<p>I was wondering do high act and ap scores make up for a low gpa. my stats are as follow.
Loc:Chicago
ETHN:African American
STAT:Poor/disadvantaged background
GPA 1.8 all honors courses(can explain why in essays/interview, very good reason)
Currently a junior, many schools i have looked at dont factor in my senior year or freshmen year. I think that my recalculated GPA for fresh and what i have completed in terms of freshmen year would be a 2.0.
ACT: 35
AP: US HIST 5
GOV 5
GOV Comp 5
BIO 4
CHEM 4
PHYS C 4
CALC BC 3(plan to retake)
OTHER: Play violin,alto sax,tenor sax, and clarinet at an exceptional level.
I want to go to a big state school and was wondering what my chances would be at say, UMICH,UWISCmadison,UIUC,or UIC. Do i have a chance?
I know that my ACT score is much higher then all of those schools average, and was hoping this in combination with my background/personality they might give me a chance.</p>
<p>I dont know anything about those schools, but having such a low GPA will cause you a lot of problems - e.g. you are able to do the work but dont apply yourself. I'm in a similar situation, but I only have a 3.0, and am finding it to be quite a stretch to get into anything decent. I would apply to a lot of safety schools if I were you</p>
<p>I think if your grades were better, almost every school in the country would want you. That ACT score is most impressive. You have taken a very strong schedule and with those AP scores, it looks like you know the material and they don't reflect your grades.</p>
<p>I would call the admission departments of the schools.</p>
<p>By the way i took all those AP via independant study. they wouldn't let me take the courses at school.</p>
<p>I think that your gpa will cause many colleges not to admit you. The gpa is far more important than is your SAT. That's because the best predictor of college gpa is h.s. gpa.</p>
<p>I am concerned about your wanting to go to a large, state school because of the impersonal nature of such schools. If you also are first generation college and disadvantaged, I fear you would get lost in the shuffle. College can be very overwhelming even for students who come from affluent, well educated families.</p>
<p>If you have turned your grades around now so that you're getting straight As, that may help boost your chances in admissions. Your scores indicate that you have the ability to get such grades.</p>
<p>I suggest that you consider some smaller schools that are known for being places where good teaching is valued and students can get to work closely with teachers.</p>
<p>Take a look at colleges such as Beloit, Grinnell (which has a wonderful, free summer program that I strongly suggest that you apply to. Doing well there would also help boost your chances wherever you apply. Check their web site. Applications are due next month), Macalester, Kalamazoo, Hope, Calvin (which also has a free, nice summer program that you should check out now).</p>
<p>All are trying hard to attract underrepresented minorities. All are good colleges with a strong emphasis on teaching undergraduates. IMO they are more likely to cut you a break on your grades than are are public institutions, which tend to be very stats-driven when it comes to admission decisions.</p>
<p>My grades unfortuanatly more or less the same, though there is some improvement. i really like the feel/atmosphere of the big places and i dont worry about getting lost/not mattering. I truly have my heart set on one of the above, but i will apply to some smaller places. i just want to know whiether i have a shot. i know that probally UIUC would be the easiest to woo as i am instate. What are my chances at those specific schools? Also my reasons for my poor performance are quite exceptional/ extremly unusual.</p>
<p>I have no idea if Michigan will take you, but if you like foreign languages at all, you can go into the residential college and have both a small experience and a large experience.</p>
<p>I agree with Northstarmom, hs grades are important and are the best indicator of college grades.</p>
<p>You are not an ordinary candidate on so many levels, I would call the schools.</p>
<p>If you can't get into programs like the residential college at Michigan, then you should consider small schools where you will have personal attention. Maybe small schools in vibrant areas should be considered.</p>
<p>Spikespiegal16,
I think you are a longshot at the schools that you want to go to. I also think that they would be really bad places for you. This is because due to the discrepancy between your scores and your grades, there's every indication that you would flourish best in a college where you could get individual attention from caring teachers, and where you also would be around lots of smart students who are serious about academics.</p>
<p>The partying atmosphere at the large state universities might be off putting for you. They also tend to be very impersonal. Many large state universities also have very high flunkout rates, particularly for freshmen and URMs. </p>
<p>This is not because such students can not do the work. It's because of the lack of personal attention and because many students are so overwhelmed by the impersonal nature of such places that they turn to drugs, booze and other things in order to try to feel better and fit in.</p>
<p>I also strongly suggest that you consider historically black colleges. These have traditionally been good places for first generation, low income black students to thrive. If you have been in an inner city school where you have been made fun of because of your intellectual interests, this will not occur at an HBCU. </p>
<p>You might want to consider applying to a place like Bennett College in N.C., where former Spelman president Dr. Johnetta cole is now president. She is doing some amazing things there, just as she did at Spelman. That might be a place where you could flourish.</p>
<p>You also could apply to Mount Holyoke College. This would be a reach school, but they might take a chance on you. It's an all women's college where you also could get lots of personal attention and be around lots of smart peers.</p>
<p>If you want a large college because you'd like to be in a marching band, consider Florida A&M. Their marching band is highly regarded, perhaps the best in the country. Due to your excellent scores, they may take a chance on you despite your grades, that are sub par for them. There are other students there with your kind of scores, and it is a nurturing environment.</p>
