Hi CC,
This is my first post on here.
I am fully committed to apply Early Decision 1 to William and Mary this fall.
I have done a campus tour, senior interview, and unofficial stay in the dorms. I love the school.
Here are my objective stats:
GPA: 3.94 weighted
SAT: 1520
APs: 10th- World (4) 11th- APUSH (5), Lang (5), Micro (4), Macro (4), APES (4) 12th- Lit, Spanish, Stats, Comp Gov
Mostly B+ and A- student but the glaring issue is 2 C+ grades, one in 10th grade honors chem and the other in 11th grade precalculus. I have some personal things that caused those grade dips and I’ll explain them on my app.
Subjective:
12 years of competitive swimming with plenty of awards
8 years of stringed instrument with plenty of awards
Member of highest level school orchestra
Member of two honor societies (i know these don’t really matter that much)
Triple citizenship and fluent in two languages
First generation from either side to be born in USA
VERY involved in swim coaching with local young kids
Generally my ECs are characterized by extensive time commitment and passion for a few things, rather than spreading myself thin.
Essays:
Common App essay coming along well, very high praise from counselors and others. discussing family tradition and implying some important character traits of mine without mentioning them explicitly.
Have not started supplement but it will be solid, I refuse to send anything but my best work.
As a male from northern Va, applying ED, how are my chances of attending my dream school?
Thanks in advance for any feedback
You look like a good candidate in many ways, but your GPA is on the low side. I am sure you know this.
Are you taking Chem and Calc this year? They may want to see more senior grades before making a decision.
I am much more humanities-focused in my coursework. This is evidenced by me taking AP Lit, AP Comparative Government, and Political science my senior year. My math is AP Stats and my science is Physics 1, two of the easier ones. I know my GPA is on the lower side, but I am aware people who have gotten in with 3.8-3.9. I hope my SAT makes up for it partially, seeing that it is 30 points above their 75th percentile (class of 2022). With this being said, does this change your opinion about the strength of my candidacy?
Oh and thank you very much for taking the time to reply.
It might be helpful to look at the scatterplot on Naviance (Fairfax County has that, not sure about the rest of Northern Va) to see how other applicants from your school have fared, with what GPAs and scores.
I’d say your standardized tests look good but your GPA is on the low side as already noted. I’m not sure if it is true, but some have commented that males applying to W&M get a bit of a break on GPA as long as standardized scores are high. If you continue a good trend, it will probably make a difference, as will the applying early. The weighting for Junior and Senior performance is probably higher. Your ECs look good, but no hook. First generation born in U.S. and language fluency will probably help. W&M is probably one of the more holistic state schools at looking at applications, so essays, recs, genuine displays of interest will help (interviewing can’t hurt).