I already posteed this in the Vassar forum, but I figured I could get helpful advice here aswell:
I wanted to get some feedback on my chances. I know your eyes may have already rolled to the back of your head, seeing as how everyone asks, but I might as well give it a shot.
If you’re still reading:
I have a low gpa (3.48) and I worry that this completely takes the option of colleges like Vassar off the table. I had a bad freshman year and my sophomore year was mediocre but I got a perfect 4.0 in my junior year and I expect the same of my senior year. I have been taking honors and AP classes since the get go, so my courseload has not been light.
GPA: 3.48 (massive? upward trend) – places me ~top 25% in my school
SAT’s: 760 CR, 740 M, 750 W (2250)
Hooks: URM Male
I have solid EC’s. I have interned in a government office during the summer of my soph. year and am interning at a well known company this summer and I run multiple clubs at my school. I don’t want to give out too much information but I am HEAVILY involved in activities and have been since freshman year (one of the reasons my GPA was so low, another reason my GPA is so low is that I went from a school in Chicago that doesnt give grades to a grade oriented boarding school in California – so a huge enviornmental shift.).
I assume that I will have very good rec’s and a solid essay.
Given all of this, Low GPA, High SAT’s, Upward Trend, Good (Great?) EC’s, URM Male – where do I stand? Are my chances good for ED? ED II? What can I do to boost my chances of acceptance?
Where should I be applying? Obviously Vassar is my top choice but I am struggling to put together a list as I feel as there is a huge disparity between my GPA and the rest of my profile. I have a few LAC’s on my mind, but if you can offier specifics that would be amazing.
I think you have a good shot at Vassar because of everything except your GPA. The upward trend really helps. If you really want to go to Vassar, definitely apply ED (NOT ED II). I really think you can get in. There are a lot of factors to consider in making a list of places to apply such as location, tuition, major, etc. What are some important qualities you are looking for in a university/LAC?
I’d say you do have a shot at Vassar, especially ED and as a URM male. I feel like (and this is just a guess based on anecdotal experience and no real evidence so take it with a grain of salt) Vassar gets a lot of applicants of the same demographic and looks for more diversity. I knew a number of other girls plus myself, and we got either waitlisted (those of us who applied RD) or rejected (my friend who applied ED) even though we were all solid candidates. Obviously the waitlists could have been for any number of reasons, but we were all ORM girls from New York which I think came into play.
And I started listing other LACs you have a shot at but erased it because really you are a very competitive applicant despite your GPA (in my opinion) and you have at least somewhat of a shot at most LACs (with the top ones still being reaches).
Vassar’s overlap schools depend upon what you are seeking in a college. Wesleyan and Oberlin have certain quailities that Vassar has, as does, but in a different way, Kenyon. The woodsy, academically-balanced Hamilton has yet a different type of appeal for cross-applicants. Within this group, plus a few others, you should be able to find some schools besides Vassar that interest you and where you will have a reasonable chance of admission.
@ErinsDad I have, but they dont seem to be as worried as I am about my GPA. I am certain there are a lot of people with GPA’s higher than mine but they really don’t seem to care much (about my GPA). I looked at some of the data for naviance and I don’t know how to interperet it: For similarly regarded/ranked schools the avg accepted GPA is pretty low. For Williams it hovers just under a 3.4 and for Reed just above a 3.6. Looking at this and each schools common data, I can’t help but be confused.
That’s because those colleges know the quality of students coming from your school. Your school is most likely a feeder school to some top colleges. Trust your GC and Naviance.
Yes, Erin’s dad is right. At a school jam packed w 4.0 caliber kids, they can’t all get a 4.0 and be #1. That having been said, the GPA may hinder you at the top 20 level. You can present a good holistic package tho, which is why gc is not too worried.
What about Sarah Lawrence? Also need more men and URM:)
URM males with those kind of test scores are in high demand. The great Junior year GPA is a huge plus. keep those grades up in the fall and Vassar is very doable.
LACs that I personally liked other than Vassar were Hamilton, Colgate, and Amherst. I wish I had visited others because they all sound amazing/beautiful. The other colleges mentioned so far in the comments are wonderful options, as well. Hamilton and Colgate would be matches for you (in fact I would be pretty surprised if you didn’t get in), but Amherst is awfully competitive so I would say that’s still a reach (but super beautiful and worth visiting!)
Thanks for all the advice – it has really helped. @HRSMom, Oberlin is on my list and Bard is on my radar; but I need aid so I don’t know if Bard will be financially feasible. @Ranza123 , I looked at Colgate but I didn’t like the “vibe” of the school – I just wasn’t sure I would be happy there, and with Hamilton it was a similar experience but I will keep them in my mind.
Does anyone know how a school like Bowdoin, Wesleyan or Swartmore might evaluate me?
What about some universities? I know they tend to be more numbers oriented but there were a few I liked. Right now I am looking at Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon, UPenn, UChicago, Georgetown and some others, all of which are reaches (I assume).
Yeah Colgate does sort of have a preppy vibe that I wasn’t too fond of, either (but I still applied because I liked the campus; it just wasn’t very high up on my list). Hamilton has a better vibe than Colgate in my opinion: maybe more academic, laid-back, quaint, even more liberal arts-y. I don’t know, just the vibe I got (I visited it multiple times because I liked it so much!)
I think you have a good shot at Bowdoin, Wesleyan, and Swarthmore.
The other universities you mentioned are reaches for everyone but there’s certainly no harm in adding any of them to your list if they appeal to you.
Of course, if Vassar is still your number one choice after looking into all the others, I still say apply there ED.
@CollegeDrifter09 I did ED II to Emory and got waitlisted. I’m sure if I had done ED I I would’ve gotten in. It obviously is different for you and Vassar, but you have a way better shot at getting into Vassar with ED I.
If you need aid, are you comfortable applying ED anywhere? Wouldn’t you be better off comparing offers, and bargaining with the schools, if need be, once all the offers are in? I think you’ll be an attractive applicant to most of these schools which interest you. You don’t say, though, what it is that attracts you to them? What do you want to study?
As an aside, what makes you think that Bard’s financial aid would be less than any of the others? Have you run the NPC’s at all these schools, to give you a general idea? There is a lot of crossover between Bard and Vassar’s student body, so it does make sense to apply to both.
@SpiritManager I have thought about this – I have run the NPC for (almost) all of the schools I am looking at applying to and Vassar came to be the cheapest. I know things may change and the NPC might be off but if it is anywhere near the right number I will be fine. I have discussed finances with my parents and they are willing to give me more than what I am estimated to pay for Vassar, Swarthmore and a few other schools.
The estimate for bard was 1.5x higher than for most of the others, so I was working off of that assumption.
At the end of the day I want to be in the best position to enter into the grad school of my choice (given I am qualified). I am sure everyone says this, but I really want to learn for the sake of learning, at least for a while longer.