Should I apply ED?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pomona College
1

<p>Hello, everyone! I'm a new member but I've been lurking on the CC forums for about a year now. I thought I would try my hand at one of these chance threads, but seeing as everyone always seems to be a little harsh, I thought I'd just start in this forum. :)</p>

<p>I'm completely in love with Pomona and everything about it, but the thing is, I'm not sure that I can get in. I thought applying early decision might improve my chances, but I guess I'd like to hear some other opinions first. Please let me know what you think! Here are my stats:</p>

<p>Gender: M
Race: Black/African American
State: Texas
College Class Year: 2016
High School: Private, Parochial, Competitive (consider one of, if not the single, best college prep school in Houston. multiple kids to Ivies each year)
Will apply for financial aid: Yes
Major: Undecided (Considering Media Studies, International Relations/Affairs, Political Science, Psychology, Anthropology Music, Theater... I've got a wide variety of interests ^_^)</p>

<p>Academics:
GPA: 3.53 UW/3.7 W
--> AP Government/Politics (scored 5), AP Computer Science (scored 5)
Note- my school only allows us to take a maximum of three AP classes a year, and only starting junior year.</p>

<p>Scores:
ACT: 32 (English- 35, Math-31, Reading-33, Science-30, Writing 10)
SAT: 2070 (Math- 660, Writing- 680, Critical Reading- 730)</p>

<p>Senior Course Load:
AP Spanish Language
AP Calculus AB
AP World History
Human Anatomy and Physiology, World Literature, World Religions, Mixed Chorus, History of Art
(again, school only lets us take three APs)</p>

<p>Extracurricular/Community Service/Work Experience:
-National Honor Society: 11-12
-->Three hours of tutoring per week, in addition to the 16 service hours a year required for membership
-LINK Crew Leader: 11-12
-->Introduce new students to the school, participate in various activities with them throughout the year
-Track and Field: 9-12
-->JV 9-11, V 12
-Mixed Chorus: 9-12
-->Bass Section Leader and Co-President, 11-12
-->All State Choir, First Chair Bass, 11-12
-Black Student Union/Diversity Club: 9-12
-->Elected freshman class representative, 9
-->Vice-President, 12
-Ecology Club: 9-12
-->Recycling Project Coordinator, meaning that I helped with the effort to have recycling bins in every classroom and managed the pick up system, as well as organizing various paper, plastic, electronics, and athletic shoe recycling drives
-Theater/Drama: 9-12
-->Variety of principal actor and stage managing roles in six school wide musical theater and drama productions (4 lead roles, 2 stage manager roles)
-Special Olympics Volunteer: 9-12
-->Worked at Special Olympics Track & Field meets and Bocce Ball tournaments, worked my way up to Event Coordinator
-Teacher's Assistant: 9, 11
-->During the summer, worked teaching underprivileged children the basics of music, performance, and dance, as well as academic enrichment subjects, for 40 hrs/wk, unpaid
-School Website Assistant Webmaster: 10
-->During the summer, managed databases, servers, and website maintenance, as well as creating presentations and implementing new features for the school's website, 40 hrs/wk, paid
-Administrative Assistant: 12
-->During the summer, worked in an OB/GYN's clinic and shadowed the doctor, 40 hrs/wk, paid</p>

<p>Awards:
-Honor Roll every year
-National Achievement Semi-finalist (and hopefully finalist)
Yeah, not very many...</p>

<p>Essays:
-Common Application essay is very strong, according to everyone I've had review it so far (English teacher, counselor, etc.). It's on a very unique topic, I think!
-I'm not quite sure what the supplemental essay is as it hasn't been released yet, but I think I should do fairly well with it, as I'm a strong writer.</p>

<p>Recommendations:
-One from AP Government teacher, who absolutely loved me and has written great recs for people who have gotten into Ivies, so this should be very good
-One from Spanish 3 teacher, who was also quite fond of me, so hopefully this should be very good as well
-Counselor rec should be best of all, because he knows me probably better than my own parents. </p>

<p>I'm also interested in Claremont McKenna, if anyone would like to chance me for them as well. So, I realize that I wouldn't be the most competitive applicant, but do I have any shot at all, or am I wasting my time (for lack of a better phrase)? Any and all helpful comments would be appreciated, thanks!</p>

2

<p>I think you can definitley get in! Your an amazing student, with stellar EC. I would send in your ACT, instead of your SAT though. Definitley apply ED, since your GPA is little low</p>

3

<p>Yeah, I realize that my GPA is pretty low. =/ Also, I do plan on re-taking the SATs in a month and from my practice scores (both of the ones I took previously were with zero preparation) this time around, I think I’m look at at least a 2250. But I do know that a lot of people who apply ED have like perfect GPAs and scores and whatnot. And thank you for your input, I really appreciate it!</p>

4

<p>If you know that Pomona is where you want to be next year, and your family is committed to making it work financially, then you should definitely apply ED. If you just kind of want to go to Pomona and you’re considering ED because you think it might give you an edge, it’s probably not a good thing to do. Pomona is unique and absolutely wonderful, but not for everyone. You have to be a person who values it for all the great things it offers, and be willing to forego the kind of prestige the general public associates with the more famous elite schools. I have talked to kids who are bothered by the fact that their high school friends or their cousins or grandparents have no clue how amazing Pomona is. You have to be willing to look beyond that.</p>

<p>Finances are another consideration. Pomona will be fair with financial aid, but you should definitely speak first with your parents about how much they will be able and willing to pay. Sometimes families are really surprised by the difference between what they think they can afford, and what a college thinks they can afford. There are great people over in the financial aid forum if you want to study up on how to figure out the financial angle.</p>

<p>Will ED help you get in? I think so. Pomona, like any school, would prefer to use its scarce slots on students who really, really want to attend - not on those who are just collecting as many admission offers as they can. So ED sets you apart from all those other kids. The admissions folks will have less reason to say no if you apply ED, assuming they can see you as being able to do the work at Pomona, contribute something to the feel of the community, and being able to benefit intellectually from being at the school. </p>

<p>Your application will be appealing, but you have to realize that Pomona has many amazing applicants from which to choose. You look like an active, well-rounded kid, you have stellar scores in English/Reading, and your GPA is okay, as long as your counselor will provide context about what the GPA means in your particular school. (I’m hoping it’s a tough school without grade inflation, and you’ve gotten those grades by working hard and being focused.) Being black, male and from Texas should also provide some advantages, because those are all categories that are not in abundant supply in Pomona’s applicant pool.</p>

<p>I hope you do apply to Pomona. And I hope you’ll stay away from those crazy chances threads, where students who are rarely in a position to offer good advice will toss out sometimes uninformed opinions. Asking on a specific college’s forum makes more sense, if you’ve got to ask. (FWIW, I’m a parent, with 2 children who have applied to Pomona. The one who applied ED was admitted, and is blissfully happy there. The one who waited to apply, and showed less interest, was waitlisted. He’s also blissfully happy where he ended up, so it’s all good :)</p>

5

<p>You definitely have a shot, particularly with ED. But Fauxmom said it all very well in her post – only apply if you know you really want to go. However, while a discussion about financial aid with your parents is appropriate, don’t let that be the reason you DON’T apply, because Pomona often provides much more financial aid that people think too. I personally don’t believe that should be a reason not to apply because they will work with your family if it’s not enough, and the ED contract can be broken if it’s for financial aid reasons, and Pomona is very understanding about that.</p>