Chances??? High SAT, Low GPA

Colleges and Universities A-Z Lehigh University
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<p>Asian Male from upstate NY. I go to a competitive public school; 30+ go to the Ivy Leagues, top liberal arts colleges, and top 25 universities.</p>

<p>Major: Biochemistry (Pre-Med), Biological Sciences, History, Economics!?? A little bit undecided as of now, but I want to explore!</p>

<p>SAT I:
Critical Reading: 770
Math: 720
Writing: 740
1490/1600
2230/2400</p>

<p>SAT IIs:
Math I: 730
U.S. History: 690
Math II: 670
Biology-Molecular: 670
Literature: 770
World History: 600
Took a lot of them! </p>

<p>AP: USH - 5, English Lang and Comp - 3, Physics B - 3</p>

<p>GPA: 3.3 UW .. sort of screwed here, will it sink me? Our school has no weighted grades.</p>

<p>10 APs by graduation, and ALL honors courses. One of the most rigorous course loads in our school i guess.</p>

<p>Senior Course Load:
AP English (Literature and Composition)
AP BC Calculus
AP Chemistry
AP Macroeconomics
AP American Government
AP Advanced Art Studio, might send in a portfolio
AP Spanish
Human Ecology (Health) .. required
AP Microeconomics: self-studying</p>

<p>Extracurriculuars:
Indoor Track 9th
JV Golf 9th, 10th
Varsity Golf 11th, 12th - Team Captain, would love to play golf in college, but it depends on how much I improve over the next winter/spring/summer
Cinema Lit. Club, Co-Founder, Treasurer: we get very good attendance (up to 80 kids a showing), and show films we think the student body should be aware of.
Teaching Assistant at an elementary summer school, 9th - +50 hrs
ROAR program (helping elementary kids at magnet schools) - 50 hrs, 10th, 11th, 12th
NYS Math League - 12th
Amnesty - 12th</p>

<p>Recs: should be very good</p>

<p>Essays: hopefully the adcoms will like them once i complete them!</p>

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<p>I think your challenging coursework, along with affirmative action will lead to good results in April as long as you show enough interest through adcom contact, school visits, etc. No worries about being undecided - Lehigh is famous for its fluidity between colleges. You'll have plenty of time to decide!</p>

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<p>i think you have a very decent chance of getting in. they will see the extremely challenging courseload and realize it for what it is. they will also know that the gpa isnt weighted, and your sats are fabulous. i kinda have the same problem. high sats, low gpa. i was already accepted to bc and villanova but i also really love lehigh, well see waht happens.</p>

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<p>hi WShamo!
i have the same problem. what are the chances of me getting in to the accelerated pre-med programs. Im a junior, with a 3.4 weighted GPA, and my SAT score is 2250. If i do reallly well senior year, what are my chances…at least into an 8-year pre-med program?</p>

<p>THANKS :D</p>

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<p>btw: i volunteer out of school, have numerous clubs in school, do one sport, and have taken 3 AP courses so far. Im taking 5 next year.</p>

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<p>@shannan123: The accelerated pre-med programs (all of them, wherever you go) are <em>extremely</em> competitive. You must be a top student to gain admission, plus you must earn high grades once you arrive at Lehigh to maintain your eligibility. As for the usual pre-med route, you have to hit the ground running at whatever college you attend. The higher your undergraduate GPA, the better your chances. You might want to visit this forum: [Pre-Med</a> Topics - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/]Pre-Med”>Pre-Med Topics - College Confidential Forums)</p>

<p>To get back to the original question: Lehigh seems to value grades over SAT scores. However, it also looks closely at the rigor of high school education, both in terms of how competitive the HS is and the course load. The advantage of having those high SAT scores is that they provide a little context for the 3.3. You are smart but attend either a non-grade-inflated HS or were stretched a little too thin.</p>

<p>Applicants should keep in mind that Lehigh looks holistically at applications. They weigh the hard facts (GPA, SAT scores) against the less tangible elements expressed in the essays and/or an on-campus interview (leadership, talent, passion, interest, etc.) Many qualified students apply, but only about 20% are accepted. Some with high grades and/or SAT scores are denied over students who might look weaker on paper but who are strong in intangibles.</p>