Almost perfect SAT score, multiple awards/published, but GPA is in the dumps due to personal reasons

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Before anyone says, I already have a comprehensive list of colleges with differentiating acceptance rates, private and state. But since I have a large passion for politics I was always drawn to the Ivy Leagues excellence in teaching foreign/public policy, in addition to having amazing alumni. But yes, I know many other colleges can supply that as well as give sufficient financial aid. Do you think I could make it into a top school? Also what is a chance for a student like me to get into NYU or Georgetown?

Race- Asian (Pakistani female). I heard it gives me a boost since I’m not applying for STEM and instead politics which is much more different than other Pakistanis and Indians. My parents were immigrants too (both have degrees).

SAT- 1560
GPA- 3.2 ( I was bullied for being muslim during high school and it threw me into a depression, I might ask my guidance counselor to include this into the letter of rec)- STRONG UPWARD TREND- it rises junior year and I’m planning on maintaining all my senior averages, which include 5 AP classes, 97 or above. My previous low scores are concentrated in math and chemistry, but high in English and social studies. I plan on majoring in government or foreign affairs.

My total AP course load including the coming senior year I’ll be finishing high school off with, is 12. I would list them al but my school currently has the grade viewing system shut down as of right now because they are inserting our final scores, but all instead of AP Biology (which is an 81, yikes), I have 90+ averages.

SAT Subject Tests
United States History- 770
Literature- 790
French (no listening)- 780

Published in the Concord Review for a paper that is specifically foreign affairs related (plan on attaching it to the application because I know other people have)
President of Model UN (2 years)
English Honor Society (might run for president senior year)
Academic Team
Key Club
Secretary of Student Government for senior year
Volunteered last fall for my Town Supervisor Democrat campaign and plan again to be involved this summer

Volunteer writer for munforeveryone.com that provides free model UN training resources to underprivileged kids
Published in political science research journal from a local SUNY school on voting patterns and variables affecting them in local elections
Completed NYU course on Ethics of International Affairs and Debate (Received A+)
Appealed with administration for a debate team and mock trial team (offer was rejected because our school fell into debt)
Varsity Track Team ( 1 year)

I’m planning to apply to be my schools first ever student representative to our Board of Education in September too

Model UN awards

Outstanding Delegate at Harvard Model United Nations (second place in a specialized agency which is more competitive than the larger committees and required all people to send applications highlighting previous awards and experience, in addition it was an international competition so I’m hoping that it is considered an international award)

Honorable Mention at the Global Citizens conference (International but not as competitive AT ALL as Harvard was.
I have 3 other awards, one of them first place but they’re more county level awards so I know it won’t really weigh a lot

Accepted into the All American International Travel Model United Nations team ( merit based, I had to submit my accolades and detailed essay on experience and why I deserved a spot). I have a spot on the United Americas Honor Delegation thats going to the Yale Model Government Conference in Budapest Hungary, I’m hoping for a first place since its an international competition as well.

I know that I could explain my GPA in the comment box, or have my counselor include it in her letter. I somehow want to turn what happened to me into a strength so I’m thinking about making a forum for minority high schoolers to talk and converse about issues they have dealt with/are dealing in terms of faith and race during the summer, as I know if the admissions people reference that it might show how I overcame, along with a upward trend in my grades. I might also put what happened to me in my essay as well.

College Confidential scares me because I know a lot of you say what you immediately think even if its sharp words, and the only reason I’m lowering my insecurities into these waters is because I know more and more colleges are looking at stories, passions, and achievements than just someone who scores perfect all the time ( yes I know that doesn’t excuse any Joe who has a horrible GPA), but I was thinking accounting me being published twice would change the game a little. Besides Stanford and the Ivies, is Georgetown and NYU out of the water as well? Also,I’m considering using Ivy Coach in September and getting their opinion on this/leading me, is it worth it?

Please don’t tear me apart haha.

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Also forgot to state, I’m from NY and our math regents program is accelerated a year ahead than other schools in the region, and the students rate of passing the accelerated courses are medium.

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I think your 3.2 GPA is going to make all of the schools you named by name a huge stretch. You have interesting ECs and strong scores but your grades will be hard to overlook.

I’d suggest you spend some time and energy doing research into less selective schools with strong politics/IR programs. For instance, what about American and/or GW? Doesn’t Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) have a good program in public affairs?

