What does SFS look for in a candidate?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgetown University
1

<p>Before you make any hasty jugements about me or this post, I would like to let everyone know that I sincerely would like to know what I could have done to improve my application to Georgetown SFS this year. As we all know, the college admissions process is at best a gamble, but there are certain factors that allow for greater predictability with regards to success/failure. </p>

<p>Having said this, I applied this year to SFS and was rejected. This, as with anything, is of course incredibly possible, but I had a feeling that given my background, I may have had a leg or two up on some others in this round. Wishful thinking I suppose. Btw Congratulations to everyone who was accepted, and to those rejected/waitlisted, keep your head up, youll go on to do great things. </p>

<p>Here is my resume, I'd like to know what you guys think could have been improved, or what was a possible reason for rejection.</p>

<p>Male, Caucasian</p>

<p>SAT:2260 (CR 740 Math 730 Wr 790)
SAT 2:Chinese (800), MATH 2 (750), Lit (710)
AP: Chinese-5, Calc AB-4 (Taking APUSH, CHEM in Spring)</p>

<p>Academics:
My School does not rank the students, however, my College counselor basically told me that I was in top 5 in my grade (out of only 130...). This may seem uninteresting, yet my school sends AT LEAST 20-30 kids every year to the level of schools that I am applying to - there are roughly ONLY 3 letter A grade equivalents in ANY given class, so having an A (even an A-), is like being the best in the class. Also, my school does not place the name AP, on any given course description (like many Northeastern Prep schools.</p>

<p>-Latin 1-4
-Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Precalculus, AB Calculus AP, Multivariable Calculus
-Chinese 1-6
-World History, US History to 1900, Contemporary Chinese History, Contemporary US History
-English 9-12
-Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Chemistry II</p>

<p>I have had A's or higher every year in each class, except for math....which was a B in both fresh/soph years...</p>

<p>Also, I just got back from School Year Abroad China, where I spent my Junior year studying Chinese in Beijing while living with a Chinese host family. The experience was amazing, and the academics were grueling. I was able to skip 5 level of my American school's Chinese after being back.</p>

<p>Extracurricular:</p>

<p>-Model UN (10-12)
-Quizbowl (10-12)
-Chinese language School (3 hours/Sunday) (9-12)
I began in the Bilingual level 1 class and I am now enrolled in the level 10 Native Speaker class, the highest in the entire school. I am the only non-chinese person to do such in the school's history.
- Chinese Culture Club (9-12), President (1 year)
-Red Cross Club Founder (1 year)
- Red Cross volunteer (3 years)
-Volunteer at a NPO dedicated to blind and visually impaired children's education (10-12: over 170 hours total), every Saturday morning at 8 AM til 10.
-Taekwondo (8-12), Blackbelt (1 year)
-Interned at a local hospital for over 80 hours during the summer: shadowed Cardiologists, observed open-heart and catheter surgeries, performed (not kidding, not sure how this is even legal...) a renal stent placement.
-Won a Regional Level Chinese Speech Competition (1st place) amongst a few hundred people.</p>

<p>In China</p>

<p>-Calligraphy class weekly(75+ hrs)
-Traditional chinese instrument lessons weekly (75+ hrs)
-Taught English to 60 4th graders at Migrant School in Beijing Slum weekly (60+ hrs)
-I took care of orphans who have undergone surgery for conditions such as cleft pallet weekly (55 hrs).
-Wrote a 10 page research paper on the Migrant Phenomenom in Beijing, includes original research from interviews with workers, college professors, and the highest ranking police officer of Haidian District in Beijing. To be published along with other students research.
-Went on Study Trips to remote areas such as Yunnan (borders Thailand and Burma), Guizhou (borders Vietnam), Fujian (across the strait from Taiwan). </p>

<p>Thanks guys.</p>

2

<p>Must have been a very competitive applicant pool.</p>

3

<p>Yeah, you look like an exceptional candidate. The only thing possibly lacking would be a significant leadership position. Founding a Red Cross Club is fairly significant, but it’s the only thing I can think of.</p>

4

<p>I’m in the same boat! I’m of Persian/Irish decent and had travelled to Iran and worked on peace projects and had been really extensively involved in International ECs. I even met the nobel peace winner Shirin Ebadi for my work. I’m Captain of Debate, MUN, and EASB and have tons of ECs. My essays were good too and so were my Recommendation, top 5% of class (out of 775), 10 APs, and over 4.0 GPA. I’m still interested in Georgetown for graduate school or a transfer so I’d love to know what they really seem to value.</p>

