<p>Taking 1 AP as a junior and 6 as a senior (one of which I already took a course for this year, so it shudnt be too stressfull)
the low GPA is just well...im lazy...and im not THAT intrested in some of the subjects im taking anyway....but I have As in history and english all four years tho, the only 2 subjects ib actually feel passionate about
I was very motivated when it came to SATs thou
when it comes to applying to top unis...am I DOOMED with my average grades? or can i turn it arounbd with a really good essay?
helpp!</p>
<p>Without a hook, you would be wasting your money to apply to most top 20 colleges. A few colleges love high test scores, however, and you would have a shot at a school like USC, particularly if your are NMSF.</p>
<p>At top colleges, essays are used to differentiate candidates that meet their minimum stats requirements. A great essay can not revive someone who is not in the running. With a 3.0 and only 1 AP class prior to junior year, I would have to agree with bluebayou that you’re not looking at top colleges.</p>
<p>5 SAT IIs=wtefff?</p>
<p>A 3.0 GPA and a 2300 SAT very clearly reflect what you’re saying. You’re very smart. But you’re lazy. You don’t care about the things that don’t interest you. You get by on your brainpower alone, and not a strong work ethic.</p>
<p>Colleges don’t always evaluate if you are smart enough to get in or survive. They instead evaluate how prepared you are for the level of work that you’ll be facing. If you can’t muster the motivation to do well in classes that don’t interest you (Since you’ve gotten A’s, the only way to get back down to a 3.0 is with some Cs and Ds), then you won’t be able to survive at a top-calibre college. </p>
<p>Trying to justify your GPA by saying that you are lazy and unmotivated does not excuse it. It only confirms what I have just surmised. Perhaps it is best that you don’t get in to top colleges, as you would likely not survive.</p>
<p>USC rejected students with 3.5uw and 2240 SAT. Apply widely but don’t assume anything.</p>
<p>Yeah, no chance at top unis. Definitely look beyond those. It’s not like top unis are the only ones in the world. You can get a good education and have a great time at so many universities. The 3.0 GPA is simply bad. Plus, if your ECs are nothing special, I see no chance at all.</p>
<p>From what I have seen/heard, GPA/rank is the most important part of the application, and the rest of it simply places it into context. In the state of Oregon auto acceptance into the major universities (U of O and OSU) requires around a 3.25. That said you will get into pretty good schools, but probably not Ivy level. With your potential though if you turn around the lazy then you can probably get into a great grad school.</p>
<p>One option is to attend a community college for a year, ace all of your classes and apply for a transfer. Some colleges like USC and Cornell are transfer-friendly (assuming your major fits).</p>
<p>3.0 isn’t bad. i know many people who would kill for that GPA. but given the intelligence you have, as demonstrated by a 2300 SAT, it indicates that you have so much potential but are too lazy to use it.</p>
<p>that is your damning issue.</p>
<p>normally, it’s okay, but 3.0 is bad if you’re looking at top schools. </p>
<p>the transfer idea sounds good actually. otherwise you should just do research into which schools love high SATs and don’t care so much about GPA, which won’t be too common.</p>
<p>Doomed???</p>
<p>ruined???</p>
<p>Am I the only one to be struck by how bizarre it is to use those words in this context?</p>
<p>Relax, I hear there’s some guy in prison in Iran who actually has it a bit worse than you.</p>
<p>Then, after you relax, think about why you didn’t apply yourself, and why you want to go to college if you didn’t like the academics in high school anyway. See if that leads to some answers.</p>
<p>BTW, my story wasn’t much different than yours at your age - not as extreme - but I clearly wasn’t living up to my potential. I did OK my first three years in college, then decided what I wanted to do and did great from then on.</p>
<p><em>gulp</em> even if i prove that i am veryy passoinate about the subjects I wanted to study in uni? What if I get a 3.7+ first trimester senior yr…you guys have scared me sooo much, I’m gunna spend every free moment this summer (asides from working in my aunts’ publishing office) studying to get my grades up nxt yr (hope that helps!)…I read somewhere that if u take college courses it kindda makes up for low gpa…mayb i could take philosophy or some other humanities-ish subject that isnt usually taught in highschools to demonstarte were my strong points lie…
so birdrock, where did you end up? you sound…happy 
zephyravatar and bluebayou, transferring from cc isnt really an option…my parents would go nuts if i didnt atleast end up in a so-so state school…then mayb i could transfer somewhere better from there.
BTW im not one of those superifical ppl who only look at rankings as I may sometimes sound,I just want to apply places that would have opportunities out there for me…not necessarily a more selective school…and ill prolly end up applying to like 10 totally diffrent places…
but for now…I just want to know…EVEN if i get my scores up senior yr and take cc courses over the summer…mayb strenghten my ECs up a bit by taking up more leadership positions nxt yr…would I still not have a chance?
i was also thinking U of T and McGill, the accept lots of kids from my school.</p>
<p>For UT (assuming University of Texas @ Austin) are you instate? That may help don’t they have some if you are in the 10% of your graduating class you are in?</p>
<p>Have a 3.7 will help but think how your overall GPA will change. Its very hard to change three years of work with just one semester. Also you can go to a state school for a year and then transfer to much better school, but they will still look at your high school transcript I believe.</p>
<p>I assume it’s UToronto since OP mentions McGill.</p>
<p>Since these universities are familiar to your school, see if you can find stats on grads who got in there. Did anyone with a 3.0 in the past get into these schools? These days 3.0 is very low for even top 50 (and beyond, actually) US schools, though your SAT’s may make it interesting.</p>
<p>Look at Colleges that Change Lives. Many of them would probably take you. I, for example, am looking at St. John’s College right now and they say that the most important part of their application is the essays. The point is that there are colleges out there for almost everyone. College will be a clean slate for you, so kick it into gear.</p>
<p>well, you mentioned top schools… you might have a decent chance at other good schools though. like I said, some schools love high SATs, and you’d have a relative advantage there. I dunno about the Canadian schools, since they put quite a bit of emphasis on grades</p>
<p>a higher senior year gpa can only help you. the upward trend looks nice, so you can definitely up your chances all around that way.</p>
<p>just wondering, what would a 3.0 be out of 100 (about) is that weighted?</p>
<p>Straight B, I believe.</p>
<p>oh okay… well what top unis were u thinking about? if u have been getting straight B’s then i think anything ranked under 20 is gonna be a high reach…</p>
<p>By U of T I mean Toronto…
and yea a 3.0 is a B</p>
<p>hmm…high reach…<em>fingers crossed</em></p>