I want to apply ED... will you "chance" me?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
1

<p>I have (unfortunately) fallen irrevocably in love with Wellesley.</p>

<p>My other thoughts are Stanford (sigh), Scripps, Barnard, Mount Holyoke, Pomona, Bryn Mawr, and a few UCs. </p>

<p>I am pretty much an average Caucasian female. </p>

<p>GPA:
UW - 4.00
W - 4.29</p>

<p>Class rank:
1 of 469 (I think the number is 469... it's somewhere in the 400s :D)</p>

<p>SAT I:
CR 720<br>
Math 740<br>
Writing 740
Total: 2200
(This was my first time, and I'm very pleased with the scores! My counselor said I have the highest of anyone in her alphabet group, which is D-Ht)</p>

<p>SAT II:
Literature 630<br>
Mathematics Level 2 660<br>
U.S. History 680
(I know these aren't as great, but I don't really want to take them again. I will if need be.)</p>

<p>APs:
US History - 4
English Lang & Comp - 5
Calculus AB - 4
This year I'm taking:
US Gov't
English Lit & Comp
Biology</p>

<p>In addition, I've taken 2 college classes at the state university down the street from my high school, mostly just for personal interest:
Intro to Theatre: A-
German 1: A
And this semester I'm taking:
Intro to Women's Studies
History of Ancient Philosophy</p>

<p>My extracurricular activities are where I think I might be lacking, but the main things I've been doing are with the National Marfan Foundation. Marfan Syndrome is a genetic disorder that I have, and since sophomore year I have been pretty active:
My twin sister and I starred in a documentary called "In My Hands"
I have attended 3 national conferences so far
I helped design memorial boxes for 2 teens taken my Marfan Syndrome
I do a lot of support work through the website
I compiled a list of "Marfan-Friendly" clothing stores for teens (we are very tall and thin, so clothes are hard to come by)
I presented to my school's Anatomy classes about the disorder
I am in a drug trial study to try and find a cure</p>

<p>Other ECs:
I did a lot of theater work with a company in town my freshman/sophomore years, including a lead role
Lifetime member of California Scholarship Federation with much community service over the years
I went to the state spelling bee in Freshman Year
Editor for school literary magazine
Involved in Rotary Interact club sophomore/senior years
The only sport I've done (because of a heart condition from Marfan) is Winterguard, which is like a competitive flag/dance team</p>

<p>Another thing to consider is that another girl from my school plans to apply and she is, frankly, better than I am. I don't think she is planning on ED, though.</p>

<p>Thank you so much! God bless.</p>

2

<p>Your GPA and ranking are very very good. And I would say your ECs are where you excel; the work you have done with Marfan (especially if you bring it out in your application in an essay) will definitely give you a unique view/ interesting perspective in the application process. Your SAT score is good in that each section is above 700 and on the first try, that is good. Your SAT II scores are probably the weaker part of your application; I would try to take those again and raise them above a 700 as well.</p>

<p>I’m going to assume you are a California resident based on your college choices. If that’s the case, you should not have much of a problem getting into the UCs (though I’m not sure what your UC GPA is, but you have a 4.0 UW so it should be fine?). The same with most of the schools on your list. And obviously, Stanford is a reach for everyone. As far as Wellesley is concerned I think you have a good shot – what will really show the adcom that you want to go to Wellesley is your essays so spend a lot of time on those.</p>

3

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

<p>I have no idea what to write for the essays, but I’ll start to think about it. What do you think my chances are for my other choices?</p>

4

<p>Stanford - reach
Pomona/Wellesley/Cal/UCLA - high match/low reach
the rest - match/low match depending on the school</p>

5

<p>Welles10, are you a current student or something? Or have you worked in admissions?</p>

6

<p>lol i’m a current student… this is all just my opinion…</p>

7

<p>Your gpa and SAT1 scores are very good, although your SATII<code>s could be better as you also mentioned. As Welles10 pointed out, it would be to your advantage to score above 700 on your SATII</code>s. Nevertheless, I would not let this stop me from applying ED to Wellesley. You do have a solid gpa and SAT I scores and have taken the inititaive to take classes at your state university. </p>

