I know Barnard is a super reach for me

Colleges and Universities A-Z Barnard College
1

<p>but do you ladies think I have any chance?</p>

<p>GPA: 3.6 (due to C+'s, B’s in honors math courses) all ap/honors offered I have taken except ap calc this year. </p>

<p>SAT: 760V, 570M, 650W-- 1330/1980</p>

<p>E.C.'s:</p>

<p>Education</p>

<p>Manor College: Annual Leadership Conference 2003-2005
Eugene Lang College: Annual Young Writer’s Conference 2004, 2005<br>
Princeton Library: Writer’s workshop by author Megan McCafferty 2005<br>
Loyola College: Classical Literary Translation
-Entered own translation from Cicero’s First Catilinarian Oration 2005
Pennsylvania Governor School of Excellence: Creative writing alternate 2005
Chestnut Hill College: Creating Writing Class, earned an “A” in the course summer 2004
Holy Family University: Creative Writing Class summer 2003 </p>

<p>Awards/ Achievements </p>

<p>Acceptance into Saint Basil Academy
Principal’s List: Honor Roll 9,10,11,12<br>
Saint Basil Academy Science Fair
2003-1st Place (Environmental Category); 2nd Place (Overall)<br>
2004-2nd Place (Zoology Category); 3rd Place (Overall)
2005-2st Place (Zoology Category); 2rd Place (Overall)
Pennsylvania Junior Academy Science Fair (Regional Level): 1st place: 2004, 2005; 3rd place: 2003
Pennsylvania Junior Academy Science Fair (State Level): 1st place 2004, 2005
Montgomery County Science Fair: 1st place: 2004, 2005; 2nd place: 2003
Delaware Valley Science Fair: 1st Place: 2004, 2005
Special Science Fair Awards:
Montgomery County Teachers’ Environmental Award 2003
Drexel University five-year partial scholarship 2005
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia four-year partial scholarship 2005
Pennsylvania State University (University Campus) four-year partial scholarship 2005<br>
American Society of Civil Engineers Award 2005
Fox Chase Cancer Society Achievement Award 2005
Fox Chase Cancer Society Zoology Award 2005
Montgomery County Science Teachers’ Association Award 2005
American Entomological Society Calvert Award (1st runner-up) 2005</p>

<p>Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference 2004<br>
Published Work: poem in Knock, Knock…Prayers by Young Adolescents 2003
Saint Martin of Tours CYO: Excellence in Fiction Award 2003
Philadelphia National Liberty Museum “World Peace Citizen” award 2003</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities</p>

<p>Basilian Pillar (school newspaper) 9, 10, 11- Reporter, Book Critic; 12 Editor-in-Chief 2005-2006
Laureate (school literary magazine) 10- contest winner; 11- Section Editor; 12- Editor 2005-2006
Basilianette (school yearbook) 9, 10- staff; 11- Junior Section Editor; 12- -Senior Section Editor 2005-2006
Student Council Officer 9- Representative; 10, 11, 12- Secretary<br>
Saint Basil Academy Book Club 10-developed; 11, 12-Founder and President<br>
Environmental Club 9-12; Elementary level science fair judge 11, 12<br>
SADD Club 9, 10, 11; 12-Board<br>
American Entomological Society- member 2004-present
Achillae Assumpta Academy science fair judge 2004-present
Community Service Corp: 9-member, 10, 11, 12- senator<br>
Saint Martin of Tours Parish C.Y.O. & High School Chapter 1997-present
St. Martin of Tours Parish CCD Special Education Teacher’s Aid 2002-2004
Red Cross Saturday Leaders of Tomorrow & Teen Peer Council 2002-present<br>
Saint Basil Academy Choir 9, 10; Bell Choir 11, 12<br>
Saint Basil Academy Art Club 9, 10, 11, 12<br>
Saint Basil Academy Tech Club 11, 12 -Developed/maintain Book Club webpage 2004-present
Operation Santa Claus 2002-present<br>
PETA Street Team 2002-present
K215 Poetry Slam 2004-present
“Dream it, Believe it, Lead it” Region F Conference 2004-2005</p>

<p>Volunteer Service</p>

<p>Teacher’s aid- St. Martin of Tours Parish 2003-2005
Philadelphia Food Bank 2003-present
Youth Ministry Program (Christmas charities volunteer) 2003-present </p>

<p>Neighborhood tutor summer 2004
Fox Chase Library with the Summer Reading Program 2004-2005
Operation Santa Claus 2003-present<br>
Allegheny Valley School- Christmas Gift Tree Collection<br>

  • A therapeutic program for Pennsylvania mentally challenged children & adults 2004-2005<br>
    Saint Christopher’s Parish Katrina Relief - Katrina victims donation worker October 2005<br>
    Saint Basil Academy Open House -student speaker on the English Department. 2004-2005</p>

<p>Work Experience</p>

<p>Babysitting 2003-present
Secretary - Mayday Boat Surveying Company 2005-present</p>

