Schedule/EC Advice for a very interested sophomore

Colleges and Universities A-Z College of William and Mary
1

<p>I have recently been doing a lot of research about William and Mary, and it seems to be a perfect fit for me. W&M has many appealing draws - and it's quirky and smart, which are qualities I value in myself. I realize I am a while off from applying, but I would really like to see whether I'm being overly optimistic regarding getting in to W&M or not. </p>

<p>I realize that this is a long post but I'm just trying to show who I really am, I think I'm like on the edge whether I could get in or not so I really would just like input! </p>

<p>My ecs include a few projected ones, as they are not something I can simply choose to do. Besides my chances, I would also appreciate any suggestions regarding my 11th and 12th grade schedules. [goals/projections are included in brackets]</p>

<p>INFO
White female, in-state
GPA: 3.7 (3.8 highest possible if I get all As from now on)
Weighted: 4.1
Class rank: my class does not rank, however I'd guess I'm around top 15-20% which I know is low for W&M
SAT (based on simply PSAT): 2110</p>

<p>CLASSES
middle school: Algebra 1, Geometry, Spanish 1
9th: All Honors in core subjects, Spanish 2 & Art 1, plus required Gym
10th: AP World History, HN English 10, HN Chemistry, PreCalc (I liked the challenge of Alg. 2 HN but PreCalc HN was simply too difficult for me), Spanish 3, Leadership/SGA, Gym</p>

<p>11th: AP US History,
AP English Lang,
Physics (difference between HN and regular is the science fair and AP Physics prep),
AP Calculus A.B.,
Spanish 4,
Leadership/SGA [including a homecoming committee chair],
Film Study</p>

<p>12th: AP Gov,
AP English Lit,
Astronomy,
AP Calculus B.C. (though I could take AP Stat...thoughts?),
Leadership/SGA [Vice President of SGA],
AP European History (I would take it in 11th but the test is the SAME DAY as AP US!)</p>

<p>ECs: (I'd love some suggestions for other things I could do here, and many things are projected so I didn't bother with brackets.)</p>

<p>Intern, Presidential Campaign - 12th
Fairfax County Government Summer Internship - 11th
President, Young Democrats (school) - 10th, 11th
Vice President, Young Democrats - 12th (to give someone else a chance and help them learn)
Various local political campaigns, working dedicatedly as an experienced volunteer - 9th-12th
Intern, Creigh Deeds Gubernatorial Campaign - 9th</p>

<p>Girl Scouts: Silver Trefoil Award (recognizes commendable service in different aspects of the community, 100+ hours), Gold Career Award, Gold Leadership Award - 9th-12th</p>

<p>B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO is an international Jewish youth leadership organization, with organization at the chapter and regional level)
Chapter President - Spring 11th, Fall 12th grade
Vice President in charge of planning - Fall 11th
Secretary (newspaper, minutes and communications) - Spring 10th grade
Communications Chair - 9th grade, Fall 10th</p>

<p>OTHER
Nathan Pitkin Menschlichkeit Award (given to one graduate who shows the most respect for the school and those who teach and learn in it) - 8th
Camp Ramah in New England - leadership incorporated through CIT program and planning/leading camp-wide events like Color War - 5th-10th
Hebrew language classes, synagogue religious classes - 9th-present
Figure skating - 4th-present</p>

<p>I feel that I come off as having a strong focus in my religion and political views, as well as in my school and general community. However, are these STRONG enough? What could I do to bolster them? Should I seriously consider joining NHS? At my school many students are in it and the community service is definitely not more than I do in Girl Scouts.</p>

2

<p>Our son was accepted ED and here are some items that came to mind that I’d like to share.
1.Go on a W&M tour
2. Make an appointment for an interview in the summer between your jr./sr. year.
3.If W&M emerges as your number 1 choice, strongly consider applying ED. The application pool is smaller. You have a great chance of standing out.
4. AP Calc over AP Stats
5. Take the SAT and/or ACT more than once. Our S took the SAT 2x and ACT 1x.
6. Work hard your Jr. year! and ,of course, don’t get senior-itis :wink:
I’ll let Admissions speak to your schedule/EC, but you look like a great candidate. Great leadership roles. Good job!</p>

3

<p>Thanks so much for the response, and how helpful! I just looked it up and I hadn’t realized W&M interviews were summer only. It’s also reassuring to know your son was accepted ED, I am strongly considering that as well. I also really appreciate that you read my entire post, since you mentioned AP Calc. That’s good to know, I wasn’t sure about taking two years of Calc. And yes, I’m hoping Admissions can offer some advice on the rest. Again, thanks berliner!</p>

4

<p>You’re welcome. I remembered something else that I feel was beneficial to a successful interview. Practice the interview! The interviews are conducted by W&M students and you cannot choose who you want to interview you. it is random. Our S researched college interview questions and then had his Aunt interview him w/ questions he may be given.Such as;"If you could design a class, what would it be?’ “Why W&M?” , There have been very off the wall questions:such as “If you were a tree, dog, kitchen utensil…what would you be?” LOL
Also, prepare some questions for the interviewer .</p>

5

<p>berliner has some great advice. Definite CC pro.</p>

<p>As for AP Stats vs AP Calc BC, either is fine. AP Calc BC is likely more challenging but if you take AP Calc AB in 11th, we certainly don’t look down upon AP Stats in 12th. One concern with your proposed schedule is that you only appear to have four academic courses in 12th. We would highly recommend another course say AP Spanish or AP Government for example. We might also recommend an AP science over astronomy. If you took AP Bio for example instead of photography, you could take a non-AP elective for your fifth academic course. Overall your proposed schedule looks pretty strong but could be strengthened with the addition of one course but a course that could make a nice difference.</p>

<p>You have some great leadership building early in several organizations (student government, Young Democrats, BBYO, etc) so just keep with it. If you decide to step down as President of Young Dems in 12th you might want to explain why. </p>

<p>Since you’re in-state, you could easily come to campus next summer for an interview and tour to learn more about W&M and ED is a great option of W&M remains a top choice. There’s less competition ED so it’s easier for your application to stand out.</p>

<p>As berliner recommended, take the SAT/ACT multiple times unless you hit it out of the park your first time around.</p>

<p>Hope this is helpful</p>

<p>For more on any applicant’s chances, check out our Admit It! blog ([W&M</a> Blogs Chance Me](<a href=“http://blogs.wm.edu/2010/12/14/chance-me/]W&M”>http://blogs.wm.edu/2010/12/14/chance-me/))</p>

6

<p>Thanks so much Admissions! I, at least for now, am VERY interested in applying ED. I had actually made a mistake in typing up my proposed schedule for 12th grade, my planned classes had included AP Government and Spanish 5, and from what you’ve said I’ve decided to shuffle my schedule a bit and replace Astronomy with AP Chemistry. (I guess I’ll get out of here without ever having seen the planetarium.) </p>

<p>Just to reiterate; it is so awesome that you post on CC and get involved with students/applicants. I find it extremely helpful. Also I apologize, it seems that it’s a faux pas to refer to W&M without the ampersand!</p>

7

<p>sally38, glad the advice is helpful. We love helping students find the right fit and while we hope that fit is W&M, we’re happy to help them through the process regardless of where they enroll.</p>

<p>You absolutely sound like you’re on the right track so keep up what you’re doing and let us know if you have any more questions.</p>

<p>No worries about leaving out the & but thanks for noticing. We do like the &.</p>