So what are my chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pomona College
1

<p>GPA:
So my GPA is a strange story. I attended an extremely difficult private school my freshman year, which did not offer honors classes. I then switched into a public school which weights honors classes. So on my transcript it appears like I got mediocre grades in regular classes, pulling my GPA down farther than it should be. Apparently it somehow also affects my unweighted GPA (my counselor explained why, I don't entirely understand why). Either way, this is an inaccurate reflection of my academic performance and my counselor is writing a letter to each college I apply to explaining the situation. According to her, without this error I should be in the top 20% of my class.</p>

<p>Unweighted: 3.4
Weighted: 3.9</p>

<p>Tests:</p>

<p>SAT: First try- 2060, plan on retaking it
CR: 700
M: 650
W: 710</p>

<p>ACT: 33</p>

<p>SAT II:
US History: 710
Plan on taking Math I and Literature</p>

<p>PSAT: Semifinalist, most likely not finalist</p>

<p>Classes: Please see note under GPA for info on my freshman year</p>

<p>Sophomore Year: (all other classes honors)
AP US History (5)</p>

<p>Junior Year: (all other classes honors)
AP Microeconomics
AP Macroeconomics
AP Chemistry</p>

<p>Senior Year: (all other classes honors/enrollment in a college)
AP English
AP Physics
AP Statistics
AP Spanish 5
AP Calculus AB
AP Government</p>

<p>Awards:
Two time national finalist at the North South Foundation senior vocabulary bee, two time 1st place winner at the regional level
Three time state finalist for National History Day, one time national finalist
Two time Merit Award (I think this is unique to my school?) winner
NHS Member (and running for vice president)
Semifinalist for National Merit Scholarship
Latin Award Magna Cum Laude </p>

<p>Summer Programs:
Interlochen Center of the Arts- Creative Writing student
Center for Talent Development, Northwestern- AP Chemistry
Volunteered for a nursing home
This summer: NYLF Medicine @ Boston, University of Chicago Research in Biology program</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Freshman year:
EAT (Environmental Action Team)
Think Tank (History club)
National History Day state finalist
Art in Action
Charter (school newspaper)
Ozaukee Washington Land Trust Youth Representative
JV Volleyball
Piano</p>

<p>Sophomore year:
SMART Team (Students Modeling a Research Topic, if you want more info, just ask) leading member
Led a V-Day production
Borealis editor (literary magazine)
Club United senior member
Ozaukee Washington Land Trust Youth Representative
Taekwondo
Piano</p>

<p>Junior year:
The 9th Dimension: Vice President (Student led tutoring program with over 50 tutors)
SMART Team senior member
Asian Culture Club committee head
Club United senior member
National History Day club President, state and national finalist
Stage crew
Borealis editor
Ozaukee Washington Land Trust Youth Representative
National Honor Society member
Taekwondo
Piano</p>

<p>I have also led a creative writing website where teenagers can connect and improve each other's work since I was ten and plan on writing an essay on the experience.</p>

<p>I am a female minority student.</p>

2

<p>Looking pretty good, rajasa, ECs are impressive, but need to get your SAT up to 2250+ and get 5s on most of your APs.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Yes, impressive, but I note two lines:
Two time national finalist at the North South Foundation senior vocabulary bee
and
I am a female minority student.</p>

<p>I am assuming the first line means your family is from India. If that is correct, you might want to drop the idea that you are a minority student. The term minority student is used for groups that have historically been discouraged from attending colleges for a myriad of reasons. </p>

<p>This is only if you were planning on working your minority status into your application - don’t!</p>

4

<p>^^Do you really think a 2250 is necessary? I took it and got a 730, 720, 710 (R, M, W), which is a 2160. When I went to the Pomona admissions presentation they said anything above a 700 was all they wanted. I have a 3.96/5.5 GPA unweighted/weighted and am #2 in my class (possibly #1 by the time I apply) so I think my academics and scores are good enough.</p>

5

<p>Sorry, santeria, I didn’t mean to suggest it was “necessary” – only that it would remove the academic part of the calculus from the admissions equation by counterbalancing the OPs awkward GPA dilemma.</p>

<p>You don’t have that challenge, so you can relax a bit in that area. In the end, though, who the heck knows what weirdo equations/intuitions the admissions people use at this rarified level of the selectivity spectrum? They get so many great candidates they have the luxury of acting on hunches and making exceptions to the rule.</p>

<p>I still say that, all other things being equal, the best thing to do is concentrate on concepting and writing the best possible essay(s), because after the hard numbers are added up and compared they give the admissions people their truest glimpse into your personality, hopes and dreams.</p>

<p>Be imaginative. Spend time crafting it into engaging “poetry” instead of prose, and most of all, be yourself. Write from the heart and you can’t go wrong.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

6

<p>Thank you all so much! Yeah, I’m retaking the SAT in the fall. Hopefully I can pull that up. It’s comforting to know that I still stand a good chance despite the GPA problems, though.</p>

7

<p>@enkephalon - I don’t know that AP scores factor into admissions at all. It was my understanding that they would only count for 2 of the 32 required credits for graduation, as well as allow you to skip certain intro courses and the language requirement. But, as far as I know, they don’t affect admissions.</p>

8

<p>@nick - they show you have taken the hardest classes your school offers, so in that way, it does help. My son went to a college where none were accepted, but it still helped to have them on his transcript.</p>

<p>@santeria - I think your SAT scores are fine. For top schools, good SAT scores are generally expected. Good and excellent scores do not help, they just make it a non issue. Lower SAT scores will need to be balanced with something else.</p>

9

<p>Right, but they see your schedule as well, so regardless of taking the actual AP tests in May they’ll still know your course rigor.</p>

10

<p>I agree with both of you about the APs.</p>

<p>What I was suggesting to the OP is that her awkward GPA needed to be balanced off with stellar accomplishments elsewhere to guarantee her the best possible chance at admission. To prove her academic competence in college-level courses. While it’s true that the AP marks may not arrive until after the next-to-last cull, there is still a chance that one will end up on the waiting list – at which point anything you can do to rise above the competition will help.</p>

11

<p>Agreed - a low-GPA applicant needs high SAT’s to make up for it and to demonstrate intelligence.</p>

12

<p>@enkephalon - Yeah, I could see where that might help if you’re on the edge, or if you have an odd situation like the OP.</p>

13

<p>Hey rajasa, I was actually in the exact same situation as you, except I transferred from the private school to a public school after my junior year. It completely messed up my GPA, but I just had my counselor send in an extra letter explaining the situation (like you are) and everything worked out fine (I got in ED)!</p>

14

<p>Thank you all so much. I have some decent AP scores, and hopefully this year’s AP’s went well. Either way, I don’t think anything will hurt me. </p>

<p>@fruitloops: Congrats! haha you have no idea how comforting that is. :)</p>