Not Sure If I Should Apply/More Info Please

Colleges and Universities A-Z Saint Michael's College
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<p>Hey there!</p>

<p>I really like the sound of St. Michaels. I want to go to the New England area and I like the looks of Burlington and Lake Champlain and the surroundings. I just have a few concerns:</p>

<p>1) I go to boarding school now in VA. It's a pretty good one, but it's expensive and since that's the case, my parents want me to go in-state/public so they don't have to pay much. How is your financial aid? Could I get a scholarship for a unique talent? I jump rope competitively at national tournaments (AAU Junior Olympics and USAJR Nationals) but that's really my only sport, so I don't have a chance with the normal school sports. Is this plausible? </p>

<p>2) I have gone to 3 different high schools for my 4 years of HS. Will this affect my chances?</p>

<p>3) I was in EXTREMELY competitive schools for my first two years of high school (Chapel Hill High School, and East Chapel Hill High School [Nationally ranked public schools]) so in turn, my grades weren't the greatest because the schools were so hard. They were mostly B's with a few A's and C's. My GPA was a 3.4 UW and 3.7 Weighted. Now at boarding school, we're on the 100 pt. scale and my grade average is about an 85. Will they take this into consideration? How do my grades stack up? (I am taking mostly AP courses and a few honors and very few regular.)</p>

<p>4) My SAT/ACT scores...which should I submit, or both?
SAT Math: 590
Sat Reading:570
SAT Writing: 570
ACT Composite: 25</p>

<p>Also what is the campus vibe like? I want to be a doctor, but with my grades I'm not sure if I could do pre-med. I have a job at Duke University Medicine doing DNA research in an Alzheimer's lab, doing karyotyping and looking at DNA samples. Will this help me get into pre-med? Should I put that on my application?</p>

<p>I know this is a long message but if you could answer as much as you can, I would REALLY appreciate it. I would really like to hear from someone at Saint Michael's or someone familiar with it.</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

<p>~Drew</p>

2

<p>Hey there Drew–</p>

<p>You should definitely apply to Saint Michael’s College. Your GPA, SATs & ACT scores are right in the norm for what we typically see for accepted students and it sounds like you have some great extracurricular activities. Plus, we’d love to have a student from North Carolina! Especially a semi-pro jump roper!</p>

<p>As far as financial aid goes, first and foremost we look at your academic performance, but a lot more goes into the consideration for financial aid package (i.e. involvement in extracurricular activities, leadership etc).</p>

<p>When we read applications, we definitely look at the school the student is attending (or has attended). Since each school has different standards and expectations, it is important for us to take that into consideration as we read the application. The fact that you’re taking AP & honors courses is excellent and also will be in your favor (as long as you perform well in those classes).</p>

<p>The # of high schools you have attended won’t affect your chances of being admitted as long as there aren’t any major behavioral issues that required you to change schools. But from your description, it doesn’t sound like that is a problem. I would just make sure to have your guidance counselor explain in their letter why you changed schools multiple times.</p>

<p>As far as campus vibe goes, we are a completely residential campus with the majority of students (80%) coming from out of state. Because of that, there is a very active student body with a lot of options available. Students don’t pack up and head home on the weekends, they stay around and are very involved. Also, students really love our beautiful campus and Burlington area. St. Mike’s was ranked as “One of the Happiest Colleges in the US” by The Princeton Review mainly because of our high retention retention rate (90%!).</p>

<p>We have an excellent track record with our Pre-Med students. 90% of the Pre-Med students who apply to med school are accepted! You will work closely with the pre-health advisors to ensure that you are on track. Since we are a liberal arts & sciences college, you don’t have to apply to a specific major. If you are accepted to St. Mike’s, you can declare whatever major you would like.</p>

<p>Burlington is one of the top college towns in the US. With 5 colleges and 15,000+ undergraduate students in the area, it provides a lot of unique opportunities that you wouldn’t experience with other colleges. Burlington also always falls at the top “Best of…” lists because of how unique and fun it is as a city.</p>

<p>I hope I was able to answer your questions. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions!</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>Jeremy Brown
Assistant Director of Admission
<a href=“mailto:jbrown7@smcvt.edu”>jbrown7@smcvt.edu</a>
800-SMC-8000</p>

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<p>That answered all my questions ad many more! Thank you! St. Michael’s sounds like a great place and this is happy news for me because it is my number one choice! I have other questions but I will contact you via email because they are more personal. Thanks!</p>

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<p>EXCELLENT!! I look forward to hearing from you!</p>

<p>-Jeremy</p>