You clearly have a lot to offer to many schools and I’m thinking it would help your anxiety to learn about and get excited about the programs at schools that are more likely to admit you. If you were my daughter that’s what I’d advise you to do.

Good luck and keep us posted!

ETA - link to Trent Lott Leadership Institute at Ole Miss: https://lottinst.olemiss.edu/prospective-students/

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Thanks so much! Yes, I’m for sure applying to American, hopefully they can overlook the GPA!

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Start a new thread asking for recommendations for good IR/politics/public affairs programs at less selective schools, or one asking which SUNY might excel in those areas. I’m not from your region, but I wonder if Albany would be a good choice because of internship opportunities with state government?

You’d be surprised at how much the wisdom of the CC crowd can help in uncovering gems you need to know about, especially if you post in the parent area. Many longtime CC posters are parents who have been around the block and like to share their wisdom.

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Il’l definitely do that in the future! I already have a fair list with different rates, but knowing more options wouldn’t hurt at all.

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^^^ and might get you really excited about some great programs that are strong possibilities vs. fretting about the high reaches. Glass half-full!

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Oh good heavens don’t call Ivy Coach https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/02/12/suit-reveals-elite-college-consultants-charged-family-15-million

It’s highly unlikely that you are going to get into an Ivy-type school on the first pass. If the Cornell ILR school is close enough to what you want to study, that’s a little bit easier of an admit https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/ especially since you’re in-state and it’s one of the land-grant colleges within Cornell… it’s still a reach but maybe possible with the stellar scores and the strong improving trend, if your essays convince them of a good “fit.” (Which I’m not sure it is… but then again, the economics and power dynamics of labor are certainly a driving force in global economics and politics, so… depends if it resonates with you.)

If you are in “Ivy or bust” mode and Cornell ILR either doesn’t sound like your cup of tea or doesn’t work out, your sure path to an Ivy degree is to stay in New York, get top grades in community college, and transfer to Cornell. They reserve a significant amount of space for in-state CC transfers, and you clearly have the chops to be one of them. There are some CC’s in your state with housing options (Finger Lakes is one), so this doesn’t necessarily mean staying home.

That’s not to say that you can’t go directly to a four-year college/university, just that it’s not likely to be an Ivy-or-equivalent. You can also set your sights on transferring from one four-year school to another; it’s just not an established path like the CC-to-Cornell path is. (Not to mention that Binghamton is not a bad destination for international-focused poli sci, either https://www.binghamton.edu/political-science/global-and-international-affairs.html )

Also, FWIW, the Prepscholar calculator [insert grain of salt here] estimates you have a slightly better than 50% chance of admission to Binghamton directly, with your stats. The Prepscholar algorithm can’t necessarily be seen as reliable, especially in the more unusual cases where GPA and test scores diverge, but point being that your state flagship could be an excellent and relatively affordable option. And there are all the other SUNY campuses that aren’t as competitive, so there’s got to be a place for you there if you want it.

Another very respectable option would be the CUNY schools:
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/mspia/academics/bachelor-of-science-in-public-affairs/index.html
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/polsci/curriculum/courses/IR

These programs are well-respected and full of brilliant students who are there because it is the affordable option for them.

If you’re open to the other coast, you might have a look at Willamette University in Oregon. It’s in Salem, which is the seat of state government, and there are extensive opportunities for internships and other political involvement. Your GPA is below their average but your scores are way above, and given the improving trend I can’t see your having difficulty getting in; in fact, you might qualify for merit aid. In addition to the merit scholarships that students are considered for automatically, there are scholarships specifically for Debate talent. http://willamette.edu/cla/politics/index.html They participate in American U’s Washington Semester as well as a variety of study abroad programs including a multi-country International Honors Program. The poli sci focus at Willamette may be a little more domestic/regional than you prefer, but it’s a strong program and a lovely place to go to school, so perhaps a good safety for you.

At any rate… you might find this article interesting: http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/20/americans-ir-schools-are-broken-international-relations-foreign-policy/ The critique of IR programs is thought-provoking (should one lay a deeper foundation in econ and history rather than do an undergraduate IR major at all?)… and there’s also a list of top undergraduate IR programs. Apart from GW and American, the other one on the list that wouldn’t be as steep an admit is Ohio State. https://internationalstudies.osu.edu/academics/majors (Admission odds via Prepscholar - again large-grain-of-salt - are similar to at Binghamton, just above 50%)

Hope that helps. Definitely apply to a range of programs - if your essays are strong and your counselor recommendation provides reassurance that your difficulties with grades are behind you, there may be potential for you to get into more competitive programs than your GPA would suggest. It’s just important to have good backup plans and safety schools, because atypical situations are unpredictable. Good luck!

