GPA: UW: 3.8 W: 4.1
-something to consider: I took all of the most rigorous courses availaible to me (all honors until Junior year started) Junior year I dual-enrolled in all of my subjects, which are weighted like AP for me. I am taking no AP tests given the fact that I am dual-enrolling (taking college courses at a STATE college, not a community college).
ACT; 29 (first-time and retaking soon) hoping for >32 second or third time
SAT: not taking
E.C.'s:
MVP for varsity soccer and highest-scorer Freshman-Soph. year. hurt my knee end of sophomore season and doctor said I shouldn’t play anymore or I would mess up my knee badly again.
-NHS and Student Government since fresh. year
-internship for state governor sophomore year
-Student Leadership Academy fresh- sop. year ( I switched schools junior year so I could take more rigorous classes)
-FCA
-Animal Refuge AMbassador (service hrs)
-Certified Soccer Referee as a little job since I was 12
-Camp Leader for WInshape Camp (non-profit) 40+ service
Global Volunteer Network Ambassador (500 dollar scholarship)
-Taking Spanish 4 and knows sign-language (partial)
-President’s National Volunteer Award (gold) through 4-H
-Secretary for 4-H group
-Contributor/photographer/ writer for new magazine startup company: TREND magazine
-Learned to code and design my own fashion and travel blog where I write about my travels, inspirational stuff, life, and fashion
-Her Campus Blogger Network Member through my blog
-Smart Girls Media Sisters member through blog
-writer for Undeniable Report
-President and member of FBLA
-Her Campus High School Ambassador and network, marketing, and writing experience through that
-Started my business Maysea (with my savings) in which I sold tee’s I designed on my website/blog and gave part of the earnings from the tee’s to help save the endangered sea turtles (close to my home and heart)
-founder and president of the women in business club
-I am a really determined and passionate person in general
You are aiming way too high with your current stats - raising your ACT to a 32 will move you into the range where you are a more viable candidate at some of the schools in the middle group.
I agree with the above posters. You need to look at unweighted GPA since that’s what most colleges will do. (Some colleges are extremely picky and won’t count a state university’s coursework, or if they do, they may consider it as a “transfer” student.) Also, if you are not from California, the costs to attend any UC would be $55K per year. Stanford is even more.
The only people who know your chances are the adcoms. Why asked to be chanced if you don’t want to hear/accept the opinions?
EC’s don’t make up for the GPA and ACT scores. Your EC’s appear to be stretched and padded. Combine the ones that go together. The adcoms might wonder how your 4.18 doesn’t match your ACT score and how your EC’s may have impacted your stats.
You have what would be a strong app at a LOT of schools, but I think you’re targeting the wrong schools. What do you want to major in? If journalism, I think you’d have a holistically strong app (including with your current stats) for Boston University, Mizzou and Syracuse. Emerson would make a good match/safety. Otherwise, a big trend from your activities seems to be feminism/women’s networks, so I would consider some LACs/women’s colleges. Would need to know more about what you want to major in and your financial constraints to make good recs.
Combine the activities that go together like your 4-H, your blogs, business activities, sports, etc.
Also, listing “taking Spanish 4” is not really an EC. It’s a course. They’ll see right away that you are grasping to fill the page.
“Know partial sign language” doesn’t really count. (Infants know partial sign language.) Are you a deaf language interpreter? Do you translate for the deaf community? Do you use ASL. Don’t count it if you don’t really use it on a consistent basis.
Your EC’s may explain why your grades and stats are low if there is no rhyme or reason to them.
OK, that helps! If no financial constraints, apply to NYU. It’s slighty reachy BUT not impossible, and they’re great for full pay. Apply to BU–Questrom is a great business school and your stats are good for them. Look at USC too. BC is currently a reach BUT if you do bump that ACT score up a few point, it could become match. Emory is slightly reachy, but look there too.
@“aunt bea” but my business doesn’t go together with spots or 4-H. I started my own business myself, and have made over 1,000$ for sea turtles in my local area. My blog gets over 20,000 unique visitors a month and I have been able to work with companies like Warby Parker, Triangl, Bauble Bar, and others. I also write for a startup magazine so I don’t think that my E.C.'s are weak at all… I m not sure how those are considered “weak” because I am passionate about them and it actually shows. I still don’t understand how you’re saying my E.C’s are weak still??
You are a strong applicant though not necessarily to most of the school you have listed. Wake Forest-maybe. Boston College-maybe. UF-probably. Stanford, UVA, UNC-not gonna happen with what you have so far. .
You have been a busy beaver with all your ECs. Try consolidating some of the activities and only highlighting the ones for which you have spent the most time and have the most passion. Dive in to something that means a lot to you, hold a leadership role, get involved in even more depth.
Most important, you do need to pull the standardized test scores up and push your grades a little farther, too.
@grandscheme thank you! Some of these people who post on here, i respect their opinions, but they seem so depressing and not very optimistic. I am going to get a 30+ on my ACT and I am getting all A’s junior year thus far (semester 1 just ended) thank you! How do I make my E.C’s look not so frumpy and scattered? I am passionate in everything i do/ have done so far