1950 sat
3.2-ish gpa (high school was abysmal for me, long story)
Thinking about applying to the following:
Drexel (most wanted)
Temple
Penn State university park
RIT
Rutgers new brunswick
Villanova (just for shiggles)
particularly interested in a stem major. Also interested in going back in time and starting sat prep way earlier.
Temple and Rutgers should be easy, as well as Penn State. Drexel is a maybe, as well as RIT. Villanova is definitely a reach. Are you a junior?
What’s the breakdown of your SAT score? If you have a good math subscore and good math/science grades, you’re probably in for Drexel. It’s a very STEM-focused school. The same goes for RIT. They’re not going to care much if you failed European History if you’ve always had straight-As in math.
Penn State could be a reach, because of the GPA. Temple and Rutgers could be matches, but def. not safeties. Avg. GPA for both is much higher than yours.
I’d say Villanova is a very high reach. Unless you’ve shown very significant (straight A) improvement in your last year, it’s not realistic. You should still try though, but fortunately it’s not even your top choice.
Not true…PSU counts GPA as 2/3 of the decision. If that 3.2 is weighted then main campus is extremely unlikely.
@transferornot What would be a safety for me in your opinion, then? Community college? I scored 650 in all three sections. Wish the math was higher but I can’t really do much about it at this point. I always did really well in math but not science. Well, I’d like to believe I’m nearly as proficient in science as I am in math but due to psychological issues and the consequent severe lack of schoolwork completion, my transcript begs to differ. I failed nearly all of my classes junior year, one of them being chemistry which I was taking for the second time already. GPA went from 3.8 to 3.2. Now I’m repeating eleventh grade via online school and it’s horrible. GPA probably won’t get much higher unless I can manage to go back to my old school next year but the chances of them readmitting me are slim.
@allison25 I know I’m not Villanova material but, as I mentioned, I’m only planning on applying for probability’s sake. And curiosity’s sake, I guess. Aside from mitigating the obvious GPA hindrance, what would you recommend I try to do in order to better my chances of being accepted to any of the schools I listed?
@bodangles I was hoping my SAT score would serve as compensation. It’s not exceptionally good but it’s above the average of every school I listed, save Villanova unless you consider a negligible amount above average at all significant.
@joewantstoknow Well, they would be safeties if you hadn’t failed a whole year recently. You’re still likely to get in due to your SATs, but maybe consider another back-up? Westchester University of PA, Rowan, and such are a notch below those in terms of selectivity, but still relatively good.
@joewantstoknow a 3.2 GPA is not horrible it’s just not very good. You can get into a satellite campus of Penn State. I don’t think you’ve got a shot at main. But who knows. I would not guarantee acceptance at Wcu, temple or Drexel. It’s so competitive out there. But you’ve got a story, your essays will count for something and your ec’s and your SATS are strong. Remember it’s a whole package!
@joewantstoknow There is obviously more going on than just SAT’s and GPA in your life. Repeating 11th grade, changing schools…if there is more to the story, anything (with regard to college admission) is possible.
My suggestion to you: consider smaller schools, ones where you will have a more personal experience with the professors and your classmates. Dickinson, Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, Ursinus, Immaculatta, Franklin and Marshall are all PA schools within a few hours of Philly, that might be a better fit. They will also be more open regarding any issues / situations you might be facing getting through high school. Financial aid (if necessary) can make up for the initial price differences with state schools.
I would contact schools, and ask them when they’ll be in the Philly area for open houses, meetings, etc., and sit in on a few of them.
@Ducky312 is right…it’s the whole package. Be reasonable about your expectations, but don’t say no to yourself…make others say that to you. I would just advise you to consider all of the options in the area, and consider a mix of large and small, University and LAC, and see where you fit it. Good luck.
@Ducky312 Do you really consider Temple and West Chester competitive? I know quite a few people who attend or are soon attending those schools, and their admission criteria aren’t difficult to meet by any means. I could kind of understand Drexel being a competitive school, but judging from their high acceptance rate I don’t think it would be much of a stretch to say I’ve already got what it takes?
@transferornot Yeah, that’s sensible lol… I guess I could consider adding West Chester to the list. I do have a very close friend who begins his freshman year there this fall. Just sucks that we were once in the same grade and now, well…
@EyeVeee There certainly is more to the story then what I provided initially, and I appreciate that you recognize that. I wasn’t exactly comfortable with disclosing the entirety of my struggles to CC and figured I’d rather stick to the two main objectives. I do think that my obstacles (and the prospective overcoming of those obstacles) will make for a captivating essay, so here’s hoping for that. I know someone who is currently a freshman at Gettysburg, and from what I hear it’s a very appealing experience, so I will keep it in mind. However, I’m not sure if my SAT score is enough for them.
@joewantstoknow - I think your SAT is fine.
I also think you made the right choice keeping your personal experiences off of this site. When the time comes to apply, you should try to meet with the schools and explain the situation. Let them see how you handle yourself, and show them that you’re ready to be successful at their school if they’ll give you a chance.
@EyeVeee That’s actually what I’m currently trying to do for my old school in hopes that they’ll take me back… Getting a high school experience with the most resources available for my final year would be really beneficial. Not only would it get me back into the groove socially, but also bolster my GPA. Colleges do look at the first semester of 12th grade, right?