Just submitted my application! Chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston College
1

<p>Hey guys, I would really appreciate it if you would chance me! Okay here goes:</p>

<p>Female, Korean descent
I attend a very competitive public high school, ranked among the top 100 schools in my state. I consistently enrolled in the most rigorous courses.</p>

<p>UW GPA: 3.72
SAT I: 2220 (one-sitting)
ACT: 34
SAT II: Literature-740, Math II- 710 </p>

<p>AP Test Scores:
Chemistry- 4
Calculus- 4</p>

<p>Junior Year Schedule: (Only AP/ Honors classes)
APUSH
AP Calculus AB
English 11 H
AP Chemistry
AP Physics (Taken over the summer)</p>

<p>Senior Year Schedule: (Only AP/Honors classes)
AP Environmental Science
AP Statistics
AP French 5
AP Literature</p>

<p>Letters of Recommendation:
Counselor Letter- I have a great relationship with the assistant principal at my school, so she wrote my counselor recommendation. I haven’t seen the letter, but I’m confident that it will be excellent.
Teacher Recs: One from Literature teacher and one from Chemistry prof. Both great.</p>

<p>ECs:
-Played three varsity sports all four years of high school. Team captain for two of those sports. (Some first team all-league honors)</p>

<p>-200+ hours of community service </p>

<p>-Camp counselor at a math and science camp for underprivileged girls</p>

<p>-Speaker for the American Association of University Women</p>

<p>-Currently tutoring a freshman in biology </p>

<p>-Member of the leadership class at my school (class of 20 or so students, have to be nominated)</p>

<p>-Summer internship with an advertising company</p>

<p>-Started a small internet company</p>

<p>-Coach for an NJB basketball team (really cute 6th grade girls)</p>

<p>-Experience living with asian parents :)</p>

<p>Thanks for taking the time to look over my stats, any feedback/advice is really appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Whoops, I also forgot to mention that I am a National Merit Commended student. Don’t know how much weight that has, but there you have it.</p>

3

<p>Your chances are excellent, based on your stats and resume. You will be extremely competitive in the RD round and I would be quite surprised if you are waitlisted or rejected. Make sure your essays are well-written and mistake-free. Good luck!</p>

<p>PS: My D is a junior in CSOM</p>

4

<p>Dear lizalee : Just an opening question - why do so many college applicants, like yourself, discuss the fact that they come from a “very competitive High School”. Ranking among the Top 100 High Schools in a given state is interesting but has no bearing on you as as individual and what you achieved during your four years there.</p>

<p>I note that you have taken two AP exams, both with 4 scores. Why have you not gone for an English AP course or taken any of the history AP exams/courses (aside from US History)? At a 3.72 unweighted GPA, I would have expected more AP exams to have been taken and perhaps a bit more in terms of course coverage. If you are from an over-represented state, this might be a potential area for concern.</p>

<p>Your essay topics are left unspecified; be sure to highlight why Boston College needs your skills in addition to stating your personal passion for the school.</p>

<p>In closing, your profile is incredibly strong on the board scores (where most young folks struggle), but some of the other areas we have highlighted are the types of numbers from the average BC applicant in a highly competitive pool. Good luck with your application as it should be a fit with the campus.</p>

5

<p>Approximate class rank? Top decile? (It’ll put your gpa into context.)</p>

<p>one other comment: unless you forgot to list a course, four academics during senior year is a light load for someone aspiring to a highly selective college. On top of that fact, two of the four, are so-called ‘AP Lites’. It calls into question the rigor of the curriculum.</p>

<p>An adcom at BC – or any highly selective college – will think to himself/herself, ‘hmmmm, if I accept this person, she will be expected to take five courses each semester next year (10 total), and those five courses will cover more material in one semester, than four courses all of her senior year…’</p>

<p>@ Scottj: Our California public - also a ‘top 100’ – does not allow AP courses until Jr year and even then they are limited; 3 is typical max Jr year, and a full slate of 5/6 during senior year. AP Lit is a senior class only; no exceptions.</p>

6

<p>Hopefully I can clarify a few things. First of all, I forgot to include my third AP Test for APUSH. I got a 3 on the test but an A in the class. </p>

<p>@bluebayou: I think this is just a misunderstanding, I am not taking a total of 4 classes in my senior year, I am taking 4 AP classes. I left off my non AP/ Honors classes (that I took mainly for interest), but I took 6 both last year and this year. Also, AP Statistics was the only math course I had yet to take by senior year, so would it still be frowned upon in my application? </p>

<p>To address both scottj’s and bluebayou’s concerns: My school actually does not rank its students, and I really have no idea whether or not I am in the top decile. I’ll only find out at the very end of the year when my school releases a list of the top 100 students (out of around 400 in our graduating class). So, scottj, I think the main reason that I mentioned the top 100 ranking was because it implies that my school is rigorous, and in the absence of student ranking, hopefully gives some context for my GPA. </p>

<p>@scottj: our school is very similar to bluebayou’s. No AP classes until junior year and no AP English courses offered until senior year. I took all the AP tests that I could last year, and this year I plan on taking the tests for physics, literature, statistics, french, and environmental science. Yay, tests! </p>

<p>@jshain: Thank you! I hope your daughter is enjoying BC :)</p>

<p>Thanks for taking the time to respond guys</p>