<p>Hi guys, I really really want to go to Dartmouth but as I'm getting ready to apply I've realized that I don't think I really have a chance...:( If you could take a look at my stats and tell me what you think that would be great!</p>
<p>School:
GPA: 8.40 out of 9.00
APs taken: AP French, AP US, AP Bio (scores unknown)
APs to be taken: AP Chem, AP Euro, AP Calc, AP Comp Gov
SAT I: 2150
SAT II: Math Ic 740
Math IIc 730
(others to be retaken in October)
I am in the top 5% of my class</p>
<p>Awards: Honorable Mention for the French National Contest 9th,10th, and 11th grade
The Princeton Book Award
Honorable Mention for Negotiation at Northeastern Model UN
Second place for the Math Kangaroo Competition</p>
<p>I am also a Ballroom dancer (for the past 5 years), I am the President of my school's Jewish Student Union, I am a Under Secretary General for our Model UN club
I have preformed in over ten Russian theater productions with two groups in the Greater Boston Area and I attended a Russian Language Studio for five years and a Hebrew High School for three (I graduated from both). </p>
<p>You’ve definitely got a chance. You probably won’t receive a likely letter, but you definitely won’t be thrown into the rejection pile upon first glance.</p>
<p>Work on your essays. A lot. I don’t know why, but something about your vibe makes me like you. I really hope you get in. Apply ED to maximize your chances.</p>
<p>Also PM me if you want help editing essays or something.</p>
<p>Yes, definitely apply!! You certainly have a chance. Improving your SAT scores and, as DmouthGrad2014 said, writing a killer essay will help. Just keep in mind that it’s a crapshoot, but I think applying is well worth the $70 app with your profile and strong interest. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks guys!
I’ve been trying to figure out what I should write about for my Personal Statement and I’m stuck I can write about having my view of life and peace and war changed after I met children from Sderot, or writing about my ‘forest-family’ which has allowed me to chill with professors of MIT and Harvard and has allowed me to retain my heritage…which sounds bettter?</p>
<p>Honestly, the vast majority of the very best essays are about something random, like Skittles or a treadmill. </p>
<p>You can cross-apply that concept by focusing on a very specific instance in which something interesting happened in your life. I think your involvement in Russian theater has serious potential for a great essay, but it shouldn’t go along the lines of, “I played this hard role in this awesome play, and I learned a bunch. Please admit me because I’m a baller.” Rather, focus on something small – maybe a time you messed up and the crowd laughed, the process of learning your lines, etc. – and be really specific.</p>
<p>I think another idea that hasn’t been tapped into, at least to my knowledge, is getting a boyfriend (are you a girl?). Falling for a boy involves all the typical teen emotions, and has tons of interesting drama you can explore. You could use this essay to show that: a) you’re a normal person; b) that you’re mature (hopefully your essay illustrates this haha, or else it’s counterproductive; and c) you’re a good storyteller!</p>
<p>(Disclaimer: The above might be an absolutely horrible idea, but if done well, I really think it could be great.)</p>
<p>EDIT: One more thing: be confident! You’re definitely not off the mark, and you need to act that way! In your applications, write like you deserve that spot – because you do! If you don’t act and believe like you deserve a spot at Dartmouth, there are thousands of other applicants who will, and as a result, will probably get that spot over you.</p>
<p>I disagree with Dmouthgrad’s advice on applying ED. The dynamics of ED differ from school to school. Dartmouth’s ED admits are predominantly legacies, developmental students, and athletes. Also, being “the head of Jewish student union” sounds like something Yale would like, so look into that. Don’t ask why lol; I just think they would.</p>
<p>Just wondering – do you go to Dartmouth? (This isn’t a sarcastic or derogatory question; I’m just curious.)</p>
<p>There are two reasons why I, and most others, believe applying ED to Dartmouth will improve your chances.</p>
<p>(1) Anecdotal – At Dimensions and on Facebook, I’ve met numerous ED admits who don’t have any of the hooks Lobzz mentioned. In fact, I’ve met more regular kids than hooked ones.</p>
<p>(2) Word of Mouth – At Dimensions, I asked an admissions officer about the admissions process at Dartmouth. Concerning ED, she told me that it improves any student’s chances of being admitted because it demonstrates interest. By applying ED, she said, you are telling Dartmouth that it is your first choice. Since Dartmouth wants to enroll a class that is excited to attend Dartmouth, applying ED does indeed improve your chances.</p>
<p>Well idk about Yale liking JSU, personally I didn’t really like Yale when I visited it but thats just me. Also if Yale, Princeton, and Harvard ever read my Junior Thesis (a paper we are required to write about any topic in US history) they would never accept me because no one can take criticism that well. </p>
<p>As for ED, it usually does improve chances from what I’ve heard at info sessions and what not but if I get in (and that is a big IF) then I wont get any financial aid and I really need it! Plus my mother seems not to like Dartmouth, and what mother says, goes.</p>
<p>Dartmouth’s financia aid is GREAT. Not H & Y great, but better than most everyone else. Do not let finaid defer you from ED if Dartmouth is clearly your first choice.</p>
<p>ED does not mean that you don’t get FA. It does mean that you can’t <em>compare</em> FA offers between several schools. On the other hand, I would guess that you would be unlikely to get better FA from another school, unless your family income is in the range that benefits from the H & Y 10% rule. (And of course that would require getting in to those schools!) The only school that offered my kid more money than D initially was Pomona–they have great FA–but upon appeal D brought it up to the same level. (And that was an appeal based on the facts, not on a "Pomona gave him $X " comparison, so ED would not have mattered.) You can always appeal your FA, too, ED or not.</p>
<p>Re your essay, think hard about whether there was an experience that really changed your outlook or exemplified what really means a lot to you. Write about that. (Not in a how I scored in the big game kind of way, of course.)</p>
<p>Wait, what do you mean ‘appeal your FA’? Dos that mean that you can basically prove that you need more?
And about the essay…my experience with the Sderot kids certainly changed my outlook on life because in all honesty I did not really value life (more specifically life in America) until after I met them. Now I do. It was a very interesting, and heartbreaking experience. (If anyone on this thread does not know what I am talking about when I say ‘Sderot’ and its problem, here is a link that should explain it a bit: [YouTube</a> - The Tragedy of Sderot](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WICdn3uqbg&feature=related]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WICdn3uqbg&feature=related) )</p>
<p>You can appeal ED for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, other schools’ better FA offers, possible discrepancies in your financial situation-financial aid offer.</p>
<p>@Dmouthgrad: No, I do not attend Dartmouth, but I am very knowledgeable about the admissions process. And as for your anecdotal evidence, I believe last year’s ED round was extremely different from that of the year 2013 (in that they were very “nice”). They obviously accept unhooked candidates during the ED round, but I’m sure said candidates would not be any less qualified than the RD folks. My impression is that the “demonstrated interest” would be more effective for hooked applicants.</p>
I can write about having my view of life and peace and war changed after I met children from Sderot, or writing about my ‘forest-family’ which has allowed me to chill with professors of MIT and Harvard and has allowed me to retain my heritage…which sounds bettter?</p>