<p>We could help you better if we had a better idea of what caused your low grades. If it was something like a drug problem or major other mental health problem, the colleges would still be wary of accepting you. If your low grades were due to something like living in a homeless shelter, having a physical illness that is now under control, having a parent who traumatically died, the colleges may be more willing to take a chance on you if your guidance counselor documents this info. Your senior grades, however will be extremely important. If you're only carrying a 2.0 in your junior year grades, you are not demonstrating the ability (in terms of study habits. Your scores do indicate you are intelligent enough to get high grades) to do well in a large state university. </p>
<p>If you truly want a large college experience, I suggest that you do your first 2 years in a small, nurturing college and transfer after to a large university.</p>
<p>One last thing: My older son was a high scoring, low (2.8 unweighted) gpa student who by choice went off to a large state university. He wanted to go to a large university because he wanted a more impersonal atmosphere, and he wanted to go to a place where sports were big (even though he didn't play sports).</p>
<p>Although he had never partied before, he ended up getting caught up in the party scene, skipping classes, and flunking out (as did a high proprortion of students who entered as freshmen!). </p>
<p>Large public institutions aren't the place to go to if one has poor study habits, even if one is among the smartest (as measured by scores) of the entering students.</p>
<p>I assure my reasons are very serious. I do not really feel comfortable discussing them at length but i can give you all an idea. Life threatining illnesses, traumatic enviroment, lack of family,etc</p>
<p>Also due to my circumstances if i attend a public illinois university i can get a tuition waiver. So more of a focus on UIUC would be nice.</p>
<p>would having slightly above average sat scores (slightly above average for people who are admitted) make up for slightly below average gpa (slightly below average for people who are admitted)</p>
<p>spikespiegal, don't elaborate on a public board.</p>
<p>Why aren't your grades higher now? Without being specific, are the problems not solved?</p>
<p>Is there anybody in your high school that can communicate on your behalf?</p>
<p>I would suggest going to a smaller college at first. You would probably find it easier to stay on task and study (granted, I don't know your study habits now and I am sure your reasons are very good). My cousin had the same problem. She got high test scores and a low GPA and didn't get into any of her first-pick schools and ended up going to a smaller, safety school (Lenoir-Rhyne). She planned to go for two years and bring her grades up and then transfer into a bigger university but she found that she loved the small-school feel and tight-knit atmosphere. So, my suggestion is go to a small school and give it a try for 2 years and, if you still have your heart set on a big state school, then transfer in (if you kepp up high grades that should be no problem for you). The worse thing that could happen is you decide you love your small school and decide to stay there for your remaining two years.
good luck.</p>
<p>Although your test scores are OK, Im concerned about your GPA. How do you expect to keep a job or pass college if you cant perform well EVERYday? In your case, earning a 5 on an AP exam was just a stroke of luck; it won't make up for years of academic underachievement. Colleges would rather see you earn an A in a real AP course, not self-study. Plus, are you REALLY sure you can exceptionally play the aforementioned instruments? Have you won any state/national competitions? Im not trying to be rude. I just feel its important to be dependable.</p>
<p>Okay. High test scores can offset a low gpa to a certain extent, and it depends on the schools you are applying to. In your case, like, if you applied to U of M and you had a 3.2 or 3.4, yet a 34 or 35 or 36 on the ACT, the adcoms would think that that more than makes up for the modest gpa. However, in your case, your gpa is a 1.8. The adcoms would see that you have the ability to succeed because of your scores, but they may think that you have been lazy because of your gpa, and they may not admit you because of that. Now if you had a high GPA, and low test scores, than they would just see that you are not a good test taker, but that you are also a very diligent and assiduous person who can succeed, and are more likely to offer you admission. I think that your urm status, and your economic status will help you in the admissions process, but I am not sure that they would help you that much because of your gpa. I do think that they would help you to get into your desired school like U of Mich if you had at least a 3.0.</p>
<p>Thank You for your comments. I know think that if a get straight A's from know untill the the time I apply(as I am now able) I will at least have a shot at UIUC. Oh about that instruments at an exceptional level, I am really only good at sax and clarinet. But I can play the violin and piano, just not very well. I am learning them. But the admissions office doesn't need to know that!</p>
<p>What grade are you in, Spikespiegal? </p>
<p>I assume you're a junior- make sure your junior grades are as stellar as possible. That would help enormously.</p>
<p>wow your ACT score is really high and you're pretty smart, and you're poor too (not really a pro but for admission ya know).</p>
<p>i dunno what type of school you want to go to, but check out NYU, Emory, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins (you can get in here if you nag them), Tufts, Washington University in St. Louis, Boston College, the UCS, Northwestern, University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon.</p>
<p>Ivies are gonna be tough, but shoot fo them too.</p>
<p>If you get application fee waivers, that's awesome, I would apply to a lot then. </p>
<p>But you should shoot high, because you will get a nice package.</p>
<p>Actually the SAT is the best predictor for college GPA. There is like an 82 % correlation between the two scores.</p>