I know this is kind of off-topic, but still related. I am applying to SLC regular decision for class of 2025, so thought I would share my stuff here! I classified it as a safety - I think I have a pretty good shot at getting in. Plus, I REALLY like the school. I’m really happy that I have a “dream school” in the safety category!
Objective:
SAT: 1440 (720, 720)
Unweighted GPA: ~98/100 (we don’t do 4.0 scale but it would be 4.0 because I have straight A’s so far)
Weighted GPA: ~103/100 (our school does weird weighted GPA)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10% (our school does decile rank, so this is the highest you can get. If I would guess I would say I am 5-12th out of 200 students, so around top 5%?)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Junior Year: Lang (4) and US History (3), didn’t report scores. Senior Year: Lit, Gov, AB Calc, French. 6 is considered a pretty large amount for my school (really high-achieving students usually do 5-8).
Course Load: VERY rigorous. Took all Honors and APs options when I could (minus regular Physics in senior year because I relatively suck at science).
Major Awards: Nothing huge. Most of my distinctions are in my activities, but I got “Most Outstanding Chamber Singers Member” my sophomore year, was one of two juniors to get “Hard Worker” from English dept., and got high honor roll (93+ in all classes) for all 4 years. Also, I was accepted into my school’s Gifted and Talented program for performing arts, which is supposed to represent 2-5% of Maine’s student population.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Some of them are pretty strange, but I will try to be concise. I did a lot! Feel free to skip down to “strengths” to see what I think will stand out from my application.
Dance (7-12): Training across many styles in studio. Part of principal dancer group (6 dancers selected by director) since 11th grade. One of my most notable achievements was getting accepted into and attending AMDA’s summer conservatory. I was one of ~20 students selected from an international applicant pool and got to train with Broadway dancers and AMDA faculty in NYC!
Choir (have a background since I was 10-11, but heavily involved starting 9th grade): Sang in school Chorale (9-12) and select Chamber Singers (10-12). Got 2019 Most Outstanding CS Member (out of ~25 members, usually for seniors). Also auditioned into honors choirs, sang in District (9-11, pending 12) and All-State (10-11, pending 12). Notably sang in ACDA All-Eastern (11), which was in NY and consisted of high schoolers and college students from 11 states.
Theater (involved since I was 4-5, but got serious during middle school, will only talk about high school since that’s what’s on my app): Performed in annual school musicals in both lead and ensemble roles (pretty well-known in state, 3-4k total audience members per year, 5-6 productions per show). Also was invited to do and performed as a lead role in another high school school play 9th grade.
Leadership:
Educational Policy/Activism: I was fortunate enough to join a newly formed student cabinet that was selected by and worked with Maine DoE Commissioner and other leadership for 11-12th grade (32 students out of ~500 applicants). We got to revise, design, and implement state-wide policies that promoted student equity and inclusion. I also joined the anti-racism subgroup that focused on targeting systematic racism in schools, as well as led an independent mental health PSA for all Maine students and staff in response to COVID. I also was invited by and worked with my school district’s superintendent and administrators for 12th grade to help reform our school district’s curriculum and racial biases.
State Thespian Officer, Maine Educational Theatre Association (11-12): I was selected by the Maine EdTA to help design and run state-wide events. Our mission is to promote performing arts accessibility to Maine high school students.
NHS (Member 11-12, President 12): Designed and ran officer and club meetings and helped design COVID-safe service projects. 80+ service hours since induction (so far)!
Other: Started poetry project in response to COVID-19. Interviewed people about things they found to be invaluable during pandemic, currently turning their stories into poetry. Wanted to emphasize the importance of gratitude during these dark times and also explore my passion for poetry! Still in progress, but hope to continue after college apps. I also am a certified Reiki master (I started training in 8th grade). I worked at my local supermarket the summer before junior year, and I hope to continue if COVID tames down.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 7-8. I personally don’t love it but people who read it gave very positive feedback. I feel like it is pretty simple but it does say a lot about who I am.
Sarah Lawrence Essay: 9. Haven’t finished yet, but I LOVE it already. Talks about combining performing arts and and political advocacy/policy (my two main passions).
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10. My APUSH teacher. We love each other. She promised me when I asked her to write me a LoR that she would make is scream “ADMIT ME!” She doesn’t know much about my EC’s but I shared my resumé with her so who knows.
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10. My 9th and 10th grade English teacher, also one of the NHS sponsors. She really saw me blossom in her classes. At first I was the underdog (like I could NOT write an argumentative essay for the life of me), but then I emerged as a leader by 10th grade, getting perfect marks on nearly all my assignments and helping coach other peers (which she recognized and appreciated, often using my work as examples for the class). She also worked with my as president in NHS senior year! She is a very dramatic and effective writer, which is also good!
Counselor Rec: 7/10. Yeah, we don’t really know each other that well. She got to hear from both me and my parents so I think that will help round out my application, but I am expecting a pretty generic, though positive, LoR.
Additional Rec: 11/10. I’m serious. My dance teacher (who I worked with for 6+ years) shared her LoR and the first two lines are: “It is my sincere honor to write to you today about one of the most magnificent humans I have ever met in my time on this planet. While he has been my dance student for many years, he has taught me so much about myself, about teaching and about how to view life in the most extraordinary ways.” She literally wrote FIVE PAGES!!! She’s amazing and I love her so much 
Interview: Yet to be done! Looking forward to learning more about SLC though!
Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope. I am very fortunate and privileged to not need school financial aid.
Intended Major: Performance Studies and Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): Maine
School Type: Public, fairly small (700-800 students). Well-respected by state (#6 in state rankings). Top students go to top LACs (Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin, Midd, etc.), and occasionally Ivy Leagues (0-2 per year).
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Not super comfortable sharing, but definitely well-off.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really. Though I am part of the LGBTQ+ community (and being male probably helps for SLC).
Reflection: I think overall I have a good chance of getting accepted.
Strengths: I think my transcript is strong (straight A’s with challenging course load). I think my level of commitment to and achievement in the performing arts is notable, perhaps particularly since I am a male (as someone else mentioned). I think the AMDA thing will definitely help that out. I also think my leadership at a state level (Maine DoE and State Thespian Officer) might help out. I also think my LoRs are pretty strong (especially my dancer teacher’s), along with my supplemental essay (once I finish it!)
Weaknesses: My SAT score and AP scores (which I didn’t report anywhere) aren’t the best, though I think my SAT still above average for SLC I believe (perhaps even above the 75th percentile). My counselor LOR probably won’t stand out too much. My CommonApp essay is good, but I wouldn’t say great.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: TBA!!! I love SLC and it is one of my top choices so I might end up going if I get in! If I do, I hope to see you guys there!