ATTN RISING SENIORS: Bs and Cs on transcript? Subpar SAT scores? DON'T GIVE UP!!!

Applying to College
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<p>At the time of application, my unweighted GPA was a 3.28 with four Cs on my freshman year transcript. I did not have a single A in my junior year. I do attend a competitive public high school, but it seems like every high school is "competitive" nowadays, at least according to CC.</p>

<p>My SAT score was a 1960 (610 CR, 700 Math, 650 Writing). I only took it once.</p>

<p>Instead, I took the ACT and my highest composite score was a 32 - decent, but nothing special. I would not have submitted my SAT score if my SAT II scores did not kick so much ass: in Math Level 2, Japanese, and US History, 800, 790, and 710, respectively. I was certain my SAT score would leave me in the deny pile for all of the competitive colleges to which I applied.</p>

<p>I am not an underrepresented minority. The fact that I am Asian makes me overrepresented. I am an only child and first in my family to attend an American college, which means I get absolutely NO benefit from legacy connections. I am a US permanent resident, so I get the same treatment as US citizens.</p>

<p>My parents make enough money to make the probability of my receiving need-based financial aid close to, if not, zero - so I did not apply for it.</p>

<p>I have no real "hook." I'm the average kid with average extracurriculars and no significant awards or accomplishments. I'm not the editor of the school newspaper, I didn't win writing awards, and I didn't even get to REGIONALS in my science fair. Not a captain of a sports team - heck, I don't even play a school sport.</p>

<p>I had no excuses to explain my poor grades. I didn't lose a parent, I didn't move, I didn't have some life-altering injury. I was just lazy.</p>

<hr>

<p>Admitted:
Northwestern University (Medill School of Journalism)
University of Wisconsin - Madison (Out of State)
University of Miami (15K Scholarship)
College of the Holy Cross
Penn State University Park</p>

<p>Waitlisted, declined offer:
University of Michigan</p>

<p>Denied:
Duke University (ED)
Washington University in St. Louis (ED 2)
Vanderbilt University</p>

<h2>University of Southern California</h2>

<p>During high school, I received a C+, A-, B, and B, in that order, in my English classes. My SAT critical reading score was a 610, ACT reading score a 30. But I was admitted to the Medill School of JOURNALISM at Northwestern.</p>

<p>Granted, I worked my ass off on my essays. I knew that it was my only hope of getting into any kind of top-tier college with my record. After submitting the Northwestern essay, I submitted two others. One from the commonapp that I loved, and another about my inconsistent grade trend. I spent literally the whole summer, all the way to 11:57 PM on January 1st polishing my essays.</p>

<p>When people told me that adcoms look for personality in the essays, I thought it was a load of BS. I don't think I can be happier to stand corrected. Nothing else explains my being accepted to Northwestern (#11) and being outright denied at USC (#30), UMich (#25), Vanderbilt (#18). Even if you have OK grades like me, or average test scores, and no significant "hook," don't assume you are out of the running. Just pour your heart out on your essays, show demonstrated interest, and try to put as much as your personality on your application as possible (provided that you have a good one). Just don't give up - I didn't, and I'm glad I didn't.</p>

<p>Rising seniors, spend your summer wisely and get cracking on that essay. Trust me on this one.</p>

2

<p>Nice post! I must agree, the essay does contribute a lot to admission decisions.</p>

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<p>Awesome! Just wondering, how did you explain your declining grades, if you were "just lazy"? hehe :)</p>

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<p>I didn't have declining grades. I got Cs frosh year, A/Bs in regular classes soph year, Bs in honors/ap junior year, A/Bs in honors/ap senior year. One may consider this a rising grade trend - others may find it inconsistent.</p>

<p>I didn't really explain it. I wrote about my realization of the importance of schoolwork in story form - with plenty of examples and anecdotes.</p>

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<p>roadrunner24k - Great post and practical advice to rising seniors! Thanks for sharing.</p>

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<p>I just find it funny that you consider those SAT scores sub par? Considering "par" means about average, I am guessing that you scored in the 50-60 percentile?</p>

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<p>Well, converting my 1960 to the old SAT score, I get a 1310. Among the applicants applying to Northwestern and other top caliber colleges, yes, that score is considered subpar.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
I am an only child and first in my family to attend an American college, which means I get absolutely NO benefit from legacy connections.

