Chance/Match me! ADHD student applying as Prelaw [NJ resident, 2.5 GPA, 1510 SAT, <$40k]

[rohdawg]

Can I get into Rutgers Newark(our school being a feeder), TCNJ, or Drexel? My counselor is explaining circumstances in his rec and is writing a separate message to admissions affirming the same circumstances. What can I do before admissions to help my chances even slightly(CLEP, call admissions, visit???)?

[tsbna44]

You can get into Harvard if they take you. It’s subjective.

So many Fs and Cs - I dunno.

Newark doesnt’ show GPAs in Common Data Set but 22% are in the 51% - 75% of the class and 3% below that. On a 3rd party site, I found an average 3.33 but go on their virtual info session.

TCNJ also doesn’t show a GPA split - but they are mostly top half and the acceptance rate isn’t insanely high - so i’d say big reach - but i don’t know. Seems harder than Newark.

Drexel unlikely.

What I do know is if you don’t apply - you can’t get in. So apply - I’d say Newark is the best shot of the three but others may disagree.

Are you a Senior? Apply where you can and I gave you some fine names that will accept you - or go to community college if you don’t get in or schools are too pricey. The schools I gave you would be price amenable to your folks I believe.

Good luck.

[rohdawg]

Thanks so much for your help. To clarify, I don’t have any Fs on my transcript. They were removed after I took the course again over the summer with a 100 that they averaged out with my F. My lowest grade was a D(or two I think)in my sophomore year.

[rohdawg]

so you started with a 3.0 and now say a 2.5.

I’m sorry for that. When it was recalculated, it was brought to light.

[ucbalumnus]

@rohdawg

My lowest grade was a D(or two I think)in my sophomore year.

D (or F) grades are likely to disqualify the course from counting toward course requirements for admission to colleges, unless the courses are repeated for C or higher grades.

[tsbna44]

So your situation changed.

You should look at schools that take 2.5s if you want a four year vs. two year experience.

The schools I mentioned (and there’s more) are not deficient to Rutgers Newark or TCNJ.

You have to open your mind to schools that are available to you - so in addition to yours and apply and see - but look at Millersville, W Carolina (will be $20K), Ramapa, William Paterson and some SUNYs - I put Oneonta which is a reach but not impossible. Others may have more.

good luck.

[rohdawg]

The D was in a nonessential(Driver’s ED) where the class was based off one or two assignments, of which I missed one, mostly due to my family life and my ADHD, but also partially due to the fact that I was recovering from a nonessential surgery.

[rohdawg]

thanks again. would you be able to look over this list and let me know how it stands given what I’ve shared? Sorry about the inconvenience.

Extremely Likely (80-99+%)

• Regis (whether the CO or MA one)

Likely (60-79%)

• Bryant (RI): About 3200 undergrads
• Caldwell
• Drexel
• NJIT
• Penn State – Branch campus (though which branch campus is not necessarily this high)
• Seton Hall

Toss-Up (40-59%)

• Bentley (MA): About 4100 undergrads
• SUNY Albany

Lower Probability (20-39%)

• Rutgers – New Brunswick

Low Probability (less than 20%)

• Babson
• Baruch: They’re test blind, so the strongest part of your application isn’t going to be seen
• Penn State – University Park
• Stevens: According to its CDS, no students had a GPA below a 3.25, and only 3% had between a 3.25 and 3.49.
• **Syracuse

[MYOS1634]

The discrepancy between a 2.5 GPA and a 1510 SAT does require a thorough explanation for any 4-year college. They’re likely to see you as a risk -someone who’s smart with extreme executive dysfunction, who is thus likely to fail out.
I remember a kid in your situation who was admitted to Roanoke provisionally as long as he took specific classes or workshops in relation to his issues. Even with that support he nearly failed out. (College isn’t as accomodating as high school: no make ups, no credit, and if you get a bad grade it’s not one out of many tests&hw points, it’s one of 4, so its weight is very hard to offset.) And this was a great kid, very motivated, did everything he could, loved his college, etc.

Drexel and TCNJ are out of reach for now.
West Chester is a reach, Millersville and Bloosmburg possible, SUNY Plattsburgh, Delaware State (diverse HBCU)… But eally your best bet is a CC with dorms (and honors program?) where you show you’re capable of what the 1510 suggests, ie., straight As.
I would ask your parents if they’d be okay with TC3->4 year college, or any community college with dorms that would help a transfer. NoVaCC would also be an academic possibility but I don’t think they have dorms.

Is a PG year at a boarding school possible (financially speaking)? If so, that’d be another possibility and you could use your SAT score for scholarships.

[tsbna44]

Others may disagree with me - let them weigh in.

Aren’t you already applying?

Someone already said Baruch might work - not Honors.

I’d say little to now shot at Toss Up and below - but you just don’t want in but a price.

It’s odd to me - your transcript would have had your GPA.

Caldwell - yes - but I presume you’d rather go to a CC and transfer.

Bryant - highly unlikely - has a 3.6 gpa and 29% class rank - but you never know.

NJIT - maybe - the GPAs reported are higher than yours but 60% show in bottom half of the class. Maybe that’s in error. But WIlliam Paterson, Ramapo, and perhaps others would work in state.

PSU branch - no clue. But I’d rather see you at Millersville.

Seton Hall - unlikely but it’s a private with a high acceptance rate. But then it won’t hit cost.

