Please help! Im running out of time!!!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi! Thanks for checking this out and helping me out!!! I am really confused right now. I have loved Swarthmore College for a long time but this past weekend I went and visited George Washington University and I fell in love with Washington D.C. I am really interested in International Relations and GW has the Elliot School of International Affairs. However, Swarthmore, all in all, is a more prestigious school. Based off my credentials and interests, which of the two do you think would be a better fit for me to apply to? </p>

<p>I am a rising Senior at a suburban public high school that does pretty well in college admissions.
GPA is 4.5 out of 5.3 (my school only does weighted)
Class rank is 26 out of 520.
SAT scores at this point in time: Math 650, Writing 670, and CR 740, but I plan on retaking them.
Subject tests are Lit: 680 and World history: 710. </p>

<p>I also just took the ACT so I am waiting for that score. </p>

<p>EC:
I am the Editor-in-Chief of my school newspaper and have been an Editor of it since my freshman year (Opinions Editor, Copy Editor, then Editor-in-Chief)</p>

<p>I am the Founder/President of the Model United Nations club at my school. </p>

<p>I am the President of the Midnight Run club, a club that distributes food and clothing to those without homes in New York City and the surrounding area. </p>

<p>I went on a pioneer trip to China with 12 other students as well as hosted 2 Chinese girls in my home.</p>

<p>I am also a member of other various clubs. Also, I have run one season of track and one season of cross country, and I have been participating in cheerleading since the end of my sophomore year. </p>

<p>Community Service:
Besides the Midnight Run, I have volunteered for about 25 hours at a place in my town called El Centro Hispano, a place for people of Hispanic people of my area to come and recieve help in getting a job or a home, among other things.
I also volunteered in the Dominican Republic for a week at an orphanage through an organization called Orphanage Outreach. </p>

<p>Family History:
I come from a middle-class Caucasian family. My father went to George Washington University and my mom went to SUNY Stony Brook. My mom went to Pace University for law school and my dad went to the George Washington graduate school of political management. </p>

<p>Thank you for your help!
Schools I'm interested in:
Swarthmore (ED)
GW (ED2 if i don't get into Swarthmore)
Tufts
Brown
Davidson
SUNY Geneseo
Princeton
Emory</p>

<p>My recs and my essay should also be very good.</p>

<p>At least one other student with a better rank than me is also applying to Swarthmore ED.</p>

<p>What are my chances? </p>

<p>Thanks for trying to chance me
I'm very interested in international relations - are there any other schools that you would suggest considering my interests and my stats?</p>

<p>What are some safety options for me?</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

2

<p>I think you should apply to both schools and give yourself more time to consider them and see if you get accepted to both. That could make your decision right there. If you are very undecided then don't apply ED. Other schools to consider:
American University
Boston University
Lehigh University
NYU
Northeastern University
Penn State
SUNY Binghamton
Syracuse University
University of Delaware
University of Miami
University of Virginia
Wellesley</p>

3

<p>Both schools are reasonable choices for you. GW may have more options if you change your mind about your major, and may be better for internships. How about U Maryland College Park as a safety? It is a short metro ride from Washington DC and is cheaper than GW. You can probably get into one of their honors programs, too, that relates to your interests.</p>

4

<p>I don't want to sound overly pessimistic, but it sounds like Swarthmore is going to be a reach for you, based on your stats. I applied to Swarthmore ED a couple of years ago with higher SAT Is (same 1390/1600, however, I had a 2100/2400), higher SAT IIs (US history 750, English literature 720, Math I 720), a class rank of 1 of 50, and similar ECs (4 years MUN, editor-in-chief of my school paper, 4 year Varsity Field Hockey player & senior captain, 2 year library volunteer, a few academic honors) and was flat out rejected (the reason I'm going into myself so much here is because I'm, frankly, amazed at how similar you sound to the high school me :)). That being said, do not despair if Swarthmore is still your first choice... pools change from year to year and you do sound as if you have some of the community service activities that my application lacked which will help your chances somewhat.</p>

<p>On the other (brighter) hand, I think your chances are GWU are fantastic... you're right at the top of the range of average applicants, stats-wise, and you're a legacy. Looking at your list as a whole, I would say...</p>

<p>Swarthmore College (ED)... REACH.
George Washington University (ED2)... LIKELY.
Tufts University... REACH.
Brown University... HIGH REACH.
Davidson College... GOOD FIT.
SUNY College - Geneseo... SAFETY.
Princeton University... HIGH REACH.
Emory University... REACH.</p>

<p>Lastly, if you're really interested in Swarthmore, I would recommend you add a few "Swarthmore-like" schools to your list. Some ideas of places to consider include: Vassar College (NY), Wesleyan University (CT), Bard College (NY), Oberlin College (OH), Reed College (OR), and even the University of Chicago (IL). You could also think about Haverford College (PA) and Bryn Mawr College (PA), seeing as these two schools are in the same consortium as Swarthmore.</p>

5

<p>thanks all for the responses! I am really in love with George Washington right now but I don't know if I still want to apply to swarthmore. in all honesty, I know my chances at swarthmore are slim to none and if I don't apply ED flat out none but for a long time i was just so enamored by it. However, when I visited GW this weekend I fell in love with Washington D.C. I am just afraid that if I give up on Swarthmore I will regret it but I don't know. Anyone a GW alumni that can give me advice? Anything disliked, really liked about it? Two things I am concerned about are the large classes and (not trying to sound pretentious) wasting an ED. </p>

<p>Also, littleathiest, where did you end up going to college, if you don't mind me asking? And what made you want to go to Swarthmore in the first place? </p>

<p>Okay, I am done ranting :)</p>

6

<p>With the economic crisis, top private schools may receive fewer applications or take many people from waiting lists. If you can afford Swarthmore, go ahead and apply. You were never a weak applicant- just maybe not a shoo in.</p>

7

<p>I ended up at Vassar College which has actually turned out to be a pretty good choice for me... it offers a lot of what I liked about Swarthmore, but in an environment that's a bit more laid back (this turned out to be a good thing for me... in retrospect, Swarthmore might have been a bit too intense). </p>

<p>Swarthmore was initially my first choice for a variety of reasons. I loved the idea that it was supposed to be a very intellectual sort of place where I would find myself with a peer group that was actually interested in learning (this didn't happen to much at my high school). In addition, I really liked the connections Swarthmore has with other schools in its surrounding area: the tri-co relationship with Bryn Mawr and Haverford as well as that with the University of Pennsylvania. Basically, I liked all four of the schools in the area, but Swarthmore was my top pick because it was the school that seemed most intellectual and academically-centered out of them. Lastly, Swarthmore appealed to me more than, say, Amherst College because of its geographic location: I loved the idea that I could be in a suburban area but have Philadelphia available to me through a short train ride.</p>

8

<p>those were the things that appealed to me as well...also i liked the small class size and close prof.-student relationship...however, i have decided that GW is going to be a better fit for me b/c of the opportunities Wash. D.C. offers...but thanks for the help all!</p>