Chance a low GPA gal?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Mount Holyoke College
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<p>Hi MoHos! Mount Holyoke is my current first choice and I really do love the school. Would any of you mind chancing me or giving me some advice? Thank you so much!</p>

<p>GPA (UW): 3.1
SAT: 1830 CR: 650 Math: 600 Writing: 580
Rank: Top 50%</p>

<p>I have switched schools from a rigorous top charter school to my local public school. My former school did not offer a bussing system and my parents are out of town twice a week for work. I had no way to get to school and therefore I switched. The former school was ridiculously rigorous and practiced grade deflation. </p>

<p>My sophomore year is what brought my GPA down. I had two teachers arrested for pedophilia, one teacher die in front of me and then two of my friends committed suicide. Most of my grades are A's and B's but that one year I received 5 C's. It had a massive impact on my GPA, as you can see. </p>

<p>I have taken an extremely rigorous schedule and will be graduating with 14 college level classes (dual enrollment with local universities including Penn State and AP classes). I have doubled, tripled and quadrupled on various subjects at a college level. I have never taken a course below Honors in high school. Even my gym classes were at an "honors" level. </p>

<p>AP's (Score in Parentheses):
Biology
Chemistry
World History (4)
U.S. History (5)
English Language and Composition (5)
U.S. Government and Politics
Comparative Government
Psychology</p>

<p>College Classes:
Intro. to Fiction Literature
Critical Analysis and Composition
Calculus 1
Calculus 2
Physics
Intro. to Philosophy</p>

<p>My recommendations are excellent and are coming from a college professor and one of my AP teachers. They are both wonderful and very personal. My counselor recommendation will be average to above average. </p>

<p>Extra Curricular Activities: </p>

<ol>
<li>Model UN (9-12) </li>
<li>Assisted in organizing a Model UN competition for Middle Schoolers</li>
<li>Represented the delegations of Somalia, Japan, Ecuador and Iran</li>
<li>Chosen to address the General Assembly in local University</li>
<li>Mentored 5 members of the team</li>
<li>Speech and Debate Team (9-12) </li>
<li>District Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking (11th Grade) in the State League </li>
<li>Qualified and Semi-Finaled in States (8th in the State) in Extemporaneous Speaking</li>
<li>Competed at Wake Forest University Early Bird competition and semi-finalled</li>
<li>District Champion in Congress Debate in the N.C.F.L. </li>
<li>Competed at Harvard College in Extemporaneous Speaking (10-12) and Yale (12)</li>
<li>Experience in multiple fields such as Public Forum Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Extemporaneous Speaking and Congress Debate</li>
<li>Biology Club (9-12)</li>
<li>President 9-10 </li>
<li>Participated in Marine Biology Compatition</li>
<li>Founded a branch in New School </li>
<li>Green Team (10-12)</li>
<li>Volunteered in an after school program for inner city children to teach them about how to make their school more “green.” </li>
<li>District-Wide Energy Audit Project/Eco-Lexus Competition</li>
<li>School Newspaper </li>
<li>Managing/News Editor</li>
<li>Heads political/healthcare news column</li>
<li>Tutored kids (9-12)</li>
<li>Peer tutoring in school</li>
<li>Tutored middle school kids</li>
<li>Taught at a School for Disabled Children in India for a few summers</li>
<li>Also assisted in raising money for its creation ($2000)</li>
<li>Taught physically disabled children (3 Summers)</li>
<li>Assisted in Medical Research at local Osteopathic Medical School</li>
<li>Shadowed 2 Doctors </li>
<li>Neurosurgeon and Dermatologist</li>
<li>Piano</li>
<li>Played for 10 years </li>
</ol>

<p>With everything I have done, where would you put me? I'm not sending any essays unless I am absolutely in love with them. My common app essay extensively discusses my experience with bullying. I'm considering rewriting it though. </p>

<p>What do you all think?</p>

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<p>I’m just another applicant, but I think you have a great chance. Your GPA isn’t stellar, but maybe you could get your Counselor to explain what happened during your sophomore year? That would help a lot. Also, it helps if your grades go on an upward trend. </p>

