Please chance me at Vassar!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

<p>I've taken a gap year to work for college money and to apply to colleges that I hadn't had a chance to apply to last year. This is for regular decision.</p>

<p>My stats are:</p>

<p>Female/1st Gen/Filipino
Prospective Major: International Studies/Art</p>

<p>Rank: 7/414 [Public school]
GPA: 4.2
UC GPA: 4.0
SAT I: 1810
SAT II: Lit: 570, World His: 540 [retaking in Dec- aiming for 650+ on both]
ACT: [will take in Dec for the first time]
AP's Taken: Art 2D, 3D and Drawing, USH, World His, Eng Lit, Eng Lang</p>

<p>EC's:
Animal Shelter Volunteer~100 hours
Art Club (10, 11, president 12th)
Japanese Club (president 9th, 10)
Chinese Club (president 10th, 11, 12)
Principal's Round Table (11, 12) - helped principal with school decisions
California State Summer School for the Arts [Pre-college summer program]</p>

<p>Honors:
NHS, NJHS, CSF, AP Scholar
Governor's Medallion in Art: Highest award in art given to students in CA.
Chinese Language Award: Dedication in learning Chinese [should I mention this?]</p>

<p>Hobbies:
Draw nudes every saturday ;D
The result of which is a hefty life drawing portfolio
I will use this as a supplement.
[PM me if you want to see it]</p>

<p>I've PM'ed an art teacher at Vassar and she said my portfolio was strong. Yay!</p>

<p>Work:
I work full time at a candy store to save money for college.</p>

<p>Extra info/ Essay topics:
I could not have extensive extracurricular because I had to stay home and take care of my sister/dad because my dad suffered from PTSD from war and alcoholism, to put it in lightest terms. I didn't have the opportunities that I wish I could have had in highschool and I want stand up and be a positive impact on others in college. I know what abuse is like and I want to prevent this in our community and show others that they too can fight and be something regardless of what they've experienced.</p>

<p>I just hope that this would help the admissions people try to understand my situation. I really want to change the world and impact people who have been in domestic abuse, because I know how it's like. It's scary. I want to be a positive example to the next generation [and I dream of being an FBI agent] ( :</p>

<p>I'm scared because I don't believe I look so good on paper within the numbers part of the application, but I have the drive and passion to succeed and I hope I've portrayed that enough in my essays.</p>

<p>Please chance me?</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

2

<p>I also sent an arts submission to vassar, I would like to see your portfolio to understand what is "strong"
I think you have very good chance, class rank and GPA and all that is topnotch, but you should work on your SAT 1 scores. That's kind of the lowest point in your application.</p>

3

<p>ValArts</a> [deux]: If I could make a super portfolio...</p>

<p>That's my portfolio I'm using as a supplement. Part of it is also the portfolio that got me into CalArt's Character Animation last year (which admitted ~40 students/ 10% acceptance rate last year). </p>

<p>Thanks astrophoenix. The only thing is, I can't really fix up my SAT I's now as it's towards the deadline. I am taking the ACT so hopefully it'll be up to par.</p>

4

<p>Anyone else up to chance me please?</p>

5

<p>First of all, I think you sound like a really interesting candidate who will bring a lot to the table. This fact alone, I feel, will help your chances considerably... your background and involvement in art are two things that will make you stand out from the hordes of other applicants. That being said, here's a breakdown of how I see your chances.</p>

<p>First of all, your grades, classes, and class rank are all excellent and put you well within the range of a typical Vassar student. Personally, I find your level of achievement to be remarkable, considering the fact that you had personal things you had to deal with in high school. I can't say this for sure, but would imagine that admissions officers would look on this high level of achievement similarly.</p>

<p>That being said, your standardized test scores are, as I'm sure you're aware, rather low for Vassar. I'd love to tell you "don't worry, they don't matter," but the fact is that they do and that they'll hurt your chances somewhat. I do think, however, that it's excellent that you're taking the ACT soon... I know several people who scored significantly higher on it than on the SAT. If you do well on this test (at least a 28), I think you'll be in worlds better shape for Vassar. I would also recommend that if you do well on your ACT, submit this score only... don't bother with the SAT. </p>

<p>Lastly, your extracurricular involvements sound very solid... and the art supplement sounds fantastic. It's great that you got such positive feedback from a professor here at Vassar... I would imagine that this should also help your application. </p>

<p>Overall, I think Vassar is a reach for you, because of the test scores; however, I'm really not sure how your application is going to be viewed by the Admissions Office, so that's a pretty rough estimate. If your passions, interests, and story resonate with the admissions officers, I think you've got an excellent chance. Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>Thank you very much littleatheist! I'm still figuring out what to do for the yourspace to make myself stand out even more. Can the yourspace be very colloquial? </p>

<p>I've went through so many tough times and I really hope that colleges can see that and understand that I have this drive to change other's lives. I've had so many opportunities that I couldn't take because of my family responsibility, but I'm proud of what I've sacrificed. ( : .</p>

<p>Thank you again for chancing me! Just wondering, are you a vassar applicant/student yourself?</p>

7

<p>The yourspace can be very colloquial, if you'd like it to be. The idea is that you can express through it whatever you didn't get to express on your application. </p>

<p>And yes, I'm a current sophomore at Vassar.</p>

8

<p>Do you think Vassar would frown upon me not taking Calculus in my senior year? I had to choose between math and art and I chose the latter. I do hope that doesn't shoot me down a little bit more.</p>

9

<p>I think you should be fine with not taking calculus your senior year I've met a bunch of people who've never taken calculus here, and it's certainly not a requirement for getting into the school.</p>

10

<p>Score! Thank you!</p>

11

<p>Just wondering, do you believe my chances would be different if I applied ED 2?</p>

12

<p>Tell your life story. That is your greatest asset.</p>

13

<p>Likewise, I think you should be concerned with your SAT scores. However, Vassar is the type of school that wants to explore your in-depth personality and wants to choose characteristically appealing students who will make the class of 2013 interesting.
How was your college essay? Did you already apply ED1?</p>