Which Liberal Arts School is Right For Me

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bowdoin College
1

<p>Hi everyone,
This year I will be applying to Bowdoin, Amherst, Middlebury, Williams, Dartmouth and Pomona.<br>
Here are my stats</p>

<p>SAT I 1900
GPA 4.0 taking lots of honors and AP classes. I think i will get a B in pre calc but will definitely graduate with a 3.9 or higher unweighted</p>

<p>Activities and Honors: Leadership Council of Model United Nations Club, President and Founder of the “Save the Lakeridge L Club,” (organized to save traditional school logo from efforts to “modernize” it), Opinion Page Editor of “Newspacer” School Newspaper, At Large Member of Student Government (two years), National Honors Society, French National Honors Society, Scholar’s Alliance, Quill and Scroll, Yearbook, two years of Varsity Track and Field, Freshman and JV Football, MORP Court Prince (elected by student body for winter formal dance, Sophomore Year).</p>

<p>Other Awards: This year I won the Odd Fellows and Rebekah’s essay/speech contest on the United Nations. My essay advanced me to the next round where I delivered a speech on how the UN contributes to world health. As a prize for winning the contest I will be going on an all expenses paid trip to the East Coast to learn more about the United Nations.
Volunteer History: On a weekly basis since 1996, I have been volunteering as an activity leader, calling Bingo for Senior citizens at an assisted living facility</p>

<p>Also, I started a group at my high school that makes microloans through kiva.com. I gave speech about it to 1500 people at the MUN conference. We have raised over $1500 and hope to spread what we are doing to other high schools.</p>

<p>Finally, I am an avid runner, and have contacted every cross country/track coach at these schools and they all have expressed interest. The Pomona coach said “At first glace, it appears that you would be a strong candidate for admission to Pomona College. Additionally, I believe that you’d be a great fit for our running program.”</p>

<p>Applying early decision is important for athletes because it shows the coach you really want to go there, and they will really make a good case for you.
I want to major in political science/government. Which of these schools would be the best fit for me?</p>

<p>However I realize, considering how competitive theses schools are, the right answer to that question might be “whichever one I can get into.”
Thanks soooo much for taking the time to read all this.</p>

2

<p>Sorry...but I'm a little bit confused.
Are you applying for the class of 2014? </p>

<p>it seems like your ECs are good and on par with the schools you are looking at.
The only hold up i can see is the SAT....for all the other schools that aren't SAT optional that is going to be more difficult.
My advice would be to boost your SAT score. Maybe take some SAT IIs. Have you taken any APs exams? I think it looks really good if you do well on AP exams.
the average score at all these schools is around a 2100.
But SATs aren't everything and Im not looking at your application so it isnt end all be all. It would just improve the likelihood by a lot i think to have higher scores</p>

3

<p>yah i'm in the class of 2014.
i think i will be able to get some decent SAT II scores. I think well over 700 on one of them.
I don't know about the AP exams.
I'm also thinking about the ACT.</p>

<p>But which schools has the best poly sci/government department?</p>

4

<p>there is still much time left. Don't bother it right now. ^ ^ Your EC is really good. So now , take of SATs. you should retake SAT 1 one more time. I think scores will go up.</p>

5

<p>I agree about retaking the SAT I and I think you should take the ACT because some people do a lot better on the ACT than the SAT. As for which college is right for you, I reccomend if you have time to visit all the campuses and eat in each dining hall (maybe eat in Bowdoin's dining hall a couple times because it's so amazing) and see which campus you feel most at home on. As for bets gov/poly sci programs I'd have to say Bowdoin and Amherst. I live on the west coast and I've got to say that Pomona is A LOT different than the NESCAC schools you have on your list</p>

6

<p>Since you're so into ECs, Bowdoin will definitely be a great choice for you! The oppertunities here are immence.</p>

<p>As far as the SATs are concerned, I'd concur! Maybe you can try out some extra courses, books which can definitely help you boast up the scores. Barrons, Princeton Review, Kaplan... There are alot of books that can help you with SAT reasoning score.</p>

<p>Best of LUCKKK!!!</p>

7

<p>As for scores, try the ACT. Some people do no better or worse on them. Others, like my D, do better on one than the other. D's SAT I was 2080. Her ACT's were 33 (roughly 2190) then 35 (2340). She got those score with almost no additional studying. I think she worked through one practice test during the week before each of those tests. Whereas for the ACT, she studied from November to March. Good luck!</p>

8

<p>Yes, try ACT also. My friend got into Stanford thanks to her ACT while her SAT was not really high.</p>

9

<p>BTW I am reading my old post two above. it should have stated that D studied November - March for the SAT. I should have proof read before submitting.</p>

10

<p>Yeah, definitely take the ACT. I studied my brains out for the December SAT and then did far better on the June ACT, no studying or anything. Its just the type of person. And with a lot fo schools, the ACT can help you avoid SAT IIs</p>

11

<p>you are a very qualified candidate, but I hope you have safties just in case. All the schools you listed are pretty hard to get into</p>