<p>I want to major in communications and Annenberg at Penn is one of the best schools for that in the country, and is my first choice. I'll be applying early admission so keep In mind ill have somewhat increased chances. My freshmen year my brother had lymphoma and i had a 1.3 gpa, my sophomore year i jumped up two classes taking 8 total, joined the varsity tennis team at my school, won most improved science and English student, as well as best math and history student. I also won the county marine biology presentation conferences best biology presentation award and got to meet my senator. that year I started a hit tv show on my schools bulletin, and finished with a 3.8 gpa. This year i hahave a 3.8 unweighted GPA, 4.3 weighted, am taking 3 APs, an accelerated math class, physics, am still doing my show, and am the AP US history representative for my junior class. I have over 200 volunteer hours from the aids food bank and teen clinic, and am a national merit scholarship finalist. I'm a safe-school ambassador (a program of students who promote good behavior and anti bullying among students), I have been given a class period of my own for my tv show, I'm the co-head of the improv-comedy club at my school, and have an SAT of 2100, I also plan to run for co-president of my class senior year. I'm running varsity cross country with an invite to varsity track, and I was the host/feature producer of a full-length tv feature at my school on a fairly large school-wide scandal that made the front page of the tri-county newspaper, in which i interviewed the superintendent and a teacher involved in the scandal. Oh, and I write op-Ed articles for my local newspaper. My priority is Penn Annenberg, but I would also like to know my chances for brown, Tisch tv school at nyu, Columbia, calberkeley, and, what the hell, Harvard.</p>
<p>The only chance you have to get into a highly-ranked school is to apply to ones that don’t take into account your freshman year. That GPA is nasssstttttttyyyyyy! That being said, a 2100 just can’t make up for that freshman GPA… Sorry, no chances at these schools. Well, <em>MAYBE</em> UCBerkeley because it doesn’t count freshman year. Your chances at UCB are decent… I think. </p>
<p>Chance me? And my really high reaches are just “what the heck, why not?” applications.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1211013”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1211013</a></p>
<p>The thing is, at least according to my college counselors, and about 6 other (fairly qualified) individuals, the whole, “my brother had cancer” thing, as well as the whole turnaround from adversity situation, make up for a poor freshmen year, or at least account for it. Also, according to what I’ve heard, only being able to apply to colleges that don’t take into account my freshmen year gpa allows me to apply to just about… All colleges ever</p>
<p>You’re sadly misinformed… VERY sadly misinformed…</p>
<p>So two ap English teachers(one of whom got a friend into Pomona full scholarship) two college counselors, a communications media alumni, and my UCB attending brother are wrong, because they go in the face of a guy on a forum? I’m afraid I’m going to disregard you’re opinion, just because, and I’m seriously not trying to be rude here, I’m aware I at least have some chance, and I asked on this forum to find out what chance that was, not how much I totally can’t achieve my dreams of ivy league acceptance</p>
<p>Hey, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news… But someone had to tell you. They’re wrong, I’m sorry, but they’re wrong. Almost all schools consider your freshman year. 3 APs and a 2100 WILL NOT make up for a 1.3 GPA. That’s like all Fs… No, even if you had all As, you STILL couldn’t get into an Ivy League school with a 2100 and 3 APs, much less with a year of all Fs. Sorry to be mean, but you got cocky with me, and I’m right, so yeah, I’m gonna’ come out and say it. You’re wrong. Everyone who’s told you otherwise must have his or her head screwed on backwards…</p>
<p>Okay, well, to be frank, I disagree, and that’s my opinion, ive been published in the huffingtonpost before. Maybe with some sort of credentials or qualifications your opinion would hold more merit, but for the moment, you’re a guy on a forum, going against 6 qualified individuals I know</p>
<p>You’re the one who asked for the opinions of, umm, let’s see, PEOPLE ON THE FORUM! All of them would agree with me about your chances, or lack thereof. But whatever, go back to your delusional little world, but when the time to apply rolls around, reality’s gonna’ bite you right in that narcissistic a- er, butt, of yours… </p>
<p>Disclaimer to others, whom I might actually care what they think about me: I don’t wanna come across as some belligerent dream-crusher, but I gave this fool the truth, along with some advice, and he proceeded to tell me I was wrong, when he was the one asking for input. So yeah, I’m normally not like this, sorry folks. Not you though, OP.</p>
<p>Well to be quite frank, I feel you’re being a little preachy, but that’s your choice, I’m okay with your opinion, i choose to disagree. Im aware I have chances, that’s my opinion. I actually have posted to the forum before and have been given fine chances, but I felt like keeping up with the joneses. Well, I’m sorry that this couldn’t be productive, but whatever, thanks anyhow</p>
<p>Look, you’re out at all but maybe UC Berk., but you have to improve your ECs to have a chance there. Maybe raise your SAT and you have to take the SAT subject tests to have a better chance.</p>
<p>As far as NYU and any of the Ivies? You’re out UNLESS there is severe justification, and I’ll tell you why. People on this forum aren’t stupid, and we understand circumstances. Your brother had cancer, that’s terrible, and I feel for you - but colleges are looking for a student who took his bad experience and turned it into a completely good one. You seem to have revamped your cycle and now have a good GPA…but, your brother had cancer. A 1.3 GPA means you basically didn’t attend school for that year. Were you forced to care for him or manage house affairs? Was it so bad that you basically had to quit school or see your family suffer? Or were you going to school normally, but just saddened with your brother. In that case, 1.3 is too low - a 2.xx would be more justifiable, but a 1.xx means you basically didn’t do anything. I don’t mean to be harsh, but that’s how it is.</p>
<p>Now, if you can get medical justification as well as attendence records, etc., showing that you were unable to attend school very much or whatever due to extenuating family conditions, colleges <em>CAN</em> ignore your Freshman GPA - even the ones that take it into consideration. You need to have documentation as well as a STELLAR essay.</p>
<p>But still, your ECs and SAT are weak for Ivies in general. Raise it to the 2200 range if you want Harvard and Columbia. You HAVE to take subject tests for any of these schools and get a 650, probably a 700+ per subject, 2 minimum. Get a few more leadership roles and take a few more APs. Then you have a chance…and I’ll leave it at that. It’s a reach for anyone to get in Columbia and Harvard. NYU is very competitive too. So if you change things a bit, you have a minimal chance that the colleges will look at you and feel that you are acceptable. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you! I actually was prompted to look up my transcripts by this conversation and it turns out it was a 2.0. Even with poor chances, I just wanted a productive answer, not just someone bagging on my chances. thanks alot!</p>
<p>Oh, and Im aware that Columbia and Harvard are big stretches no matter what, I’m mostly into Penn, I just felt like throwing in the old standards, thanks!
P.S. My great great great great great grandfather was actually William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, so I think I might throw that in there somewhere when I apply</p>
<p>He told you the same thing I did, pretty much… Though I didn’t tell you to raise your SAT score, because well, that’s a given. But apparently I’m “bagging on your chances” while he’s giving you productive answers. Whatever lol, whatever… I’ve dealt with enough crud today. Night.</p>
<p>Sam, don’t ask a a person question if you aren’t going accept his or her answer.</p>
<p>Well in general I prefer “you probably can’t get in, try doing…” to “absolutely not” followed by a series of increasingly angry and condescending posts. I just disagreed at the start of the conversation, and I think it may have escalated, and I’m sorry about that, but I just wanted an answer that didn’t fly entirely in the face of what I’d heard, instead of slightly against it.</p>