Would I Get In?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Syracuse University
1

Hi, everyone! I’m making this post just so I can get a little input from the community. I’m currently a junior attending a small public high school in northern New Jersey that is continually ranked as one of the top in the state. Realizing I had a passion for entertaining, I visited SU and the Newhouse school and I loved it! I even got to personally meet with the Dean of Student Affairs. I was planning on applying in the fall, however, after hearing about how competitive Newhouse is, I got nervous. Here are my stats:

Weighted GPA: 3.88
Unweighted GPA: 3.78

Intended Major: Television, Radio, Film

SAT: 1990
610 Math
650 Critical Reading
730 Writing
(Awaiting scores from most recent test.)

School does not rank.

Classes:
Freshman Year - CP English I (A-), Guitar (A), Web Design (A+), Spanish 2 (A), CP World History (A), Biology (A-), Algebra 1 (B+)
Sophomore Year - Online Financial Lit §, Chemistry (A-), Geometry (A-), Honors English II (A-), Honors US 1 (A-), Spanish 3 (A), Video Production (A)
Junior Year (current) - AP Language and Composition (B+), Algebra 2 w/ Trig ©, Physics (B-), Honors US 2 (A-), Spanish 4 (A), Advanced Video Production (A+)
Senior Year (planned courses) - Honors Forensics, AP Literature and Composition, AP World History, Spanish 5, Journalism, Functions/Statistics/Trigonometry

ECs:

  • National Honors Society
  • Spanish Honors Society
  • Volunteer at local camp (9)
  • Head counselor at local camp (10, 11)
  • JV Football (9)
  • JV Lacrosse (10, 11)
  • Winter League Lacrosse (11)
  • Ethics Club (9, 10, 11)
  • Teens Against Cancer (10)
  • Business and Investment Club (10, 11)
  • DECA (11)
  • Editor of School Newspaper (11)
  • Peer Leadership Program (11)
  • Intern at award-winning film production firm (10, 11)
    [I’m hoping to elaborate more on this. I’ve helped this company create a PSA, do freelance work, film webisodes, and raise a few thousand dollars with a GoFundMe campaign.]
  • 75+ hours of community service from church/summer activities

Do I have a shot? As with many applicants, I’m very passionate about entertainment. Should I apply ED?

2

@NotSoSerious…My daughter is a junior dual major at Newhouse and Whitman. She absolutely loved SU and it was far and away her first choice. If SU is undoubtedly your #1 choice and you do not need to shop for a lot of financial aid, then ED would provide a nice boost. Definitely do well your senior year as senior year is very important to SU admissions. My daughter had a very strong senior year and sent her 1st quarter grades (although not required), which I believe helped push her over the top.
If you are headed to SU I would suggest looking into the Spanish CLEP test. SU offers credit for both the AP and CLEP exams. My daughter entered SU with a number fo AP and CLEP credits.
Good luck.

3

Hi @NotSoSerious, I was just accepted to the Newhouse Whitman dual program (TRF and Marketing) with merit scholarship money and had stats similar to yours. Came from a very small school ranked amongst the top schools in Canada (graduating class size of 19 students) with a 2050 SAT and a 3.9 GPA. I had over 100 hours of community service, internships in the field, leadership positions in film, drama, house council etc at school and national/international awards in math and science. I think what sets you apart at Newhouse are the essays and the interview (if you have the time definitely do one). If you have any more questions feel free to message me.