<p>Or if you'd rather just do a couple of them, that's fine. Haha I know it's kind of a long list.</p>
<p>I can really only afford to apply to two of those schools, so I'm hoping that knowing my chances will help me decide which ones! So if you could let me know that would be great!</p>
<p>ABOUT ME
(Right now)
-I am a freshman at a fourth-tier state university.<br>
-I'm sure by the end of the semester I'll have a 3.7 at the lowest. I wouldn't be surprised if I got a 4.0. And next semester as well. (I currently have all A's; I'm taking gen eds but the classes are not challenging)
-I'm a writer for the campus magazine.
-I volunteer a few hours a week (and have been faithfully for the past 4 years.)
-I'm involved in some dance/theatre performances
-I'm highly motivated, a good writer, and I have big dreams.</p>
<p>(In high school)
-My school didn't record gpa but I had an 89 average.
-26 ACT (I think it was 25 in reading, 28 in writing, 25 in science, 22 in math)</p>
<p>So yeah!
If you don't think I could get into any of these schools, that's okay... I have a back up that I know I'll get into. You can say "NO TO ALL" if that's what you think.</p>
<p>Bonus
What are my chances of getting awesome financial aid? My EFC is around 3000</p>
<p>Hey, you just answered mine, so I can hopefully speak from experience to alleviate any confusion on your end. I usually try not to do these, however, because I am very aware this forum is used mostly as a way to create a false sense of confidence from the mere assurance of its users going through the same confusion.</p>
<p>But, I did land into Bard and you helped me, so I hope I can be of help!</p>
<p>First of all: Take a deep breath…you are only a freshman! You are doing well, just take as many challenging courses in the years to come as possible and find great internships based on your interests.</p>
<p>If financial aid is your worry, Bard has met about 52% of their students financial need thus far. They don’t have the greatest endowment, and I would say they tend to help students of two extremes; those they recruit from poverty and those who pay full-tuition. This is a bit of a hyperbolization, though, and it should only deter you if you aren’t looking to take out student loans and have no plan of paying student loan debt. Make sure you like your financial package if you are accepted because they have a low retention rate, probably for financial reasons.</p>
<p>All the other colleges, save Reed, seem to be better choices financially if you are accepted. Oberlin in probably more similar to Bard in terms of its atmosphere, college life and students. It may have more opportunity, though, depending on what you are majoring in.</p>
<p>If you are interested in writing, see if the colleges you are aiming for have any summer writing programs for high school students; this will look great on an application. Bard College has a Simon’s Rock Writer’s Program I won a scholarship to participate in.</p>
<p>Thank you for responding, I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>I think I may have been a little confusing though… Did you think I was a freshman in high school? That’s the way it sounds. I’m a freshman in a university haha! I’ll change it to first-year so that hopefully it will be less confusing!</p>
<p>Okay maybe I can’t edit it… nevermind…
But yeah, I’m at the university. I’m 20. Not in high school.</p>
<p>Bard College is a school that really does not care for grades during the admissions process. Sounds cliche, but they want to know that you are taking challenging courses and came out with satisfactory grades. With that said, I would also say that indicative of the environment at Bard, for better or worse. They want someone who will add to their community…so they tend to look at your personality. I would say make sure you show something eclectic or eccentric/avant-garde in your activities section and supplement essay so they know you’re a Bardian at heart. Also show how you commit to your interests through independent study, or how you would design your own major…they love that.</p>
<p>I’m also looking into Barnard myself, and a lot of students who were denied at perfect GPAs compared to students your GPA who were accepted. </p>
<p>There is no essay in the application, but Barnard has a lot of supplementary questions to prove yourself. Don’t be boring or cliche, and prove to them you are a thoughtful writer. I would also schedule an interview, either by campus visit or phone because there were some colleges my first time around in this process who surprised me by not accepting me either because I didn’t show much interest or I made a bad impression during my interview.</p>
