I am an International Student from Nepal planning to Apply to Lafayette as an ED1 candidate for the class of 2020. Here are my stats.
SAT 1 : 1940/2400
SAT 2 : Physics:800 Chemistry: 800 Maths II: 780 Total :2380/2400
GPA: school does not calculate GPA, just grades. But unweighed GPA would most probably be 4.0/4.0
Rank: 4/100 (Upward trend)
Gender: Male
Applying for aid: Yes, need based financial aid
ECA
Lot of leadership activities: School Prefect(grade 11/12), School Vice captain (grade 10) President of interact club, President of youth Club, and I conducted and changed a lot of activities when I held those positions.
Lot of volunteering/social works: Active member of Red Cross and Leo and IT club. Founded a environment project for creating environment awareness in remote part of the country. It was recognized and much appreciated by the President of Nepal himself. Volunteered for various social causes like environment cleanliness, blood donation, health projects etc. Provided free IT lessons for interested students of grade 9 and 10 for a month.
Professional Experiences
Teaching pat-time A level chemistry and mathematics to High school seniors at a reputed high school in Nepal that too right after completion of my Cambridge Final exams.
Worked as a home tutor and taught maths and sciences to lower secondary students (grade 9 and 10)
Worked as an intern at a business firm for a month and managed database,
Modelled for an ad campaign of a commercial bank. The hoardings of the ad have been placed at several towns throughout the country.
Worked as a instructor in a computer institute and taught the basics of MS office and qbasic to beginners
Awards:
Included in principal’s merit list each and every time since grade 11. (7 recipients on average out of 100 students, awarded only after grade 10)
Third in nationwide inter-school sculpture competition
3)Topper at SLC boost up exam ( An exam conducted before national during the sophomore year in my country. Top 3 students of schools of a particular region take the exam. I was placed first)
Recommendations:
Physics and Chemistry teachers. Both adore me. I have conducted many programmes with them. So I am pretty sure they will write a strong recos for me.
Other recommender is a current student studying at Lafayette.
Essays:
Personal essay is quirky and humorous. Everyone who read it liked it very much.
Supplement essays:
Perfected with a personal touch.
Lafayette is a match for you. Middle 50% range for SAT is 1760-2060, so you are good there. SAT Subject matter tests are perfect, and your unweighted GPA is as well. Very nice school. You can get a great education there. Good luck!
Well, GPA can’t probably be 4.0. Did you get all A’s (no A-)? That is a 4.0. Also, it is a little risky in my opinion to have a student write a recommendation for someone, but that is just me. Is it possible for you to retake the SAT? Getting your score at 2000+ would really help you in my opinion.
@jarrett211 - Schools figure GPAs differently. Many consider an A of any kind (A-) to be worth 4.0, so you could get ALL A-s at those schools and that would be a 4.0. This difference is why the better schools ask for a “school profile” which explains all that. I agree that it seems odd to have a current Lafayette student write a letter of recommendation. If Lafayette doesn’t specifically mention doing something like that, @ccuser719, I would not go forward with that. Finally, a better SAT would help you, of course, but make no mistake, you are in the top 50% with that SAT already, and when you add the 4.0 GPA, the two perfect subject matter tests, and decent ECs, you are a seriously strong candidate.
@stepay I am not talking about how @ccuser719 's school calculates GPA, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that when colleges recalculate the GPA, an A- means no 4.0. But overall, I agree that you are a strong candidate and will most likely get in.
@jarrett211 and @stepay About the GPA thing. I studies Cambridge A levels and concentrated in total of five subjects during junior and senior years. In the final exams, I scored A* in Phy, Chem Pure Mathematics and Further Mathematics (A* is the highest achievable grade in these Subjects). The fifth subject is the As level English language and I got an A in it and that too is the highest possible grade as there is no such thing as A* in As level English Language. My school does not calculate GPA but considering the fact that I scored the highest possible grades in the most rigorous course offered by the school (since no APs) , I thought my GPA would be 4.0.
@jarrett211 I will be taking SAT1 again this October and this time I am hoping for a 2000+ score and about that recommender guy, he is a junior at lafayette and the guy has built good rapport with professors and International Students Director. That is why I am thinking of asking him to be the ‘other recommender’ for the commonapp. Lafayette does not require it so if its a bad idea, I will better not ask him. I have been told that Lafayette seriously considers the level of applicants interests. So what else would be a better way to show interest than filling every optional section (like the other recommender) of the common application showing that I was well prepared and submitting the application promptly under ED1.Thank you guys for your kind response. Your critiques are highly appreciated
@ccuser719 - Seems that with the highest As possible, that’s a 4.0 unweighted no matter how it is determined. No AP classes is not a great thing though. Not your fault, but it is a ding in your resume. Even though optional and it seems like it might be just additional, I think it’s a little odd to ask a current student for a recommendation. They just don’t have the relationship with you that leads to them being able to recommend you to a college. For a job at a pizza place, yes, but not for admission to college. My advice is to skip that. You are wise to apply ED1 if you truly want to go to Lafayette. You should make it clear in your essay that you are passionate about attending there. Some schools that are a step down from the very top do deny admission to students if they believe they will get accepted to a more elite college and then go there. Not every college appreciates being a safety school. Washington University in St. Louis has this reputation. It is tough to get accepted to Lafayette…34% are accepted, but again, you are a strong candidate. Good luck.