What are my chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston College
1

Hi! I was wondering what my chances to get into BC would be on numbers alone. As of now I am not sure if I would apply to the school of education or arts and sciences…

Female
No class ranks at my school
From New York (A pretty “prestigious” high school, very high jewish population, very academically motivated student body)
Unweighted GPA (without junior year final grades): 3.65 (will probably be a 3.7 after this year)
ACT score (I only took it once): 33 composite (36 Eng, 30 math, 33 reading, 33 sci), 32 writing
White, Irish Catholic, 2nd generation to attend college

Spanish 1 (8th grade): A
Advanced Algebra 1 (8th grade): B+

Freshman English (this is the only level offered): A
Freshman World History (this is the only level offered): A-
Advanced Bio (highest level offered): A-
Advanced Geometry: A-
Honors Spanish 2: B
Art (.5 credit): A
(I had pneumonia this year and missed a month of school, causing one bad grade in Spanish which brought down my average)

Honors English(highest level offered): A-
Sophomore World History (this is the only level offered): A-
Advanced Chemistry (highest level offered): B+
Advanced Algebra 2/Trig: B
Advanced Spanish 3: A
Drawing and Painting (.5 credit): A
Health (.5 credit): A
(I was diagnosed with a heart condition this year and again missed a month of school, causing one bad grade in Math which brought down my average)

Junior year grades so far -
Honors English (highest level offered): A
AT US History (highest level offered) (my school doesn’t have APs or IBs, and juniors are only allowed to take 1 AT per year): A-
Advanced Physics (highest level offered): B+/A-
Advanced Pre-Calculus: B/B+
Advanced Spanish 4: A
Sexual Politics (.5 credit): A

Senior year courses (I’m still a junior):
AT Literature
AT Constitutional Law
AT International Politics
Honors Calculus
Advanced Spanish 5
AP Environmental Science (online)

So far I have done around 650 hours of community service since freshman year, started a volunteer organization chapter in my town, started the first high school club to raise money to help fund schools and camps for orphans through the WWO (I have a very personal connection to this and have worked on it since I was young), worked as a camp counselor 3 times, worked as a lifeguard and babysitter, am active in my church, did a summer class program through Brown University, have received the Presidential Gold Award for service (from the Obama administration) twice and the most committed volunteer award from my volunteer chapter twice (I’ve been doing it for two years and this is my third), have been swimming since I was 6 and am now the captain of my high school’s varsity swim team

Also, I am receiving some sort of award from the administration next week but I don’t know what it is for haha it’s a surprise

I am worried my GPA is too low… my school’s accepted average is a little lower than the average, at a 3.76, but I am still below that

Sorry for all this info!

2

Dear 1stbornconfused : Let me share with you a very important piece of information before we even begin discussing your profile. I have been involved in scholastic and collegiate education in parallel to my business background for 30 years. During that time, I have not come across an AT program. Your school’s nonparticipation in the AP/IB process will present a significant challenge to your profile - not just because the rigor of those courses and their examinations will be missing from your education, but the onus will be on YOU (and your school profile that comes with your transcript) to convince Boston College readers that your education has been significantly rigorous. I would STRONGLY advise you to speak with a High School counselor now and your target colleges over the next month to gauge where you would stand based on these courses which are to some extent unknown.

That said, let’s consider your profile. Remember that 85% of Boston College’s freshman class comes from the Top 10% of their High School classes. A GPA at 3.65 might or might not meet that criteria - you will want to check that.

New York is the second most heavily represented state after Massachusetts, so your need to “meet and exceed” those types of metrics will be increasingly important to increase the class diversity.

I was attracted to the advanced course labels in your profile and noticed that those were mostly in the B+/A- range - about a 3.3-3.7 GPA which will not be in keeping with Boston College standards at admission.

Your ACT score is outstanding with a composite 33. That will not present any issue whatsoever, regardless of which college at the University you consider.

What is the impact of your 650 hours of community service? Not just that you did it, but why did it matter? At Boston College with the Jesuit creed of “Men and Women for Others”, you should be exceptionally positioned if you can describe how you made a difference in the lives of others.

Right now, this is a mixed bag profile. You have the next six months to tighten the focus and really sharpen what you bring to the table to make Boston College a better school for others. Think hard about that last fragment and you will be on the right path going forward. All the best!

3

Lack of APs offered at your school will never be used against you, as long as your counselor checks the “most rigorous” box on your transcript.

Your GPA is the weakest part of your app.

4

Thanks Scottj, I really appreciated your detailed response! AT classes aren’t a program, they are my school’s version of APs, the reason the program was implemented was because the administration felt the AP courses were being “watered down” and wanted to make them at a more truly college level difficulty. I don’t think I have a problem with the rigor of my classes, it’s just the GPA. It’s considered pretty good at my school, but I still feel like it is too low. I’m also worried about being accepted to a catholic university coming from a school that is mostly Jewish, so not many people from my school have gone to BC.

5

Thanks so much SuzyQ7, I’m trying really hard to work on it!