<p>I couldn’t tell you which two to apply to honestly without knowing your interests and activities…and you say you a good writer, but you need to be excellent at Bard (I have been to a lot of workshops and wow Bard students can write!) or great at Reed.</p>
<p>So…tell me your interests and try not to sell yourself as cliche (I volunteer…I write for my campus magazine…blah blah blah who cares?) and if you catch my attention I’ll tell you if you should apply to Bard.</p>
<p>Thank you for your responses! They are so long and thoughtful and helpful. You rock.</p>
<p>I love that you say Bard has fantastic writers, because that was the thing I liked most about the school. When I read what the students were saying about it, their writing seemed superior to all (or most) of the other schools I was looking at.</p>
<p>I want to go to an awesome school that will make me incredibly smart. I want to spend the next four years forcing my mind to grow as much as it possibly will. That is why I’m looking at so many “reach” schools. Because I’m reaching towards my highest potential! </p>
<p>This school I’m at now is definitely not going to do that for me. I feel like a big fish in a small pond. I want to be put into a big pond and forced to grow, you know what I’m saying? The work I’m putting in now is giving me a 4.0… That’s too high! I’m not being challenged.</p>
<p>I’m highly motivated; I’m willing to work hard. I love a challenge. I need a challenge.</p>
<p>I don’t know what else to say. I know that I’m not an ideal candidate for any of these schools. But I also know I would succeed if they gave me a chance. I didn’t care about anything in high school. Which is why my numbers from that time aren’t impressive. But I took a couple years off. And I’m ready now to rule the world!</p>
<p>That’s all I’ve got for you.</p>
<p>But thank you! (You’re just making me want to go to Bard even more)</p>
<p>Haha. Great. Just remember that what it takes to get into a college is often less than what it means to succeed in the institution itself. </p>
<p>I was wondering more about the activities you are involved in. Many written arts applicants have written novels, plays, won poetry contests, and they usually send it in because sending in your work as an arts supplement shows you take it seriously. I had sent in an arts supplement dedicated to my poems and columns. </p>
<p>They want to know that it isn’t Bard which will make you succeed…it is you who will make yourself succeed at Bard. They also want to see something different in you…something personal that no one else has. For me, it was my syndicated columns, my articles for a labor union newspaper, and how much time I spent making articles about random **** in my community no one cares about, but me. </p>
<p>So, write in your activities section about what you do to pursue writing, despite the quality of your education. Don’t be afraid to sound like a pretentious snob…Bard loves it.</p>
<p>Hey, thanks for chancing me!
I don’t know much about the schools you’re applying to except Barnard, which I think you have a really good chance at getting in. I’d say you have a good chance at the other schools too, you have a really strong application.
Good luck!! (:</p>
<p>What happened to all those people that said they’d chance back…?</p>
<p>I really need help knowing where to apply. If I’m even a competitive candidate at Reed I’ll apply, but if there is no chance, I’d rather apply somewhere else… Please help!</p>
<p>So you chanced me and I’m a man of my word. I will tell you that I don’t know too much about the schools you listed however I will do my best on statistics I’ve looked up. </p>
<p>Reed: If you can only afford two apps than I would pass on this one. I don’t think your chances are all that great considering their average SAT is 2100 and the average GPA is 3.90.
Oberlin: Slightly better chances than Reed but definitely not a given.
Bard: 87% financial aid need was met, so I would think about that when applying. This would likely be one of my two picks.
Barnard: About the same chances as Reed, maybe a little better.
Pitzer: Same chances.</p>
<p>All of these schools are on a pretty even par it seems as far as admissions go. I would choose Bard as one because of their achievement in financial aid. I would choose Reed as the other because all of the schools are a bit of a reach so you might as well fill out an application for the one you would most like to attend. </p>
<p>Thanks for chancing me, I hope this helps and Good Luck!</p>
When I read what the students were saying about it, their writing seemed superior to all (or most) of the other schools I was looking at.</p>