<p>Hi all,
So I am not gonna write out all my crap but i will give you the essentials
White upper middle class male from Arizona</p>
<p>very good ecs:
president of book club and literary magazine
captain of hockey team
have a job
over 800 hours community service
NHS and Spanish Honor Society
In Student Government
ib diploma candidate
lots of other cool stuff that is smaller</p>
<p>sats:
2200 on normal one
710 math iic
700 literature
660 chem</p>
<p>grades (the bad part):
gpa: uw 3.45 w 4.2
rank 14%</p>
<p>what are my chances ED?</p>
<p>would it be more beneficial to wait till RD and get really good grades first semester? </p>
<p>isehockey:
This year a LOT of kids with similar or higher stats than yours were waitlisted. (Of course they didn't get in...) So, just make sure you have some safeties lined up. I don't know if you'd fare better ED. They don't give out much int he way of scholarships though, so with ED you'd have to think about the cost before applying.</p>
<p>Actually, one of your biggest advantages is being from Arizona. That will make you stand out. Bucknell is always trying to widen its appeal and there is a special admissions office person for the western region. I would really try to get to a regional interview if they come to your area. We drove our son up to Houston because we live in "nowheresville" Texas. ;)</p>
<p>I would not worry about the stats of the waitlisted people as there is never an apparent reason to us (parents and students) for why one student gets in and another doesn't. We'd have to be sitting at that admissions table to really know. Just make sure you turn in a good, well written application. </p>
<p>Because Bucknell's admit rate is declining each year, even if you are a statistical match it may still not work out, so yes, as advised above, make sure you apply to some schools that have higher admit rates. You may also want to investigate similar schools in that region: Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh are all in the same Patriot League. Also Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, Muehlenburg, and Gettysburg attract similar applicants. PA is just filled with small LACs. </p>
<p>Are you interested in engineering or liberal arts?</p>
<p>Liberal arts.... I plan to double major in international relations and economics or business. I think that my original post is a little overly modest in the ecs. I have done a ton of leadership stuff that were one time things such as attended a leadership and diversity camp which I ended up being a student representative on the steering committee for as elected by my peers . I was asked to be a counselor there next year as well. I have won various leadership awards for everything I have done like the nationl youth salute rotary club award. This is just one example of things I have done and am pretty confident I stand out tremendously as a natural leader. I know that these facts do not completely cancel out my gpa but it helps a bit I believe.</p>
<p>Yes, you were definitely modest about your ecs! This is why a "what are my chances" is so hard to answer. Ecs are just one facet of the application, and you have some nice ones. Your GPA isn't awful, either, particularly since you are in an IB program which is more rigorous than just regular high school classes. An upward trend in grades is also beneficial.</p>
<p>The reason I asked about your major is that some of the PA LACs have engineering, and some do not. Bucknell has both. My son is a poli sci/philo major.</p>
<p>I missed your earlier ED v RD question. The students who should apply ED are the students that are willing forgo any sort of compare and contrast come April. If Bucknell (or any other school) is such a clear front runner that you will not mind withdrawing your other applications, and you are willing to take whatever financial aid they give you (they do meet 100% need) then go ahead. If you need to wait and see, then non-binding EA or rolling schools would be better for an early answer. I believe Bucknell is binding ED. </p>
<p>Another suggestion...go to the Bucknell website and look up both the Western Regional Director and some of the faculty in your desired major --and shoot them an email. Particularly the Western Regional Director. They will be able to answer in more detail, and perhaps you can set up an appointment for when the regional sessions are held somewhere near your home.</p>
<p>doogie: I only know the others' stats from what I read on here, which I presume is some sort of a sample. There was quite an outcry (as you can imagine!). Also, from my kid's high school there were several kids who applied, with varying results (see previous threads). But that's it.</p>
<p>hello isehockey15-I have heard the most interesting admissions this year and waitlist stories. </p>
<p>For instance, same private Prep school in NJ, a 1200 + SAT accepted ED, and then a 1500 SAT, Pres of class waitlisted in RD, probably because Bucknell knew it was NOT his first choice.</p>
