<p>Does a Top Score on the ACT make up for things that would otherwise easily get you rejected from Amherst?</p>
<p>If I'm trying to get into Amherst College, I'm a Junior now. I'd rather go to Amherst than Harvard, personally, because I so much enjoy everything I've read or seen about it. I've been to the area (though not the college itself) and I love it. The structure, college environment, and quality all duly impress me, and make me believe this is my "dream school". </p>
<p>I would live in Boston, if I could, but instead I'm stuck on the far west edge of Nebraska. I've got some good, unique qualities going for me, but I've got some severe handicaps. I need to know if my positive traits (especially if I can get a perfect ACT) would outweigh the bad parts.</p>
<p>Would the following...
1. 36 or 35 ACT (superscored)
2. Rank 2 or 3
3. 3.5 - 4.0 GPA
4. 1 college course taken Junior year (85% grade), 3 courses next year as a senior
5. 120,000+ word Novel ready for publication by the beginning of Senior year.
6. First generation to go to college (My dad didn't finish High School either)</p>
<p>...Outweigh...</p>
<ol>
<li>My school doesn't offer AP classes.</li>
<li>Lower grades ("A-"s and "B"s, one or two "C"s) in my freshman and sophomore years.</li>
<li>Relying entirely on scholarships, with no money for college saved or available. </li>
<li>Very little community service or involvement in my area.</li>
<li>Decrease in extracurriculars my Junior/Senior year</li>
</ol>
<p>...for acceptance into Amherst?</p>
<h1>I want to know: Do I make the final cut? Or are all of the 'pluses' I'm banking not worth their weight?</h1>
<p>NOTE: Stop reading and reply already if you don't want a long post.</p>
<p>More information (if you want to get the specifics):
*1. Superscored ACT of 36 at the end of my junior year *
I have 30 composite my first time, but with a 35 in Science and I'm taking it twice before the year is over. I believe I can pull it off, I didn't even study my first time. At my school</p>
<p>2. Rank 2 or 3 in a class of 60
There's one guy in my class with 100s in every class, yet hates himself and has more mental problems then I can even sympathize with, which is saying something! I don't condemn him for it, he's amazingly talented, an awesome musician, and has such strong grades I could never surpass him. But... both I and many others agree that he's going to struggle and fail in college because of his social, anger, self-esteem, and test-taking problems. I currently have a higher ACT score, by several points than him, and he's taken it twice. He is has a lot of anger toward that test.</p>
<p>Rank 1 has higher grades, which pushes him to the top, but he's lacking in about everything else. As for rank 2, if it's not me, it's because I have a hard time pushing my grades beyond a 95, mostly out of mistakes or a few mess-ups in the middle of the year that drag me down.</p>
<p>*3. 3.5-4.0 or so GPA *
Never calculated my GPA, but I get mostly As in the 94f% - 96% range.</p>
<p>4. 3 College courses being taken my senior year, on top of high school courses.
My school is going to start offering kids to drop previously mandatory elective periods in favor of college courses. It basically gets an early release at 1:30 (Core classes are packed into the earlier part of the day) from the high school to go to the nearby community college to take courses, or do online courses, ect. I plan to take 2 courses from the college, one afternoon and one at night, as well as enroll in a highschool dual-credit college course. I may also take a second dual-credit, if I can fit it in my schedule. Which courses however, I'm not sure yet.</p>
<p>5. Having a 120,000+ word Novel ready for publication (or already published) By the beginning of my Senior Year
I'm going to take Creative Writing as a major. I've always loved writing and have huge praise, talent, and skill in it when I apply myself, definitely the direction in life I want to go. I began writing this book Almost a year to the day ago, but only a few months into it my mom was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. I actually fell into a minor depression and couldn't continue writing for months until I recently picked it back up. I'm a 1/3rd done with it, and plan to finish it over the summer, with a projected 120,000 word count when it's all done. Reviews from teachers and peers have been nothing but exceedingly positive. </p>
<p>6. First generation to go to College
Mom never went to college, dad didn't graduate high school. My sister (a year older than me) is going to the local community college and doesn't know what she's going to do for a career. She had an ACT composite score of 19.</p>
<p>1. My school doesn't offer AP classes
They don't, never have. They have an "AP-like" way of organizing Math classes, where those stronger in Math take the "higher" classes, skipping 8th grade and taking Freshman Math in their 8th Grade year, which follows until their Senior year when they can take a college Math class, or Statistics, an alternate math class.</p>
<p>2. A few bad grades here and there
Cs in Spanish Freshman and Sophomore year, Bs in a college course I took this year. Overall, my grades aren't fantastic. I've really pulled them up this year, to mostly 95s, but they aren't up to par, ESPECIALLY since I'm not taking AP classes. I'm very smart, but I just can't do 'flawless' assignments. I'm just "a day late and a dollar short" of having 100% in my classes. This is where I'm really hoping my ACT score can save me.</p>
<p>3. Relying entirely on scholarships for college
If I don't get a full-ride to a high-end college, I'm going to be stuck with the mediocre colleges in my immediate area. Most of them offer full ride at an ACT of 24-26 or higher, and all of them are in towns (not cities, we don't have cities out here, unless I drove two hours to Cheyenne) that I would never want to live in. Amherst is everything I could never have. I think if I can get accepted though, I can find the money, somehow. I'm applying for Questbridge's College Prep Scholarship in a week, and their College Match (if I don't make College Prep) at the start of my senior year. I also hope I won't have to work through college, but I'm sure I will end up having to, just to pay the bills.</p>
<p>4. Very Little community involvement in my area.
There's not a lot of places for me to get involved, but even then, I never have really put myself 'out there' socially in the community. If it wasn't really related to school, I never really participated, I think School was the only reason I ever got involved in anything in the first place. </p>
<p>5. Decrease in Extracurriculars
This year and next year I'll be focusing more on what I enjoy and want to do in college. This year specifically, I dropped out of things like FBLA, I was unable to make National Honor Society, Show Choir, and Next year I will be dropping Band in favor of a Psychology/Economics class - and Choir in favor of a college course. I'm not really losing 'interest' or 'activities', but there are less of my interests involved in those "Variety" things that I really never wanted to do in the first place. I'm hoping taking so many college classes and doing my own writing and journalism work I'll be able to balance this out.</p>