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i kinda screwed up in chem class this quarter and my parents have got me worrying about whether or not i can even make it to a good school...and i am totally obsessed with wellesley so if someone who got in or anyone else would take a look at my profile so far...id be TOTALLY obliged.

took keyboarding the summer before freshman year and got an A

freshman year:
patterns of communication A
ancient/medieval history A
conceptual physics A
PE A
french 1 A
algebra 1 A
intro to business A
drawing 1 A
4.0 both semesters

took plane geometry over summer and received an A first semester and a B second semester

sophomore year:
speech A
print/visual media (journalism course) A
AP american gov B (which counts as an A since its weighted)
enriched chem B first semester and C second semester (so they really count as an A and a B since this is also weighted)
PE leadership class A
french 2 A
advanced algebra A
health A
drivers ed B (but that doesnt count in our GPA)
got a 4.0 first semester and a 3.833 second

now all the rest is theoretical...since i'll be a jr next year...here are the classes im signed up for next year...

jr year:
journalism (its a class, but you can only enroll if you were accepted onto the newspaper staff...my position is still pending...hoping to become some sort of editor or columnist by the time im a senior)
american lit
contemporary fiction
enriched bio (weighted)
precalc with trig
french 3
PE (will be a "mentor" in a sophomore class first semester)
special topics:world (its a history class) and is weighted
accelerated intermediate composition
can get a 4.167 first sem and a 4.5 second semester

i might take consumer ed the summer before sr year...if i do, then these are the classes i plan to take sr year

sr year:
journalism (assuming that i dont get kicked off the newspaper staff)
french 4 (is weighted)
AP bio
english literature or western lit
weighted or AP essay writing
advanced bio or intro to health occupations
can get a 4.6 first and a 4.8 second

my total gpa should be somewhere slightly over a 4.0 (dont really know what a weighted gpa is...can someone answer that question?), assuming that i learned my lesson from chem and get all A's the rest of my high school career

i was also wondering if i should take math my sr year...id already have 4 credits by the end of jr year...but i dont know if colleges will look at me as someone who looks for the easy way out...the class i would take senior year is AP calc AB...i dont know if i really need it tho because im thinking ill major in either french or english/literature in college while being premed...or even major in english/literature and minor in french while being premed...if i wanted to be that ambitious

for ecs...
volunteer at hospital since about a year ago
play piano
debate for one year, but stopped cuz i hate it
planning to do either track or cross country for next two years
going to audition for speech team and plan to maintain my position on it for the next two years
french club for 4 years...planning to be an officer for the next two years
three honor societies...the regular one, french honor society, and quill and scroll (which is a journalism one since ill be on the newspaper)

i think thats it for now...

as for any standardized tests...
PSAT as a soph scored 169 and was in the 77th percentile...will be retaking it next year (58 verbal, 55 math [yes, its very weak i know], 56 writing)
on the PLAN 25 was composite score(99 percentile for english, 96 for math, 97 for reading and science)
my estimated sat score was 1100 which i can improve...i know i can...that is just crap...i cried when i found this out
estimated act was 26 to 30
workin really hard this summer on those standardized test scores...any suggestions how to? cuz i mdoing it all from the books...andill prolly take a class from princeton review or something a couple months before i take the real thing.

ok..i guess thats all i can really tell anyone about myself academically...personality wise, im hardworkin to the extreme...will achieve things if i want it enough...and i want a lot for my life so please dont think im some slacker...

if i cant make it to wellesley...would people tell me where i might make it? here are my dream schools

please! give me all suggestions possible! i would die to go to wellesley..

gosh, after this C in chem, it really made me realize that i might not be made of the stuff that it requires to even go to u of i (and again, i dont mean to make it sound like a bad school cuz its not...its just that i thought i could use that school as my safety...but im starting to doubt myself a lot now...)

sorry for making this so long...i really REALLY appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond to this...

THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH. it means soooo much to me...esp after that damn C in chem...

merci beaucoup mon ami

By Megsdad (Megsdad) on Wednesday, June 30, 2004 - 02:02 pm: Edit

My daughter is headed to Wellesley this fall, and she applied to 11 other schools (was accepted to all). If I were giving advice concerning Wellesley, I would suggest this. Continue to work hard on the grades. That C won't kill you, but you need to finish strong the last 2 years. Forget the SAT. Take the ACT. It is accepted at Wellesley and anything over a 27-28 should get you in. We found it to be an easier test, plus you could retake it as often as you like and ONLY report the score you want. SAT sends them all.
EC's - go in a different direction. What you are doing is nice, but they are looking for the unusual. For example, my daughter is a dancer, and she began a ballet program for young girls who could not afford dance lessons. SAVE EVERYTHING!! Every news article with your name in it... every picture of your volunteer work. You will put together a portfolio that for us was over an inch thick!! The competition is very tough to go to Wellesley. Go to the Jr. weekend held in the spring. It gives you a feel for the campus. Also, where are you located? Diversity is extremely important there. Your chances are improved if you come from a state not typical of an applicant to Wellesley. Good luck!! If you have others questions, don't hesitate to ask. This site offers a lot.

