i feel really awkward posting this, but...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
1

<p>would anyone like to help me out and tell me if you think i've got a chance at smith? i'm positive that i'm going to apply early decision. i've spoken with admissions officers and made it clear that it's my first choice, and i absolutely love the campus. </p>

<p>anyway...here are some of the basics:</p>

<p>GPA: unsure, but my guidance counselor thinks it's about 4.27 weighted.</p>

<p>PSAT: 210 (800/W, 710/CR, 590/M) i know it's quite low but i'm hoping i scored higher on my SAT.</p>

<p>SAT: i took it this past weekend and i felt like it went well. i'm taking the ACT next month and i've been doing pretty well on practice tests (32-34ish)</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:</p>

<ul>
<li>Internship at a prestigious lawfirm in new york city</li>
<li>Volunteer at library, teaching adults with reading difficulty</li>
<li>Stage crew (both in and out of school since 8th grade)</li>
<li>Violin (not in school but i've been playing since 2nd grade, it's very important to me)</li>
<li>Human Relations club member (i've done a lotttt of volunteer work and i love it)</li>
<li>Writing mentor/mentee program </li>
<li>Teen advocate at planned parenthood</li>
<li>Feminist club, racial integration club (my school is particularly racially segregated...it's weird), organizer of my school's fashion show (the money goes to charity and it's a lot of fun).</li>
<li>summer secondary students' program at harvard</li>
<li>Science honors society</li>
<li>Applied to the English honors society and hopefully got in</li>
</ul>

<p>i've taken only one AP course (my old school didn't offer them) which was APUSH and i got a 5 on the exam sophomore year. right now i'm taking AP bio, AP government, and AP spanish lit and i'm doing pretty well in all of them. all my other classes are honors courses. i'm planning on taking 6 more APs next year (environmental, calc AB, physics B or C, econ, psych, and english). </p>

<p>i also was invited to apply for the national honor society but i'm not sure if i'll apply because i barely have any strong in-school extra curriculars. i'm new at my school and i've found it hard to be in clubs, go to my jobs AND maintain my decent GPA. anyway, i'm really worried that i won't get into smith, particularly because one of my friends (at my school) is also applying early decision to smith and we both have relatively similar credentials (as far as i know) although some of her ECs and leadership positions really stand out. and i have no leadership positions.</p>

<p>oh, and i plan to double-major in history and government.</p>

<p>wow, sorry for writing so much. but i'd really appreciate if someone would help me out! thanks :)</p>

2

<p>I can't imagine why they wouldn't accept you ED. (By the way, don't worry about the SAT score - Smith has radically de-emphasized its use. What they want is what they tell you they want: "Heady, nervy, intellectually exciting.")</p>

<p>Good luck to you! My d. is just graduating, and all I can say is that she has received an extraordinary education.</p>

3

<p>seriously? thanks so much, that completely made my day (despite the fact that it's only 22 minutes into today). </p>

<p>:)</p>

4

<p>I agree with mini. However, since you still have some time, how about picking one or two ECs and making them into something you could be passionate about? This will help you for ANY college.</p>

5

<p>i actually realized that some of the things i do in my spare time (literary magazine and some volunteer work for another club) count as ECs, i think. but, yeah, thanks. does it make any difference that my friend is also applying early decision? we're pretty similar academically...is there a possibility/good chance that we'll both get in?</p>

6

<p>It's possible, it's hard to say for sure. The ED pool is smaller because it's so self selecting, so it will depend on whatever the admissions officers think and how your applications measure up to the rest of the group. </p>

<p>I'd say you and your friend definitely fit the profile, but you should know that there aren't any garauntees in this game, and a lot factors can play a role. You're both qualified certainly, but you won't know until it's over (not to add an element of stress). </p>

<p>Your SAT is no big deal though. They took me, and i don't think my math score even broke 600. </p>

<p>And while I hate to disagree with LiT, I think you should stick with your range of EC's. You should explore everyhting in high school that makes you happy, don't worry about if you're doing too much or too little. If you like volunteering, doing literary magazine, etc. etc. I think that can only show that you have diverse interests and good time management skills. Of course, at the top of your resume you should put hte clubs you hold leadership positions in, and if you don't hold any currently, maybe think about running for one next year. But really, as long as your school work doesn't suffer, go to town. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

7

<p>Oh, also I should say that you won't be penalized for only taking one AP sophomore year if your school didn't offer them, the admissions office should know that about your high school already, or be able to find out. and you're clearly making up for it now!</p>

8

<p>thanks for replying! anyway, my guidance counselor actually has to explain several things in his recommendation (which he told me will be very strong) because i transferred from a strict private school with different/confusing grading policies (which is why my GPA may seem low...technically, it's around 4.7 if they don't include my grades from freshman year at private school, which they may not). it was a really difficult transition, and coupled with some problems that occurred sophomore year, it really wasn't much fun.</p>

<p>my guidance counselor actually said that smith would be a good match for me, and he's usually really negative, so i was surprised. also, not many people from my school apply to smith. actually, no one has in two years, and the one girl who applied then got accepted ED. my high school is relatively small and i'm almost positive that my friend and i are the only two people applying ED.</p>

<p>i'm so worried, haha.</p>