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How much can you afford? Could you afford to go to the UK for example?

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Thank you aquapt! I visited Cornell for their annual high school conference and I didn’t really dig it, but I’ll keep their labor program in the back in my head. Also, I can afford to go overseas but since I want to go to law school after I really am trying to be cautious about debt, loans, etc … Do I still have a chance at Georgetown, maybe? I understand some schools are very grade oriented but I know that its a very IR concentrated school and my extracurriculars/awards/SAT score are above average than the student profile for their Walsh School. I know I would be their ideal fit even though they would probably fret from my GPA if I can “survive” the curriculum. Also, I found this youtube college admissions video from Admissionado, and they broke down the admissions for higher tiered schools into 5 basic categories (letters of rec, GPA, SAT, ECs …) . He stated that contrary to popular belief you can still get into these schools if you miss out on one category, as long as you’re MUCH stronger in others and make sure you nail everything from interviews to essays to ECs. Heres a link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib1qKLqxahU . Whats your guys opinion on that?

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You can write a letter or incorporate it the afct that you were bullied and you suffered from depression and how it impacted your grades

That can deifntely help your chances of getting in

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Source?

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Hm, not sure I’d agree with the approach of writing a letter or using essay space about being bullied and depression. If it was significant, your GC letter might be a place for it, but you want your essays to focus on the reasons for the college to admit you, not serving to focus on the weakest part of your app.

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Strong disconnects between scores and GPA must be explained to the satisfaction of the AO to take a chance on you. Usually these disconnects represent someone who is smart but lazy, this preconceived notion must be addressed through teachers (even those who gave you lower grades) if they are willing and understand what your predicament was.

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Convey the weakness in your GPA through your essays.

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I’m not sure you’d want to spend valuable essay space on “conveying a weakness”?

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Gtown doesn’t accept a lot of kids with perfect grades and great test scores. More than you would think.

So if your eyes are wide open give it a try. Why not. They can only say no and maybe they say yes to the whole package.

If there’s is one thing I have seen regarding the quirky gtown admissions process is they love languages. If you have fluency in the Indian dialects, Arabic or perhaps French or in any combination - sfs loves that. Especially important language for world hot spots. Even if you self learn and leverage it with an ec to show you in fact are using it.

There’s a thread on here or somewhere with a student who self taught themselves German and got involved with volunteerism related to Germany. I think the refugee crisis. It worked.

Perhaps use your love of the topics and language skills to get in some focused and interesting ecs.

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NEVER use essays to discuss weaknesses. Ask your GC to discuss the bullying.
DO NOT mention depression since it makes admitting you a liability.

Ivies, Georgetown are almost out of reach. Plan to apply if you really want to but build a ‘real’ list first.
Dickinson would be a high match.
Macalester a reasonable reach.
Ole Miss Croft Institute would be another good match.
UDenver would be a low match.
Kalamazoo is a safety if you express interest starting now.
St Olaf is pretty “international” (see ‘global semester’ or ‘languae houses’) and would be a match if you express interest.
Spelman is where the region’s diplomat in residence is located; you don’t need to be African American to apply, the only expectation is that you be interested in African American history and cultures.

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Honestly, I’d have to say that you probably don’t stand a great chance because of your low GPA. Although, if you write an amazing essay, you have a chance.

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Thank you all so much! I won’t make my essays center my difficulties, as I want them to feel a connection to me and not turn it into a pity party, but should I mention them somewhere? I’m planning on my 2 teachers who are writing me letter of recs to mention my difficulties, is that enough? Also, I decided that I’ll apply early admission to one of these schools just to get a weight off of my chest, a rejection is just closure to me and I’ll know I can get accepted to other schools you all recommended to me RD and I’m okay with that. Would EA help me in a case like this, though? I’m really putting my heart and soul into these essays, because I feel this is the only thing that can carry me, potentially. My AP literature teacher will be doing drafts and helping me, would that be enough? Do people on CC read essays sometimes? I’m def. not going to Ivycoach because I can’t burn money like that, but how can I make sure I’m on target with my message? I received a 5 in AP Language and Composition so I know I have it somewhere in me, but the anxiety is killing me.