would i be in the running? (chances...)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
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<p>i'm just a junior, but am completely in love with swarthmore. i know these threads are repetitive and annoying, but if you could humor me, that'd be fantastic...</p>

<p>I'm also looking Amherst, Williams, Brown, Vassar, Wesleyan, Tufts, Oberlin, and possibly Skidmore and Bard.</p>

<p>female; very competitive nyc private school
SAT - 790W/710CR/710M (2210)
SATII - 720 Chem & Lit
my school doesn't calculate gpa's or ranks, but my average is probably around an A-, putting me towards the top of my class. I take the hardest classes I can.</p>

<p>EC's:
theatre ~
-head of theatre company, multiple shows per year. enormous time commitment. have had 4 lead roles.
-in the process of organizing a city-wide show featuring kids from all over new york; all money raised from ticket sales/donations will go towards restoring arts programs in public schools around my area (they need serious help..)
-editor-in-chief of theatre newspaper</p>

<p>piano~
-i've played for 12 years. i'm in the city's youth symphony chamber music program.
-have performed at multiple hospitals around the city for community service
-i've been selected to play at carnegie hall this year.</p>

<p>employment~
-english tutor during the year, full time english and theater teacher over summers (yes, teacher - with my own classroom and everything! i teach motivated middle school kids from public schools in my neighborhood in the awesomest [yes, i'm aware it's not a word. well, it should be!] program ever!)
-theatre teacher during school year, 3 hrs./wk</p>

<p>random coolness~
I've had three things I've written (a personal essay and 2 fictional stories) published in Teek Ink, which is a nationally distributed teen magazine. Other random writing awards, as well.</p>

<p>problem? i'm a caucasian girl with no connections from new york. there are probably a million more just like me.</p>

<p>thank youuuuuuuu!!!!</p>

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<p>You should've applied to your first-choice school (be that Swat or otherwise) ED! It would've upped your chances significantly. That being said, you are definitely in the running, stats-wise for all the schools you're applying to. You're certainly in at Vassar, Bard, and Skidmore. Wesleyan and Oberlin seem to be high matches. Tufts, Amherst, Williams are low to mid-reaches. Brown is a total crapshoot. Congrats on your ECs by the way, you show commitment/dedication, which is great. Hope you spoke about these in an essay somehow!</p>

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<p>Yes. You would be in the running.</p>

<p>The key, for you, will be to highlight your ECs and specificially how your EC interests would make you a valuable contributor to Swarthmore's campus. Since you are only two hours away, I would plan to make several trips to Philly. You should plan on meeting with the Music department and submitting a performance sample -- it's required for music to be considered a "plus" on your application.</p>

<p>You should definitely meet with the Theater department for the same reasons. If I were you, I would very strongly consider devoting one of the essays to the merger of your acting and the theater community service project and teaching. Likewise, tying together your published writing with your volunteer English tutoring. These combinations of learning/talent with community service really get at the core of how Swarthmore views itself. </p>

<p>I speak from experience, because I believe that a similar approach was the reason my Caucasian unhooked daughter was accepted -- in her case, tying together an academic strength with a challenging community service experience.</p>

<p>Another benefit for you is that it will allow you to kill two birds with each stone. For example, if you wrote an essay about one of your theater community service projects, you could obliquely reference your own lead roles without having to write the usual "I was a lead in four plays" essay. Same thing with an essay about your English tutoring -- probably a way to slip in a reference to your published work. When you have multiple EC interests, it's a challenge to figure how to highlight them within the confines of the application package in a way that is tight and focused enough to make it easy for the admissions office to "peg" you for one of the slots they are trying to fill. You don't want to just throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at them in a application. I can tell from the way you grouped your ECs that you are already thinking about organization, which is good.</p>

<p>The more you are able to learn about writing at Swarthmore (you should become familiar with the WA Writing Associates program), music at Swarthmore, and theater at Swarthmore, the better job you'll do on the important "Why Swarthmore?" essay.</p>

<p>I would plan on an overnight visit next fall. And, perhaps a visit this spring to see one of the theater performances....acquiring tickets would give you a good excuse for an introductory e-mail to the theater department and admissions officer.</p>

<p>Downside? I think you've identified it. Caucasian females from NYC private schools are overrepresented in the applicant pool. That's why it will be important for you to make yourself stand out from pack. If you can apply Early Decision, it would be advantageous.</p>

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<p>Interesteddad hit the nail right on the head. Organize your extracurriculars so that each category stands out and really makes an impression. Basically, make it so your application can be summed up in three concise bullet points. You're well on your way to that--this was honestly the easiest-to-read Chances thread I've seen in a while. </p>

<p>It seems like you have Theatre, English/Writing and Music as your three main bullet points. Of those, Music will be handled by the arts supplement so you have the main essay and the extracurricular essay to focus on the other two (incorporating the community service/teaching aspect of one or both). Specific anecdotes make an essay really shine--perhaps focus on a specific student in one of your summer classes, or on a particular day in class. </p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much to those who responded!!</p>

<p>Interesteddad ~ Wow. That helps more than you can imagine (or maybe you can imagine it, who knows :) )! </p>

<p>Oh, and: to anyone reading this...195 views and 3 responses? For shame, CC! You can do better!</p>

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<p>I go to a "very competitive nyc school" too!!! </p>

<p>Which one do you go to? Saint Ann's? You can PM me if you want.</p>

<p>Oh, and you look like you have a really good chance!</p>

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<p>Interesteddad's advice is great, but don't worry too much about incorporating all of your extracurriculars into essays. If it comes naturally, great, but it sounds like you have a real talent for writing and it seems like on your essays it would be more important to prove how good a writer you are by writing something really special than to just self-advertise. Anyone can write an essay saying how much they care about theater, etc., but not everyone can write a really gripping personal essay. You have plenty of space on the app to list activities, and it seems like you're fully qualified to decide for yourself what topic you can write about the best.</p>

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<p>Just to be clear, I was not recommended "self-advertising" essays. Just the opposite actually. I think the best college essays tell a story, often about some seemingly small experience. I would never, ever recommend writing an essay about how much someone cares about theater. I might enjoy reading an essay about the backstage insanity at showtime of the city-wide show "anomoly" is putting together. Something that pulls the reader into the experience.</p>

<p>I think that most any applicant probably has a dozen possible essays. I'm just saying that, in picking topics, try to think about how to best communicate "your stuff" in the limited opportunities available within the application package. If you've got really good "stuff" (and I think the nexus of an EC with a related community service thing is "good stuff" for Swarthmore), I would hate to rely on just the line listing of ECs to communicate it. The line list is "just the facts". The essays are a way to make something three-dimensional. To bring it to life.</p>

<p>One of the short essays is "my most meaningful activity"...so it's kind of hard to avoid writing about an EC or hobby. The "Why Swarthmore?" essay also cries out for an answer that relates an individual's interests to specific aspects of Swarthmore.</p>