Went to #1 school in America for freshman year, then transferred to a midwestern public school because we moved.
Cumilitive GPA (9th-11th grades): **2.7 Unweighted /b
Senior year GPA (as of now): 3.4 unweighted
Mostly honors/AP classes.
**AP German: 5
AP World History: 5
AP Calculus AB: 3
AP Chemistry: 1
**
Just took the ACT for the first time and got the scores. **Cumulative ACT: 33 /b.
ECās: very weak. Basically I did a little of everything, but am not exceptional at anything. For example: I ski, play tennis, play piano, used to play the guitar, used to surf and windsurf and sail as a novice, was a boyscout (not eagle), did model UN (but no awards), was a member (but not president) in like 20 random clubs, member of book club, etc. etc. etc.
Work experience: none, but I live in a touristic area (ski resorts and a 5 star hotel) and I will reach out in search of jobs or internships. I know this is very late, and my stats are sub-average, but miracles happen right? I am very much passionate about this school, and even though I slacked off in my early days (due to a videogaming addiction), I am an intelligent capable student and am trying to recover.
I would definitely recommend working on obtaining work experience in the hospitality industry during the winter. SHA really emphasizes the importance of your āfitā for the school, and will not know that youāre genuinely interested in hospitality unless you intern or shadow. Good luck!
@marchmattness13 I know. If I got a hospitality job right over the winter and made my level of interest clear, do you think they may accept me despite the crappy GPA?
Also, these jobs (http://www.grandamerica.com/contact-us/careers) seem to require prior work experience, or at least a high school diploma; should I email the employment email asking if they can offer me an unpaid internship washing dishes or something? Thatās the only 5 star hotel we have in the state, and itās relatively close to where I live.
@Wittmann Yeah, i realize I might need to take that route (although I do not believe that schools would look at ACT after 2 years of college. Also, arenāt there certain class requirements which must be taken in order to major in Hotel Administration, which may not even be offered at state schools?)
Getting an internship will definitely help your chances, but I have absolutely no clue as to if that can get you in. I would email The Grand America and let them know that youāre trying to explore and experience the industry and see if thereās anything that you could do at the hotel. The worst they could say is no. Also, keep in mind that hospitality is not limited to just hotels- Iām sure there are restaurants, catering companies, and catering halls that would be interested in giving you an internship or job.
@marchmattness13 Thanks. Iāll search for all the hospitality related establishments in my area and reach out to all of them. It doesnāt really matter what I do, correct? If I wash dishes at a 5 star restaurant, I can still list that on my app?
Hereās what Iāll send, does it look okay?:
Hello,
I am a high school student applying to the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, which values work experience in the hospitality industry. I am trying to explore and experience this industry, as it is something which truly interests me.
Is there anything I could do at the hotelāperhaps an unpaid internship? I am confident that I would be an outstanding contribution to your hotel, and would be grateful for any such opportunity.
Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
While I canāt help much in terms of your intended field (I know nothing about hotel administration), youāre going to have to have something really outstanding to make up for your GPA. While we all have some kind of āaddictionā, in your case video games and in mine binge watching TV, things like that simply cannot get in the way or act as excuse for poor scores. If you want an idea of what youāre up against check out the past decision threads for Cornell on here and look at the stats of accepted students. Itās kind of insane. Furthermore, possibly having ADD with no actual diagnosis will unfortunately not help. Top schools place so much emphasis on GPA because they want to see that you can handle the rigor of their coursework, considering Cornell and other Ivies are some pretty intense schools. I mean, Cornell doesnāt release statistics on GPAs of accepted students but 91% of admitted applicants are at least in the top 10% of their graduating class, so the chances of being admitted with a below 3.0 unweighted GPA is extremely, extremely slim if not impossible.
Also, I donāt know how you performed freshman year at that prestigious high school but if itās low, and Cornell knows of the status of that school, it might not bode well. If the rigor of a prestigious high school cannot be handled, then the rigor of a prestigious college might not be handled either. Of course, that is just an inference and an assumption. I am no admissions officer.
But these are things you probably know already. While I personally think you should perhaps set your sights and valuable time elsewhere and hope to transfer later in your college career as another poster suggested, itās up to you, and thereās no harm in applying (minus that scary application fee which btw, is ridiculous).
Yikes, sorry for double posting but I ran out of time to edit. Anyway,
As for the idea of an unpaid internship washing dishes or something, you have to think, would that really be a valuable experience for you, and would it be worth the time and effort? Feel free to send the email, and maybe the hotel will respond favorably. But if their policy clearly says they do not hire high school students, then I would perhaps explore other options. Depending on corporate policy, no amount of pleading will do the trick.
Maybe instead of trying to build a resume last minute, try focusing on the essay portion where you really get to showcase not only who you are, but why youāre passionate about the school. That might help more than scouring for last minute internships.
Most companies are reluctant to do unpaid internship because it maybe illegal. I donāt think it would hurt to send in an application, but your chance is very slim. To be fair, if the Hotel school was your #1 choice, you would have known before now that you would need hospitality experience to apply.
Iām applying at ILR so Iām not sure what the requirements are from the hotel school. Iām in the first semester of my sophomore year, and I spoke with the admissions director for ILR on the phone and he said, the classes I took at community college would mean I transfer in as a first semester Junior.
Give the hotel school a call and see if they can get you a list of the transfer classes you need.
