<p>Hi, I'm Zach, I am a white male and I go to a private school outside of Baltimore. I would kill to get into Middlebury, and Bowdoin is my 2nd choice. Here's my rough resume:
GPA - 3.7 (my school is notorious for almost no grade inflation..very tough)
SATS 650 verbal, 650 math, 640 writing (I plan to retake them)
SAT II - Japanese 800
US History 730
I've taken 12 years of Japanese language courses at my school, and I've been an exchange student over the summer at Gakushuin School in Tokyo for 3 weeks the last 2 summers. I passed the Japanese Proficiency Exam for level 3 this past winter, administered at Georgetown University.
I'm taking a college theology course at a local university this fall.
I've been active in several school clubs.
I'm a 4 year varsity letter athelete (varsity tennis).
I have been playing classical piano for 6 years.
I am an exceptional painter (9 years of classical oil painting and plan to submit a portfolio).
I have taken AP Statistics as a sophomore (4 on the exam). AP US history as a junior (4 on the exam). I am taking AP english, AP europoean history, AP calculus BC, and AP environmental science next year. I have been in independent study japanese classes the last 2 years at my school.
My essay should be very good...I'm a creative writer despite my SAT writing score. I do not test well. My emphasis is really my specialty in Japanese language.
I know Middlebury is impossible to get into...but what do you think of my chances?
Also, for Bowdoin (and Bates and Colby).</p>
<p>Your test scores are on the low side for Midd and Bowdoin, but niether require the SAT, so don't sweat it if your retakes aren't incredible. But if you don't submit scores, they look very hard at your GPA, which is also kinda low for these two. You should show an upward trend senior year. If they know your school as a chronic grade deflator, they probably will understand. At pretty much any other East Coast school, your interest and extensive involvement in Japanese would be a major hook, but Midd is well-known for its language program, and they probably get apps from the cream of the prospective Japanese majors. But your large involvement in the language and your SAT 2 score would probably put you at the top of the pile. All of your other ECs seem solid, so I'd say both are a reach for now, and can become matches depending on improvements in GPA and/or SATs. Bates and Colby are both match/safeties for you, again hinging on your GPA and SATs.</p>
<p>Thank you. Other people, please feel free to comment.</p>
<p>Ditto insertnamehere. You might look at similar schools to Bowdoin & Midd such as Bates, Colby, Union, Skidmore, Bucknell, Dickinson, Hamiilton (which you should consider strongly), Lafayette and Trinity. Just to be on the safe side. </p>
<p>The one very bright spot in your resume is your Japanese which separates you from the normal BWRK. Again, your GPA is low for Midd & Bowdoin as well as other comparable schools such as Dartmouth, Colgate, Williams, Haverford and Tufts.</p>
<p>Midd has a reputation of really looking at demonstrated interest. If at all possible, visit.</p>
<p>any other comments, please?</p>
<p>You have an unusual hobby/EC in being fluent in Japanese....you have a good chance at these schools as well as you could try other LACs including Swarthmore if you are interested. There is no harm in trying. You sound like an unusual person and elite colleges are looking for unusual people.</p>
<p>Im unusual alright. Hopefully, not too unusual. ;-)</p>
<p>Other comments, please?</p>
<p>Rank would help a lot. If you're school is so tough that with that GPA you're in the top ten or something, it might increase your chances.</p>
<p>Midd is very selective. I think you definetely have a shot, but like others suggested look at other colleges. Isolate what it is that you love about Midd and find it at other great but less selective schools.</p>
<p>Might add Holy Cross or Trinity.</p>
<p>You might not have the numbers for Holy Cross but give it a try. It's a terrific school with an enormous number of very bright kids.</p>
<p>Sorry, but Holy Cross is definately not the college for me. #1: I am Jewish and don't want a religiously centered college. #2: Holy Cross doesn't even have a Japanese department! #3: I don't like Mass.</p>
<p>What do you guys think about my chances at Bowdoin?</p>
<p>Similar to Midd, only the commitment to Japanese is slightly more unusual, so it lets you stand out more.</p>
<p>Zrudick, I would think that your background would be appealing to Middlebury, Bowdoin and any one of many LACs. A few other schools that have strong studio art departments are Hamilton, Wesleyan, Skidmore, Vassar, Kenyon, Conn College and Williams. In addition to art studio and art history, Williams would also be a good fit in both the sports and music areas. It would be a reach, but I think you'd spark their interest.</p>
<p>I actually went to Williams and met with a few Asian Studies professors there this spring. The meetings went well and they said they could talk to the admissions office and vouch for me, but to tell you the truth there was just something about Williams that rubbed me the wrong way, so I was thinking about not applying there. Plus, its my best friend's first choice, and he goes to the same school as me, so I don't want to hurt his chances if I don't really want to go there.</p>
<p>May I ask why he is unusual, is it because he master a foreign language?</p>
<p>If he is unusual, then I should also be unusual too. I am vietnamese, but I master Chinese both mandarin and Cantonese. First by self-study and then 6 years education.</p>
<p>Thereby I am from the Netherlands, and so I can speak Dutch too.</p>
<p>any more comments?</p>
<p>Well, it's all much more impressive if you're not Japanese. So I'd actually say, if you're not, another 50 or 75 SAT points will make you viable at Middlebury.</p>