I just finished my junior year and am currently trying to decide where to apply.
My colleges: Bard College, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, Dickinson College, Emory College, Smith College, Middlebury College, and Mount Holyoke College. I’m out of state for all of them.
Unweighted GPA: 3.87 / 4
Highest grades of my class
No ACT yet (I am going to take it in the fall)
SAT score: 1900 (total); taking it again
AP World History score of 4; taken sophomore year
Sophomore year: AP European History, AP Calculus AB, AP Physics A, Latin, American Literature, Newspaper
Next year: Psychology, U.S. History, Latin, and English Literature (all AP); Statistics, Newspaper
Stage manager for every high school performance in my school since sophomore year
Actor in a theater troupe in the holidays for service (was supposed to be stage manager but actor dropped out)
Actor through all of middle school, both during school year & summer
Chorus through all of middle school
Will be the editor-in-chief of my school newspaper; was photo editor this year (though I frequently helped with other editorial duties); staff reporter through all of high school career
7th grade 6th place in Virginia’s Portion of Scripp’s National Spelling Bee
Scored a “magna cum laude” and a “maxima cum laude” + silver medal in the National Latin Exam
Scholarship from school last year for best grades of class
College of William & Mary Leadership Award this year
Top 5 in national essay contest about global service efforts
Won class contests for poetry recitations ever since freshmen year
Going to Italy for language immersion after learning language in self-study
Took place in area Calculus Tournament with 2 other students & reached quarterfinals (lost by 1 point)
Took place in Physics Olympics with 3 other students
“Leader” of Anime/Manga Club- actual leader does nothing, so I took over. We’re supposed to be making our own manga but we may not be able to
What are my chances for any of the colleges?
What are you interested in studying? Out of state shouldn’t matter for any of those schools because it they are private schools that do not differentiate significantly between instate and out of state applicants. I think you have a good shot for all of them except for perhaps Emory, Haverford, and Middlebury. Schools with acceptance rates in the 20s are generally reaches for most people, but your class rank and interesting ECs should help you out.
On a side note, most middle school activities will not matter in high school applications unless you did something extremely significant during that time period, winning the Scripp’s spelling bee, for instance. I imagine that if you were in the top the national essay contest, you should have good essay writing skills, which would be to your benefit in applications. Your SAT score is lower than the average for your reach schools so I definitely recommend studying to raise your score or trying the ACT. Make sure you also have safeties you can afford (ex: state flagship)
Good luck.
I’m really interested in languages, especially Latin and Italian.
I didn’t even notice the middle school activities. The college counselor at our school made us make a list of all our accomplishments since we can remember and I guess I forgot to take them out when I copied and pasted it on here. Oops.
Thanks so much.
Neat, Middlebury is well known for its strong languages program so that makes sense. You may also want to consider schools that have living learning communities for languages. For instance, at William & Mary, they have these dorms called language houses. A faculty member from the target country (and a tutor) lives with the students and helps plan activities for them in relation to the language or culture. Students are also expected to practice speaking the language within the building so you get a lot of practice. Outside of study abroad, that is probably one of the best ways to get better at the language.
Middlebury College 5%
Haverford College 5%
Smith College 15%
Bard College 20%
Mount Holyoke College 25%
Bryn Mawr College 35%
Dickinson College 41%
Emory College - Do you mean Emory and Henry or Emory University?
I think you have a good shot at many of the colleges on your list. My D had a lower GPA than you (I can’t remember, maybe about 3.5?) and a 2100 SAT with high SAT2 scores. She was accepted at Bard and Mount Holyoke, but not Smith (from your list.) Middlebury is a reach for just about everyone, of course. It seems like a good list. Maybe add 1 or 2 more safeties that you can definitely afford and are in the top 25% stats-wise, and that you’d be happy to attend. Good luck!
Your stats look great! I think many people do not realize that Smith, Mount Holyoke and Bryn Mawr are all SAT optional. Thus, your test scores will not affect your admission process. Haverford and Middlebury might be a reach as they both require SATs, and you want to score 2200+ for those schools. I am not discouraging you from applying to any of the schools. The admissions process is holistic, so make sure your essays demonstrate your individuality. Good luck withe everything!
I meant Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Typos aren’t very fun to deal with.
I’m thinking about adding the College of William & Mary onto the list, since I already have an award from the college and have visited. Should I or is it a bad idea?
That’s up to you. Did you enjoy it when you visited there? It seems to fit your theme of smaller schools and I am assuming you will be instate so it will likely be affordable