My NEW chances thread...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

<p>Hello all</p>

<p>This fall I will be a senior in high school. I attend a small, very rigorous, private college prep school in Tucson, Arizona. During April, I managed to visit many colleges in the northeast and northwest, and Vassar College became one of my top choice schools...</p>

<p>However, academically, I may not fit the typical Reed mold. What do you all think?</p>

<p>ACT score: 30
GPA: 3.3 or 3.4</p>

<p>Courseload:</p>

<p>9th
Geometry C+/B
Spanish II A-/A
Biology B+/A-
World History B+/A-
Computer Science PASS
Literature and Composition A/A</p>

<p>10th
Adv Algebra C+/B
Spanish III A-/A
Physics C+/B-
Art I B+/A-
Literature and Composition A/A
European History B/A-</p>

<p>11th
FST (Functions Statistics Trigonometry) B-
Spanish IV A-/A-
Chemistry C+/B-
Art II A-/A-
American Literature A/A
US History B+/B+</p>

<p>12th
Precalculus
AP Spanish
Creative Writing/Connections
Journalism
Adv Art
AP Brit Lit
Masterwork (a unique program my school provides in which a senior student, if he/she wishes to do so, may create a senior project of sorts. This masterwork project is an integration of a student's personal passion and an accumulation of the things he/she has an interest in academically. I will create a 150-200 page graphic novel in which I design the characters and story, draw it out, so on.)</p>

<p>ECs:</p>

<p>President of class in freshman year
Vice President of class in sophomore year
Computer Science --> contributed to creation of school website
National Art Honor Society
Advanced Art and things
Took Japanese language classes at the community college sophomore year
Am taking further Japanese language class at the community college in my senior year
Study abroad in Tokyo my summer before senior year
Did summer art programs/schools during my freshman and sophomore year
Student recruitment committee --> vice president</p>

<p>Race: caucasian</p>

<p>Hook: My masterwork. Masterworks are unique to my school and allow students to demonstrate dedication and passion. Uhm, being from Arizona. Japanese studies and travels. Art interests.</p>

<p>In need of financial aid? No</p>

<p>So, what do you think of my chances? I'll be applying early decision and have a very cool idea for my "YourSpace" part of the application...I will have very good recs and write a killer essay.</p>

2

<p>Well, for starters, your ACT score looks good... it's definitely where it needs to be. Arizona should help you too. In addition, your masterwork sounds very cool and would definitely lend itself well to the "YourSpace" part of the application. I'd say, if you do a nice job with that, you're in good shape (even with the lower than average GPA).</p>

3

<p>Thank you for your thoughts. </p>

<p>BTW, that "Reed mold" bit should be "Vassar mold."</p>

<p>Any further opinion?</p>

4

<p>I also got in with that same GPA and ACT while being from Arizona (weird!) although I applied ED which I would highly recommend since you are pretty boarderline. It might kind of hurt you that you aren't taking that many AP/IB courses (I took pretty much a full load junior and senior year) but if your high school is as good as you say they'll take that into consideration. Is it as good as BASIS and Universiy High School? Because it's beyond me why anybody would go to a private school in Tucson when two of the best public schools in the nation are right there.</p>

5

<p>Haha, see, BASIS has only been around for a shortwhile. If I had heard of it sooner, I would've attended high school there, but I figured it would be too late to transfer in my mid junior year, especially given BASIS' incredibly intense workload...My credits would be all over the place.</p>

<p>I go to Greenfields, a small <em>private</em> college prep school that offers few APs: AP Lit, AP Spanish, AP French, AP US History, AP Calculus, and AP Bio. Greenfields, since it is private, is not ranked, but I would say that I'm recieving an excellent education. To me, BASIS, while an academically terrific school, is too focused on making these perfect little high school graduates who have been taking AP courses for, and I say this quite literally, their entire high school career. I have a friend who goes to BASIS who sometimes feels she is not quite as unique as she could have been at Greenfields as everyone is too academically concerned, sacrificing passion with academic extravagance.</p>

<p>And see, I would take as many APs I could, but I wouldn't enjoy myself doing so...I'd rather Vassar see some passion in my studies, not just a showy transcript.</p>

<p>And I figure since I'm borderline and am in no need of fin aid, ED would be the way to go...</p>

<p>Any other thoughts? And did you wind up going to Vassar?</p>

6

<p>Just from what I've heard Vassar is infinitley harder for girls to get into than guys. I know technically there shouldn't be too much of a difference between genders but I hear the ammount of female applicants quadrouples the ammount of male applicants. And they end up with a 40/60 split so it would seem very easy for guys compared to girls.</p>

<p>Anyways I'm no expert on these things but I think you have more than a decent shot.</p>