<p>I'm realizing that the one thing that could have saved my chances in getting accepted to the colleges i've applied to, was my commonapp essay. But what I wrote wasn't as good as it could have been. I'm afraid I wrote a typical essay, that was too fluffly, and not impressive at all...i've changed it for the last 3 colleges i'm applying to, but all my top choices have already received the one I regret leaving the way it was...</p>
<p>With a low GPA, a good essay could have helped tremendously. If colleges aren't impressed with my commonapp essay, could they possibly be impressed with what I wrote in their supplements (essays, short answers), enough, to override how insipid my essay was?</p>
<p>I know this is a dumb question and it doesn't really have an answer, I guess i'm just looking for reassuring opinions, or just opinions.</p>
<p>It’s supposed to be a personal essay. This essay tells me nothing about who you are. It just tells me about French romanticists. It’s also full of grammatical errors and improper word usage. You should have put a lot more work into it considering your gpa and sat. Hopefully you have amazing extra-curriculars, but I can tell you not to get your hopes up for brown, Williams, and vassar. Your gpa and sat are too low for those schools regardless of your essay.</p>
<p>Well I submitted a document in “additional info” regarding my GPA and school situation (education in France). And my counselor statement makes a strong point in explaining those as well. I didn’t want to be repetitive and talk about the GPA AGAIN in the essay.</p>
<p>1900 is about 100 points below the bottom 25% of applicants to both of those schools. You have a chance, but it’s not a very good chance. Also, your best score is your writing. Unfortunately, colleges look more at reading and math. Some colleges just look at your score out of 1600. Williams is especially competitive. A lot of really smart kids don’t get in there because they lack something like a sport.</p>
<p>Are you an international applicant? If so, then don’t worry about trying to play the same game that students educated in the US are playing. You are in a completely different category of applicant, and your application will be read with that in mind.</p>
<p>I personally like your essay, but some schools first look at GPA and SATs before they invest more time in reviewing essays. You can’t do anything now but wait, so don’t second guess yourself. If a college likes your international diversity, regardless of citizenship, then they will consider you.</p>
<p>Supplements play a huge role too, and definitely make a difference. I wasn’t at all happy with my common app essay either, but my acceptance letter specifically mentioned one of the short essay supplements as impressive to the admission officers. </p>
<p>The gpa/test scores wont ruin your chances of acceptance, but if you don’t have a hook/good ECs then your chances are slim for colleges like Brown. (Btw I was planning on applying to Brown before I got into my top college, and it really is an amazing school. My guide was an international student).</p>
<p>Would being born in Athens, Greece, having lived in Saudi Arabia, California, and then France for the major part of my life, be considered a hook?
I was pretty proud/satisfied of my supplements, hopefully I’m right in thinking they were good. I don’t think my ECs are too impressive, in none of them am I a “leader” other than perhaps in “tutoring” the students of French Club and working on fundraisers for FBLA. Aside from that it’s jobs, playing the piano, photography, and approx 50 hours of volunteer work.</p>
<p>It’s not where you have lived that’s important so much as how it shaped you. If you did a great job of tying in all the places you’ve lived to your character or something maybe it would help, but colleges are harder for international students to get into usually. Moving around a lot isn’t really a hook.</p>
<p>I don’t want to sound harsh, but your ECs probably aren’t going to help you that much. Thousands of kids applying to Brown play the piano or some other instrument. 50 hours? A good number of high schools require 50-100 to graduate. Tutoring and photography are pretty common too, so unless you’ve done something outstanding with your photography that won’t help much either. Working on fundraisers isn’t exactly uncommon either. Probably 1/3 of the kids in my school have done that at one point in time.</p>
<p>I’m not applying as an international student though, I have american citizenship being that my mom is american. I guess I meant the “bringing of diversity” as being a hook, because other than that, I don’t think I have a “hook”. I’m just a really ambitious, motivated, and passionate teen that’s been working as hard as possible to improve. I’m hoping the obviously huge upward trend of my GPA will show that.</p>
<p>Yes, that was my point, I know my ECs aren’t impressive.</p>
<p>Well it’s good you’re not applying as an international student, definitely a plus. But a 1900 to Brown? 350 points below average… Brown’s average gpa is pretty high too. It’ll be a stretch. </p>
<p>Upward trend in GPA is always good. You say “low gpa” but that’s not specific enough for accurate measure of your chances. It’s too subjective to come up with a number unless you tell us…</p>
<p>Also the main reason diversity would help is if you’re a minority. A good deal of Europeans apply to US schools, so I don’t think it would help that much. But definitely give it a shot, you never know. People have gotten in with lower gpa/test scores.</p>
<p>I’m not as much interested in Brown as I am in schools like NYU or Chapel Hill or University of Washington. (mostly because I’m pretty sure Brown won’t accept me)</p>
<p>Cumulative GPA is 2.91 when weighted. It’s like that due to low grades in 9th and 10th in french education system in France (no APs or Honors classes there, you don’t choose your classes they are “forced” upon you, also 9th and 10th grade years in France are equivalent of Junior High). Junior year in USA gpa is a weighted 4.1, and senior year should be around 3.8 I think.</p>
<p>I think you are bright and interesting young woman. You will most likely be very successful in life. I think you may be putting too much emphasis on getting into a school that is considered prestigious. There are many schools where you will likely be accepted and be successful. Unfortunately, your list includes a lot of schools that are high reaches for you. </p>
<p>My S has similar stats to yours, and we are not looking at schools that are as selective as the ones you mentioned. While it is fine to apply to a couple of dream schools, it is IMPERATIVE that you also apply to several where you are reasonably certain that you will likely be accepted.</p>
<p>If you have already applied to some of those schools, remain hopeful, but PLEASE make sure you also send some applications to less selective schools. Best of luck…</p>
<p>You’re absolutely right, and I think I’ve come to realize that no matter where I go it will be a great experience. Moving from France I guess I was indeed attracted by the “big” schools that have well established reputations, and maybe for the wrong reasons, though honestly I am extremely interested in NYU and their academics/global centers/campus etc, and it would be a dream come true to get in.
I also realize that I can always transfer in the next years if I still feel the desire to go to one of these schools, and perhaps I would be more ready for the experience anyways.</p>
<p>I’m applying to UNC Asheville, UNC Wilmington, and UNC Chapel Hill, being that I live in NC those are kind of my safeties, well the first two at least.
Other than that University of Washington, Penn State, and Syracuse University are schools I’d really like to go to as well, and have applied to.</p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck, Nina, keep us posted!</p>
<p>You could be my daughter - born and raised in Europe, spent her entire life until age 16 in Italy. Very low GPA due to the rigor of the Italian school system, low SATs because of the testing method (D mainly took oral exams in Italy). I’m American (her mom) so D has American citizenship just like you. Her reach school is Cornell which is a huge reach, but who knows, right?</p>
<p>Oh wow!
Thank you very much, that’s very sweet of you! I will indeed be sure to post when I know where I am accepted
I wish the best of luck to you and your daughter as well! I know how tough and nerve wracking it all is…especially with our difficult situation.</p>
<p>I am so glad to hear that you have applied to your instate public schools too. You had me a little worried that you only applied to super-selective schools. I really hope that you get into your dream college. Don’t forget that if you’re planning on graduate school, you can apply to NYU for that, after being successful wherever you land for undergrad. Again, best of luck to you and keep us posted.</p>
