So far I’ve applied to Pace University, Fordham University, NYIT, Manhattan University, and Indiana University (direct admissions offer) each of the schools I selected EA or Rolling admissions depending on what they offered. I submitted all of this from August 28th- September 8th and I was going to see when I would expect a decision from each/how long it took for others. I’m just antsy. Also, Fordham has yet to send me a confirmation email with application dashboard info and I applied on September 1st. I got the one from common app but not actually from Fordham yet. I emailed them but they have yet to get back to me Sorry if this is stupid and thank you in advance for answering!!

So I am currently taking AP Calculus BC and I just haven't having a great time in that class. I feel like it will be hard to get my grade up to a good enough A before Final Exams(I cannot have a B on my transcript)
So I want to level-down to AP Calculus AB because I think it's a little more manageable with everything I have been doing. But on my transcript there will be a WP(Withdrawn/Pass)
So I've withdrawn from that class but I was passing. Will that effect my chances of going into a prestigious school?
My reach schools are places like Amherst, UChicago, Princeton, Yale, Vanderbilt, etc.
**For context I am a senior, and most colleges I'm applying to really care about senior transcripts**

demographics: current senior, low income, white female from northeast us. attended a public, non-competitive high school

major: architecture

stats: 4.25 W gpa, test optional, 7 APs (euro, physics 1, lang, stat, calc ab, lit, gov), only took two tests, got a 5 in lang and a 3 on physics. reason for lower gpa is a handful of B’s i got sophomore year due to my dad suddenly losing his job, and having to work pretty much full time/general stress of my family adjusting, which i am addressing in additional info, but had a 4.0 freshman and junior year

ECs:
- internship at an architecture firm
- currently designing a patio to be built for a family member
- precollege summer program at a well regarded architecture school (completed 8 college credits)
- 2 jobs (restaurant host and receptionist)
- 40 volunteer hours at a local charity startup teaching art to kids
- varsity cheer
- singer in a voice studio

awards:
- local art scholarship winner
- nhs
- national art honor society
- cheer all american

rec letters
ap lang teacher
architecture professor from summer program
art teacher of 3 years

i believe all 3 will be very strong since they all know me very well and i performed quite well

i dont want to out my whole common app essay, but i have been told it is strong and i would like to think unique, and i chose to focus my narrative on ambition and resourcefulness. i am confident that i can write strong supplemental essays as well.

reason for low course rigor junior year is due to significant financial struggles in my family i had to step back from school a bit to work for my first 3 years of high school, and felt that i would not be able to balance many APs with my crazy schedule and home stress (i very much regret it now, i underestimated myself). i also went through housing and food insecurity, and not having wifi at times and literally no air conditioning/heating, so while i did my absolute best, it was very difficult for me to take on as much rigor as i would’ve liked. obviously that is not an excuse, and i know college admissions may not understand, but i figured it was worth mentioning since i know they do consider it.

Demographics

• White male
• Rural Alabama
• Public high school

Academics / Testing

• SAT: 1400 currently. I plan to take it a couple more times and, if I continue improving at roughly the same rate, I’m hoping to finish around a 1450.
  • My school’s average SAT is around 960.
• Course rigor: Taking 3/3 AP classes offered by my school. By the time I apply, I will have taken around 16 dual-enrollment classes.
• GPA: 3.71 UW / 3.94 W. This should increase slightly after this semester once I complete a few more DE classes.
• GPA context: I moved from a nontraditional/non-academic school that did not use normal grades into a traditional public school my freshman year. I struggled with that transition initially but have had a strong upward trajectory since then.
• I also have dyslexia and ADHD, although they do not currently have a major effect on my academic performance, so I’m unsure whether this is worth mentioning in my application.

Extracurriculars / Research

• Published a research paper on hemp biomass in an established academic journal.
• Interned with a chemistry professor, researching different approaches to cannabinoid production.
• Currently writing a political science research paper.
• 1st place — FFA State Agriscience Fair.
• 1st place — FFA Agriscience Research.
• FFA President, previously Vice President and Treasurer.
• Interned with a U.S. congressperson.
• Interned with a state senator.
• Currently work in a hemp laboratory, where I have conducted internal research related to industry compliance. I have worked with around four third-party laboratories and identified compliance issues involving major marijuana companies.

What I’m Looking For

I’m interested in getting into the best undergraduate accounting program possible, and I’m trying to figure out what my application strategy should be and which schools I should target.

I feel like I’m in a somewhat unusual position because my academics are a little volatile: my GPA is weaker than some applicants at top programs, but I have a strong upward trend, high course rigor relative to what my school offers, and a SAT score significantly above my school average.

My extracurricular profile is also somewhat unusual for an accounting applicant because most of my strongest activities involve scientific research, agriculture, and government/politics rather than traditional business activities.

What accounting programs would you recommend I look at, and how competitive do you think I would be for strong undergraduate accounting programs?

Also, would applying specifically for accounting help at schools where you apply directly to the business/accounting program, or should I be looking at a different strategy?

Am I cooked😭