My chances

Colleges and Universities A-Z McGill University
1

<p>Hi, everybody. My first choice (by far) is McGill, and I'm wondering what people think that my chances are. I'm a white male (will be a senior next year) from a small town in Minnesota, and I would be applying to the Faculty of Arts (I want to major in linguistics).</p>

<p>GPA: 3.844 unweighted—I slacked off a little sophomore year, and so it should get higher next year.
(unsure about weighted, but somewhat higher as I've gotten consistent A's in 3 AP classes)
SAT: 800-reading 680-math 800-writing
SAT IIs: 750-literature 770-biology-m
ACT: 32
Note that I am also at least commended for National Merit, and I think that I have at least a chance of getting semi-finalist (I am three points above last year's cut-off for my state).</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your help.</p>

2

<p>No promises, of course, but you should be accepted. What is your GPA out of (mine was out of a 4.3-scale, for example)? If you improved your Math SAT score, you could have a good chance at a scholarship (or have a good chance despite it - I don't know how other scholarship applicants have fared). Still, I don't think, unless something went seriously wrong, you'd have a problem getting into McGill.</p>

3

<p>My GPA is just out of a 4.0 scale (for unweighted grades). I'm hoping that, because I'm American, they will pay more attention to my test scores than my grades. While a scholarship would be great, I shouldn't need one since my parents have been saving for a private American college. I'm a bit apprehensive about retaking the SAT, as I'm fairly confident that, while my math score would rise, my two other scores would fall.</p>

4

<p>You're in, no problem.</p>

5

<p>The scholarship is based on merit, not financial need (you should apply for one because it will look good on resumes for both grad school applications and job applications). Your reasoning is sound, and despite your math score, you will almost certainly get in (again, no guarantee, but based entirely on #s, you are a shoo-in). I would still recommend applying for the scholarship; you have very good chances for a basic scholarship, and a great essay and excellent references (you need two) could even win you the major (though that's more difficult).</p>

6

<p>All right, point taken. I'll learn more about the scholarships—thanks.</p>

7

<p>Well, I just found out that I can't get a scholarship because I'm not in the top 5% of my class. But that's OK—I just thought that I should respond for the sake of symmetry.</p>