Cornell/UPenn with lowish GPA?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey, guys. I'm really depressed right now, as is probably evidenced by the fact that I'm posting this at 2:30 in the morning. I'm seriously concerned about college. I really want to go to either UPenn or Cornell ED. However, I'm afraid my academics don't stack up to these schools, even ED. Please be straight-up with me. I'm furious at myself for putting myself in this situation. </p>

<p>Grades:
9th grade Courses/Grades
AP Calculus BC: B
Chemistry Accelerated: B
Physics Accelerated: B
English I: A
European History I: A
Spanish III: A</p>

<p>10th grade Courses/Grades
Multivariant Calculus and Linear Algebra: A
AP Chemistry: B
Biology Accelerated:B
Spanish IV: A
English II: A
US History I: A</p>

<p>10th grade summer Courses/Grades
Computer Programming I: A</p>

<p>11th grade Courses/Grades (These are as good as certain)
AP Computer Science: A
AP Biology: B
AP Spanish: A
AP Language: A
AP European History:A
Art History I: A</p>

<p>11th grade summer:
Research under professor at prestigious medical school (co-author in 2 peer-reviewed papers )</p>

<p>Will take SPA 224 Hispanic Studies at Princeton University senior year (actual Pton course, our school lets us do that)</p>

<p>Predicted UW GPA for 9-11: 3.64
Predicted W GPA for 9-11: 4.38
My school does not rank.</p>

<p>SAT scores:
SAT II Math Level I and Level II: dual 800's in middle school (meaningless, I know, but IDK what else to say about that)
SAT II Physics: 790
SAT II Spanish: 800
SAT I: 2320</p>

<p>AP scores
AP Calculus BC: 5
AP Chemistry: 5
AP Statistics: 5 (self-studied)
AP Spanish:4 (predicted, please just assume so)
AP European History: 5 (see above)
AP Biology: 5 (see above)
AP Comp Sci: 5 (see above)
AP Language: 5 (see above)</p>

<p>EC's:
7th place in division at PUMaC
Officerships in two clubs
Captain of Quiz Bowl team junior year
Tournament chess player
Science Olympiad: multiple medals at various invitational tournaments, multiple gold medals at states, silver medal at nationals 10th grade
University research
Approximately 200 volunteer hours in a hospital
National AP Scholar (?)
223 PSAT, possible NMSF</p>

<p>Is there still anything I can do? I've made a total mess of high school.
I feel like a total loser at this point. My head really hurts and I'm really worried.</p>

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<p>Can someone help?</p>

3

<p>You do not present the record of a loser, triplenickel. Your GPA may end up keeping you out of the two schools you mention; it’s possible, though, that your impressive extracurriculars and test scores will overcome that. BUT … Here’s a mother to tell you: </p>

<p>1) You may not call yourself a loser.
2) You have not made a mess of high school; you have gotten good grades and you’ve worked hard. So your GPA is in the 3.6s and not the 3.9s. It is what it is.
3) You should keep doing the things you like to do, that fulfill you, that make you happy, that are fun and interesting … FOR YOU. </p>

<p>Practically speaking, if you have access to Naviance data or other data on the type of kids from your own high school who have gotten into various schools, that could be helpful.</p>

<p>Think about what you want to study and find good safeties and matches where you can be happy and pursue what you’re interested in studying so you’ll have good options should your dream schools not work out.</p>

4

<p>Can anyone recommend a list of matches for me? Also, can someone tell me which of my two reaches I should apply to ED?</p>

5

<p>You need some respective, there are many great schools out there, don’t pin your hopes on 2.</p>

6

<p>Waverly, I know I sound pretty weird, but I’m woefully uninformed about my options. Can you give me some examples of schools I have a decent chance at? Also, which school should I apply to ED?</p>

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<p>Do you have a Fiske Guide, triplenickel? I recommend spending $15 or so to buy the latest version. Run through the book. There are 300 or so schools in the guide. The narrative descriptions of the schools generally talk only about positives, but you will get a feel for the type of programs available and the type of students each school attracts. You can take some things with a grain of salt, but you can probably get a general sense of where you might fit academically and socially. (Though err on the side of inclusion when making your list; don’t write a place off based on one stray comment if it otherwise seems interesting to you.) </p>

<p>The book includes information on typical cross-applications (i.e., to give a rough idea of the other schools kids who are looking at a particular school also may look at; the Princeton guide also has this feature). It provides a quick rundown on application requirements, the importance of interviewing (required, optional, etc.), financial aid (whether school does or does not guarantee to meet need, etc.), among other helpful tidbits (cost, m/f ratio, test score ranges). </p>

<p>You haven’t said a thing about what you WANT in a school (where it should be, how big, what programs you want). That makes it difficult for people to provide lists. I could give you a list of dozens of schools that would provide a good education but they might be too big or in a wrong location or the wrong type of school for YOU for any number of reasons. To this point, another good thing about the Fiske Guide is that it has a questionnaire to help you narrow the pool of schools you’re looking at. </p>

<p>As for which school you should apply to ED: Take a look at the statistics on ED versus RD admission for your dream schools. You can find this information at a site like CollegeData, although it may not be up to date. Best to look at the individual schools’ sites (look for their Common Data Sets; that’s where they report this information). If cost is not an option and you have a clear, uncontested first choice, ED could be a great option for you.</p>

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<p>I want a school that would look reasonably appealing to top-ranked medical schools. Beyond that, I don’t really care.</p>

