Hey everyone,
I am currently a junior planning to apply to Middlebury ED 1 this coming application season (for the c/o 2026). I have a 3.67UW GPA, a 3.9W GPA (I go to a prep school so weighting is on the 4.0 scale), and an SAT score of 1530 (790M 740EBRW). I’ve taken on a very rigorous course load and for sophomore and junior year I have had all AP and honors classes. I plan to major in Econ and if possible minor in Chinese. I am a white male from the northeast btw.
Here are my ECs:
President and founder of my schools FBLA chapter
Vice President of a student run investment fund
Organizer and overseer of an initiative called the Crusade Against Hunger with the aim of aiding food pantries in the community
Tutor and mentor for an organization called African Community Education: I have worked with many young African immigrants to teach them English, math, and a range of other subjects
Varsity rower of 2 years, will be my 3rd next year and possibly a position as captain or co-captain
Very accomplished pianist of 10 years: I have done numerous recitals and play for a local church
National Honor Society member and National Society of High School Scholars ambassador
Several other ECs but they aren’t really that notable
Please leave feedback down below and if there is anything I could do to improve my chances of acceptance let me know.
Where would your GPA fall compared to the rest of your class? I know that most prep schools don’t rank, but they often will tell you what the top 10% are. Unless it was a fluke or you had a really bad year, a kid with a GPA of 3.67 will not get an SAT of 1530. So you may be at one of the few prep schools which have grade deflation, you may be miscalculating your grade, or your grade scale may be different.
For most 4.0 grading scales, having a GPA of 3.67 would make Middlebury a very high reach. However, if your GPA puts you in the top 10% of your graduating class, you are competitive. It would still be a reach, though.
I think I would probably be top 10%. In my entire HS career, I’ve had only one grade below an A-, and in general I’m a good student. I know people that have gotten into Midd with 3.6 and 3.5 W GPAs so that’s not the part of my application that I’m most worried about. In your opinion, do you think they care about weighted GPA more than UW or vice versa?
Colleges mostly care about UW grades, since every high school weighs their grades differently.
If you have only received one grade under an A-, you need to recalculate your GPA:
A/A+ - 4
A- - 3.7
B+ - 3.3
B - 3
B- - 2.7
If you have only a single grade below an A-, there is almost no way that your GPA is as low as 3.67, since A- is 3.7.
In any case, being in the top 10% means that you are pretty competitive for Middlebury. Being White from the NE may count against you, but being male helps, since Midd gets more applications from women.
Being from a prep school in the NE also helps, since many of these have good relations with NESCAC colleges, which also helps.
Colleges are look at both rigor and GPA. These are two separate metrics that are considered, and a weighted GPA which measures both at the same time provides a less accurate measure of each.
At the UCs, which get hundreds of thousands of applications (literally - last year the 9 campuses got 250,000 applications), they cannot do this, so they have a standardized calculation method for both GPA and weighted GPA (they also have lower budgets per student that colleges like Midd).
I don’t think that Middlebury recruits rowers. It’s a club, not an official college sport (that is why their website isn’t part of the Middlebury domain).
You should submit an optional arts supplement even if you don’t plan on majoring in music. You’re an accomplished musician and since Middlebury doesn’t have supplemental essays, the arts supplement is an excellent opportunity to enhance your application. Optional Arts Supplements | Middlebury College
It’s really hard to chance someone for a school as competitive as Middlebury. I’m guessing most applicants are academically qualified but decisions come down to fit and institutional priorities. Keep in mind that Midd applications were up 30% this year and will likely remain up next year as well.
My daughter applied ED1 this year and was rejected. Her stats:
3.8UW, 4.3W
1520 SAT
IB Diploma candidate
National Merit Scholar, Commended
10/10 recommendations
9/10 essay
Solid EC’s with a demonstrated passion for ASL and social justice causes; summer intern at ACLU
The admissions rep remembered my D from a small group Zoom session, saying she was “poised and articulate,” but that ultimately it was a “numbers game,” and that her profile was similar to that of so many applicants. My D applied ED2 to another school and was accepted with a 20K a year merit award.
