<p>I am a junior from Texas and I am very interested in Whitman but I'm afraid it is a little out of my league...</p>
<p>GPA- 3.83 WEIGHTED(low rigor; only one or 2 APs per year) currently ranked 149 out of 613, I will be taking 3 APs senior year so hopefully that will raise it</p>
<p>SAT- expecting 2150+ for june </p>
<p>EC's- pretty weak: 4 year basketball(2 year letter), 4 year cross country(2 year letter) at a 5A school with 2600+ students, National Merit Qualifier(waiting to see if it is commended scholar or semifinalist, probably just commended) NHS, maybe 60+ hrs community service, and hopefully creating a new club at school.... sadly i think thats it</p>
<p>What are my realistic chances, I do not want to waste my time and money applying if their is no hope</p>
<p>In a word (or two): definitely not! If anything, I think you have a pretty strong chance at getting in.</p>
<p>If it’s any encouragement, I got in with similar/slightly weaker all-around stats, so it’s definitely within your reach. That said, Whitman admissions differs from other schools in that they place heavy emphasis on your essays both in terms of writing proficiency and content–they want to see that you have written and done things that are interesting and worthwhile to you </p>
<p>In summation: Your grades and SAT scores are fine. Work on perfecting your personal statement and just be your interesting, quirky self! (which you are if you are applying to Whitman)</p>
<p>It’s refreshing to hear someone outside the Pacific Northwest regard Whitman so highly. One of the reasons why it isn’t more competitive (i.e. why I was able to get it) is that, private school/academic circles notwithstanding, Whitman doesn’t have much recognition beyond Washington and Oregon. </p>
<p>Even as one who benefited from less intense competition admissions-wise at Whitman compared to schools of similar caliber, I feel like Whitman often gets short-changed in the prestige department.</p>
<p>You definitely should apply. They are seeking geographical diversity (because they are so well known in NW they get many more apps from there) and they do not weight scores over other things you list. They want to see a rigorous schedule but know some kids do not take a lot of AP for different good reasons. They give a lot of weight to the sense that you are someone with a sense of passion for things you value and someone who would enjoy and contribute to the Whitman community in your own way.</p>
<p>You sound well qualified academically. I agree with other posters who suggest Whitman is interested in geographical–and cultural–diversity, but they are also interested in all kinds of diversity. The lack of racial and ethnic diversity at Whitman and many other schools in the northwest is definitely a work in progress. I believe that Whitman appreciates kids who come from large diverse urban public schools. The second best thing to getting racially diverse students applying is getting white students who demonstrate their tolerance and eagerness to spend time with kids who are not just like they are. Even if there aren’t very many of them yet. They are trying.</p>
<p>My daughter, coming from a large urban racially mixed public high school, had only one reservation about Whitman, which was her first choice school, and that was the lack of diversity. She wrote her essay partly about how this diverse high school environment affected her friendships and how much she valued that experience. </p>
<p>She will be a senior at Whitman this fall and really loves the school.</p>
<p>Whitman really isn’t that competitive. The freshman stats are a bit high, but they don’t receive tons and tons of super qualified applications like other schools ranked that high. I was accepted with a 3.6/2020sat/30act and typical ecs. They even offered me a scholarship, and not everyone is offered merit awards, so I couldn’t have been at the very bottom of their pool. You’ll get in.</p>
<p>Really, no one can tell you whether or not you can get into Whitman. They care most about your actual personal self, rather than just your scores. Your scores, obviously, have to be moderately high. You’re not at the top, but you’re definitely not sitting at their edge. You can get in if you can show that you have a unique personality. Your essay for Whitman is extremely important.</p>