3.0 gpa 1060 SAT stellar EC/leadership - can she get in!

College Search & Selection
1

My daughter is a really smart girl but has had issues with depression affecting her studies. She really wants to attend a HBCU but I can’t afford the oostate tuition for schools back East. Plus my salary won’t qualify for grants I assume as a divorced mom.

So she’s decided to stay in CA to avoid oostate tuition. Any thoughts on a good school that might take a look at her as a whole instead just her GPA and Low SAT? She doesn’t qualify I heard to the UCs and she is adamant about not going to a CSU. Please offer suggestions. We are so lost. Or are there schools that don’t charge the oostate tuition for CA residents?

2

What is wrong with a CSU? I am sorry not trying to be mean but with her stats, she will be limited with California schools. What about community college with transfer to a UC or a 4 year?

Information regarding CSU’s just in case:::::

Cal states admit by Eligibility index and major (exception Cal Poly SLO but probably not a viable option based on your stats).

To Calculate the EI, you need to calculate her CSU GPA 10-11th grades only with 8 semesters for extra honors points for UC approved AP/IB and DE courses.

https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/eligibility-index (calculator in this link)

If her CSU GPA is 3.0 and her SAT is 1060 then her EI= (3.0 x800) + (1060) = 3460.

What is your local CSU, check link: https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/freshman/documents/csulocaladmission-serviceareas.pdf

She should look at the non-impacted campuses such as San Francisco State, Stanislaus, Channel Islands, Dominguez Hills and Bakersfield.

Depending upon her intended major, she should also look at Sac State, Northridge, Cal State LA, CSU San Marcos, San Bernardino, Sonoma and Humboldt.

Below is the impacted major/campus matrix, so depending upon intended major she should target campuses where the major is not impacted.

https://www.calstate.edu/sas/documents/impactedprogramsmatrix.pdf

Take a look at Whittier College, Cal Lutheran and University of Redlands if a CSU is not an option.

Other options through the Western Undergrad Exchange: http://wue.wiche.edu/search_results.jsp?searchType=all

https://www.wiche.edu/files/files/WUEsavingsChart.pdf

3

A football coach once said that “you are as good as your record”.

Accept the fact that your daughter is a 3.0/1060 student and a) go to one of the wonderful CSU schools or b) go to a community college, get a 3.5 or higher GPA and transfer into a UC.

4

That may be what we HAVE to do but I don’t want her to not try for what she wants. Those will be the safe options. She already has a spot at San Diego State through its Compact for Success program. So that’s her 1 safe school but she wanted to go away to college and I was hoping if a school sat down with her via an interview it would improve her odds.

We live in San Diego.

Thank you for the recommendations. Whittier, Redlands, Cal Lutheran were recommended based on what?

5

You can look at the WUE schools, though I’m not sure if you want to send her out of state if she suffers from depression. Maybe you want her to be able to come home more frequently as she makes the transition.

https://wiche.edu/wue

6

She might like Mills.

  • Very nice school
  • Cross reg with Berkeley and several other area schools
7

“Plus my salary won’t qualify for grants I assume as a divorced mom.”

Have you run the Net Price Calculators at the websites of the places she’s interested in?

8

I haven’t. I truly have never felt so intimidated by s prices in my life. It just wasn’t like this when I went to college. So I don’t know what I don’t know and just trying to figure it all out. Thanks for asking me that question. Now I’m a little bit smarter. I’m just assuming I won’t get support because we are middle class and 1 in college and none of my friends got any support.

9

I will investigate. Thank you so much.

10

Good point. Really worried about her and the stress of all of this. But she’s hanging in there and I’m proud of her. She’s not a star student but a good B student that’s not s good test taker. She is taking the ACT soon. Hope she fares well on that.

11

Whittier, Cal Lutheran and University of Redlands are recommendations based on her stats. Run the NPC’s to see if they are affordable.

Since you also do not indicate an intended major, it can be difficult to make recommendations. SDSU is an excellent school and there are so many applicants with great stats that are unable to get an acceptance, so she should take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

12

My older daughter went to the University of Redlands and loved it. I’m pretty sure they only required FAFSA and not the CSS profile. That might make financial aid more likely in your case; I don’t know. My daughter got a very good combination of need- and merit-based financial aid.

13

If you look at private schools, out of state won’t matter. However, when you run the NPC ( net price calculator) note that some privates will count her dad’s income as well. If they only use FAFSA, they won’t. Most that also use the CSS Profile will require his finances too.
You say you are middle class, that’s a big range. What is your budget? With a budget and knowing your daughter’s intended major, posters may be able to make some more suggestions.

14

Why can’t she get into UC Merced?

15

I don’t think you should rule out hbcus. Some of the public ones will give you in state tuition. Maybe complete the black app and see what comes up.

16

I assumed she could not get into UC Merced with her stats. We will try.

17

So glad I came to this forum. Knowledge truly is power. I had no idea there was anything called the Black app. Will apply. And so happy to hear that some will give in state tuition. Thank you!!!

18

I get ZERO support from my girls’ dad. He has given up on life and I cannot count on him to help with college expenses. I get only $400 of child support that he is in arrears on. I have been blessed with a very good income thanks to a part time job. Looking for a 3rd. But I have to use every dime to simply live and support the lives of a family of 3 so I do not have a budget per se for college. No savings.

She plans to major in pre-med or pre-law.

19

If she is a CA resident, the minimum UC GPA required to apply is 3.0. UC Merced is possible but it may depend upon her intended major. Around a 50/50 chance with her GPA and she is above the 25th percentile with her SAT. Still picking UCM or SDSU?

Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.00-3.39
UCSC: 14.3%
UCR: 22.9%
UCM: 56.7%

25th - 75th percentiles for SAT:

UCSC: 1210-1450
UCR: 1130-1380
UCM: 1020-128

20

Hi! as an fyi there’s no need to major in pre-law. She can major in literally anything and go to law school. Law covers every topic there is and the profession seeks people with expertise in just about everything, from theater to engineering and everything in between (nursing, political science, foreign languages, gender studies, etc.) The best thing that she can do to improve her ability to get into a top law school is to take classes that will ensure that her GPA is high. A high GPA (3.7+) plus a high LSAT (160+)score will help her get into a Top 10 law school. That will ensure that she gets a job practicing law someplace. (Graduates of lower level law schools have a much lower chance of actually working in the legal profession plus they have debt.) Also some top law schools offer debt reduction or relief if she decides to go into public interest or government work. The best way to score high on the LSAT is to study study study. She can start practicing for it like literally now. At first it will seem impossible but then, like anything, she will learn to do the logic problems etc. Best of luck to her.