So I’m applying to 11 schools and as the application deadline draws nearer I’m beginning to second-guess myself. Kenyon College and Colorado College are my reaches, but I’m beginning to question whether or not I should waste my time applying because my chances are so slim.
Stats:
UW GPA: 3.56
W GPA: 3.72
SAT: Composite: 2020 / Reading: 770 / Math: 550* / Writing: 700 / Essay: 10
ACT: Composite: 32 / English: 32 / Math: 25* / Science: 33 / Reading: 36 / Essay: 11
*(I have a diagnosed math disability that I’m going to write about in my essays)
SAT II: USH: 660 / Lit: 780
of Honors classes: 7
of AP classes: 5
AP Lang: 5
AP Lit: 5
APUSH: 3
AP Gov: 3
My school is nationally ranked and is the largest private school in the continental U.S.
Extracurriculars:
Chief editor of school’s nationally ranked literary magazine
Vice President of National Honors Society
President of Environmental Awareness Club
Member of Honor Council/Disciplinary Board
Peer Leader
Student Alumni Ambassador
Anchor for school’s televised morning show
Senior Philosophy Seminar
Senior Book Club
Actress and film crew for various theater productions
Intern at ESOL institute
Manager of Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse sophomore year
Student representative at
Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Washington D.C.
National Scholastic Press Association awards ceremony
U.S. Green Building Council awards ceremony
(other extracurriculars as well)
Essay will be pretty good, in my opinion.
About me:
Middle class (though in a financial crunch right now)
White
Female
From Atlanta, Georgia
I would LOVE some advice or predictions!! If I have no chance, please tell me. I see people with 4.0s getting rejected and I’m scared! Thank you so much in advance as well.
Don’t second guess yourself. Apply to both Kenyon and Colorado College. Your stats are decent. Your test scores are lopsided with the lower math, but a lot of schools understand that some students are that way and admissions are holistic to some degree at both Kenyon and Colorado College.
To increase your chances, apply Early Action to Colorado College. Pay special attention to Colorado’s supplemental essays. They do factor those in quite a bit. Make sure your love of the school and your understanding of what makes the school unique comes through in your essays.
I am a first year at CC and am from Georgia as well. In fact, I am familiar with Woodward as I went to Lakeview for a while and we had games against Woodward back then.
Here is my advice: It is all about the essays. Unlike most of the colleges to which I applied, CC actually gave essays that allow you to show that you understand the school. So, first of all, ensure that you understand CC. It is a very different place. Make sure that you understand the Block. It is pretty likely that one of the essays is still the one in which we are asked to build a Block class. Don’t make that a two paragraph essay. Use every last word allowed.
Grades: Your test scores are in the ‘middle fifty’ for CC, so you seem safe there. Your GPA is right on the cusp of the past few CC classes. I think that most CC students took more than 5 AP classes or Dual Enrollment classes and the admissions people will know that Woodward has 20+ AP classes to choose from.
EC Activities: This is just one person’s experience with applications in general and getting into CC in specific. The colleges to which I applied - and it sounds like you are applying to similar ones - look at a list of 20 EC activities and just know that it is impossible to be passionate about all 20. Having that many actually work against you. I went the complete other direction and had one EC. It was a huge activity and I really wore 5 important hats and was Founder / President for 2 years ( I skipped my senior year or else it would have been 3 years.) Here is the thing: I was really passionate about getting this group started. When I went to interviews with Duke, Penn, Vanderbilt and Rice, all they wanted to talk about was this activity, not grades or anything you would typically figure.
Last advice :I have to concur with the other poster who encouraged you to apply EA at the minimum. More than 50% of my class ( 2019) applied EA or ED. Here is the stat that is important at CC: 29% of ED applications are accepted last year, while 9% of standard applications were accepted. I realize that not everyone can apply ED because of financial aid. That said my experience with the Net Price Calculator is that my eventual aid was within $10 of the estimate on the calculator. If your parents can afford the total on the Net Price Calculator and CC is really one of your top choices, then dig deep down and decide if you can commit to CC as ED. I think that colleges such as Kenyon, Reed, Whitman, CC, Williams, Wesleyan, Davidson, Bowdoin, etc are most impressed with a student who really really wants to go there. I know this is the case at CC because things here are unique.
So best of luck. CC is a fantastic school and I don’t regret a thing about choosing the ED route.
@citymama9 Given that they take students in both and EA and ED round, the college can afford to be super selective in the RD round. CC attracts a lot of applicants given it is the only LAC in the Rockies and due to its unique block plan. It has become a very popular school.
My impression is that CC would prefer to have students who are galvanized in their desire to study here. I applied ED, and was proud / somewhat sad to have to request that Williams, Duke, Penn and Vanderbilt take my application out of consideration. My HS counselors told me, after the fact, that they were told I would have been accepted to all of them. Still, I felt that CC was the best fit for me and I was lucky to be rewarded with ED admissions. I do wonder if there would ahve been room for me at CC had I applied RD and waited for all 10 of my acceptance / rejection letters.