I’m a junior in high school. My freshman and sophomore years were not good in high school, my GPA was just barely above a 2.3 each year. The reason for this was because the home I was living in during the time was experiencing foreclosure, as well as my parent was a very abusive alcoholic and drug-addict that made me not value school. However, now that I am out of the house and with another guardian, I am realizing the value of my mistake. I am not stupid, but my GPA is low. However, I have many extra-curriculars including being a two-time varsity player (varsity as a freshman on golf, varsity now as junior on baseball) and am becoming a highly-prospective baseball player because the new school I am is a D1 baseball school and highly sought after from scouts both pro level and college. If I put up good numbers, I can get drafted or possibly get a scholarship. However, my GPA remains a problem. I also am an editor at the school newspaper, and have created my own non-profit organization to help kids and teens in need – I won’t go into great detail because I don’t want to give it away, but it helps kids and teens a lot who are struggling and misfortune.
Is there anything else I can do to make up my bad GPA and still get into Stanford? I am going to take my ACT soon, which I’ve been studying hard for, as well as the SAT in May. I plan on getting some hefty references, some from my teachers as well as getting involved with other established individuals such as business men and professors that I can persuade to merit me such a reference.
My current junior GPA is about 2.65. I plan on taking AP classes senior year and going for a 4.0 – no more playing around. What can I do to assure I get into Stanford? Like I said, I’m also a baseball player who will play on the team if allowed to attend the school.
Nothing will assure that you get into Stanford. Their acceptance rate is 5%. Even if you were all the things you are, AND had a stellar GPA, that wouldn’t be enough. Have you even looked at Stanford’s Common Data Set? Google it. It will show you their range of accepted students. If you see low grades, it is possible they are recruited athletes. Or they could be URMs from disadvantaged backgrounds, or legacy students, who knows. But I think you will need to have good test scores to help make up for low grades. I have seen others threads on CC from recruited Ivy athletes and it seems that Ivies want a minimum of 30 on the ACT. You cannot count on being recruited to play at Stanford. You seriously need to find some safety and match schools. Also, do be sure your counselor is aware of your unstable home life, because he can write it up in your college recommendation. This will be necessary info, because I think without a credible explanation from a counselor, colleges might have a hard time looking past your low grades.
Just had a look at Stanford’s CDS for 2014-2015. Percentage of students with a GPA of 2.50-2.99 was .28%. Those odds are a long shot for you, a very long shot. There was no grade category below that. It is entirely possible that that statistic could refer to home-schooled kids too. Please do not get your hopes up about Stanford.
Nothing can guarantee you acceptance into Stanford. Are you being recruited? If so talk to the coaches about their grade/standardized test cutoffs. If you are such an outstanding baseball player you will likely be able to find a college, just don’t count on it being Stanford. Time to start opening your eyes to the many wonderful colleges and universities out there that can all give you a great experience and help you go where you want to in life.
i would assume the coaches at Stanford (or any school) have a good sense as to what the minimum standards are so if the coach knows your stats and is still actively trying to recruit you without saying your GPA needs to come up than I would assume it’s good enough.
Has the Stanford coach seen your transcript? He will know if he can get it past admissions. There is also the matter of your ACT/SAT score - a good score could help improve your chances. When my S was in the recruiting process he sent his transcript to the coaches and also gave them his ACT score. Once they had that they would tell him if he qualified or not.
It’s technically possible for you to get into Stanford with a GPA that currently stands near 2.5. Is it likely? No. Others have detailed the statistics. Realistically speaking, your odds of getting in would be extremely low even with a 4.0 - 95% of Stanford applicants are rejected - and are negligible with a B- or C+ average.
This might be a good time to look at schools where your GPA won’t take you out of the running, allowing you to rely on athletics to tip the scales in your favor.
I swear people don’t read the question. He is asking if whether if he is a recruited athlete, that helps him overcome the GPA. Your answering him as if he is applying to Stanford like everyone else.
So to answer the direct question, schools like Boston College, Notre Dame, Stanford do indeed have lower GPA expectations for highly recruited athletes. However, in most of these elite schools with good athletic programs, there is enough talent for them to recruit from that the minimum GPA would be around 3.3 for you to gain acceptance as a recruited athlete. If you aren’t above the minimum threshold for a recruited athlete, you will not gain acceptance. Google Richard Sherman and you will see what his GPA was out of Compton CA for his acceptance into Stanford.
Please don’t be insulted by what I’m about to say, but take it as a reality check. First, consider why are you so set on going to Stanford. Do they have a program you desperately want to get into, or is it rather the cachet of attending a selective school? You say you’re not what your grades reflect, but how is the school going to know that and to look past a 2.3 GPA and recognize your secret true worth? Even academic recruits need to pass some minimum threshold GPA and it’s usually more than 2.3 for sure. Plus, are you certain that you will be up to the workload if you get in there, competing with all those 4.0 students who did manage to make it through all the hurdles? My guess is that unless you are an Olympic medal winner, a celebrity’s kid or have a rich relative who is ready to donate enough money to build a new wing of some building in exchange for your admittance, I’d say you should be looking elsewhere for now. And if you distinguish yourself at elsewhere university and demonstrate your true potential, you can try to transfer to Stanford after two years.
The academic cutoff for NCAA D1 sports is 2.3. My GPA this year is 2.8, trying to get it up before end of the year. If I can pull off a 4.0, my cumulative GPA will be 2.9
The gpa for Division I is actually scaled, but usually the lowest is about 2.3. If this student had a really high test score, the 2.3 might be enough, but at Stanford, they may have their own requirements. I think for some really exceptional athletes they might look at the entire situation but really they look for students to be above the minimum.
Why do you want to go so badly? Even if you somehow made it (which doesn’t seem like a likely possibility atm), you would be competing against some of the most motivated and intellectually advanced kids in the world. There are plenty of other good schools that you would enjoy spending 4 years at.
A 2.9 GPA and a highly recruited athlete will get you into Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn, Nebraska and similar schools. You wouldn’t even make it past Notre Dame admissions, let alone Stanford. Sorry man, go to a lesser school who could give you a full ride with an athletic scholarship.