<p>Heard about another 1470 SAT waitlisted in RD. So if you know it is Bucknell for sure, why not optimize your chances with ED???</p>
<p>Your 2200 ( new SAT) is great, in upper 25% I would think, and a 15% class rank, isn't so bad. You are a well rounded ( shhhhhhh, I know that isn't the buzz word these days) showing sports and excellent leadership experience. </p>
<p>As Texastaximom said, and she DOES KNOW BEST, being from ARIZONA is a BIG advantage. </p>
<p>But, you should really try to visit if you can!</p>
<p>You give me way too much credit SJCmom....but I do know a little about the geographical diversity advantage. </p>
<p>Both of my kids applied to schools where our region is under represented. I think some of the waitlist/reject from NJ schools is because a lot of kids from NJ, OH, NY and PA (naturally) apply to Bucknell. Bucknell enrolled only 8 from Texas my son's year, and there are about 25 Texans in all four classes. There are only 2 of those 25 from South Texas. I would imagine Arizona would be similar, probably even fewer. </p>
<p>As for the 1500 reject, there could be a lot of things that led to that decision. Using Bucknell as a safety, particularly if that came across in the application, could be one. There could have been something on the application that was unfavorable: Bad teacher rec, lack of passion for ECs, poor writing....the smaller schools have the ability to look beyond the SAT score. Like I posted before, unless we could sit at the admission's table we really don't know the whole story.</p>
<p>I absolutely agree with SJCmom that you should go visit the campus. That is what influenced my son's decision the most.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice, I am actually going to be doing a college trip during fall break and Bucknell is on the list of places to see. Additionally, I contacted my regional representative and was the first student to schedule an interview with him in all of Arizona, yay!</p>
<p>I just want to clarify something...if you apply ED and get in that does not mean you will get less financial aid than if you applied RD. Admissions does the applications then they send your financial forms to the financial aid office and they use state numbers to determine need. It is need based so please do not think you won't get as much money if you did ED.</p>
<p>Ah yes...but each school calculates your need differently, and each school meets your need differently. If you apply ED, you do not get the chance to compare. One school may give you a preferential aid package with mostly grants, another may choose to meet your need with mostly loans. Both "meet" your need. </p>
<p>As an example, this year my second child applied to eight schools. 7 of those "meet 100% need of 100% of their students." The eighth school had the most ridiculous package, with my son graduating with over 40K in loans, and my husband and I with another 60K in loans. (We will have two in college, and still have two more to go) Good thing he did not go ED there! </p>
<p>Of the remaining seven, his grants ranged from 25K per year to 17K per year; our family share shifted between 8K and 12K; or in other terms his "free money %" in his aid package was anywhere from 83% to 56%. The difference can be several thousand dollars per year. While that won't necessarily be a deal breaker between a school you love and school that you like, it can make a difference if you have several schools that you would be equally willing to attend. Remember, the difference compounds each year, so a a school that is 5K per year cheaper is really 20K cheaper. That's a lot of loan to repay.</p>
<p>click the bottom link to the PDF extended profile for class of 2008. (2009 extended isn't up yet) It shows the number of kids by regions, and sometimes by state if the population is large enough. The reason I know how many Texans is because they sent us a roster of just Texans after we attended the Bison Gathering for incoming freshmen in our area.</p>
<p>Just about every state is under-represented at Bucknell, except NJ, NY, CT and MA. Surprisingly, only about 20% of the students are from PA. Very heavy East Coast population and influence.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better, I got in, and will be going, and Bucknell was a modest reach for me. here are my stats:</p>
<p>3.3ish gpa, however it was on a very steady incline (several C's and even one D freshman year to A's with only 2 B's junior year to eventually straight A's [if you count a B+ in an AP as an A-] senior year at a very competative Prep school)</p>
<p>650 M
760 V SAT's</p>
<p>EC's
Varsity softball 3 years
Advanced photography/photo club
horseback riding
summer work experience
80 hours community service (min needed to graduate)</p>
<p>And that was really it... I know I had amazing reccomendations, and an excellent essay, and did some cool summer things, but I'm not AMAZING, so you should be able to get in. keep in mind that your recs and essay mean a lot.</p>
<p>I'm also a girl from CA, two slight minorities, so I'm sure that helped me too.</p>