<p>My extra curriculars and gpa(3.2) were seriously lacking. I'm really smart it's just that I need to work so much, but I understand there's no exuse. Besides getting really good grades, and taking all ap's what can I do to help prepare me for the scary journey that is college admissions? Thank you!</p>
<p>Whoa! You need to be realistic.</p>
<ol>
<li> You have to work a lot. You mean, outside school, either for pay or in a family business, because you or your family need the money? That is something of an excuse, or at least a mitigating factor. It won’t get you into Yale, but it may cause regular colleges that normal people attend to look at your GPA with a little more compassion.</li>
</ol>
<p>On the other hand, if you have to work a lot so you can buy a Mustang and pay the insurance, that’s a whole different matter.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Yes, you should get the best grades you should can, but you shouldn’t be taking “all APs” unless you should, in fact, be taking all APs. And a sophomore GPA of 3.2, combined with a requirement that you work a lot outside of school, would suggest that you should not be taking “all APs.”</p></li>
<li><p>Hang the extracurriculars. If your GPA is 3.2, you won’t be a competitive applicant for the minority of colleges and universities where extracurricular activities actually matter. In addition to that, working for pay is an extracurricular activity. Extracurricular activities are not limited to Model UN, the wind ensemble and the track team.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Yeah, I work for extra money twords my family. Do you think that my gpa will really screw me up for schools like vanderbilt?</p>
<p>“Whoa, you need to be realistic.”
What do you mean?</p>
<p>I have an sat of 2100 and I still have a year to study so I’m hoping to have a 2300 by my final sat testing date.</p>
<p>The other poster is saying be realistic with your course selection. Don’t take all APs. You haven’t shown mastery of regular courses, so taking a bunch of APs is a recipe for disaster. </p>
<p>Vanderbilt looks very unlikely with a 3.2 sophomore year.</p>
<p>Ah, okay. I understand.</p>
<p>I can handle AP courses, my circumstances have changed to where it won’t be neccesary for me to work next year. Will taking summer courses at my local community college (a program called running start) help? Anything else I can do? I don’t want to just give up on certain colleges because I didn’t have the best GPA. It was also in an online school “alpha omega academy”. So I don’t know if that makes any difference.</p>
<p>Another thing to think about is the plan once you get to college. If your demanding job is affecting your high school grades, it’s likely going to affect your college grades as well. Are you going to be working the same amount as you are now? If the answer is yes, it might be a good idea to look into more flexible options, such as taking online classes or a small course load at a local college, and then making a plan to transfer when things are more stable. It’s better to start off somewhere less prestigious, do less, and do it really well than it is to take on too much and get less than stellar results. </p>
<p>As far as right now, the best thing to do is probably work on the GPA and SAT. Taking on more extracurricular stuff when it sounds like you don’t have time in exchange for potentially lower grades isn’t a good idea. Definitely talk about your work experience on your applications. Try to really shine in your essay. And be realistic when choosing what schools to apply to because, I’m sorry to say it, but the GPA is going to hold you back. For example, only about 5% of those accepted to Vanderbilt have a 3.0 - 3.2 GPA. Not that it’s impossible for you to be in that 5%, but you’ll definitely want to apply to less competitive colleges as well. Best of luck.</p>
<p>I’m wondering though, that will likely only be my low gpa. My freshman year was 3.8 my sophomore was obviously 3.2 but without needing to work I can dedicate my time to my studies. My GPA will likely be 4.0 for junior year, because I can handle the work.
So with an averaged out gpa would it still be as fatal to my college app? I won’t be going to a local community college and is my one bad year going to ruin my entire college career?</p>
<p>You will still be able to go to a good school. 3.8, 3.2, and 4.0 average to 3.67. Not a bad GPA, especially with your job. Just do your best and come back in a year with your final grades to look for schools that match your achievements.</p>
<p>Since you mentioned your circumstances regarding work changed and the 3.2 was only for this year, your chances are better than they looked initially. If you could get your cumulative GPA up to 3.6 - 3.7 (which I think is around the highest possible with what you currently have), you’d be a lot more competitive. But like other posters said, choose your courses wisely. If you’ve never taken AP classes, it might not be a good idea to load your schedule with them and be overwhelmed. </p>
<p>And still be realistic when applying. Even with a significantly improved GPA and SAT, schools such as Vanderbilt are so competitive that even applicants with near perfect stats get turned down. Make sure you have good back ups.</p>