (9, 10, 11, 12) (Club Leader) ****
Student Council (10, if elected then 12 too)
Book club (9-12)
Mock Trial (9,10, 11, 12) (President) ***
Newspaper/Blog Club (Editor in Chief) ***
Singing/Opera Lessons *(w/drama)
Piano Lessons ^
Ballet Lessons ^
Basketball (9, just wanted to make friends etc)

Leadership:

DSW Part-time sales associate ***
Teen Vogue Magazine Mean Stinks National Anti-Bullying Ambassador ***
NJ Association of Student Councils LTC delegate 2014 & 2015
Friends of Rachel Club Leader ***
Student council senator (only elected in 10th, very competitive)
Alicia Rose Teen Committee supporting Teens with Cancer
CCD teacher (10th)
Newspaper Editor ***
Mock Trial Club President ***
Ronald McDonald House Volunteer **

Also picked out of pool and after interview to go on a school service trip to rebuild houses in New Orleans after Katrina. It is a competitive process and we live among the people for a week this June.

My school requires service that increases in hours by grade, freshmen 2hr a quarter around the school, sophomores 4hrs/quarter in your place of worship, juniors must do 6 hrs a quarter (4 times) in groups for their community. Seniors 1.5hrs a week volunteering for human good.

I also sponsor a child with my own money who lives impoverished in Brazil and donate to the Catholic House of Charity.

I will add anymore I think of. I have no legacy and do not qualify for financial aid. I have emailed my admissions counselor to express general interest and my father is very good friends with a family of all Gtown alumni, one is on their alumni board and is writing me a recommendation. My teacher recommendations will be from my Honors English III teacher (should be great) and AP Biology ( should be good too)

Making a huge emphasis, again, in my app about Jesuit values and their founders mission and school mottos.

THANK YOU FOR ALL INPUT!!!

2

Fellow vocal performer here! It sounds like you are off to an excellent start! One thing that you can do to really increase your chances is to try to get your reading and math combined SAT above 1350. It may be already, I do not know. Also, your experiences with Katrina and your other charity work REALLY piqued my interest! If you’re struggling with what to write your essay about, that could be a great starting point!

Have you decided which undergraduate school you’ll be applying to?

3

Awesome! Thank you for your advice and input! I might take the new SAT to definitely raise my score… but what about a 30 and retaking for a 32? Is that reasonable? I know they want all test scores but I am hoping they mean all scores for just one of the test types (ACT or SAT). And thanks for interest in Katrina! I am excited; it’s in June. I really wanted to do something that would stand out and plan to base my supplemental essays on Jesuit ideals, John Caroll, service w Katrina, etc. I will be applying to GC most likely! (The College) are you a student there??? Any other advice?? Thank you!!!

4

I am not a current student, I’ve been waitlisted from the class of 2020. (Wish me luck!)
As for scores, I can see why two points may seem menial, but it is better to be safe than sorry. If your scores are solid, it will be hard for the school to fault you. Among all those qualified applicants it is better to have the highest score possible. I also think that the undergraduate school you choose can have a big impact on your decision. I feel that each school looks for very different things. Based on the very little I know about you, the College seems a good fit. So does SFS.

5

Congratulations on the wait list! That is a feat in itself! Praying that you get in(: . Thank you for the input-- so should I stay with the 30? I was so close to a 31, but I don’t want to go down either. I don’t want them to think I was satisfied with a 30 but also don’t want them to see me go down.

As for application, if you don’t mind me asking, where your scores or grades comparable to mine at all? What was you essay about? And, where are you from? I am in NJ so I know that counts against me in a way- so many NJ applicants!! Thank you for your input once again I am so grateful!!

6

To figure out scores, I would start by looking at Prepscholar. http://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/Georgetown-admission-requirements

Your ACT is between their 25th and 50th percentile score. To me, it might be worth taking again, but only if you’re confident that you can score higher than before. If you’re willing to dedicate several weeks to test prep, I’d say go for it.

I don’t mind sharing my stats at all :slight_smile:
My SAT was a 2020, but Georgetown doesn’t consider writing, so a 1350. That is a little above their 25th percentile, but below the average.
I am an AZ applicant that applied to the school of foreign service. I have no idea if that fact had any impact on my application. I know that there are some amazing Catholic Private schools the state, so if those kids wanted Georgetown, I had some tough competition.
My GPA is a 3.96/4.63. I took 10 AP classes over four years. (I would have taken more were it not for choir!)
I wrote my personal essay about my love for singing and writing, and how it helped me overcome a rare genetic joint disorder
I wrote my SFS essay about child soldiers in Sudan, which is a topic I could ramble for HOURS about. The use of child soldiers in a civil war is a detriment to the country’s future. The physical and mental impact on those kids will take generations to cease affecting Sudanese society. (My essay, though, was more focused on stopping the practice, not the long term effects). The best advice I can give you is to write from your heart. If you are genuine and sincere, they will be able to tell.

