Chance me for the Ivy League..? :D

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm taking a year off after completing high school and will be applying to colleges this winter.</p>

<p>Toronto, Canada, born in small-town Russia</p>

<p>Gr.12 average: 89% (80+ is an A)</p>

<p>ABYSMAL grades in other years, cumulative average for all 4 years is maybe 55%. I had a really tough time and stopped attending: foster homes, sick/dying parent at one point, which I plan on discussing in my essay.</p>

<p>SAT Score: 2180 (CR: 790, writing: 790, math: 600)</p>

<p>No AP courses. Courses are either University or College level; I took all Uni level throughout my high school career, even in subjects I was not interested in pursuing further. </p>

<p>As well, I failed a few courses in Grade 9 (worst of my personal problems AND I was pulled out of the country for a month because of family issues back in Russia) so in Gr.12 I took 10 courses instead of the usual 6, as well as working and my ECs, to graduate on time. It was what I would call a "rigorous" courseload. :P</p>

<p>-Certificate in French Fluency
-S/R/W Russian</p>

<p>ECs:</p>

<p>My real passions have always been American politics, history, and journalism. My class presentations were more like long lessons to the class, trying to involve them, to explain issues in a in-depth but also relevant, interesting away. They were really out of the ordinary, and teachers took notice...</p>

<p>-Internship at TV station
-Interned at radio station in Ghana this summer
-Internship at small publisher this fall
-30+ articles in local publications
-Created website about issues behind school shootings, (Something I found at once over-hyped and ignored)
-Created and Co-Prezzed Historical Society of school; organized a televised event, began creating a course for the school curriculum, interviewed war vets and alumni to preserve their memories
-Royal Canadian Army Cadets - Top Cadet in Training Level
-Volunteered for green club quite a bit
-Part-time job at Art store, 2 years; other jobs here and there</p>

<p>As for my school, I'm not sure if it's sent students down south but it's a rather competitive school. No idea what my class rank is, but I will try to find out.</p>

<p>Thanks for reading.</p>

2

<p>Colleges sometimes ignore one year (it would be your Freshman year if they did so) of high school, but they won't overlook two or three.</p>

<p>If your GPA was that low in your first three years, even your decent senior year GPA isn't going to help pull it up too much. You seem to have a very demanding senior year course load, but colleges don't like to see someone doing poorly or without outstanding merit, and then suddenly go all-out senior year. They want a more consistent performance throughout high school.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, if you had personal problems earlier on, you can (and probably should) attach something explaining your grades then and your personal situation.</p>

<p>Your SAT is decent, but it will not stand out at all when applying to the Ivies. Have you taken any SAT IIs? If not, you really need to.</p>

<p>Your ECs are pretty diverse, which is good, and you seem to show good focus in one or two. Do you do any sports?</p>

<p>Either way, the top Ivies (HYPSM level) are definite reaches for you, and the tier IIs (Brown, Cornell, Duke level) are at least slight reaches as well. Your GPA and SAT score will hurt you, even if the rest of your application seems to be solid. Plus you're an international. That always makes things tougher.</p>

<p>But don't let that discourage you. Your chances aren't abysmal. Definitely apply, and good luck.</p>

3

<p>What is a 55% in your system? B? C?</p>

<p>Your GPA is way to low for the Ivy Leagues.
If you also need financial aid, the chances for many of them are even lower.</p>

<p>Ivy Leagues: Very Unlikely/ REJECT</p>

4

<p>Wait, what's too low? My overall GPA or my gr.12 mark?</p>

5

<p>@ #2:</p>

<p>I appreciate the in-depth reply.</p>

<p>I really wonder how far a letter will go in excusing those horrible marks in my past... hopefully it could have some impact.</p>

<p>Anyway, does anyone have any recommendations for what I can do to improve my situation in the time that I have left? My expectations are pretty low, but I'm willing to work hard if there's a chance.</p>

6

<p>I was referring to the cumulative average.</p>

7

<p>The problem is that, at this point, you don't have too much time left to help your case. There are only several months left until college applications are due. In addition, if you spend the first few months of your senior year joining clubs left and right, colleges could see you as merely padding your resume.</p>

<p>What you can do, to increase your meager chances, is to continue with the activities and ECs that you already have, and further demonstrate dedication and passion for them.</p>

<p>Despite all of that, your average GPA and SAT (at least as far as the Ivies go) will not help you stand out. Being an international is another big obstacle.</p>

8

<p>REJECT AT ALL IVY LEAGUES.</p>

<p>sorry, but you stats are wayyy to low:</p>

<p>55% gpa?
600 Math score?</p>

<p>amd you're international, that makes it a lot harder.</p>

<p>consider applying to schools that are more in your range.</p>

9

<p>This OP is already done with high school. As he stated, he will be taking a gap year so he should be applying for colleges in the fall of 2008.
There's nothing much you can do now.</p>

10

<p>BAHH</p>

<p>Is the GPA they first look at really the 55%? Because I was thinking it'd be the A...</p>

<p>I've been pursuing my ECs since the 10th grade, so at least those haven't all been last-moment.</p>

<p>BTW, does anyone know what acceptance rates are like for internationals?</p>

11

<p>I might suggest a "13th" year of prep school which used to be quite common, and still is an option to improve gpa andtake higher level coursework. There are several schools in the US which offer the 13th year just for this purpose.</p>

12

<p>They look at all the years of your high school career. Your senior grades are the strongest, but that was preceded by 3 weak years. If your senior year was an 89%, then your first 3 years of high school must be very low (44% each) to achieve that cumulative average.</p>

<p>And you haven't answered my previous question: what is a 55% converted to a letter grade in your school system?</p>

13

<p>Sorry: the grade is a D.</p>

<p><em>sigh</em></p>

<p>I'm actually not too sure about that, though. I do have a record of As and Bs even in those first three years. What if my 4-year cumulative GPA were a low B, which it may be? Would that make the unfortunate parts seem less... unfortunate?</p>

14

<p>I was considering the 13th year of school, but I'm not sure how much that would help me out, because those first three years would still be on the record...</p>

15

<p>No to Ivies traditional programs, but have you considered the General Studies programs at places like Harvard or Columbia? Otherwise, find a range of schools that you like, and apply. There is life outside the IVies.</p>

16

<p>Get a copy of your transcript; it might be possible that the cumulative average is already written on it. If not, recalculate your cumulative average because it's possible you made a error or missed something entirely.</p>

17

<p>Hmm if you're already done with high school, the colleges that are within your reach are pretty much set. And sorry to say, the Ivies are probably not in that reach.</p>

<p>Sorry. Your first few years of high school really did hurt your chances badly. Even though you had what sounds like very bad personal problems, there is only so far that colleges are willing to go to excuse you for that.</p>

18

<p>Alright. I will get that done. New question: if my cumulative average is a low B, as it might be, would that give me a chance?</p>

19

<p>Probably not for the Ivies.</p>

20

<p>Okay, one last stab at it:</p>

<p>I figure I can re-take the courses I did badly in and pull up a better average. If not for the Ivies, it'll be good in general, and I wouldn't mind.</p>

<p>Sooooo....</p>

<p>as I've read that unis will discount freshman year marks, can I just not send those in? If not, how would they look at them?</p>