My first choice for colleges would be the Huntsman program at Wharton, but I feel like my GPA might be killer in terms of the application process, especially as an Asian-American in California. I hope that my ECs are able to offset it.
ACADEMICS
GPA: 3.78 UW 4.19 W
ACT: 35 (10 on essay)
SAT II: Math IIC 800, Chinese w/ Listening 800, Chem 710
AP Courses (including senior year): AP Calculus AB (5 on BC), AP Biology (4), AP English (4), AP Chemistry (4), AP Statistics (5), AP US History (5), AP Spanish, AP Physics, AP Psychology, AP Comp Sci, AP Government
DECA (4 years): Regional, state, and international champion. Most competitively successful student in my grade level (5th largest chapter in California). Vice President and potentially President later on.
Non-Profit (4 years): Founded my own 501(c)(3) organization that promotes the use of renewable energy sources. Help other non-profits by helping them obtaining renewable energy. Saved over $3.3 million in local energy bills.
Intl. Business (2 years): COO and a co-owner of an international retail business. In charge of expanding operations to Spanish and Portugese speaking countries. Retailing in 4 countries and grossing over $500,000 in revenue so far.
Stock Trader/Investor (4+ years): Dedicated stock trader and investor. Began with initial $2.5k capital from parents and earned it to $11.7k. Applied knowledge from corporate actions learned through stock trading to other activies (i.e DECA)
Custom Design Service (3 years): Used expertise in Photoshop and Powerpoint to create campaign posters, publicity fliers for school events. Created PPTs for students for them to use in events such as their DECA presentations.
Art (4+ years): Painting and sketching since 5th grade. Competed in national contests and finalized multiple times. Tied its influence back into my design services.
Water Polo (4 years): Played on the JV team for 3 years and Varsity my final year. Attended rigorous 3 hour practices daily and played in games twice a week.
Swim Team (4+ years): Swam for Varsity all 4 years and was JV Captain for 1 year. Attended 2 hour practices every day and meets every Friday.
I also have some other ECs that probably won't be significant enough to make it onto my application.
ACHIEVEMENTS
DECA Northern California 2nd Place (x2)
DECA Statewide California 1st Place
DECA Statewide California 2nd Place
DECA International 3rd Place (set school history)
DECA NorCal Finalist (x2)
DECA Statewide California Finalist (x3)
Art National Semifinalist 2014
Art National Finalist 2015
I feel generally that my GPA is the only weaker part of my application, but GPA does play an important role. Also, how do these stats compare to other business schools like NYU Stern or UMich Ross?
If you guys need any more information, just let me know. Thanks
Impressive EC’s, great ACT, but there’s a reason why GPA is nearly universally the first thing that AO’s look at. There’s not much you can do about it now, but to your question it definitely does play an important role.
Keep in mind however, that a bunch of factors can color the way admissions looks at your GPA. How are you ranked in your class? A 3.78 is low in the high school I went to, but is very high in a private prep school that one of my friends went to. Colleges will also be looking to SAT II’s and AP scores to add context to your GPA, and you seem to be covered on that end. Recommendations will also give them a sense of the type of student you are in the classroom. So the bottom line (from my pov) is: know that it might hurt you, but don’t sweat it too much.
@lomoso Our school doesn’t do rankings, but I am in the top 15%, maybe 10% for sure. Also, my recommendation letters will be pretty good. If I manage to pull off writing a good essay, then my GPA will probably be the weakest part of my application.
I believe the average GPA of admitted Freshmen at Wharton is a 3.9, so if you work hard senior year, you may be able to up that GPA to at a 3.8075 if you get a 4.0 for the first quarter of Senior year. So, it might be better for you to apply RD instead of ED. If you are already in the Top 10%, then you have no worries. Your GC I believe has to indicate your decile rank (Ex. Top 10%, Top 20%, etc.), so ask him/her where you are. If he says you’re in Top 10%, go ahead and apply ED if Wharton is your Number 1. If not, see where you are, and if it’s possible to get into that range by RD. Good luck, I think you have a really stellar application!
@azh0804 You chances for Stern and marshall are decent. U Mich Ross prefered admit is a bit harder though. To be completely honest, I don’t think you have a shot at Wharton. Whats the average GPA that is admitted to UPenn from your school?
I think if you apply to the other top schools though like stern/marshall you will definitely have a good shot at them. Good luck!
@azh0804 since you already recognize the demographic hurdle, apply away from a lot of Asian competition. Notre Dame, Boston College, Wake Forest, Richmond, Lehigh, Bucknell, Georgetown, SMU, Indiana and Wash U.
I feel like Ask the Dean should mention "if you are native in the language, colleges will ignore you SAT subject and AP scores for admission
Penn specifically asked, in the past at least, for students who took a SAT subject in their native language to take another SAT subject to replace its score.
Huntsman is extremely competitive, so make sure you apply to a lot of top programs to give yourself the best chance of getting in somewhere.
Also, when you say “Art National Finalist” and so on, you will need to list the actual program, as some are pretty much bull to get people’s money.
Also, not sure about the Huntsman program, but I believe Penn overall ignores freshman GPA and calculates academic GPA. Any chance you have a 4.0 academic GPA?
My teacher from sophomore year did some weird stuff with the grading and got a lot of people Bs, and a lot of people are doing extra projects for him to fix the grades. I can maybe get him to fix it to an A, which will raise my UW GPA to a 3.81. Perhaps that will help? LOL
In addition, the forums have been advising people to explain if there is a legitimate reason behind bad grades. In early junior year I was diagnosed with clinical depression, but I kept trying hard, so I managed to get the same number of As as sophomore year with double the AP classes. If I were to explain, where would I do so? Because I would rather focus my essays on business or something rather than giving excuses for below-par academic performance.
Running a business/working is the one acceptable GPA mitigation for entry to a business school, and your GPA is still in range. It shows you have already faced real world problems and have a clue about what you will be learning. It makes you a more interesting candidate, which is very good for the adcom. I would not mention depression, etc… unless it is a critical part of your story. Narrative is key at these schools and it should be as cohesive as possible.
