<p>Hey,
I went to an Open House at Drexel on October 22, and I loved it. However, I'm afraid that my grades may not be up to par to be accepted. Here are my "stats"</p>
<p>I go to a Public High School
I'm in the top 40% very close to even higher
GPA weighted is 3.489 (as of the end of junior year)
SAT: Reading 550, Math 600, Writing 510</p>
<p>AP courses i have taken:
AP World History</p>
<p>Current AP courses
AP Calculus
AP Physics: Mechanics</p>
<p>Extra Curricular:
High School Golf Team 11th and 12th
Intramural Basketball 9th</p>
<p>I realize my grades arent the best. Im just looking for some idea of my chances. If this matters at all I already finished and sent in my application.</p>
<p>Glad to hear you are interested in Drexel, Im definitely happy I came here.</p>
<p>As far as getting in goes, Drexel is a little different than other schools. Seeing as College is becoming a more generally accepted advancement from High school and that everyone is doing it, Drexel has began to change what they look for. Drexel is currently #2 in up and coming universities, and they want that to be reflected in their students. What i mean by this is you have to look like you will be successful in the future. </p>
<p>Im not sure if I am an outlier but let me give you my example:</p>
<p>I applied Early Decision in summer before Senior Year. At the time, my GPA was a 2.78 but my SATs were 2170 (Not “applying myself” was common conversation topics amongst my teachers). My extracurriculars included one season of Soccer my freshman year. I took AP Calc and AP Physics during senior year, but I had informed them on my application that I had planned to take them. Pretty much, I didn’t look like much of anything (except for my SATs). To make situations worse I applied to one of the 3 hardest majors at Drexel, Business and Engineering Duel Major (The other 2 are Bio Med and Chem Eng.). How i stood out was with my essay. I didn’t write about a previous experience, or praise myself in a long winded essay, i wrote a fictional story about how after I graduated I would bring praise and fame to Drexel. I outlined business plans and all this other stuff in the essay to make myself look entrepreneurial and self sufficient. In the end, I heard from them on October 22nd, first kid in my grade to get in to college. I even got a scholarship for half of tuition, Drexel states the lowest GPA they will offer scholarships to are 3.0s but make an impression and they will bend the standards a little to recruit you.</p>
<p>I know 7 other kids like myself who had less than optimal GPAs but showed they wanted it and knew how to use the education properly, and they all got scholarships. For our generation, its less about showing that you can get into school, and more about showing what you will do when you get out of school. Im sure by your numbers you have a good chance of acceptance. It all comes down to the essay after that.</p>
<p>One tip I can give you is if you do hear back and you happen to be wait listed, call admissions. My friend works in admissions and connects the admissions board members with prospective students all day. Be honest and respectful on the phone and be genuine. Talk about what you have to do to prove you are worthy of a Drexel education. We may be the Dragons but I promise you we are anything but ferocious people.</p>