Vassar Chances? Low-income Rural Upstate NY Female.

<p>Do you think I'm a good candidate or should I look elsewhere?</p>

<p>White female at rural upstate NY school
single mom going to college (income=$29,000), one sister in elementary school
SAT I
CR=720, W=690, M=540 (hopefully tomorrow I will raise that)</p>

<p>SAT II
US History: 750
*I still need more (Nov. 1st)</p>

<p>ECs
Editor of The Bear school newspaper junior and senior year
Assistant Editor of The Bear Sophomore year
Editor of yearbook sophomore - senior year
model UN sophomore-senior year
key club freshman year
social action club sophomore
V. Swim team-freshman year
V. Volleyball manager-sophomore year
V. Lacrosse-junior year
international club sophomore
enviro club sophomore-senior year
thespians junior & senior year
class secretary junior & senior
*<em>Founded a free used clothing store for my high school
*</em>interned at my county's Youth Bureau summer before senior year
*<em>awared $3,480 grant to attend Middlebury Monterey Language Academy-Spanish
*</em>Accepted to the St. Lawrence University's Young Writer's Conference two years in a row</p>

<p>6 APs out of 8 offered
Bio-3, US History-4, English Lang.-4, (three more this year)
I am taking two college courses at St. Lawrence University this year Spanish 201 and Applied Statistics-Math 113 I have a 4.0 in both so far.</p>

<p>GPA-90.0</p>

<p>*hospitalized for a month my junior year
*moved 3 times in high school (3 different states=AZ, GA, NY)</p>

<p>Hopefully in <strong>December I will raise my Math SAT score</strong></p>

<p>I think your "special circumstances" - moving, hospitalization - will and should be taken into account. I've also attended three high schools in three different states, and I know it's hard to maintain your concentration under these conditions. With all your leadership and your strong academic record, it seems you've done an outstanding job overcoming these obstacles. My brother also went to three high schools, and he got into some very competitive colleges (Boston U., Case Western) which I don't think he could have otherwise gotten into with his stats, so I think they will surely take all that into consideration.</p>

<p>They will definitely see that you have made the most out of your situation and have overcome many obstacles, becoming deeply involved in school affairs and clubs and even going above and beyond (interning, starting the clothing store), all while maintaining a strong academic record and taking 6 AP classes.</p>

<p>I'm not an admissions expert, but I certainly think you would catch the attention of most schools of this caliber. Good job.</p>

<p>Math SAT is a little bit low, but pretty much everything else is very strong so maybe they'll overlook that.</p>

<p>I might have already replied to this in a different thread, but I would say that you certainly have a shot at getting into Vassar. Your GPA is right where it should be (the average GPA of the incoming freshman class this year was, I believe, a A-), your classes sound as if they've been suitably challenging considering your options, and you have a huge variety of extracurricular involvements. Seeing that you've moved three times in high school, this is a pretty impressive accomplishment and speaks to how easy it is for you to get involved in a new place as soon as you get there (which, I would think, colleges would like). </p>

<p>Now on to the less-positive... to me, the only thing that looks troubling about your application is your Math subscore on the SAT.... it's dragging your cumulative score down below 2000 which isn't so good for the most competitive schools. Raising the score to at least a 600 (preferably to a 630 or so), would make your standardized test scores look MUCH better to admissions. That being said, I do not think that your math score will stop you from getting into Vassar... you sound like an interesting applicant and the fact that you've managed to be competitive while moving three times and being hospitalized for a month during your junior year of all times is certainly impressive. </p>

<p>I would say that Vassar is a reach for you, as you currently stand; however, it's not an impossible (or improbable) one. Raising your math SAT score might even help make it closer to a semi-reach.</p>

<p>We sound a lot alike, and people have told me the same thing: semi-reach. Do well on your SATs, and maybe we'll see each other there. : )</p>

<p>Thanks everyone! :-D</p>