Junior's chance at getting into Swat?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I was wondering if anyone could give me a sense of what my chance might be of getting into Swarthmore. I am in my junior year of high school and have been investigating colleges for the past several months and creating a list of schools I am interested in. I am interested in a small liberal arts school with rigorous academics, an intellectually oriented community, and diversity. Swarthmore has stood out from the rest in my college search thus far. I'm not sure what I want to major in yet, but I am interested in studying history, anthropology, and/or biology.</p>

<p>My stats are rather incomplete at the moment, because I have yet to take the ACT and SAT proper (I have taken the PSAT and recieved a 2projected score of 2110/2400, which I am confident I can improve). My GPA unweighted is 3.95, and I have taken one AP in the past (AP Euro history last year, score of 5), and am currently enrolled in 2 (APUSH, AP American Lit.), and registered for 5 for next year (AP Latin V, AP Environmental Science, AP Calculus AB, AP studio art, AP World Lit.) I go to Edina High School in Minnesota, ranked by U.S. News and World Report as a silver medal finalist (top 2% of high schools in the nation). The academic climate is very competitive, although there is far more focus placed on achievement than learning for the sake of learning. </p>

<p>As far as extracurriculars, I have played the cello since the 5th grade and have participated in several youth symphonies as well as school orchestra and studying independently. I also serve on a council of 12 teens at a nationally esteemed contemporary art museum developing programming to attract a diverse teen audience to the museum. Additionally, I am a volunteer DJ and help run a specialty music show on the University of Minnesota college radio station. This summer I will be living and volunteering on a co-op farm community in Ireland that is a home for people with intellectual disabilities. There, I will help run an art center they have set up for residents. Finally, I am an avid photographer and will be assembling an art-school ready portfolio next year in the AP studio art class I plan to take. </p>

<p>Wow... I wrote a lot! Maybe this is a shot in the dark, but please respond if you feel you can give me an idea of my chances at getting into Swarthmore!</p>

2

<p>All of this sounds good. :slight_smile: I don’t think any of what you’ve listed above would necessarily ‘help’ you to get in. Don’t think about it quantitatively like that. Instead, think about how all of the stuff you’ve described has affected <em>you.</em> Tons of Swatties come in with those credentials, but the admissions office is looking for something beyond just great stats and extracurriculars. My main advice would be to visit Swat and/or get in touch with as many Swarthmore students and professors as you can to see if this place is the best fit for you. Go beyond the tour: get a meal in Sharples, our dining hall, or stop by one of the two coffee bars on campus.</p>

3

<p>willstardust,
It will be helpful to see what your SAT/ACT scores are. However, I think that you should highlight your extracurriculars within your essays, showing what you can bring to Swarthmore. Too many students talk about what Swarthmore can bring to them. Hopefully, you are planning to continue playing the cello in the Swat orchestra and you probably know that Swat has a radio station run by student DJ’s who play whatever music strikes their fancy.</p>

<p>Your involvement with the arts sounds very impressive and you have to figure out how that will tie in to what you want to accomplish at Swat.</p>