<p>thought I'd bump this up so the new-bees could get some encouragement.</p>
<p>For those that have gone thru the admissions process, any stories along the lines of this thread?</p>
<p>i have a friend who had a 3.3 gpa, 1520 SATs, and less than stellar ecs who graduated a year early and was accepted into columbia engineering. The only thing that he really had going for him was that he took every single AP course at the school and a few other courses at the state college during his first three years. On those exams too, he recieved only a few 5s, mostly 3s and 4s. He was rejected at MIT, waitlisted at wharton, and accepted in to columbia and northwestern.</p>
<p>accepted into columbia?.. wow i thought columbia didnt care about sats</p>
<p>(tears streaming down my enraptured face) I cannot believe I've found a post with people in predicaments so similar to my own! Right now I have a 3.68 uw/3.9 w GPA (competitive school and some bad math grades) with 710m 730w 800cr, three AP fives and two fours, National Merit, etc. A little tipped, eh?</p>
<p>the situation is not at all similar to your own and it sort of disgusts me that you would think so. no offense, of course.</p>
<p>I've completed the college admissions process, and while my story doesn't perfectly match any of those listed above, maybe it could help someone.</p>
<p>My cumulative gpa after 10th grade was a 2.4. I'd been removed from all of my advanced classes and still was near failing regular classes. I missed school constantly and was on probation for truancy. At the end of my sophomore year in high school, we discovered I had sleep apnea, and I had surgery to remedy the matter.</p>
<p>My mother spoke to my guidance counselor at the beginning of 11th grade and told him the situation as he reviewed my grades. He said that there was absolutely no hope for me to get into a regular college (let alone selective), unfortunately, since my grades were so low. I'd failed several classes and had been in summer school both previous summers. He said the only thing I could do was sign up for an SAT prep class, and plan on enrolling in a community college after high school.</p>
<p>We switched counselors. My mom overrode the counseling office and signed me up for IB Math Methods, AP English, and AP US History. I'd managed to A's and B's every quarter, but my gpa was still barely over a 3.0, weighted.</p>
<p>I got a 1450 on my SAT without a prep class, despite what my counselor advised. Senior year I was enrolled in AP English Lit, AP Calculus AB, AP Government, AP Psychology, IB Physics SL, and IB Philosophy SL. I got straight A's all year, but all the colleges got to look at was my first semester's grades.</p>
<p>If anyone knows a motivated student who doesn't have the best gpa, don't listen to anyone who tells them they can't get into a good college. It's a little more difficult, but if you apply yourself to the process, you can explain your situation to colleges and find a college that's right for you. I'm extremely pleased to be attending Bard College in the fall with the aid of a generous scholarship.</p>
<p>wondrlst-i was referring to the similarities between my stats and those of previous posters in general, not with that specific columbia case.</p>
<p>even with previous posters in general, a 3.9 w/ does not make you a b-c student. 3.9 is not low at alll</p>
<p>Wow...that story definitely inspired me. I had great grades until junior year, when it all just came apart. Freshman/ sophomore year- 4.6 UW, something like a 3.7-3.8 weighted, and then junior year, I failed Trigonometry and Art. I also got 2 Ds- Physics and one of my English classes (I took both AP Eng Lang and English IV during junior year). My counselor isn't a lot of help at all, so I don't think she'll write a letter to the colleges I'm applying to. But this letter does give me a lot of hope. It's good to know that some schools know when students are promising, even though they had some rough moments.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>chimaera, i'm glad things have improved a lot for you!</p>
<p>someone i know w/ a 1600 and a (i'm guessing, but def low...) low 3 GPA is going to NYU</p>
<p>They also go to U. Michigan ann arbor</p>