<p>I was just wondering what my chances would be of getting into the University of Washington. I'm an entering Senior this year. </p>
<p>Here what i have so far:</p>
<p>GPA: 3.1 w (i know its not so great, but only one aspect)
SAT: 1860; 700 Math, 590 Writing, 570 Reading
ACT: 28
<em>by the way, i will be retaking both of those very soon</em></p>
<p>Varsity Tennis for 2 Years
Track and Field for 2 Years
Cross Country for 1 year</p>
<p>In about 3 clubs. I'm also planning on creating one this coming year.</p>
<p>I think the outlook is bleak. My D's SAT is 2060, her unweighted GPA is 3.875, she is Hispanic AND we're in state and we're not considering it a shoe in. I mean, we're about 95% sure she'll get in, but it's not a done deal in our minds.</p>
<p>heres the stats i got in with this year... it'll cheer you up</p>
<p>Major: Political Science
Highschool: Some very competitive private school (international)
3.0 cum GPA but 3.6 discounting freshman.. (had 2.8 in freshman)
790m 620R 650W total 2060 essay 11
750 math IIC 800 chinese
4 AP Comp Sci A
Taken all AP/IB through Junior and Senior
Current Courses: AP Calc AB, IBSL/AP Econ, IBHL history, IBHL psychology, AP Enviromental Science, IBHL/AP English</p>
<p>So are you and my daughter applying to ALL the same schools? I already chanced you up above, but on second thought, I think it's possible. Your test scores are within the middle 50% but only 5% of admitted students have your GPA.</p>
<p>Their application does have a writing section (a 650 word personal essay and a short answer); how are your writing skills?</p>
<p>haha i'm not quite sure. Where is she applying to?</p>
<p>hmm, yes i know that my GPA will put me in the very low range of the students. But it is reassuring to know that there are some people with similar GPA's.</p>
<p>That's good then, because i would like to at least attempt to explain what went wrong with my GPA. I'd say that my writing skills are above average but I'm certainly not the best.</p>
<p>Let's see...Pitt, UW, Alabama, Santa Clara U for sure and possibly Arizona and Nebraska. We're looking for merit scholarships and are applying where we think she has the best chance. No merit money from UW, though, they're very stingy, even with in state students.</p>
<p>ah i see. Out of those, I'm only looking at Pitt, UW, and possibly arizona.</p>
<p>Having little to no money to pay after school would be great! So that's good that you're looking for merit scholarships and applying to where those are given more.</p>
<p>Regardless of where she goes, there won't be any loans. Whatever costs are left over after the scholarships run out, we'll pay as we go and she will work and help out. I would really love to get our out of pocket expenses under $8K per year. Or less! I know for sure she'll get full tuition from Alabama but she would have to flip-flop her major and minor. So hopefully she can get something just as good at another school.</p>
<p>I forgot to say, one other thing that's slightly in your favor, UW is about 20% out of state students and it's been trending upward for the last several years. But you probably will be held to a higher standard. Good luck! It will be funny if you and my D end up at the same school, won't it?</p>
<p>Ipodless: my D entered this year w/ an SAT of 1600, ACT 25, 3.87 GPA w/ good mix of AP and Honors classes. As you can see, they do look at GPA over test scores! I think a plus at the UW is showing ongoing activities and interests over a period of years -- sports, learning a language, volunteer work. Also, I recall that the concept of diversity was a strong theme in the essay questions and I would expect diversity to continue to be a major topic in any college essays you write during your application process next year. It's not too soon to start framing in your mind what you would write in an essay about diversity, as well as broad topics -- experiences in your life that have made you who you are, etc. For my D, the long essay took much more thought, time and editing than she had anticipated. Good luck!</p>
<p>From the writing section of the UW application:</p>
<p>Personal Statement (500-650 words)</p>
<p>Discuss how your family's experience or cultural history enriched you or presented you with opportunities or challenges in pursuing your educational goals.</p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>Tell us a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.</p>
<p>TIP *Some of the best statements are written as personal stories. We welcome your imaginative interpretation.</p>
<p>Short Response (Max 250 words)</p>
<p>The University of Washington seeks to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints. How would you contribute to this community?</p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>Describe an experience of cultural difference, positive or negative, you have had or observed. What did you learn from it?</p>
<p>TIP* You may define culture broadly in Topic 2. For example, it may iclude ethnicity, customs, values and ideas, all of which contribute to experiences that students can share with others in college.</p>