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3.6 unweighted gpa
1530s sats
800 writing
800 language
780 french

take a college coarse at local university (yale)
sr. yr classes - 4APS, 2HONORS (taking three languages)

great recs.
great interview
geat essays


national honors society
national french honors society
national spanish honors society
president of the key club
photo editor of the paper
president and founder of the international club (town coordinator of fairs and fundraisers)
international student mentor
4 yr varsity capt of the girls hockey team
international leader of habitat for humanity
community service; local theater (created and diected own show), day care and elderly center 3 times a week
summer: community service projects abroad. last summer started my own childrens day camp for young/ kid photographers called "shutterbugs

By incognito on Sunday, January 26, 2003 - 01:34 am: Edit

how did you get a 1530??

By Liz (Liz) on Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 09:39 am: Edit

Why do you have a 1530, but only a 3.6 UW?

By kathyleeman on Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 11:08 am: Edit

my schools hard


is 3.6 really that bad????

By Thedad (Thedad) on Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 03:13 pm: Edit

Don't let anyone rattle you. A 3.6 uw at a difficult school with top level courses is better than a 4.0 at an easy school with just a smatteing of top level courses.

Your EC's are better than average and your test scores are fine. The only a priori weakness I see is that you would do well to add a Math SATII to your mix.

By Ancient Scholar on Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 05:12 pm: Edit

Kathy,

If I were you, I'd apply to Harvard and Princeton for starters. Your 3.6 GPA might hold you down a little bit, but I'd say you have roughly 33% chance of getting into each (3 times the chances of the average applicant). I don't remember the way to calculate two odds as total odds, but I'd say that gives you about a 50% chance at getting into Harvard or Princeton. Your chances at Yale might be lower because it is local to you.

As for schools with a 50% chance or greater of getting into, I'd try Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Northwestern, Virginia, etc. Schools in the Ivy League or close Ivy League equivalents... you can surely make it if you put a lot of time into your applications and get killer recommendations, etc.

Be sure to explain why you got the 3.6 (which as you say, really isn't at all bad unweighted) to Harvard/Princeton. At the others, it wouldn't hurt to explain either, although you'll be at or higher than their averages.

By kathyleeman on Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 07:52 pm: Edit

thanks guys for your input.
do you know how i can arrage my e.c;s to make them seem appealing??

By Thedad (Thedad) on Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 09:08 pm: Edit

I'd lead with the two items you founded: the local theater, the shutterbugs, and the international club at school. I'd put the other two international items as sub-items (indented) after the international club...it appears that they're related and that you might be "puffing" too much if you listed them separately. The rest of your school EC's are in exactly the order I'd list them. Of course, capitalize where appropriate.

Good luck.

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Thursday, January 30, 2003 - 09:50 pm: Edit

Kathy,

How can anyone give you a truly helpful answer when you've never said what you want from your college experience? Selecting a college really is more than determining what's the highest rated college where you may be accepted.