In all, I would compare your ACT to my SAT. I don’t think it’s fair to compare grades because I imagine your school is significantly more difficult than my public school. You do show an upward trend, however, which is what many schools are looking for. Overall, it’s a good GPA trend to have.

One thing that I can say with certainty is this: If Georgetown is your number one choice, make that clear in your application, or write a letter to the admissions counselor from your region and tell them that. If you plan to matriculate to Georgetown regardless of offers from other schools, tell them.

And, just out of curiosity, what part do you sing?

7

Again, THANK YOU for the info! Yes, you also have amazing stats. :slight_smile: i took the sat three times, highest superscore is 1230… SO LOW. 1940 super scored in all. That is why I took the act- they want all scores though… So won’t it hurt me significantly when they see my sat scores? And yes… My dad knows a man who’s son and granddaughter went/go to Georgetown and I think he is still involved with the school. I am meeting with him and he offered to write me a letter of recommendation. Your personal essay sounds wonderful- way to tie in your personal struggle to your love for music. Inspiring! I am a mezzo by range, soprano by tone- by my voice teacher and choir teacher joke all the time because choir teacher thinks I’m a super high soprano! lol :slight_smile: THANK YOU AGAIN! I hope the wait list turns out well for you by the way :slight_smile:

8

Thank you, and good luck to you too! I don’t know if the lower scores will hurt, but the fact that you’ve improved each time you’ve tested is good. An alumn rec is also something my app lacked. I only did teacher/ counselor. If you know someone very involved with the school, I imagine that can only be to your benefit. Kudos, by the way, for thinking so far in advance! That is also an important leg up you’ll have later on. Though this isn’t application advice specifically, if you can arrange a personal tour or interview with your regional admissions counselor in one of the following summers, it would be a great way to let them know you’re committed and also stick out in their memory.

Someone posted this on another thread here. The bottom of the very last page will tell you which admissions counselor is yours. https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fgeorgetown.app.box.com%2Fs%2Fxani81o0z2iq0anudhge

9

Thanks! Yes, I emailed my counselor to express interest but turns out she has relocated overseas and so I had to get in touch with my new one. It’s been a few days and she has not answered- but I’m sure there are many students emailing like I am. Did you do that thing where you can do an artistic supplement if you think it’ll help you application? Saw it under the theatre major tab Somewhere on their website I believe. And so do you think they’ll just rely on my act scores then?

Yes… Doing the best I can to keep in touch with the alum and also excited for my interview as I consider myself a people person. (Let’s hope it stays that way!)

I’ve visited formally twice and have been up there informally 10 times at least! So, that being said, my parents are a little tired of DC and probably won’t stick for another visit this summer. I’ll do what I can though!

So you know anyone who got in and advice they have? You seem like a very solid candidate and I wish you the best. Thank you for all your help, I am immensely grateful!

10

What other schools did you apply to by the way? You must have had a very successful application process :slight_smile:

11

I actually applied to a lot of schools. My state honors college, six Ivies, three Ivy equivalents and one slightly lesser caliber school. (I consider Georgetown and Ivy equivalent by the way!) I came away with four acceptances and one waitlist spot.

After a lot of careful pondering, I decided that Georgetown was the place for me. In terms of international academic quality, it is unmatched. I am a SERIOUS history nerd, so I love Georgetown’s historical connections and being in the epicenter of America. Georgetown transitions perfectly into my political business aspirations as well. ( I could go on for HOURS about these two points, especially how much I love history and thus Georgetown). Although I have some academically equivalent schools to choose from, I would pick Georgetown in a heartbeat. The competitiveness, SFS and core values are perfect for me. Also, the students are REALLY nice. Almost ridiculously so.

12

Congratulations on those accpetances! You must be thrilled the process is over though! Yes, the gtown students are incredibly kind and I can see why DC is perfect for you. Did you also submit an artistic supplement to help your application? I think they say to do so if it’ll help but not sure!

13

I opted not to because I do not intend to major in music. If you plan to either major or minor in some sort of musical field, it may be worth doing.

14

Great. Thanks again for the support. Keep me updated on your application status! Best wishes.

15

1900 is too low but a 32-33 wouldn’t be. Keep working on ACT or try to get 1300+ on new SAT

16

I am not planning on doing New sat unless I do in September. If i get my act score up, will the 1940 override that though and make me look bad?

17

You seem to have a better time with the ACT, but the SAT guessing penalty is now gone. Maybe take a few practice tests and see which you do better on. I think they will you consider your overall highest score with the most weight. It’s probably better not to worry too much about your low SAT because you can’t change it.