<p>I am an EA applicant for the class of 2018, and I was filtering through the 2017 EA results, and was surprised away by some of the EA rejects. I know college is a throw in the dark, but what can I do to improve my chances for getting into SFS?</p>
<p>Stats:
GPA: 3.85 UW
ACT: 35
SAT II:
Math 1: 750 Bio: 740 US: 800
Rank: Top upper 100s (120ish) out of 850
12 APs taken
4's and 5's in em all
206 PSAT (national merit commendation)</p>
<p>ECs:
- Member of school leadership team (3 sets of interviews)
- Peer Leader (senior year only)
- Mock Trial (3 years)
- Honor SocietieS
- Model UN (captain)
- Team lead for community outreach group that works with the elderly
- Fencing (lettered in it)
- Intern under the DAs office</p>
<p>Awards:
- Recipient of PVSA (gold, 3 years)
- National merit Commendation
- Outstanding Attorney award
- Outstanding Witness award
- Regional gold medal winner in fencing
- Regional mock trial champions
- Many Model UN awards</p>
<p>I’d say your GPA is eh (though it is UW so whatever) and apart from Model UN, which everyone has, you don’t have that ~international~ focus. Do you take a cool language? Have you been on school trips abroad? Can you join a culture club? IDK honestly.</p>
<p>Sameer, You look pretty strong. I would say that you have a really good shot! Have you considered taking some for-credit classes at Georgetown this summer to (1) see how you like the school and (2) show that you can excel there? </p>
<p>Other than that, I would say just focus on your final semester grades. The second semester of junior year is probably the most important on your transcript. Also, like beautifulchick said, start thinking about your essays. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>BTW, as a side note, it is really strange giving this advice when, just a few months ago, we (from the c/o 2017) were all asking the same sorts of questions.</p>
<p>Thanks but other than GPA, what else can I do? I plan on going on a trip to Africa over te summer and work on a volunteer program, and is my GPA that weak? And I’m sure my essays/recs/and Interview will be strong</p>
<p>IMO, your GPA is fine. There are plenty of (UW) 4.0 students that don’t get in and plenty of 3.7 students that do, so don’t fall into the “must have x.x GPA to get admitted” trap. It is my impression that Georgetown SFS admissions are all about “fit” and less about pure numbers. They want to see that you see the big (international) picture.</p>
<p>Your Africa trip sounds really cool. Probably give you some good ideas for the “discuss an international issue that is important to you” essay for SFS.</p>
<p>Well I’m also looking into doing summer undergrad courses at GTown, but other than my GPA what else can I do? (The summer course at GTown will be International Affairs)</p>
<p>You didn’t mention Africa before, but that qualifies as something ~international~.</p>
<p>Whatever with the GPA. We use 100 point scales here and I don’t really know how to translate it so I just consider a 4.0 to be the only grade worth getting :P</p>
<p>I would look into Boys state or Telluride. Most summer programs that you have to pay for are complete bs and won’t do anything for you when it comes to admissions. I would also write to a professor or econ or IR at a local university and ask them if they would be willing to allow you to assist them in their work as an Intern. Whatever you do, make sure that this summer is memorable. College adm officers look critically at what you do the summer before senior year. </p>
<p>Another suggestion: look into the congressional page program, georgetown specifically asks about that on their app. It is a very prestigious program.</p>
<p>Like I said before, Boys state (Bill Clinton actually did this) or telluride (which is super hard to get into, but worth a shot) are good options. I would also look up charity organizations in your local area and give them a call asking for possible summer internships. Also, try and see if your state senator or congressmen offer internships. You could also try volunteering or interning on a campaign. </p>
<p>If all else fails, get a job. Having paid work experience looks very good on your college apps (plus you’ll make some money). </p>
<p>The bottom line is that you have to do something interesting or impressive this summer if you want to stand out to elite institutions like Georgetown and Ivys.</p>
besides the page program what else can I do over the summer?</p>