Hello! I would like if someone would chance me for getting into Amherst and Wesleyan. I’m a senior and I’m applying this year.
Gender: Girl
Race/ethnicity: Black
State: New York
Type of school: Private catholic
Hooks: I’m an under represented minority. I was born in Haiti and immigrated to America. I’m from a low income family (I got fin. aid. to pay for my high school)
Intended major(s): Sociology/ Public Health
Academics:
ACT: 27
SAT: 1750
Class Rank: My school doesn’t do that.
UW/W GPA: 94.97 (my school doesn’t do letter grades)
Coursework: A.P. U.S History (4)
Honors- Biology, Algebra, Chemistry, Physics, Global History, English for the 1st year
Awards: Honor Roll freshman year
Extracurriculars:
*Investment Club (I'm the vice president)
*Member of National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa Inc. Xinos (Service Club)
*Integrated Science Association (I did science experiments!)
*Volunteer at Planned Parenthood NYC and NARAL Pro-Choice NYC
*Member of Planned Parenthood Nassau County Youth Activist Council
*Marketing and Outreach team member at Choices Women's Medical Center and co-founder of their Youth Associate program
*TORCH Teen Peer Leader
I was thinking of not applying to Amherst because of the cost but they sent me a fee waiver for the application because they thought my application to another one of their programs was interesting. That’s helpful.
I know my standardized test scores are bad and I’m sure they aren’t going to change much when I take them again. I’m bad with taking tests so I know that will hurt me. If that is a lost cause, is there anything else I could work on?
Amherst is known for being very generous with need bases financial aid. Yes, being a minority will be a hook, bu as you said, your test scores are low for both schools. Both Wesleyan and Amherst are reaches for you. What other schools are you considering?
Isn’t Wes test optional now? I would not send your test scores there. Then you have a shot. No chance at Amherst, test scores are way too low even with a hook.
@BennieD- When you say you can’t afford to apply are you talking about the application fees or the tuition at the schools? If it is the application costs, many schools will give application fee waivers for lower income students. Call the schools directly and/or talk to your high school’s college counselor about it .
intparent makes a good point about test optional. Look at other test optional schools like Wesleyan. Bates, in Maine, and Connecticut College, for example. Also, check out Bryn Mawr in PA.
Maybe try Vassar? It has made a real effort to diversify its student population in recent years, they admit a greater % of applicants than Amherst or Wesleyan do, and they have generous need-based aid. Don’t know if they have waivers for application fee or not. We visited all three this summer and found Vassar to be the least pretentious of the three. YMMV.
^I second the above. If you like Amherst and you’re open to attending a women’s college, consider applying to Mt. Holyoke and/or Smith. Both are test-optional, and they’re part of the same consortium as Amherst (you could potentially take classes at Amherst).
I’ve read about them. Smith and holyoke. I didn’t take an interest in them. I might just stick with the CUNYs at this point. Thank you for the suggestions!
You should get waivers for the application fees but you should swap one of the schools you asked about for Holy Cross. You have two big advantages. First is race and second is you go to Catholic high school. Don’t waste that one. I would add in a school like Lafayette which is close to NY, very generous and a superb school.
Going test optional to some of the super selective schools mentioned is not a free lunch.
Consider also some middle ground schools like Siena College, St. Michael’s College and Muhlenberg where merit money and need money can be combined.
Going all the way down to CUNY is not a good strategy.
@BennieD - Not to knock CUNYs, but there is a lot of room between Amherst/Wesleyan and CUNYs, and although your testing isn’t the strongest, you sound like a bright young woman and you shouldn’t let your test scores stop you from looking at other schools along the admittance spectrum. (One of my kids wasn’t the best test taker and is doing quite well at an academically rigorous LAC.) It seems like you like LACs. In addition to the schools already mentioned, there are plenty of LACs - both test optional and not, all within a fairly close geographic range. Tons in Pennsylvania that wouldn’t be too far away or in New England and New York State.
Were there things in particular about Wesleyan and Amherst that interested you?
Don’t be shy about asking for the application waivers!
Also, as a minority student, many of the LACs host diversity events where they will pay for your transportation to visit the college. Look at the school websites or contact the admissions officer tasked with diversity recruitment.
It’s okay. I don’t want to go to a religious school after 13 years of it. Those were the only schools outside of CUNY I was thinking of. I wasn’t really going to pursue it for reasons mentioned by others above. I just wanted outside opinions on it. Thank you though!
The financial aid was very good in both colleges and the academics were also. There aren’t many schools that have financial aid good enough for me to stay on campus if it’s far and the close colleges that I could afford are 2 of the cuny’s. It’s alright though, I expected that.
I think if you look closer, you’ll find many of the small liberal arts colleges offer similar financial aid to Wesleyan and Amherst. They are competing for the same students so their FA packages are very comparable.