As for your chances, it’s really tough to say: Your GPA is just a touch on the low side, your EC’s and scores are solid but they don’t really stand out (I hate to say that, and such was the case for my own kid). I agree with @gotham_mom that submitting an arts supplement could give you a boost. You mention the possibility of studying Chinese, and if you have a passion for languages, that too could help boost your chances. You’ve worked hard and by your EC’s I can see that you’ll contribute positively to any school you attend. I wish you the best of luck!
Did your daughter submit an SAT score to Middlebury? I would think with that score, combined with the rest of her profile, she would have gotten in, but you noted it as unofficial on another thread.
@merc81 Her counselor included it in his report. Also included was a letter of rec from a doctor who did my D’s IQ testing along with an official report of her score on the Wechsler intelligence scale showing full scale score in 99th percentile (done for admission to a gifted program in high school). The college counselor sent this info directly to the AO. I don’t think the absence of an official SAT score kept her out of Middlebury. If you look back on threads over the last two years, there have been other students with similar stats rejected. My guess is that it comes down to fit.
It is always game of chance but Midd’s ED acceptance rate this year is already around 35% without counting ED2 which will push it higher. Obviously self selection plays a role and athletic recruits artificially tilt the percentage upward but I’ll say it is a well balanced reach for you (and every other well qualified applicant such as yourself…). RD is a different story for obvious reasons.
Thank you so much for the feedback! I agree that my GPA is a bit low but I don’t think that will be detrimental, and ED will definitely boost my chances. We’ll see what happens, because it definitely is a numbers game.
I haven’t as of yet because I’ve been working on getting my times faster. I think I’m going to wait a little bit before I contact him, just so I’m able to improve as much as possible before I do
My son applied ED1 this year with a 3.5 unweighted GPA, 4.02 weighted, 1520 official SAT scores (that he submitted). He had good ECs and had taken a full load of honors and AP courses. Wanted to be a history/political science/economics major. He had also taken two languages - four years of German and five years of French. And, I went to Middlebury, so he was a legacy. He had a great admissions interview and had communicated with his admissions rep. He was denied.
I’d say you have a shot - your unweighted grades are a little higher than his, and your ECs are good. Plus, you never know what factors go into admissions decisions and applications won’t necessarily be quite as high next year. But, I would disagree that a 3.67 GPA won’t be detrimental. I would be sure to have a lot of back-ups that you are excited about, so if it doesn’t happen you will still feel like you have a lot of great options. My son applied to some other schools early action that he heard back from, with good news, just a little bit after he got the Middlebury rejection, and that really softened the blow.
Similarly, Middlebury offers superb language programs, although it might be worth noting that Hamilton offers one of the nation’s most popular Chinese programs (based on IPEDS data on students who graduate with this major).
@Illinoisparent12 Those SAT stats come back to bite me! When I first joined CC, I had D21’s high PSAT score plus her 1520 practice SAT done at school under timed conditions; she was enrolled in a test prep course and I never imagined that she wouldn’t have the opportunity to submit an official score. I had always planned to update the number.
I don’t know if an official score would have made a difference to Midd but I tend to think not. When the AO talked to D21’s GC, he commented on how bright she is and said there was no doubt she could handle the work. My guess is that she just didn’t stand out. I recently went through the process of helping to select summer engineering interns, and nearly every resume was great (grades, awards, ECs, demonstrated interest) but of the 75 who applied, 10 were unqualified and 8 stood out as outstanding. The rest were all students with high GPA’s and solid credentials—no reason to reject them other than they didn’t stand out. Perhaps that’s what it looks like to AO’s.
There’s a parent on CC whose kid was denied ED1 at Midd, deferred ED2 at Grinnell, and accepted RD at Williams. And a student from last year was denied ED at Midd and accepted RD at Bates. So…who knows? BTW, best of luck to your S21—I hope he ends up at college he’s really happy with.
Those SAT stats come back to bite me! When I first joined CC, I had D21’s high PSAT score plus her 1520 practice SAT done at school under timed conditions; she was enrolled in a test prep course and I never imagined that she wouldn’t have the opportunity to submit an official score. I had always planned to update the number.
BTW, best of luck to your S21—I hope he ends up at college he’s really happy with.