I’d keep those you want and add some safeties which I gave you. And there’s others. Take a look - all are close.

[rohdawg]

for ease of response, let me address everything in points. I hope you won’t find it rude.

The discrepancy between a 2.5 GPA and a 1510 SAT does require a thorough explanation for any 4-year college. They’re likely to see you as a risk -someone who’s smart with extreme executive dysfunction, who is thus likely to fail out.

I definitely understand that. I think that my counselor recs and ECs could help dispel that doubt, but at the end of the day, I’ll defer to what the more experienced are saying

(College isn’t as accommodating as high school: no make ups, no credit, and if you get a bad grade it’s not one out of many tests&hw points, it’s one of 4, so its weight is very hard to offset.)

I think(and so do many professionals in my issue) that I would succeed in college. A lot of my issues in high school stemmed from the fact that I’m, in my opinion, very intelligent. I just cannot focus on getting intermediate work done. There’re fewer of those kinds of assgs in college, I believe, and I think I’ll thrive in that way, especially because I will sort of be punching down in terms of work.

Drexel and TCNJ are out of reach for now.

If I ED at one of these schools(I very much like these schools, would pay for them, and will visit/have visted), do you think I’d stand a stronger chance?

[rohdawg]

I am currently applying, yes. I can get the work done to get more/different applications in, I’m not afraid of that.
On my GPA - We get updates to our gpa that are not really linked to any schedule, so I had to request a recalculate.

[Mjkacmom]

I’d say Drexel, tcnj looks like a 49% acceptance rate. My son ED’d tcnj because it was his #1 and he had a 3.4, I think the average was 3.6. How about Montclair state? Stockton? I don’t think Rutgers is going to happen.

[ucbalumnus]

@MYOS1634

The discrepancy between a 2.5 GPA and a 1510 SAT does require a thorough explanation for any 4-year college.

Probably not any, since some are less selective and would auto-admit such a student. For example, Mississippi State University admits frosh with a 2.0 HS GPA in the specified college prep curriculum. It may be at the edge of affordability for the OP, with non-resident costs of around $39k. But it is out of region for the OP.

[MYOS1634]

The D in Driver’s Ed will likely be removed when colleges recalculate GPA, as will any Phys ed grade.

If you look at your transcript, how many semesters of Honors classes (or AP) do you see?

@rohdawg

• Regis (whether the CO or MA one)
  => high reach for the CO one, possible for the MA one

• Bryant (RI)
  => highly unlikely

• Caldwell => possible but not really what you’d want

• Drexel
  => out of reach

• NJIT
  => possible

• Penn State – Branch campus => yes. Where have you applied? I’d suggested Altoona but I hope your app is in. As mentioned previously the SRAR takes a LONG time to load, up to 2 weeks, so you may be out of luck if you haven’t done it yet. Do apply NOW (and I do mean “the minute you stop reading this, don’t let yourself get distracted by anything”) if you haven’t yet. Enter Altoona as 1st choice and another branch with dorms as 2nd choice.

• Seton Hall
  => possible.

All others are currently out of reach.

Wondering if UScranton or Elizabethtown might take a chance on you. Or Roanoke, as previously mentioned.
I still think your best bet is a 2+2 situation - CC with dorms or as listed above a PSU branch; UCincinnati has a similar set up with Clermont and Blue Ash colleges if you want to go as far as Ohio.
The 2+2 set up would give you a chance to show what you’re capable of now that you’ve been diagnosed. But you need time for that and a Cc (or branch or smaller, supportive campus) would allow for that.

[CMA22]

In your situation, you might look at Mercer County Community College and Rider University.

Mercer County Community College has an arrangement for students to live in the Rider University dorms and transfer to Rider at the end of two years. Or you could potentially go directly to Rider (82% acceptance rate).

NJ community college now offering campus housing

[MYOS1634]

@rohdawg

If I ED at one of these schools

You could try a hail mary ED app to Drexel. As a private college they have more adcoms and spend more time on each application, but remember they will see your Cs so your odds are very low.

I agree with your reasoning wrt college v.HS -gifted to very gifted kids often do poorly with “busy work”.
But it doesn’t change your HS record and this is still all up in the air… so now it’s up to you to find the best place where you will show what you’re capable of

Can you answer this:

• where have you sent apps already ?
• did you submit your Penn State App? Thr SRAR? Which 2 campuses did you list?
• what’s left to do on CommonApp?
• where are you with your general essay?
• how many slots in common app have you filled so far?

[rohdawg]

I think that you’re very right. If health/phys ed is taken off, that actually will help my GPA significantly I think. I’m going to work on PSU apps right now, but would I be able to do UP(DUS/Summer/Paterno Aspirant) as my first choice, with Altoona as second?

[rohdawg]

Thanks for the recommendation. If I need to go to a CC, my local one will probably be the move, as it has transfer agreements with NYU(unique to mine specifically), but I’ll keep it in mind.

[rohdawg]

I have finished my applications for most of the schools on my common app(some still need essays written). My college counselor wants to go over every single application and submit them with her by my side, and my next appt. w/ her is tomorrow at 6:30. I’ll work on PSU ASAP. Nothing is left on the universal sections of my Common App. My essay is very polished, I have had it reviewed many times positively(many even said it was the best they’d ever read ). I have filled up 13 slots on my common app. I’ll add/remove based on the advice here, and some research. I’ll attach a photo.