<p>Just wondering, can an absolutely brilliant and unique essay help a mediocre student get into a great school? IMO mediocre = 3.0-3.5 UW GPA, 1800-2000 SAT</p>
<p>My friend, an ASIAN MALE, got acccepted to Harvard and Georgetown last year, and he only had a 92 GPA, 22xx SAT, and a few ECs (no sports). He came from a 100K-200K family, and goes to a public school (filled with asians) in NJ. Do you think his essay was what did it?</p>
<p>Now my friend definitely wasn't a "mediocre" student, but he probably didn't have the stats most Harvard kids have.</p>
<p>I think you have to define great schools first. Considering your GPA you’re on the same boat as me, my friend. I think if you really beef up everything else like standardized testing and have some other resume fluffers it will bring your chances higher. If you’re aiming for ivys, I don?t believr its IMPOSSIBLE but you will need significant achievements with 36/2400 and at least an upward trend (and not to mention 5 on most APs) </p>
<p>Personally, I love Uchicago and it seems like an awesome school. They are not TOO well knwon by others who haven’t done their college research but their prompts are really unique. This years prompt was “find x” and the year before was "destroy a question. My friend got in with a 3.5 and its a great school so I think its worth a shot. Amherst is amazing for liberal arts and I think emory is a very essay heavy admission as well but you should double check on that one.</p>
<p>I agree. It is difficult but it is possible. My school has sent over thirty people ther in the last two years and we’ve had a handful with sub 3.5 GPAs. Just try and write well. Rumor has it that they love good and creative wiritng</p>
<p>I was waitlisted at UChicago with a 3.3 GPA, most likely because of my essays–I really didn’t have much else going for me–and I applied for fin aid as an international. So I think it would be possible for a domestic applicant to be accepted there on the strength of his or her essays, especially EA.</p>
<p>That being said, applicants who get in with your scores come from either hard circumstances or they have an outstanding achievement. GPA is more important than SAT scores. And don’t you think that applicants with better stats write amazing essays too? I’d say that with those stats top 25 schools are all reaches to high reaches. But don’t give up!</p>
<p>I’m a firm believer of the importance of essays.</p>
<p>You know how many people say that URMs with lower stats than theirs “stole” their spots? Many URMs that have been blamed for that have had amazing essays - they wrote about discrimination, poverty, depression, death, etc. </p>
<p>If your essay sucks, then I believe you severely undermine your chances.</p>
<p>“I’m a firm believer of the importance of essays.
You know how many people say that URMs with lower stats than theirs “stole” their spots? Many URMs that have been blamed for that have had amazing essays - they wrote about discrimination, poverty, depression, death, etc.”</p>
<p>FYI, Asians and Whites can write amazing essays too.</p>
<p>an amazing essay would mean that you aren’t even a mediocre student, but rather, have something outstanding about you that doesn’t show up in your transcripts and EC inventory.</p>