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<p>Okay, then. There are all kinds of threads in which people argue about this very topic. Once you sort out the extreme opinions, you’ll find that the most credible answer is, “Go wherever you want/get in/can afford, maintain a good GPA and do well on the MCAT.”</p>

<p>With regard to top-ranked medical schools: It probably matters relatively little how highly ranked your medical school is for the purposes of getting into a residency program. That’s what I’ve observed looking at the preparation of doctors I work with at a major academic medical center. (I speak from the perspective of someone who has scoured the credentials of hundreds upon hundreds of MDs.) </p>

<p>But, whatever … You’ll find plenty of people who will be happy to tell you that you’re sunk if you can’t get into a top 20 school as an undergraduate. They’ll be wrong, but they’ll be so loudly and persistently wrong that you may start to think they must be right.</p>

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<p>@absweetmarie, don’t get me wrong. I understand what you’re saying and I appreciate your advice, but I really just came here to find out what my chances of getting accepted to Cornell ED are. Can you give me an honest appraisal of that?</p>

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<p>Both Penn and Cornell have ED admit rates around 30 percent. Most current data on GPA for Penn (collegedata.com) shows 87 percent of enrolled freshmen with a GPA above 3.75. I’d say that data suggests your GPA would be an issue for Penn, ED or RD. GPA data not posted for Cornell; you might have better luck on the Cornell site. If you can find out how kids at your own high school fared, you might have a better picture. (I mentioned Naviance above; does your school have that?) So, straight up, Penn seems like a super-duper reach. Cornell, I don’t know. </p>

<p>But, let me ask you this: You’re a smart kid, obvi. These data are out there. Why not poke around and see for yourself? Do you really think a bunch of people who have no more knowledge, really, than you have (or than you can obtain from searching the Web) are going to give you a better answer than you can find on your own? They really can’t. Admission to selective schools seems to get tougher every year, from what I can tell. </p>

<p>The part that’s bugging me is that you are “furious with yourself” about something you can’t change rather than being proud of yourself for what you have accomplished. It makes me sad, is all.</p>

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<p>i don’t see why people think there is one universal GPA scale; there clearly isn’t. look at your school’s naviance data or talk to your guidance counselor about your own school and its own alumni.</p>

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<p>You need to consult a school counselor or a shrink to talk to… I don’t think your gpa will add up to that because my gpa is a little higher but I have received worse grades. I can tell you’re putting WAY to much stress on yourself and you need to relax!! You’re an excellent candidate for those schools and you have a great chance of getting in!! :)</p>

14

<p>Not getting into Cornell and/or Upenn is not the end of the world. Get that in your head first.</p>

<p>Look at your school’s naviance data, if available, or talk to your guidance counselor and ask him/her where kids with that GPA or similar GPA typically get in. You have an excellent SAT score btw and that already makes you competitive for almost all schools.</p>

<p>Some more schools I recommend you look at:</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon
USC (offers merit scholarships btw)
Penn state (They have a 6 year medical program although very competitive)
Rice University
Tufts</p>

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<p>Naviance says the average accepted WGPA at my school for Cornell (RD+ED) is 4.48.</p>

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<p>How much an your family pay? What state are you in?</p>

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<p>triplenickel,</p>

<p>With regard to the Naviance data, the average is probably less meaningful than the individual results. What I would look at, if I were you, is how many people with GPAs like yours got accepted. How many people with your approximate combination of GPA and test scores were accepted? Waitlisted? Rejected? </p>

<p>Echoing Waverly, finances are a nontrivial factor for most families. What about yours? I gather, from your other posts, that you are from Connecticut. UConn is an obvious safety choice. So is any school that offers good deals (like, umm, free rides?) to NMFs; there’s copious information on this site about options for NMFs, should you be fortunate enough to make the cut-off, which it seems you have a good shot at. If you look beyond the Ivies and other schools with <20% admissions, I think you’ll find that your chances at admission at most schools are pretty high. I’m fearful, though, that you’ll fall into the trap of feeling there are only a handful of schools that qualify as “good enough.” If you believe that, I recommend you put your critical intelligence to work to investigate the validity of that belief. Especially if you are serious about medical school. Saving money on undergraduate school = more money for medical school; not going into serious debt as an undergraduate is also, obviously, a good strategy if medical school is on your radar.</p>

<p>If you are honestly seeking advice about how to increase your chances for successfully competing for entrance into a “good” school, you need to know that the best way to seem like an interesting candidate is to be interesting. You have a lot going for you; focus on that, rather than obsessing about admission to a particular school. You are going to get into a good school, and there are plenty of lovable schools out there other than Penn and Cornell. </p>

<p>The bigger question is: What is your deal? Are you really as desperate as you come across in your CC posts? Many of your posts have a hysterical air about them. You refer to yourself with the epithet “loser” quite a bit. If you really feel that way, changing your self-image ought to be your first order of business. (BTW, it’s just as troubling if you don’t feel “like a loser” but just feel compelled to present this persona on CC.)</p>

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<p>BTW, triplenickel, what was wrong with the five pages of feedback you got on this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1330627-2320-sat-multiple-800s-good-ecs-terrible-gpa.html?highlight=triplenickel[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1330627-2320-sat-multiple-800s-good-ecs-terrible-gpa.html?highlight=triplenickel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>???</p>

<p>You cannot seriously feel you need more input.</p>

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<p>Your GPA is far from terrible. I’m applying to Cornell ED with a 33 ACT 4.38, and according to Naviance, I can get in ED.</p>