<p>Alright, so I recently visited Dartmouth and fell in love with the campus. The brick architecture is beautiful, and I love the mountain campus (I'm a big skier and hiker). I also seemed to fit in really well with the people, and the Dartmouth Outing Club sounded great. The Dartmouth Plan gives me the flexibility I want while offering me the oppurtunity to study abroad. Hell, the food was great and green is even my favorite color! In short, Dartmouth seemed to be the perfect school for me... the size, the location, the undergrad focus... but the one problem is that it is Dartmouth, and that it is extremely selective. My scores/grades/ECs aren't bad, but they don't make me stand out either (2140 SAT, 3.81 GPA with all honors and AP classes, 12/324 rank, captain of 3 varsity sports, 700+ volunteer hours, etc.). I plan on retaking the SAT (I have 800 Math, but I want 700 CR/W), but what else should I do? Does anyone have any tips? I hope to write an essay that will make me stand out, and I know ED can really help, but what else do you suggest I do? I guess I just love Dartmouth, and I want to do everything I can to get accepted... its just such a selective process. Thanks for helping me through this stressful period.
-Mike</p>
<p>Also, I’m an unhooked caucasion from a Boston suburb. So no help there…</p>
<p>Captain of 3 varsity sports isn’t average – that’s actually quite impressive, even for a Dartmouth applicant. </p>
<p>Write genuine, down-to-earth essays. Score as well as you can on the SAT. Apply ED. Pray.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, DartmouthForever. I’m just wondering, will it hurt me if I’m not part of any after school clubs? Most people seem to be a member of at least half a dozen of them, yet with sports all three seasons I’ve never found the time (they start right after school and run until about 5 every day).</p>
<p>^Quality over quantity. If you play three high school sports, it is perfectly understandable that you wouldn’t have any time for clubs.</p>
<p>Higher test scores, including subject tests. Super essays. Call a coach (are you good enough to be recruited?). ED can be a small plus.</p>
<p>btw: Your 750 Math 1 score is fine for any college other than Engineering types. But if you are considering Engineering, you should also consider ED to Cornell.</p>
<p>Wow! Captain of three varsity sports?! That’s impressive! If you are a recruited athlete, then your chances are really good! :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the positive words, guys. Right now, I plan on 1) retaking the SATs and getting at least a 700 for CR/W (for 2200 composite), 2) replacing my Math I with an 800 on Math II (hopefully), 3) writing a fantastic essay, and 4) applying ED. It’s just frusterating that my number one choice is so selective :P. Thankfully, there are some other schools I like almost as much as Dartmouth that I should be able to get into if Dartmouth says no.</p>
<p>PS (@ bluebayou): How did you know I got a 750 on Math I?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Explanation 1: bluebayou is a baller.</p>
<p>Explanation 2: You wrote it in a chance thread for BC.</p>
<p>OK… for the dumb and ignorant parent… what is a “baller?”</p>
<p>baller = badass more or less</p>
<p>Thanks for that explanation Hak! I get it now.</p>
<p>You may want to get a tutor to work with you on CR. My son is currently doing that (it was his decision and he is paying for it with his own money). He got an 800 on math and a 760 on writing but only a 660 on critical reading. It was not terribly expensive (maybe $220 or so) and it seems to be helping, although we won’t know for sure until he re-takes his test. Your EC’s look great. I think Boston College would be an ideal alternative if you don’t get into Dartmouth-- your present scores hold up just fine there.</p>
<p>Good initiative on your son’s part. I took a Kaplan class… but took the SATs about a month after the class ended. Unfortunately, I took them in June (around the time I was taking my finals) and didn’t get to review as much as I wanted. Thankfully, I still have my “Raise Your Score Even More” book, and I plan on doing just that this October. And yes, bluebayou is a baller.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about clubs: my S was a 3-season athlete and a musician who played in the regional youth symphony, and didn’t belong to a single club at the HS. He did have some other school-related ECs, but no clubs. And he certainly wasn’t the captain of any team, much less three! 
In my experience, H & Y are more into the intense look-at-me-I’m so-special BMOC kind of kid than D.</p>
<p>Working to raise your CR is a very wise move, because it looks like the only major weakness on your application. Ditto working hard on a strong essay. My advice is to think hard about WHAT to write about. Try to drill down to something that is genuinely and deeply meaningful to you, preferably a very specific experience related to that thing.</p>
<p>Re SATIIs, they will be looking at your top two scores. Taking Math II when you already have a good score on Math I is not a good idea if it means that they will end up looking just at two math scores. Especially since you have an 800 M. Your math skills are not in doubt. Your critical reading/writing skills may be. It would IMHO be better to work on getting a 750+ in another subject. </p>
<p>If there is any possibility that you could be recruited for one of your sports, that’s the golden ticket. In any case, if you really want D, ED is a good idea for you.</p>