W&L '23 and Johnson - Chance Me!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington & Lee University
1

Thank you! I applied as a Poli Sci major and applied for the Johnson and I am filled with constant worry :slight_smile:

Info:
Hispanic female, small public charter school, small AZ city

Stats
3.56 UW GPA, 4.4 W
School doesn’t rank
Course schedule was one of the most rigorous I could do, but I go to a pretty rigorous school as well.
14 AP tests taken
13 AP courses
taking 3 more AP courses this year
33 ACT
School is in top 5 in the nation for most rigorous which hopefully will help with GPA explanation, and my family circumstances and that GPA grading scale thing is all in my counselor rec

Merits/Honors:
-Congressional District _ Service Award (special recognition from Congress)
-Distinguished Finalist Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
-President’s Volunteer Service Award (Silver)
-AP Scholar with Distinction
-US Senate Youth Program Alternate
-School Citizenship Award
-National Hispanic Scholar
-National Merit Commended Scholar

EC’s
-Speech and Debate (3x state qualifier, Team captain)
-Public Speaking Nonprofit (administrative role, working with organizations and project in Afghanistan)
-College Board YAC (leader, speaker at events)
-High School Democrats of America (two-term state chair, running about 20 state chapters)
-Theater
-NHS (treasurer, 400+ community service hours)
-StuCo representative
-Congressional Campaign Intern
-Teen Court (volunteer Attorney)
-Volunteering at senior home

Work
-Home Depot (25 hours a week)
-Seasonal Christmas work (15 hours a week)

REC:
-A current teacher who hasn’t known me that long but who can most definitely speak to my work ethic
-A former teacher who is literally my life coach and mentor
-Counselor rec (I LOVE my counselor and she knows me very well, writing about why my grades are so low)

Personal Statement: My common app essay is about becoming the first female in my home depot hardware department, my supplement was a funny take on being my school’s mascot for the Johnson and I wrote the optional essay because I attended a fly-in to W and L and fell in love with the campus!

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR! I appreciate your help in determining what I am looking at!

2

your ECs are near the ‘better than just good’ territory. A 4.4 Weighted is, I’d say, not that much of a concern. especially because of the rigorous curriculum Did you apply ED?

3

@SoulSlammer no :frowning: unfortunately I applied for a great scholarship in state that restricted me from ED, so I applied Restrictive Early Action to a different institution and applied for Johnson at W&L because otherwise I can’t afford it :slight_smile:

4

I think you have a great chance. President Dudley and the school really are working on diversity at the school (see his WaPo OpEd… My daughter is a Johnson, and wrote a good, tongue-in-cheek essay and at her Johnson interview they loved it. If you get chosen for the interview, read up on the school and be prepared to discuss that. Good luck!

5

@luckymama64 Yes! I actually was lucky enough to have already met President Dudley and discussed the issue of diversity with him. While I can guarantee he does not remember me, my attendance to their diversity overnight really put it in perspective :slight_smile: Thank you!

6

@bachbend, did you end up getting invited to (and attending) the Johnson Scholarship competition earlier this week?

7

@jebco19 unfortunately not- however, I was accepted to W&L and received a ton of financial aid regardless, which was very nice. Even though I won’t be attending, it was an honor to be admitted.