This is where I want to be, what are my chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington & Lee University
1

<p>W&L is tops on my college list miles above anyone else. I first saw the name through a college matchmaker program, and looked into the school. I've always had a huge civil war interest (which I made clear during my interview), so when I found out Lee and Traveller were both buried on campus and Stonewall Jackson was buried in Lexington, I had to visit the town and the school.</p>

<p>Academically it's what I'm looking for in a top choice. A lot of prestige, highly rated, rather selective. The campus looks like every college should: red brick and columns, but anyone who's reading this has probably been there, so here are some of my stats.</p>

<p>White middle-class male from Illinois</p>

<p>Academic</p>

<p>2nd in a class of a little less than 60, our GPA does not readily convert to 4.0 but if i had to guess I'd say 3.8 or 3.9 with the most difficult coarse load scheduling would allow.
Plan on submitting ACT which was a 30 (will take again, that was my first and only try to this point), haven't taken subject tests yet.</p>

<p>Extra-cirricular</p>

<p>Varsity football 10, 11 (co-captain 11)
Varsity baseball 9, 10, 11, 12 (captain 10, 11, 12)
Varsity scholastic bowl 10, 11, 12 (captain 10, 11, 12 if i can participate... to be explained later)
Ice hockey for 7 or 8 years, no team at school though
Letterman's club 10, 11, 12
Junior Class president
Student Council 11
Key Club 10, 11, 12</p>

<p>Experience (maybe that's what it would be best called).</p>

<p>National Youth Leaders Conference 2006
Global Youth Leaders Conference 2007
Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference 2009
Illinois Governmental Internship Program Political Intern for entire fall semester of my Senior year (thus I can't play football, and Scholastic Bowl is questionable). One of 10-15 out of all of Illinois that will be participating in the program.</p>

<p>Notes:</p>

<p>No AP calsses at my school, but I did take AP Government: US and Comparative through the Nortwestern Center for Talent Development. Regrettably my instructor did not communicate the date of the AP test to me, so I don't have the credit even though I got an A both semesters.</p>

<p>Job at the Country Club of Peoria Summer of 2008.</p>

<p>Memberof the "Peoria Blogging Network" as a sports reporter, writer for high school newspaper.</p>

<p>3 years of Spanish.</p>

<p>If there's anything else I can do that might improve my chances let me know.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>don't worry about not having any AP classes- my high school didn't have them either. make sure you have a strong essay/interview</p>

3

<p>Yeah. if you don't have AP classes at your school, they won't punish you for it necessarily. they take you 'in the context of your school'. try to make yourself a leader at your school, in any/every way. </p>

<p>ever thought about taking SAT? i think its a good idea for everyone to try out SAT and ACT. </p>

<p>i think your past this point.... but if not, look into Boys State. its for rising juniors. seem to love government and such, its a mock government program. </p>

<p>i think you surely have a good chance.</p>

4

<p>As for the SAT I did take it, and my ACTs were much better. The plan is to take the ACT once more to try to improve and two sittings of SAT subject tests.</p>

<p>I was nominated for Boy's State, but I had plans to go to Presidential Classroom that week. However, they changed the dates of Presidential Classroom, my dad couldn't get anymore time off since he had already planned off for PC, and they found someone else to go to Boy's State. So I decided that we could just use it for college visits, and that's when we went to W&L.</p>

5

<p>One thing I'd add- for your interviews, essays, whatever- you need to know this school is a joiner school, in the sense that this school expects activity- it's not just about school work. YOu can be entrepreneurial, you can start something, you can make something, fix something, etc. Take a look at the website of profiles of the very-recent alums and see the kinds of activities they did. THey are obviously "unusual" in that they were picked to be featured on the website, but hardly freaks. I've had students who do interviews for admissions and if you come in and are all about academics and grades, they mentally check you off. What do you bring to the table besides a big ol' brain? (Not saying you don't- just make sure you present yourself as well-rounded with a self-contained motivation.)</p>