sorry... but chances please?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Grinnell College
1

<p>i apologize for being one of those annoying people who ask to be chanced for all their top schools, however i cannot help that i am totally neurotic haha. so sorry if you've read this in another thread</p>

<p>grinnell has always been on my list because it sounded like a stretch school, but a great fit for me. i have REALLY started to love it recently though. what do you think?</p>

<p>also (something to keep in mind), this year i significantly stepped up my schedule (i never took an AP before this year HUGE mistake, i know), and i also improved my grades by a lot, which so far the admissions officers i've met with (from similar schools like carleton, haverford, and skidmore) really like </p>

<p>female from CT attending extremely competitive high school.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.8 UW 4.1 W (but senior year so far 4.16 UW and 4.83 W which puts me with the top 10 students according to our class profile, but we have no official rank)</p>

<p>ACT: 32
English: 32
Math: 31
Reading: 32
Science: 32</p>

<p>I've taken all honors except for freshman year math which i quickly got bumped up in. for language, i took german (my only B in all of hs) and i eventually dropped it because i was struggling too much and my grade would've definitely dropped to a C. for junior and senior year i've taken Latin I and II and have A+'s
Everything else is honors- no AP's until this year though :-/</p>

<p>Senior year Courseload
AP Politics: A
AP Psychology: A/B+ (A first quarter, but not sure on average though, crossing my fingers for that A for a final grade! we have a crazy hard psych class- a person going to cornell barely got a B+)
Rhetoric and Composition H: A
Latin II: A+
AP Calculus AB: A/A+ (average will most likely be an A+)
Physics H: A+</p>

<p>4 years of field hockey
4 years of lacrosse
PTPI student chapter
2 years safe rides
10 years piano
5 years guitar
work experience as a soccer ref from spring 9th grade- fall 10th grade</p>

<p>Awards:
9th:
Achievement in Geometry
Achievement in Earth Science</p>

<p>10th:
Excellence on the National German Exam (what's funny is my stupid teacher actually gave me a C+ that quarter too! no worries though it averaged out to a B)</p>

<p>11th:
Achievement in US History
St. John's Book Award</p>

<p>Summer Programs:
10th: I went to UCSD for five weeks, took a summer course in Ethics and Society and I got a B
11th: I went to Kenya for five weeks, participated in a homestay in a rural village and built a computer lab there, which i raised $1000 to help build</p>

<p>Good recs/ good essay</p>

<p>So do i have a shot? i posted this in the "what are my chances" thread, but i felt like people there didn't have a great idea of what a school like grinnell was looking for. i also called the school asking for an interview. they said if i get one, i'll hear early to mid january, so i think i'm going to contact admissions tonight and ask again</p>

<p>also i've done several new things recently
-joined STAND
-got a job
-won FCIAC scholar athlete of the month for November
how should i tell admissions?</p>

<p>Thank you in advance!</p>

2

<p>ahha ilk... it looks like we've applied to the same schools cuz i see you on every college thread i look at HAHAH</p>

3

<p>No one knows of course, but I think you do have a shot. I hope in your application you did a good job of expressing why you are interested in Grinnell and that your essay said something about who you are as a person.</p>

<p>My son did write to admissions offices when he became a NM finalist and was nominated to be a presidential scholar. At the same time, he sent a newspaper clipping about a special performance he and some members of his chorus had done with a professional dance company. I would ask your GC whether or not to submit your new info.</p>

4

<p>juggly_head- i've probably chanced myself for all my top schools (i know, i'm a total pain, i can't help it lol)
my top ones are pomona, carleton, haverford, grinnell, and CMC
and a few others too. sorry you've had to put up with my craziness haha</p>

<p>and bethievt thanks for the advice i'll make sure to talk to my GC tomorrow</p>

5

<p>Of your top schools, Grinnell is probably your best shot. Fortunately for you, it is as great a school as any you could choose if you can wrap your mind around rural Iowa. My son loved this school so much that he felt he could learn to love the surroundings. So far, he's been correct.</p>

<p>I'll tell you my favorite Grinnell story (so far). We were dropping our son off for a pre-orientation canoe trip and I ran into another Mom who said her daughter was concerned that the kids might not be as weird as she'd hoped and that she (single mom) was paying extra for weird. I told her she could relax, because at least my son was looking for weird and they (her daughter and my son) were living across the hall in the same dorm.</p>

<p>The weird I'm talking about is thinking in an unconventional way, being comfortable with that and even loving that.</p>

6

<p>AHHH i love it. not gonna lie, i AM a tad weird but you grow to love me for it haha. yea grinnell is probably my most attainable school out of my top choices, not because it isn't amazing (after all, it is top 15!), but because (and correct me if i'm wrong) the applicant pool seems really self-selecting. i mean, you only go to rural iowa for school if you REALLY love the college! also, what is most important to me is that there is a great campus community, and grinnell seems to definitely have that, so i wouldn't be too put off by the whole "middle-of-nowhere" thing</p>

<p>my question is, is it worth traveling out to iowa now? i get all my acceptance/rejection letters at the beginning of april, which is in the middle of lax season, so i can't visit many schools. if i were to visit anyhwere now, it would be either iowa, minnesota (carleton/macalester) or california (pomona- my number 1/CMC). i have to figure out if spending the money to visit any of these places is worth it</p>

7

<p>Yes, it is self-selecting and there is a great community. The only reason to visit now would be to show interest and showing interest is probably most important at the midwest schools.</p>

8

<p>hey ilk.. high five! pomona, cmc, and grinnell are in my top too! i didn't have to put up with anything.. i enjoyed it! i should put up a chances thread too. but i'm too embarrassed :-(</p>

9

<p>ahhh well i'll be happy to chance you juggly if you ever decide to lol</p>

10

<p>I'm looking for wierd too. "Normal" people make me nauseated.</p>