<p>Hey there!</p>
<p>I really like the sound of Willamette. I love the Seattle area where some family of mine lives and I love the rain and surroundings (mountains and water), but I've never been to Oregon. How is Salem different? Is the surroundings and climate different too? I also have other questions:</p>
<p>1) I go to boarding school now in VA. It's a pretty good one, but it's expensive and since that's the case, my parents want me to go in-state/public so they don't have to pay much. How is your financial aid? Could I get a scholarship for a unique talent? I jump rope competitively at national tournaments (AAU Junior Olympics and USAJR Nationals) but that's really my only sport, so I don't have a chance with the normal school sports. Is this plausible?</p>
<p>2) I have gone to 3 different high schools for my 4 years of HS. Will this affect my chances?</p>
<p>3) I was in EXTREMELY competitive schools for my first two years of high school (Chapel Hill High School, and East Chapel Hill High School [Nationally ranked public schools]) so in turn, my grades weren't the greatest because the schools were so hard. They were mostly B's with a few A's and C's. My GPA was a 3.4 UW and 3.7 Weighted. Now at boarding school, we're on the 100 pt. scale and my grade average is about an 85. Will they take this into consideration? How do my grades stack up? (I am taking mostly AP courses and a few honors and very few regular.)</p>
<p>4) My SAT/ACT scores...which should I submit, or both?
SAT Math: 590
Sat Reading:570
SAT Writing: 570
ACT Composite: 25</p>
<p>Also what is the campus vibe like? I want to be a doctor, but with my grades I'm not sure if I could do pre-med. I have a job at Duke University Medicine doing DNA research in an Alzheimer's lab, doing karyotyping and looking at DNA samples. Will this help me get into pre-med? Should I put that on my application?</p>
<p>I know this is a long message but if you could answer as much as you can, I would REALLY appreciate it. I would really like to hear from someone at Willamette or someone familiar with it.</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>~Drew</p>
<p>
If you don’t apply, your chances of getting in are zero.</p>
<p>
The weather in Salem is similar. The coast is a 45-minute drive to the west and hiking trails are within a half hour. Salem is in the Willamette Valley, a broad agricultural area now dotted with wineries. The school has very active outdoors and backpacking clubs, and every weekend there are trips: hiking, snowshoeing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, etc.</p>
<p>
I don’t think anyone here can really address this question, but if you apply, you’ll receive a letter that indicates how much financial aid you can expect. Willamette is very generous with merit aid.</p>
<p>
Probably not. Many families move around alot – military families especially – it’s not that unusual.</p>
<p>
Your grades show an improvement over time, which admissions officers like to see, and you have been challenging yourself, which is also good. Willamette’s Common Data Set indicates the average gpa is a bit higher than yours, but you’re probably in range. Enter “Common Data Set” in the search window on the Willamette website and then check out the average ACT and SAT scores of admitted students: <a href=“http://www.willamette.edu/dept/ir/cds/by_year/2010/freshmen_admission.htm[/url]”>http://www.willamette.edu/dept/ir/cds/by_year/2010/freshmen_admission.htm</a>
You can see that your SAT scores are at the low end of the 25-75% range (but still within that range), but your ACT score is 2 points below the 25% score. You could send both, or just send the relatively stronger SAT scores. </p>
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<p>The campus vibe is very friendly and accepting of everyone. </p>
<p>Biology is a popular major, and quite a few students plan to be pre-med, so you certainly wouldn’t be alone. You should mention your research on your application and maybe have your supervisor send a letter, if possible.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>This helps a lot. Thank you.</p>
<p>I would say you stand a very good chance of being accepted. As for the financial stuff, I found them to be very generous this year, both with merit aid (about 20k this year) and need-based (though this has more to do with FAFSA). I’m not sure what their qualifications for giving out merit scholarships are, but I think they give out quite a few of them in varying amounts. Also, apply to outside scholarships starting now. I applied to 15 or so throughout senior year and ended up with $9000. The easiest ones to get are usually the ones with the application deadlines before January, because most seniors are so focused on college apps they forget to do scholarship apps too.</p>