Chance a Washingtonian with a pretty Good SAT... but a DISMAL GPA.

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello, I attempted to get a chance a little bit ago, but there were absolutely no responses at all. So, I decided to go get some more information and try this again.</p>

<p>Well, in a nutshell. My grades are not so good. In high school I had trouble during my freshman year. I hung out with the wrong crowd of people and didn't pay enough attention to school. Thanks to some timely intervention by my parents and teachers, I was able to turn it around during my sophomore and junior year. But, I still had quite a bit of trouble. I definitely tried hard, but a lot of the time, things simply did not click for me. My GPA was never awesome and I am absolutely sure that it will be the reason for many of school rejections. I have come to terms with that fact. But, I also believe that some places will accept me. I am a hard worker and my test scores are pretty decent. I was even on the list of commended students for National Achievement Scholarship (Basically the National Merit Scholarship for African-American Students). Please help me out.</p>

<p>Cumulative GPA - 2.8 </p>

<p>My Grades Report Grades 9-11
Grade 9: Ledyard High School, CT
-Semester 1
Men's Chorus (.5 credit) - A
Symphonic Band (.5 credit) - B-
Voice Class (.5 credit) - A
Spanish II (1 credit) - B-
Adv Biology 1 (1 credit) - D
Adv Environmental Science (.5 credit) - C
-Semester 2
Adv Geometry (1 credit) - C
Health (.5 credit) - C
Basic P.E (.5 credit) - B-
Concert Choir (.5 credit) - A
Symphonic Band (.5 credit) - B+
English 9 (1 credit) - D</p>

<p>Grade 10: Ledyard High School, CT
-Semester 1
Basic P.E. (.5 credit) - B-
Chamber Choir (.5 credit) - A-
Symphonic Band (.5 credit) - B
Voice Class (.5 credit) - A
Spanish III (1 credit) - B-
Chemistry (1 credit) - B-
-Semester 2
Algebra II (1 credit) - B+
Chamber Choir (.5 credit) - A
Voice (.5 credit) - A
English 10 (1 credit) - D+
US History (1 credit) - B+</p>

<p>Grade 11: Central Kitsap High School, WA
-Semester 1
AP English Language (.5 credit) - B-
Spanish III (.5 credit) - C
Functions Statistics and Trigonometry (.5 credit) - B-
Advanced Choir (.5 credit) - A
AP World History (.5 credit) - B
Intro to Business (.5 credit) - A
-Semester 2
AP English Language (.5 credit) - B-
Spanish III (.5 credit) - C
Functions Statistics and Trigonometry (.5 credit) - B-
Advanced Choir (.5 credit) - A
AP World History (.5 credit) - B
Pottery (.5 credit) - A</p>

<p>SAT: 1980/2400, 1290/1600
Reading - 680
Math - 610
Writing - 690</p>

<p>EC:
Sports -
Soccer (2 years)
Swim (1 year)
Track (2 years)</p>

<p>Music-
CMEA Eastern Region Connecticut Choir (2 years)
CMEA All-State Connecticut Choir (2 years)
MENC All-Eastern Choir (2 years)
ACDA All-NW Honor Choir (1 year)
WMEA Regional Solo and Ensemble (1st place, 1 year)
WMEA State Solo and Ensemble (didn't place, 1 year)</p>

<p>DECA-
Chapter President (1 year)
Chapter Treasurer (1 year)
DECA Regional Competition (3rd place, 1 year)
DECA State Competition (12th place, 1 year)</p>

<p>Others-
Executive ASB Treasurer (1 year)
Key Club Member (2 years)
Commended National Achievement Scholarship Participant (197 on PSAT)
Over 200 hours of volunteer service </p>

<p>Schools that I am applying to:
Arizona State University
University of Colorado - Boulder
Hawaii Pacific University
Central Washington University
Washington State University
Anywhere else I have a shot at getting into</p>

<p>Please help, I would greatly appreciate any and all input. I would rather not go to a community college though, if at all possible. Thank you for your time.</p>

2

<p>bumpplease</p>

3

<p>Sit down your guidance counselor, and ask which colleges/universities have admitted students from your HS who have had a grade history like yours. Your grades do show an improving trend, and that is a good thing.</p>

<p>You also need to sit down with your parents, and talk about what they can pay. .</p>

4

<p>Sorry I can’t chance you since I know nothing about west coast colleges. Does your school use the Naviance program which allows you to compare yourself to others who went to your high school and applied to these colleges? The college board website can also help you find colleges that match your stats and interests:</p>

<p>[College</a> Search - Find colleges and universities by major, location, type, more.](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)</p>

<p>Your SATs and extra curriculars are very good. Get your grades up this year and do a great job on your applications and essays. Hopefully, someone who knows these schools can provide you with more guidance. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Can’t help with west coast schools – especially with no indication of a major – but with those SATs and the upward trending of your grades, I suspect there are lots of schools that would want you. And if you interview well, all the better for you. You might want to look at the “Colleges that Change Lives” list. They’re supposed to be ones that know how to take B/C students (and your later grades indicate you’re more than that) and turn them into kids that compete in the job market or grad school with the best.</p>

<p>And BTW, 2 outstanding years at a community college might well launch you into a prestigious 4-year school at quite a discount, so I wouldn’t rule that out as a potential strategy…</p>

6

<p>I also see a strong trend in improvement. 2 AP Classes in Junior year and B grades (which translate to an A for a regular course). An A grade in Business. Those are the first A grades you’ve gotten in High School, as most colleges don’t count Physical Ed, Health, or Chorus/Voice as “academic” or “college preparatory” classes. Some might count Chorus and Voice.</p>

<p>Your sophomore year looks particularly sketchy… only TWO college prep courses out of six first semester and only three out of six second? What’s with that? How many periods of PE, voice, choir and band are you allowed to have? (puzzled face). Are you at a School for the Peforming Arts or a regular High School?</p>

<p>Maybe I’m not understanding the .5 credit vs. 1.0 credits. I am accustomed to a regular high school load being either five or six 1.0 credit classes each semester (usually 5). Those five are pretty universal throughout the US:</p>

<ol>
<li>English (4 years)</li>
<li>Math (3 or 4 years)</li>
<li>Science w. Lab (3 or 4 years)</li>
<li>Social Science/History (3 or 4 years)</li>
<li>Language other than English (3 or 4 years)</li>
</ol>

<p>Most true college prep students take four full years of all five of the above disciplines.</p>

<p>I agree, check with your academic counselor.</p>

7

<p>

</p>

<p>You will definitely not have to go to community college if you don’t want to. My daughter is looking at Arizona State University. You absolutely will get in there. I don’t know the other schools.</p>

8

<p>Can you afford all those OOS schools?</p>

9

<p>Schools that I am applying to:
Arizona State University
University of Colorado - Boulder
Hawaii Pacific University
Central Washington University
Washington State University
Anywhere else I have a shot at getting into</p>

<p>**With your 197 on the PSAT, will you make National Achievement? Or do they look at GPA as well? ** </p>

<p>What is your budget? How much will your family pay for school?</p>

<p>If money is an issue, then schools like Arizona State University, University of Colorado - Boulder, and Hawaii Pacific University probably won’t work.</p>

10

<p>Thank you very much for the encouragement</p>