9 Schools, Chances with inconsistent stats? (Round II)

Applying to College
1

<ul>
<li>no desire/don’t care
** would be satisfied
*** would love to go here</li>
</ul>

<p>(Average GPA, SAT, Acceptance Rate, Admissions Selectivity) Academic Ranking</p>

<p>SAFETIES/MATCHES</p>

<li>George Mason (3.32, 1100, 70%, 79) 73 *</li>
<li>James Madison (3.6, 1160, 63%, 89) 80 *</li>
<li>Virginia Tech (3.6, 1200, 70%, 88) 75 **</li>
<li>Northeastern (3.5, 1210, 42%, 92) 79 ***</li>
<li>U Washington (3.7, 1220, 70%, 91) 79 **</li>
</ol>

<p>REACHES</p>

<li>U Maryland (3.8, 1250, 50%, 93) 76 **</li>
<li>William and Mary (4.0, 1330, 35%, 97) 89 ** // Letter of Recommendation specifically for this school from my two bosses at work, who are graduates. Also have a cousin that went there.</li>
<li>U Michigan (3.7, 1300, 60%, 95) 83 *** // USC or Lehigh, which is the easiest? Dad is an almunusi of USC. </li>
<li>U Virginia (4.0, 1320, 40%, 97) 87 ***</li>
</ol>

<p>My Stats (VIRGINIA RESIDENT)</p>

<p>Cumulative GPA: 2.9
Yearly GPA: (2.9, 2.2, 3.6, 2.9 first quarter/ 3.6 second quarter midterm)
5 AP’s
Factors for poor performance: moving and problems adjusting (implemented in essay)
New SAT: 1930 (690 Math, 670 Writing, 570 Verbal) = 1290 on old 1600 Scale
SAT II Math BC: 700</p>

<p>EC: Web Design Club Founder & President, Habitat for Humanity
Smithsonian Volunteer, Janmedia/Web Design Company Job
International Experience </p>

<p>Obviously my grades are very low but I think I have average SAT scores and a solid SAT II score. I have some EC’s and have job experience at a respectable computer firm. I’ve taken a summer college course at Mason also as a junior in high school and got a B, which suggests that I can handle college-level courses. I was also taking the course while holding two jobs - Smithsonian and Janmedia.</p>

<p>Performed poorly in early school years but will convery a sense of maturity in my essay and talk about what I’ve learned through my experiences living abroad. Most significant experience is living in a third-world country (Bolivia) and getting a dose of reality, which resulted in an increase in my grades. Was also seperated from my father for a year when he got a job in Baghdad, Iraq. </p>

<p>Anyhow… any comments, suggestions?
Which schools do I have a realistic or outside shot at? U Michigan and Virginia Tech seem to have high acceptance rates?</p>

2

<p>I may not have the best perspective on this, but in my experience large state universities that have to process thousands of applications tend to place much more weight on statistics (GPA/SAT) than they would your fascinating life experiences. If possible, you might consider bringing your strengths (experiences and employment) into areas of the application where you are weak. For example, could you have your high school insert a line about going to Bolivia on your transcript, as in "not enrolled second semester due to travel in South America" (my HS added a few similar comments to my transcript), or if applicable, prominently include a transcript of classes taken at a Bolivian school while you were there? Doing so would serve to remind the readers of your strengths even while they are examining areas in which you are weak.</p>

<p>Which of the schools is your top choice, if you have one?</p>

<p>Also, just out of curiosity, what do you do at the Smithsonian?</p>

3

<p>Top School Choices (respectively):
Virginia, Michigan, William & Mary, Maryland, Northeastern, then Tech</p>

<p>I'm also a Computer Science major.</p>

<p>At the Smithsonian, I mangaged/recorded (took microscopic photos) fossil entries into the largest paleobotonic image database in the world. I have much more pride though in my work with Janmedia (<a href="http://www.janmedia.com)%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.janmedia.com)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p>

<p>In any case, my dream school is USC but I have absolutely no chance there. I was also considering Lehigh over U Michigan but I figured I'd have a better shot at UMich. Of my list though, UVA, U Mich and Northeastern are probably my most aspired places to go to.</p>