<p>You wrote that your ECs are lacking. Unless there is something I am missing, such as the amount of time devoted to your work for the National Marfan Foundation, I think your ECs are fine. Without your NMF work, your ECs would be lacking. It is not about the amount of ECs that you have but rather about the quality of your involvement. You seem intrinsically motivated by your NMF work since it is
directly related to you, and the NMF activities you listed demonstrate that you have been involved through more than one angle (documentary, conferences, design of memorial boxes, website, marfan-friendly clothing stores); you even presented marfan to your anatomy class. Your work with National Marfan Foundation is meaningful and this is important. Wellesley looks for students are not only leaders, but passionnate about their activities. </p>

<p>All in all, I think you have a shot at Wellesley if you apply ED. If you apply regular decision, I would suggest retaking your SATIIs. </p>

<p>To answer your second question:
Stanford: High Reach
Pomona: Medium Reach
Wellesley:Low Reach/ Match
Barnard/Berkeley/UCLA: Match (looking at your SATS & gpa)
The rest of your schools you mentioned: safeties</p>

<p>I am so glad I read your post because I even learned something new, Marfan Syndrome which I looked up. Good luck!</p>

8

<p>I’m going to go visit in Mid-October and I’m very excited!</p>

<p>It says on their website that they only host overnight students Mon-Thurs nights, but if I can only make it on a weekend, do you think they’d let me stay a Friday night? I know a student who goes there currently, so could I just request to be with her?</p>

<p>Another question I have that’s kind of philosophical is that, although my scores are all fine and I have the statistics to (possibly) get it, I don’t see myself as that INTELLECTUAL. If you know what I mean. Like, I’m just a hard worker who is good at getting A’s. How does this fit with Wellesley? I’m really afraid that I wouldn’t fit there.</p>

9

<p>I know someone currently at Wellesley as well. She asked admissions if there was a way to request a prospective, and they told her that I could visit as her guest and stay in her dorm overnight like anyone else would. The overnight stays and lunches with Wellesley students are intended for those who don’t know anybody.</p>

10

<p>I am going to answer the second part of your question. (I just thoroughly
answered it but somehow my cc login timed out so it did not post.)</p>

<p>I think the best way to see if you fit in is to visit Wellesley, or any college
for that matter. The most selective colleges have students who are bright,
some who are bright and hardworking, and some who are very very
hardworking. I would say that the majority of these students know what it
means to be hardworking and Wellesley is no exception. At any selective
college, and in any career, keen intellect combined with hard work are
the most potent characteristics you can have, but some people succeed
with only one. From your most recent post, it sounds like you believe
your academic achievement is due to your hard work. Considering your
excellent gpa and SAT test scores, I sense you are underestimating
yourself, but I do not know you therefore I should not judge. I graduated
from Wellesley and Harvard for graduate school, and I must admit that
I attribute a good portion of my success to my work ethic and the meaningful
activities I chose. I am not brilliant, although I consider myself bright, but most
importantly I enjoy learning and I am industrious. Your hard work can
go a long way.</p>

<p>I am curious about what you mean when you state that you do not see yourself
as “that intellectual”. Can you give examples? If you earn high grades solely for
the purpose of getting an A and do not enjoy the process of learning, then I would
think twice before applying to any selective college. On the other hand,
if you are achieving high grades and enjoy learning from your teachers/professors,
classmates and from your own intellectual curiosity, and you enjoy meaningful
discussions, then you are in good company if you apply to a selective school
like Wellesley. If you are motivated, and from what I gather from your first
post you must be quite motivated, then I am pretty sure you would fit in at Wellesley.
I think your question is one that many students, even students who have been
admitted and decided to attend, have asked themselves at one point or another
in the college application process.</p>

<p>As I wrote at the start of this post, the best way to find out is to visit classes
and also meet students on campus. If you visit on the weekend, you will not
have an opportunity to shadow a student in class, and will certainly see more
of the social side of any weekend college visit. Good luck!</p>