Please Judge My Friend's Chances

Applying to College
1

She wants to apply to
Georgia Institute of Technology
Agnes Scott College (GA)
Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (VA)
Mount Holyoke College (MA)
Wellesley College (MA)
Occidental College (CA)
University of Southern California
Pitzer College (Claremont, CA)
Scripps College (Claremont)
Claremont McKenna College (another Claremont)

Her stats:

3.5 for freshman and sophomore year in high school.

Junior Year (her high school is on a trimester schedule, hence, three grades)
Math: C, C-, C
Science: C+, C-, C-
Foreign Language: A-, A, A
English: A, A, A
History elective: A
Religion electives: A-, A
Art elective: A
Creative writing electives: A-, A
Accounting class elective: A-

Took a driver’s ed class and a study hall during junior year, too, though I told her she should have taken academic classes instead.

SAT: 1200, 1290, 1390 (final time, will not take new SAT unless she has to for the schools)

NO APs (will take three APs starting senior year). Does not plan on taking SAT IIs. No URM status. No leadership in her clubs. Upper-middle class.

Extracurriculars:
Piano (no awards, played seven years)
Violin (no awards, played four years)
Swimming (NOT on swim team, but six hours a week on avg. for recreational)
School Newspaper Editor (two awards)
School Literary Magazine Editor
Academic Team (like a Quizbowl type club)
Multi-Cultural Club
Amnesty International
Respect for Life Club

Won a few awards for her excellence in art and writing.

What do you think? Please help!

2

<p>She'll need to take SAT IIs for several schools on that list, I believe.</p>

3

<p>Can anyone else reply and help her out?</p>

<p>Melissa: I'll tell her to check again what admissions requirements there are for those schools.</p>

4

<p>The consistently low grades in science/math don't look too good. I don't know about Georgia Tech. Most engineering schools like to see A's in math/science. They'll put their priority on those classes over the humanities. If she is planning on concentrating in humanities, then maybe she'll be able to explain those poor grades away in the other applications.</p>

5

<p>Obviously a large number of people have read this thread but haven't cared to comment. I need your honest assesments, here. I understand if you want to be nice and not be too judgemental or discouraging if she has a bad chance at these schools. But you see, if she DOES have no chance at these schools, she needs to know now.</p>

<p>Please answer.</p>

6

<p>You haven't give us all the info we need. Were honors and AP classes available to her? What is the SAT breakdown? What's her class rank?</p>

7

<p>"Were honors and AP classes available to her? What is the SAT breakdown? What's her class rank?"</p>

<p>APs offered: Bio, Chem, Euro History, English, German, French, Spanish, Latin, US Government, Macroeconmics, Microeconomics, American History. She has taken none yet, but will take Spanish, Euro History and English APs starting this fall (her senior year).</p>

<p>She goes to a private, independent prep school (pretty well-respected, but not near Choate/Andover or some school like that). No honors classes besides APs offered. </p>

<p>NO class rank.</p>

<p>SAT breakdown:
1st time: 1200 (end of soph year)
2nd time: 1290 (beginning of junior year)
3rd time: 1390 (December of junior year)</p>

<p>ACT:
One time: 29</p>

8

<p>Thanks for the answer-- it doesn't matter if you haven't heard of half of the schools she's interested in. Thank you for advising on the other half. :)</p>

<p>She (and I) appreciate it very much.</p>

<p>Please, more people reply.</p>

9

<p>Joyce, I think she'll have a tough time getting into the better schools on the list. Her strength is clearly the SAT score, but colleges hold a private school, upper middle class kid to high standards. Since APs were available and she didn't take any to date, she will not be seen as a hard worker who goes for it. She looks to not have taken advantage of much of what was at her disposal. And no significant volunteer work hurts for kids in her category.</p>

<p>I don't know the Southern schools so won't commont on those.</p>

<p>I think Wellesley, CMC and USC are long shots. Occidental I have known to turn down most students like her, even with higher SAT scores.</p>

<p>Holyoke and Scripps seem like reasonable shots with a good application and recs.</p>

<p>And encourage her to do some good things this summer. Some significant volunteer work. A job that shows her willingness to dig in.</p>

10

<p>"And encourage her to do some good things this summer."</p>

<p>She leaves a week from Thursday for Hilton Head, won't be back until after July 4th. :(</p>