<p>About your SATs, your Math and Writing are below the 25th percentile. Your CR is inside the middle 50%, so it’s fine. Since MHC is test optional, if I were you I’d choose not to send them. Although maybe it wouldn’t make much of a difference. From all I’ve read, they seem to focus much more on all other aspects of an applicant, so I doubt it’ll affect you.</p>

<p>Finally, you’ve probably heard this before, but make sure you focus on how negative experiences helped you grow instead of focusing on the negative consequences they had on your life. </p>

<p>That’s all, and I wish you the best of luck!</p>

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<p>For reasons that are way too complicated to explain outside of a 12 page essay, I had a weird high school situation as well and I didn’t have any grades to show for my junior year. I ended up dropping out and homeschooling myself for my senior year. However, MHC still accepted me (for reasons beyond my understanding). Not only that, I was an international student who required aid, meaning my chances were already pretty minuscule. My schedule wasn’t nearly as rigorous as yours, nor did I have the opportunity to take college classes (although I tried… how I tried). MHC is a SAT optional school, so you don’t even have to bother sending your scores if you’re uncomfortable about them. The admissions process is very holistic. A low GPA won’t keep you out and a high GPA won’t necessarily get you in. </p>

<p>What you need to do is explain your situation in a letter addressed to the admissions committee on your common application. That’s it. If you do that, you’ll be fine. Frankly, I would eat my hat if you <em>didn’t</em> get in. Although that isn’t saying much, considering I don’t own a hat… :)</p>

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<p>Does anybody else have any input? I’m curious about this myself.</p>

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<p>Thank you all so much! :slight_smile: Does anybody else have any input? I’m really interested in knowing what type of chance I have!</p>

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<p>I thought I’d inform everybody on this thread about my decision. I’ve always been frustrated when a “chance me” thread ended with nobody really telling us what happened. To all the wonderful people who told me I would be accepted, thank you so much. Fortunately, I WAS ACCEPTED TO MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE! Thanks for giving me hope when I had none college confidential community :slight_smile: GOOD LUCK TO ALL CURRENT AND FUTURE MOHO’S! I can’t even begin to tell you all how excited I am! :)</p>

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<p>Yay!!! That’s super exciting, congrats! :)</p>

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<p>UnusualAsianKid, CONGRATULATIONS! I’m very happy for you and excited to meet you next year (most likely)!
I’m also very sorry about all the negative things that have happened to you, but I am so glad you have been able to work past them and thrive.
Are you going to the Admitted Student Program?</p>

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<p>@ MayQueen
Hi! when will the admitted student program be?</p>

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<p>From the 14-15th unless you want to go a day early for the Experience Diversity program, in which case it is from the 13th to the 15th.</p>

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<p>To the OP–congratulations!!</p>

<p>D is a senior and feeling very conflicted right now–her days as a green griffin coming to an end soon. Welcome to a new green griffin!!!</p>

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<p>UnusualAsianKid: are you in the facebook group?? I’m so proud of you, I think it’s great that you got accepted!</p>

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<p>Thank you for the well wishes everybody :slight_smile: I hope my post brings a little bit of confidence or hope to a kid who’s been through some tough times in high school and took a hit academically. Thank you MayQueen for the kind words! And MADad, I’m sure your daughter had a great time at Mount Holyoke :slight_smile: I wish her the very best in her future endeavors! Lesidols could you link me to the facebook group? I think I joined it. I might make a post sometime in the future about Southasian groups! Is everybody here going to Mount Holyoke next year?</p>

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<p>This is the link: <a href=“http://www.facebook.com/groups/MHCCLASS2017/[/url]”>http://www.facebook.com/groups/MHCCLASS2017/&lt;/a&gt;
I haven’t sent my deposit yet, but I’m very likely to go. I just need to figure out some financial issues. :)</p>

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<p>Lesidols, I got nothing in financial aid. I just got off the phone with them and I get zero. Not even a couple hundred dollars to help with tuition. My family can afford to pay, but I don’t know if I want to make them spend that much money. In your opinion, do you think it’s worth it?</p>

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<p>And yes! I just joined!</p>

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<p>Did you also make a post about it in the group? If so, it was you whom I messaged. :slight_smile: If not, tell me and I can make a similar point I made to someone else…</p>

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<p>Have you made up your decision about whether or not you are going lesidols?</p>

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<p>i haven’t comitted but I’m pretty certain :slight_smile: what about you?</p>