Washington University in St. Louis RD

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Okay, so upfront, I’m gonna say this: I’m poor. Hella. I know this isn’t ideal for Wustl, but my application sort of uses it as… leverage, I guess. Check it out.

College of Arts and Sciences, English Major.

ACT: C33 E36 M28 R36 S31 (One sitting)

GPA: 4.0 UW

Rank: 16/300

I took the hardest classes my school has to offer. Even though I’m more of a fan of English, that meant taking heavy math and science that even some of my engineering buddies stayed away from.

ECs

  • Head writer for school newspaper for 3 years.
    Member of Creative Writing club for 3 years.
    *National Art Honor Society - 4 years.
    *    **Online Freelance Writer for 2 years.
  • Founder of school’s first STEM club, and engineering team. (ironically enough.)

Honors
*Washington (D.C.) Youth Tour Representative - Earned through a state wide essay contest. Basically just an all expense paid trip to the capital, but it filled an otherwise empty spot.

Essays: I mainly focused on my freelance writing. See, I’ve grown up rather poor since I live with my mom and she’s disabled, and one summer 2 years ago, it was particularly bad. The electric bill was sky high, and our only car stopped working. I called every place in our small town and filled out applications, but no one was hiring. That’s when I took matters into my own hands. Within a month, I had enough to pay off our bills and fix the car, and within two months of that, I had enough to buy a car of my own. I still work online, though I take it down a notch during school months. Basically, the essay focused on how I’ve learned that I am not limited by the opportunities available to me, but by my own willingness to seize opportunity, and work hard to wring it out for all it’s worth.

Recommendation letters: I got one from my Pre Cal teacher, and then one from my Journalism teacher. My journalism teacher is an absolute ray of sunshine, and she loved me. My Pre Cal teacher seemed to have a begrudging respect, if that makes any sense. She made me fight for complements, but she made sure I knew she thought I was going places.

Interviews: I can’t afford a trip, and there weren’t any local interviewers where I live out in the sticks. I’ve tried my best to let them know I was interested by opening every email within an hour of getting it and putting them at the top of my ACT score send list, but those seem way too subtle.

Additional Information: I explained that my lack of school related ECs is not because of a lack of ambition, but because of a lack of transportation. Until just recently, I didn’t have a way to drive to school. I have an 1.5 hour bus ride every morning and afternoon. Poverty in the south doesn’t play, lol. In fact, I’ve only taken the ACT 2 times because that’s how many wavers the state gives out. I couldn’t apply ED because I needed the extra month to make sure I got a decent score.

PS, Should I email them and explain why I couldn’t interview? Or would it seem desperate/whiney? I’ve always tried to not use my poverty as a crutch, and I don’t want them to think that’s what I’m about, because it’s not, ya know?

2

Are you from FL by any chance?

3

I am not. TN, actually. Why?

4

i would say you have a good chance, but you’re not awesome. What I mean is, it is a reach for many people. But you have a better chance than most, definitively. If you do get accepted, they fly you to and fro wustl for free. chance back? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1853380-last-chance-with-updated-college-list-usc-washu-ucs-cal-polys-ill-chance-back.html#latest

5

@Bigmish I’m a high school junior, so I know as much about your chances as you do. For what it’s worth, I think it’ll come through that you’ve done a lot with limited means. I think emailing your admissions officer about the lack of an interview is a good idea, provided you don’t make it sound desperate or anything. You seem articulate and composed; I feel like you’d be able to pull that off. If you’re unsure about how the message’ll come off, I can totally look it over for you. Good luck! :slight_smile:

6

Well you picked the one school that unapologetically greatly favors people with money in their admissions process. So those who are full pay can have lower SATS or ACTs by hundreds compared to those applying but asking for aid. Since they don’t meet need anyway, I don’t know why they don’t use the same criteria for everyone but then just deny the aid. But they don’t. So those students who have already had every advantage and whose grades and scores, that look high, are often only the result of careful and persistent tutoring, get in with credentials far lower than poorer students who have had no advantage and no tutoring. Jokes are made of the coddling that Wash U gives students but I guess they only have enough cush for wealthy people. Your credentials seem high enough that you could be one of the lucky few who end up compensating (in terms of published averages) for a low scoring wealthy student-after all, they need some students to keep those SAT/ACT/grade averages looking ok on the published profiles and CDS.

7

It is bleak, I know. I’ve prepared for not getting in. I’ve got the Chancellor’s Honors program at UT Knoxville as my safety. But boy, wouldn’t it be something? Besides, if I don’t get in this time, I might transfer in later, or I’ll go there for graduate school. Then again, maybe it isn’t in the cards for me, and I’ve made myself okay with that too.

But there’s still a chance, so it’s worth a shot.

8

If you’re in TN, don’t you get a free ACT in March or April?

9

Well you have great credentials so of course it is highly possible. Just harder cause of Wash U’s preference for wealthy students.

10

That only happens once during our junior year. I had mono at the time. We also get two wavers to take the ACT that removes the cost, and I took it once in September and once in December.

11

Ah. Somebody else tagged you and said they were a junior, and I got kinda confused.