Chances

Colleges and Universities A-Z Hillsdale College
1

<p>I'm going to be a senior this fall, what would you say my chances of getting into Hillsdale are?</p>

<p>Here are my stats: </p>

<p>I live in Michigan
GPA: 2.802
ACT: 25
SAT: 560 on CR, 560 on M, 610 on W</p>

<p>4 year of lacrosse, I will play if I get in, but it's only club so it wouldn't help in admissions.</p>

<p>3 years of IM basketball.</p>

<p>3 years of drumline/band.</p>

<p>Hopefully getting a job soon, I've been managing 3 different properties and landscaping them for my parents this summer.</p>

<p>I've done some volunteer work, not a ton.</p>

<p>My counselor told me I should send a letter to all the colleges I apply to explaining part of the reason my GPA is low, which is that I had really bad ADHD and anxiety disorder that weren't really diagnosed well until my sophomore, which really sucked. I don't know how much this will help, but my counselor seemed to think it was worth it to write the letter.</p>

<p>I'm going to retake the ACT in either September or October, maybe both, and I'm expecting to have a 27-28 when it's all said and done.</p>

<p>I plan on applying regular decision, because I plan on doing well first semester of my senior year, to show them that my GPA could and should be higher.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your help.</p>

2

<p>I am not sure if you will get in at HC or not. Your GPA is very low, and so are your SATs (for Hillsdale). They require some real thought in their essays - none of that "tell us about you" stuff. </p>

<p>Retake the SAT and try and bring your grades up. They might ask you to complete a year at another school - even CCol, before they admit you.</p>

3

<p>like i said, im retaking the act and im hoping to get a 28 or higher, as thats what ive been getting on practice tests. as for my gpa, im hoping to bring it up first semester of my senior year.</p>

4

<p>bosox: I hope you do get in, and I didn't want to sound too grim in my post. Hillsdale is a great school though, and if they don't admit you as a freshman, go ahead and apply again as a transfer. The only bad part about H.C. is the food, which I hear is improving.</p>

<p>Also, H.C. runs a number of summer educational tours which many of the prospective applicants take (for which you receive 3 credits, I think). If you have the funds, it might help to participate in one of those and then have the instructor write you a letter of rec. Might be just enough to tip your application into the "accepted" pile.</p>

<p>work hard and good luck!</p>

5

<p>Just to give you a point of reference, I graduated in 2002 from a small Christian school with about a 3.3 and a 29 on my ACT. I, too, was active in high school athletics, student government, and volunteer activities. The way I explained my admission was that I was probably not smart enough to get in, but I wasn't stupid enough to turn it down when they offered, either. Things have become increasingly stringent since I was admitted even, and I honestly doubt I would get in with those figures today.</p>

<p>If you can get your ACT into the 30's and can demonstrate a strong GPA and show that you write well, your chances will improve markedly. Writing is absolutely huge here--you will be a good writer by the time you leave, and you will get ripped to shreds when you first come, period--but the more you can show on your enterance essays the better off you'll be. I believe they offer suggested reading lists as well, and you would do very well to reference these in your essay(s). I suspect that if you show that you are committed to what Hillsdale is all about and can demonstrate character and committment, then you may stand a good chance of making it. If you have any additional questions, feel free to shoot me a private message, and best luck. It is a fantastic education.</p>

6

<p>One additional point: I'm glad to hear you're working with a counselor for the ADHD/Anxiety disorder. Just so you know, the standard deviation on the ACT is +/-2, so expect to do at best about a 27 without additional study. I've done some research for grad classes on it, and the best method for improving your score on that particular test is long term (3-6 month) educational counseling. Hopefully getting some of those psychological factors out of the way can clear a path for greater gains as well, but don't expect to just jump 5 points without some considerable additional study or even by just buying a study guide. It will probably take more than that. Best of luck!</p>

7

<p>OP: do you have an upward trend to your GPA? Can you show that after treatment, or at least diagnosis, your GPA is headed north? That might go a long way to help you. That said, I know a young lady who was admitted to H.C. with similar SATs.</p>