is it worth applying? at all? in the slightest?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
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so i’m gonna be real honest with you all. i don’t have the best grades, and i’m only in the top half of a graduating class with only about 300 people. i’m a junior currently, with a 2.9 unweighted gpa and a 3.3 weighted. i’m expecting it to bump up since i’m getting some good grades in honors english and apush this year. like, i’m talking an a in apush, and i’m gonna kill that ap exam next week, just wait. it’s not because i don’t work hard however, and i have some interesting circumstances to mention if i should include it in the essay or do an interview with an alumni, but i’m not sure if they listen to the story or just look at the numbers. (i should also point out those are the only two classes i’m taking this semester, since i have block schedule and my other two classes are at the local community college where i’m dual enrolled. next year i have a big bunch of AP classes (ap calc ab & bc, ap euro, and ap lit) which will hopefully help as well. i’ve taken two spanish courses that i was pretty bad at, but yknow, my best is my best.)

i’ve been an active voice in the lgbt community, especially recently with the hb2 showdown that’s going on in my state, and volunteered at a number of lgbt resource centers, as well as a therapeutic horse riding center with disabled children. don’t do any sports, but i have a select number of clubs i’m pretty dedicated to. i switched schools in the middle of sophomore year though, so not as many as i’d like. the school i go to isn’t pretty great. it’s IB certified, but test scores are pretty low and i’m above average for the school.

i got a 30 ACT composite on my first try, and i’m hoping to take it again and get a better score. i have a 33 in the ELA part (a 35 in reading, 34 in english, and 30 in writing) which puts me in the 99th percentile for the nation, but only a 26 for STEM (24 in math, since trig absolutely killed me on the test, and a 27 in science) which puts me only in the 85th percentile. overall, i’m in the 95th for the US and the 97th for my state. pretty good, but not perfect.

my SAT scores are abysmal and i’m definitely taking it again. i have a 1710 overall, with a 640 in reading, 520 in math, and a 550 in writing. no idea what happened to me that day, but i was completely off my a-game.

anyways, wellesley is my dream school pretty much, but i would DEFINITELY consider it a stretch to even get waitlisted. basically, do you think i have any chance whatsoever of getting in, or should i not bother applying? i’m not banking on it in any capacity, and there are plenty of good schools in my state i have a fighting chance for, and a list of safe schools as well, but i’ve been really thinking about this lately. also don’t know if it matters, but i’d love to go for a BA in english literature, and maybe a minor somewhere in history.

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If it’s your dream school, then you should apply–you don’t want to be left wondering “what if”. However, it will probably be difficult. You’ll need to do really well in your first semester next year in order to demonstrate that your grades are on an upward trend. If I were you, I’d ask for letters of recommendation from teachers who know you well and can speak to your strengths both in and out of the classroom. These letters can also put your individual circumstances in perspective for the admissions office. I believe the Wellesley application has a section to explain any mitigating circumstances in your life, so that would be the appropriate place to discuss issues that may have affected your academic performance. You should use the essays as a means of explaining why you’re a good fit for the school: What’s unique about you? How will Wellesley help you as an individual, and what will you be able to contribute in return? I would focus especially on your advocacy work, since that’s something not every applicant will have. Also make sure you request an alumnae interview early on, as many people miss the deadline.

I wish you the best of luck in applying to Wellesley! I also recommend you check out the book Colleges That Change Lives. It’s a tool I use with my own students, and the schools profiled in the book are some amazing hidden gems. If you’re particularly interested in the women’s college experience, you might also want to check out Simmons, Hollins, Meredith, and Mills.

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Are you applying to a school that doesn’t take the ACT, or do you need the SAT for scholarship applications? Otherwise if you are more comfortable with the ACT then you should focus on that one and stop wasting time on the SAT. Some of the other Sisters are test optional, so if you feel that your scores don’t reflect well on you then consider applying at those schools.