[/quote]

Just for the record, being the first in your family to attend college is an advantage, not a disadvantage.</p>

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<p>not only the esaays, your teacher recs should help you a lot as well</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Just for the record, being the first in your family to attend college is an advantage, not a disadvantage.

[/quote]

I said American college. I'm just a first generation immigrant. My father graduated from one of the top colleges in Japan and went on to ETH Zurich. I don't think I would get any sympathy for that, or would I? I thought it only applied if you're the first in your family to actually get a college education.. idk.</p>

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<p>"Nothing else explains my being accepted to Northwestern (#11) and being outright denied at USC (#30), UMich (#25), Vanderbilt (#18)."</p>

<p>I thought you were waitlisted at Michigan?</p>

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<p>er yeah. my mistake.</p>

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<p>"I got Cs frosh year"</p>

<p>Many elite schools don't look at freshman grades, so those C's may never been looked at. But still, I agree with what you said. Your personality should come through all parts of your application.That's often the difference between an acceptence and rejection at elite universities. Admissions people don't read each part of an app seperately. They use a comprehensive approach so they can figure out who you are, what you can do, and how you will contribute to the university if you attend.</p>

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<p>Just make sure you all keep in mind for every kid that gets in with numbers like this there is a near perfect numbers kid that gets rejected. What I mean by this is go ahead and apply, but don't expect much of you have stats like roadrunner's.</p>

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<p>"Well, converting my 1960 to the old SAT score, I get a 1310. Among the applicants applying to Northwestern and other top caliber colleges, yes, that score is considered subpar."</p>

<p>I'm sorry, I didn't realize that your title said "subpar SAT's for Elite Colleges" because if you got a 1360 and considered that sub-par, I would consider that a very eleatist attitude considering the average score is somewhere around a 1,000. Sometimes I think people on this board lose just a little bit of perspective:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883611.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883611.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>And if you consider a 1300 + subpar, you must think Cornell has sub par admissions standard:</p>

<p>MEDIAN SAT SCORES:</p>

<p>Amherst: 66% scored above 600 verbal; 83% scored above 600 math
Brown: 630 verbal; 670 math
Bryn Mawr: 70% scored above 600 verbal; scored above 600 math
Columbia: 630 verbal; 660 math
Cornell: 587 verbal; 652 math
Dartmouth: 620 verbal; 670 math
Duke: 606 verbal; 657 math"</p>

<p><a href="http://www.edonline.com/collegecompass/satprep.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.edonline.com/collegecompass/satprep.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Oh, and the Yale Median (1340) is just barely above par, right?</p>

<p>And the Penn median SAT is waaaaaay below par at 1270. My point is that you missed the boat in your original post. Part of the reason that you were admitted to very competative schools was your EXCELLANT SAT scores, you weren't admitted dispite them. The moral of the story should be that you can make up for just good grasws with essays and great SAT scores.</p>

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<p>Even if you look at this site, your SAT's are competative with the schools you were accepted to and certinally with most of the schools that most will apply to:
<a href="http://www.ophs.opusd.k12.ca.us/average_sat_act_scores.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ophs.opusd.k12.ca.us/average_sat_act_scores.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Oh WOW. I never considered looking at the median sat scores.. I always looked at the average becuse that's what's on the college guides.. </p>

<p>are you serious? median penn score is a 1270? I find that really really hard to believe.</p>

<p>oh, and also, ive heard that you pretty much have to be in the top 75% sat score to have a good chance because the lower 25% is generally filled with URMs and sports recruits.</p>

<p>i think there is a valid argument here.</p>

18

<p>you have to understand that the reason most of the elite colleges have a low SAT score is because of those sports kids. those colleges are Division I's, and they recruit the top players for their sports. it's rare to find a really smart kid who is Division I material. so understand, if you don't play a sport at the Division I level, then you better be having an SAT score like 1450+. so in that case, since roadrunner does not play any sports, his score is considered sub par for elite colleges.</p>

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<p>Makes me feel a whole hell of a lot better. I think I can mangage a 2400 even though I suck @ school. I WANT NWestern and I think I can write a few kickass essays</p>

<p>OP do you have email/AIM/MSN I kind just want to spend a min. talking to you</p>

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<p>OR... If you've a KICKASS HOOK/EC.</p>

<p>I know a girl who just loves reading, and she opened up the first library in her small town...got on front page on national newspaper.</p>

<p>Got into Harvard, dartmouth, yale, and princeton. She's going to princeton btw.</p>