By Jeank (Jeank) on Wednesday, June 30, 2004 - 05:46 pm: Edit

Megsdad - thanks for all that insight. im from the chicagoland area...i dont know if thats considered diverse for wellesley, is it?

i did try to be unusual with my ecs...since i have interest in becoming a doctor...i tried to make a program that buys books for the pediatrics unit of the hospital that i work at but i wasnt allowed to because we had to respect things like patient privacy and infection control. i am trying to do something with getting a group started at my school that donates toiletries to local shelters andshows up as a group to volunteer...is that the kind of thing thats considered unusual?

By Megsdad (Megsdad) on Thursday, July 01, 2004 - 09:05 am: Edit

I suspect there quite a few applicants from Chicago, but not as many as from the Northeast. So that is good. We are in the South and many people say, "Wellesley,hmmm, where is that?" As far as ecs go... yes, what you are doing is the kind of thing they like. Anything in the ec area that promotes others rather than yourself would be looked upon with favor. Go for an interview. They say is isn't necessary, but if you are quick on your feet and present yourself well, that is a plus. Also, work on a relationship with your favorite teacher/teachers.
Favorable letters from them could be a big help. We were lucky in that teachers from my daughter's school shared their letters with us, and they were great.
One more thing... take the AP Math your Senior year. They are looking for you to take the hardest course load. If you plan on a premed major, you will need the math anyway. BTW, Wellesley math classes BEGIN with Calculus, so you will be a step ahead by taking the AP Calc as a Senior.
Do you know a Wellesley alum in your area that knows you personally? We found a nice letter from her would also be helpful.
Best of luck!!

By Twr (Twr) on Thursday, July 01, 2004 - 09:09 am: Edit

Jeank,
D1 is headed to Wellesley this fall. Wellesley, like most other "top" (and I use the word loosely) schools is no guarantee, no matter what your credentials, because there are so many students like yourself working so hard and there are not enough places to go around. It has a higher acceptance rate than many, I think because it's women only and that turns many applicants off (D2 for example). Toughness of courses is more important than grades, and grades are more important than test scores. Take as many APs as you can. 20% of students do better on ACT than SAT and vice versa, and they're not the same 20%, so you should take both. D1 had only mid 1200s on SATs, and her ACT was roughly equal, so it didn't make a difference, but it does for about 20%. GPA was 3.8, 4.6 weighted. Weighted is when the tougher courses are factored at a higher value because of their difficulty. In ECs I think they look for committment and leadership; it's much better if you've been involved steadily and in some leadership in a few things than a member in a dozen things. Yours sound good. I think what got D1 into Wellesley was essays and recommendations. They were all very strong, and were able to pull together and present her abilities and potential. You have these things. Make sure you get with strong teachers who share and appreciate your enthusiasm for your recommendations. Get with your best English teacher and friends and pound away on the essay. Oh, we only live 20 minutes away, so diversity has a lot more to it than distance. Take any chance you have to communicate with admissions. If there is a rep in your school or at a college fair nearby, be sure you sign in and talk. You should take the chance right now to ask them for feedback about the decisions you're making in course selection. They may have good advice, may not care, but at least they'll know Jeank is out there thinking about Wellesley. Also, make sure you can afford it. They give only need-based aid, and it costs about $40K per year to go; it'll be $50K by your senior year. What draws you to Wellesley? What other schools are on your list?It's a long process. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, and don't get discouraged. Good luck.

By Twr (Twr) on Thursday, July 01, 2004 - 09:14 am: Edit

Jeank,
One more thing. D1 dropped physics midway thru jr year (averaging a B). That had to be explained away during the application process. That's a much harder sell than your C in chem.

By Jeank (Jeank) on Friday, July 02, 2004 - 07:42 pm: Edit

well i guess what really draws me to wellesley is that its a liberal arts college, and recently im finding those smaller liberal arts colleges a lot more attractive than those huge universities. i really wanna be somewhere that spends a lot of time and energy on the undergrads

By Thedad (Thedad) on Saturday, July 03, 2004 - 01:59 am: Edit

Jeank, if you're attracted to Wellesley, try looking at Middlebury, Amherst, and Smith as well. You've got plenty of time so I *would* plan on kicking up those SAT scores as well.

Hi, Megsdad. Good to see your phosphors.

By Megsdad (Megsdad) on Monday, July 05, 2004 - 08:41 am: Edit

Good to see you..The Dad! These are exciting times for our girls. Hope all is well with the transition to Smith. It won't be long and the nests will be empty.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Monday, July 05, 2004 - 05:23 pm: Edit

Not exactly counting the days but I'm very aware of the calendar pages flipping.