Uncountable number of TaeKwonDo related awards/placements (nationals/regionals/states)
Senatorial commendation for West Point
Orchestra Commendation Award
EC’s
Taekwondo (10 years) (3rd degree black belt)
Preliminary team trials for national taekwondo team for sparring excellence
Certified Taekwondo instructor
Seal of Biliteracy recipient (first class) (French)
Premiere Bass for Orchestra
Model UN Club (cabinet)
Debate Club (elections did not turn out well b/c of some bs [you can tell I’m ultra salty about it]) (senior member) (one of the most accomplished members)
YIPNE NCS Summer Program (waitlisted at that UF thingy)
Circle of Friends: Very Large volunteer program that gives companionship for disabled children (president of regional chapter)
Youtube channel (documentary based channel (see lemmino))
Recreational Chef
Cameraman (1 of 2 people at my school) (paid)
Rho Kappa
Schools? Cornell, UMich, RPI, RIT, UConn, UFlorida, Georgia Tech, West Point, Brandeis, Urbana Champaign, UVA
Backstory/Essay?- Well obviously you see that blot of a GPA. Well freshman year I moved, got COVID (twice), didn’t adjust well to the new online learning thingy, and had some serious family based issues (needless to say all of this was “distracting”) = total collapse of ability to study first 1.5 years of HS. Although once that got sorted I got back on my feet. Junior and Senior year are looking to be in the 3.9-4.3 range (expected). My GPA looks like a checkmark right now, with first semester sophomore year being my absolute LOW. It’s just all so confusing, and I don’t know how much my other stats can make up for my abysmal GPA. Will they look at my junior and senior year individually? Can I push the idea that my gpa isn’t representative of me? Do they care about progress? I want to show that A level students are capable of B work, but B level students aren’t capable of A work. What level of colleges should I really be looking at? I just wish I had the opportunity to fix my GPA.
Comments/miscellaneous: My school is not only ULTRA competitive, but the classes I take are harder than at other schools. Having lived around the country I find this school to be lightyears harder than others. I expect to have good interviews and I have great relations with my teachers if that means anything but squat. Thanks!
What really matters is how much your family can comfortably afford to pay for your college. Not how much they make vs the neighbors.
Sorry, not a hook.
That’s a very reachy list based on your profile. I’m guessing UConn is you’re in state safety. If you’d be happy going there, that’s great. Else pick a safety you like, and some match/target schools.
I have a family member who is a senior in HS with very similar stats (due to undiagnosed adhd, was evaluated junior year, medication, upward trend). 35 act/1540 sat. Unfortunately he only had one acceptance although did get off the waitlist at Santa Clara recently and got into the sophomore provisional transfer at GT. ED’d northeastern. Shoot your shot but please find real safeties/matches, on his rejections started to come in it was pretty hard. He was financially able to go anywhere, no need for merit, $80,000 a year was always the plan. Remember financial aid doesn’t get calculated taking COL into consideration. There are many very bright students going to less selective schools due to cost.
It sucks, but there may be no coming back from that GPA issue - at least in terms of highly rejective schools.
The good news is - the vast majority of colleges in the US are not highly rejective and will be happy to have you. Look for some schools that have high acceptance rates and make sure you choose at least one and preferably two solid safeties that you will definitely get into, can afford, and will be happy to attend. As long as you do that, you are set and can apply to any reach schools you want. Why not. But you must develop a good safety school or two.
In terms of COVID - yeah, unfortunately, everyone dealt with that so I’m not sure that works as an explanation. The family issues would - make sure your school counselor is aware of whatever the issue was and how it impacted your learning and ask them to include that information in their recommendation.
What is your weird GPA situation?..you have a very low GPA. That’s not weird.
If this is your list for physics - I’d change my list.
West Point - you need a political recommendation. Maybe RPI, RIT and UCONN could happen.
But why not go to Arizona - one of the top physics schools and an easy admit.
But truth is - you’re not a strong student (GPA wise) and I wouldn’t waste my time with Cornell, MIchigan, Florida, Ga Tech, Brandeis, UVA, etc. You’re not even in the ball park.
Sorry
PS - I know you wish it was different or you can fix your GPA - but ,you have what you have and there’s lots of great schools.
Instead of Florida, try an Alabama or Auburn.
Instead of Michigan/Illiniois, go for Indiana or Miami Ohio or maybe UMN, etc. . Instead of Cornell, how about Ithaca or Quinnipiac.
Instead of Brandeis, Clark could be a solid choice.
I am pretty much in the same boat as you. My GPA is similar due to my freshman year grades. Covid & online learning was a poor fit for me and my parents’ massive divorce battle didn’t help, but I didn’t perform my best and I just have to accept that and move on. The good news is that there are hundreds of great colleges where a blip in academic performance won’t be an issue. Your list is pretty reachy. I would take suggestions from the amazing people here and focus on building up a great safety/likely/target list.
Your gpa is going to be an issue at highly rejective schools like some you have listed. The good news is that there are plenty of good schools where you can get a great education and where admission is much more likely. If you share what you are looking for (cost, location, size, vibe etc) the fine folks on CC can provide some suggestions. From your existing list, UConn and RIT are possible admits if your mid-year grades are strong next year.
I agree with others that this list is a bit top heavy. I don’t know where you are an instate resident…but that might work. Depends on the state. You have a lot of public universities in this list, and some really are hard admits for OOS students (UVA, Michigan, GA Tech).
The colleges will look at what you actually have achieved, not what you perhaps had the potential to achieve. If you really had higher potential and didn’t get there, you will be possibly viewed as an underachiever. That’s never a plus. You already have a strong SAT that doesn’t exactly correlate with your GPA.
But please…remember, there are 3000 colleges in this country and many many of them will be very happy to have you as a student. So please…take a deep dive, and find a couple you really like, that are affordable and where your chances of admission are very likely.
Then…if you want to shoot for the moon, go ahead. But choose your sure things first.
I agree with much of the advice you’ve already been given. In looking at schools that have produced the largest numbers of physics and astronomy PhDs between 2010 and 2018 (source), these schools are among the top in their respective categories and that I think you would have a chance at admission:
If you’re looking for big state schools, then I would take a look at these, with Wisconsin and Minnesota probably being the reachiest of these for you:
U. of Arizona
U. of Wisconsin - Madison
U. of Colorado - Boulder
U. of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Ohio State
Michigan State
If you’re open to more of a liberal arts college experience, then I’d take a look at these, with Oberlin and Bucknell probably being the reachiest of these for you:
Arizona merit is based on UW GPA. ASU is likely a better choice as they give merit for SAT scores. S23 with 3.7UW/1530 SAT found ASU was about $8K cheaper per year, your difference in cost would likely be greater.
You might even get branched for uconn, but i am hoping for Storrs for you. I think you have a chance at Brandeis, RPI, RIT, but will the finances work? That string of 5s on AP exams - are there more coming from this month? That could help, since it shows mastery of material way above your GPA.
Is your main goal to become an officer in the US Army? It does not seem to be obvious in the initial post other than including the USMA in your college list. At other colleges, will you be doing Army ROTC? Note: ROTC does not guarantee an ROTC scholarship.