Hi I’m an Asian indian junior at a fairly competitive high school and just transferred from a previously even more competitive high school. Want to major in political science.
Freshman and sophomore year I didn’t do my work but took all honors classes. Definite upward trend in my grades and I’m taking 4 APs this year: AP Lang and Comp, AP Euro, AP Spanish and AP Calc AB. Predicted 4’s and 5’s on all. I took 1 AP (Calc AB) sophomore year (school didn’t offer any more), got a C but got a 4 on the AP test and I had to take it again when I transferred because the class is VERY different. I’m preparing on my own to take the AP Calc BC test.
Senior year classes: AP lit, AP gov, AP stats, AP Psych, human anatomy and physiology, digital art 1
UW GPA: 3.3
W GPA: 3.8
Just took SAT, aiming for a 1520+
EC’s:
debate team secretary (VP next year, started it this year by ourselves)
-internship this summer with local government
-5 years of piano (started late oops)
-I did 9 years of indian classical music but didn’t win any awards or go to competitions lol so I don’t think it matters much
-taekwondo (Black belt by end of next school year)
-work as an accounting assistant for parents company (2 years)
-tutor for money
-planning to get another job this summer too
will be interning with a congressman in fall 2019
started a non profit that helps supply lesser donated supplies to women’s shelters
Target colleges:
-American University
-Occidental college
NYU
-GWU
-UCSD (in-state)
-UCSB
-more that I haven’t thought of yet
Do I have any chance with my terrible GPA? I really want to go to NYU but that’s a very far reach. And what can I do to improve my stats?
Can you afford NYU? If your SAT comes out as high as you expect, and NYU cost isn’t an issue, then I’d suggest yiu ED into the liberal studies program (2 years LSP, then you would transfer and graduate from CAS as a polisci major). Combination of those factors (high SAT/LSP/ED), and good essays/recs of course, is probably your best chance to get in. Of course, you’d have to be comfortable with LSP as the pathway, which would also depend on what other courses/minor you want to do.
GW while on paper easier than NYU could end up being more difficult because politics is a very popular major and becomes pretty competitive.
American is in reach - make sure to show them a lot of love, they are big on demonstrated interest - visit if you can, if you can’t then get on their list and sign up for their local info session and if available, an interview, when they reach your region and/or school.
You can scan decision threads later in the month when RD decisions are out to get an indication of who gets offers.
And it goes without saying, really work as hard as you can the rest of this semester to get the best grades you can, and good scores on your APs.
Those are the only 3 schools on your list we looked at so can’t help with the others.
You should work very hard this semester and try to pull up your grades as much as you can. A strong end to your junior year would help you significantly.
Also, continue to work hard next year. Some universities will look at your first semester grades senior year and some will not. I am not sure about the schools that you have on your list. I have however seen a few cases (friends of my daughters) such as this where students had inconsistent grades and the universities asked for first semester grades senior year before making a decision.
Finally, make sure that you pay attention to your budget, and make sure that you have safeties on your list that you would be happy with.
OP needs to understand more of what matters for those colleges. (Interest is a lot more than a tour or emails.) Then he/she would understand it isn’t just gpa and some projected scores that make a college reasonable on your list. Eg, it matters what classes the lower grades are in.
OP doesn’t mention budget. If that is a concern, he needs to look at some financial safeties.
At this point, everything is up in the air as there is no SAT, and many many students who aim for 1500 do not get it. When applying to schools, a student should make sure that the weakest link (currently the unweighted gpa) is addressed on the college list as likely schools.
IMO, NYU looks at GPA critically and an unweighted 3.3 is not likely to cut it. A 1500+ SAT1 and strong SAT2s and junior year AP results along with much improved grades would be a game changer, yes.
I’m not from California, but every indication I;ve gotten about the UCs does not bode well for this student. I suggest some Cal States with less selective admissions criteria on the list.
UC’s tend to be very GPA focused vs test score focused so a UC capped weighted GPA below a 4.0 will make most of the UC’s tough admits.
UC GPA calculator will calculate UW UC GPA, Capped weighted UC GPA and Fully weighted UC GPA. All GPA’s are considered by the capped weighted is the GPA most often listed on the UC websites for their Freshman profiles and UC statistical analysis.
In terms of UCs focus on UCSC, I don’t think a sub 4.0 ucgpa will make UCSD/UCSB possible. Cal state Sonoma (Hutchins?), Sacramento State, Chico Honors, SDSU Honors are all good possibilities. On the West coast, also look at Whitman and Willamette.
If NYU is your first choice and money is no concern, applying ES for GLS with first year abroad would make a lot of sense and make it easier to be admitted.
You need to reframe this in your mind… a B+/A- average is nothing to be ashamed of … a 3.8 is a very solid GPA and indicates are bright and have worked pretty hard. It probably won’t put you in the top 10% of your class, or of college applicants next year but, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. A sub 4 UCGPA will make most of the UCs a stretch for you, no matter what your SAT turns out to be. Honestly, that could be a blessing. Perhaps a massive school like UCLA where you;d have to sink or swim in a competitive and often unsupported environment would stress you out and make you miserable. Sonoma, Chico, SDSU are not only more likely to accept you, but you are more likely to thrive there.
There is no secret imparted on the students at the top UCs that propels them to success that won’t be available at CSU.
Do your best the rest this year and next. Work hard enough to be proud if your work-product and don’t beat yourself up about 91/100 on a test. Next year, apply broadly - include some of the top UCs - but, also some CSUs then see where you get in.
I got my SAT scores today. Kinda rough-1450, but very confident I can raise it up. What can I do specifically to increase chances? And what are some colleges in LA I can get into? I’m really trying to get out of nor cal.
OP can do the due diligence, go back and look at the 75th percentile for Oxy, GW, and American. Bring the uw grades up and your chances increase. But look into what else matters.
And just noting, OP’s uw gpa is 3.3.
Re American: American is brutal for yield protection, as again evidenced in this year’s results thread (I can also see it on my D’s naviance). Applying 75th percentile RD, it seems the most likely outcome is waitlist, unless it’s for an unpopular major. (Perversely, the lower gpa may actually help a bit there.) On the other hand, if OP were to apply ED it would probably be an almost certain admit. I personally thought there was a lot about American to love. Again, finances could be an issue though. Not as expensive as NYU but still pricy.
Have you considered any of the military academies (West Point, Naval Academy, etc)?
Would be a great stepping stone for a career in government/politics. Plus they have very few Indians. I don’t know your gender, but judging from your username, I assume you’re a female. If so even better, as there are ever fewer indian females.
The military academies are looking more for fit, and therefore might be willing to take someone with a less than stellar GPA. You also have the benefit of interning for a congressman, and could potentially seek his/her nomination.
Again, you really need to reframe this in your mind - 1450 is a great SAT score - and you are a well qualified applicant for most colleges. Find some that speak to you.
Some SoCal schools to look into SDSU, CP Pomoma, CSULB and probably UCR.
Depending on your budget, LMU, USD and Chapaman are also worth a look. For PoliSci Sa State’s proximity to the state capitol make for some pretty unique internship opportunities…
Your highschool counselor is the best source for info regarding what UC, Cal State schools are realistically in the picture and what your chances are with your stats. Probably the same with Occidental College. NYU is your reach school but coming from California gives you a bit of a geographical advantage. Your gpa is a bit low for NYU. You have a realistic list IMO for non CA schools–I can’t assess your in state schools because I am not as familiar with them and your particular situation with them.