5

<p>As an EA acceptee… I am blown away by your app. Similar grades and SATs, but your extracurriculars definitely make mine look pitiful. Passion is present. </p>

<p>What did you write your essays about? To both…</p>

6

<p>Cafesimone: I wrote my SFS Essay about teaching Migrant Children English at a slum in Beijing. Made the opening persoanl, started with a story, then made my way into policy and such. </p>

<p>Georgetown Personal Essay was about a dream that I used to have as a kid living in Singapore (I lived there until I was 6), being unable to understand Mandarin initially, but then ultimately being fully integrated - from outsider to respected classmate. </p>

<p>EC Essay was about my passion for recording audio text books (for blind and visually impaired students). ive ben doing this for a while, and I pretty much used my common app EC essay, and tagged on 3 more sentences - - -> Could this have had any impact? </p>

<p>Im 100% sure you were an amazing candidate yourself cafesimone, acceptance to SFS is no small task. Congratulations!</p>

7

<p>that application blew me away, especially the EC’s.
What college are you going to?</p>

8

<p>I have heard to get into the SFS that you should apply to other schools within GT and then transfer. How often does this work?</p>

9

<p>I got into SFS EA, and I honestly think you got screwed. Sorry kid…</p>

<p>My standardized test scores were marginally better than yours, but I don’t think that was it, if you check out the stats in the admitted thread. I think your app was probably better than at least half of the acceptances I saw, unless you mangled the essays. </p>

<p>You look like you would have been a great contribution to Georgetown SFS, and I’m sorry that they would reject you.</p>

10

<p>I’d like to second the question about what college you’re going to. </p>

<p>Worst comes to worst, maybe you got hit with the Tufts syndrome. They thought you were too good, almost too good-to-be-true? Maybe they suspected you lied on your application? Your ECs are definitely extensive!! Even so, maybe they thought SFS was a safety school for you… </p>

<p>My ECs were simple - Model UN and womens rights stuff. I wrote my essay about living in many places. </p>

<p>Another thought - did your essays come off at all snobby? That’s a killer.</p>

11

<p>cafesimone- my essay first talked about my first trip to Iran and how I realized that the real world is not the same as the one often shown on TV, transition to how my upbringing has given me a unique perspective on life and how my mix background has really contributed to my ability to see the “Grey that exists” and then how all this has led me to realize my goal is to help make other’s lives easier and to fight for what is right, ect. It was good and from the heart. Actually, I first wrote it for myself, and later I morphed it into a College esay.</p>

<p>Oh well, now I’m going to my State university because I can’t turn down the money they offered me, especially not in this economy.</p>

12

<p>You app is excellent and you should be proud. It’s really a business and who knows how they fulfill their goals. If you want to go there perhaps you should call them and ask them, for perhaps transfer purposes or something.</p>

13

<p>^ i’m sorry to hear you were rejected. they obviously made a mistake, or they didn’t believe you! my D was waitlisted at Georgetown SFS… she lived in France for a few years( we are french speaks french at home) speaks spanish very well( living in Miami has taken spanish classes since 3th grade!) learning mandarin now and she is also Battalion Commander of 100 cadets coast guard academy, and class president two years in a row, spot light editor of the new paper, silver knight nominee for Sciences etc… i thought she had a very good shot! i was wrong!! but now reading your resume i am wondering what were they thinking rejecting candidates like you?? i am speechless!!</p>

14

<p>Is Georgetown need-blind?</p>

15

<p>^ Yes, they are</p>

16

<p>From the grave, arise.</p>

<p>College admissions are just so unpredictable, it’s ridiculous.</p>

17

<p>Well, first off, it’s impossible to be rejected EA. You were deferred, unless the Gtown official website is mistaken.</p>

<p>That being said, you’re a much stronger candidate than me and I got in. You have far higher SATs, stronger interest in language (I’m studying french but it’s much less unique than Chinese and it doesn’t sound like I’m at your level), and far more leadership/service (I had virtually none). The only things I had going for me that you didn’t were 4 years of varsity sports, music, and my rank (I’m on track to be valedictorian), but you had plenty of ECs to compensate.</p>

<p>Like CSIHSIS said, admissions are a rat race, but I’d be surprised if you weren’t accepted in
the Spring. And if not, you’re driven and foceused enough to do well wherever you end up.</p>

18

<p>~This is from 2009~</p>

<p>I was just illustrating how annoying college admissions are.</p>

19

<p>You may have been a better fit for the college of arts and science. Also, a lot of applicants for sfs speak Chinese. You would be competing against Chinese Americans too.</p>