2

<p>please, anyone? Oh, and happy thanksgiving. ;-)</p>

3

<p>20 views and no comments, that makes me feel really bad about my chances. ah!</p>

4

<p>i don't think it's a "super reach"...
i think your involvements are great.</p>

<p>the only thing would be your gpa... and if you could improve your math SAT score.
but other than that do a strong app and you'll be in the running.. but i wouldn't rule it out. jus try real hard.
good luck!
happy thanksgiving!</p>

5

<p>okay, thank you for giving me your opinion. ;-)</p>

6

<p>I'm in the same boat as you with 'eh' test scores and a fatty involvement list. I think Barnard looks at the stat's a little more than most LACs. Can anyone verify? </p>

<p>Don't know your chances. But, the advice I'm giving myself is to dream big, work on those essays and give myself more options when April comes.</p>

7

<p>Ah, I will do the same. Where else are you applying then?</p>

8

<p>Hey rmellor62, </p>

<p>Barnard is my dream school. It's what I imagine a school to be - liberal, city, prestige, great academics. I talked to a rep and she said that tests are the last thing they look at. But somehow their holistic students all have super-duper high test scores and a 3.99999 gpa. Anyway, Wellesley is a little better, I think, with the holistic admissions process. My friend got in with a little above avg ACT score. </p>

<p>I haven't visited any of my schools to know what I like. My list has a variety: Barnard, Wellesley, UPenn's Huntsman Program, UMich's Preferred Admission to Taubman School of Arch&Urban Planning (due in 2 days!!!), Cornell's School of Art, Archi, & Urban Planning, Macalester and U-WA (I live 20 minutes away from the campus). </p>

<p>You? Good luck with the process. Hope to meet you in NYC. :o)</p>

9

<p>The SAT is, honestly, the last thing looked at (most people just don't bother to apply to Barnard with below a 1200 or so). Yours are fine overall, though ouch on the math. But Barnard <em>really</em> doesn't like to see C's. That's the weak spot. Is it just one C+? ...two? You've got such a science record and then such relatively weak math.</p>

<p>On the plus side, even though you know math isn't your strong suit, you didn't drop back into non-honors classes, and that looks good. If you can concentrate some of that giant list of ECs into a meaningful statement of what you're like and what you want to do (and what is that, btw? English? Biology? Both or neither? Undecided?), and convince the reader that you're not the type to stop being crazy active just because you met your single life goal of "getting in to a good college," you've got a great shot.</p>

<p>What year were the C+'s?</p>

10

<p>One generic suggestion: your awards/achievements/EC's/Volunteer Service look way too puffed up for me, conveying the sense of a laundry list with breadth but no depth. (You see the same kind of thing on resumes.) You can condense those a lot. And drop those that had little commitment, with time or otherwise, on your part. It's like watching knitting unravel: once the reader starts questioning one thing, he/she starts unquestioning others.</p>

11

<p>Hey, sorry it took me a lifetime to reply. CC was not sending me any mail saying that I recieved replies. ;-)</p>

<p>I want to combind environmental science and journalism for a career, maybe eventually go environmental law as well. </p>

<p>Ah, that scares me what you said about the C+'s because I have a C+ average every year in math. It seems horrible, I know. I do have scattered B's for quarter averages though in those math classes..and they were all the highest level available. Thanks for being honest with me though.</p>

<p>I have an interview on Jan. 8th, I am just afraid they will have my transcript there and be thinking the whole time, why is this girl applying.</p>

12

<p>theDad, thanks for the advice. On the application, I only put the 6 activities where I had my most committment- my editorial positions, book club, and science acitivites..which makes sense since I really would like to combine environmental science and journalism as my majors. </p>

<p>I put the rest of the activities on a resume. Do you think that was a good idea?</p>

13

<p>Yeah, I think that's a good idea, though I can tell you that were I on an adcom I would give only a cursory look at most resumes. But that's the fate of most "extras"...you put a lot of work into them and 90 percent of the time no one pays any attention...it's the other 10 percent that you do it for.</p>

<p>I hope that a depth of commitment came across for the EC's you did put on your app.</p>

<p>Out of curiosity, since you're applying to Barnard, have you thought about Smith? My D had Columbia #1 on paper and didn't apply, though she did apply to Barnard. She's at Smith and in the "tired but very happy" camp...stressing about finals long about now.</p>

14

<p>I don't know if this is true for on campus interviews, but for regional alumna interviews, they don't see your transcript. I think/hope it's true for on campus as well (and I can ask if you're really worried), because it gives you a chance to let them see how great you are, untempered by a few application weak spots. So don't think about that during the interview- just think about how awesomely self-motivated and passionate you are about the things you do, and how great you and Barnard would get along. </p>

<p>They miiight ask you which subjects you like most and least, so be prepared to answer well. "Ugh, I hate math so much, I wish it would just die. It's soooo stupid!" is not a good answer.</p>

<p>And TheDad, really, watch it with that "f-word" around this time of year. Some of us are here to avoid thinking about it. ;)</p>