Do I even have a shot at College?

<p>um, can I ask why community college is not an option? If you do well there for a couple years you could transfer to a terrific school (i.e. UVA) and save money in the process, sounds like a pretty decent option to me. I knew a kid who graduated by the skin of his teeth (awful GPA), but had excellent SATS. He went to CC for 2 years, did very well there (4.0) then transferred to Cornell. Top schools don’t usually take students with high SATs and low GPAs, they want both. So apply to VT, but I would consider applying to CC’s as backups also.</p>

<p>Do you need to go to at least VT because of parent pressure? Are you Asian or a child of first generation immigrants? If so, perhaps you can have someone explain to your parents that there are some outstanding state colleges where bright people like yourself who failed to take high school seriously can redeem themselves academically. The good thing about college is that everyone starts with the same GPA, regardless of how they did in high school. You could go to a state college and absolutely destroy it academically and then go on to a top-notch graduate school. That’s the beauty of the American college system. You get second chances. Your parents may not recognize this about the American system. In many countries, there is no chance at redemption. </p>

<p>Just a thought.</p>

<p>I had a 2.97 GPA. I got into 8 out of the 11 schools I applied to. All 4 year colleges.</p>

<p>Honestly, don’t listen to CC kids the majority of the time. They think that anything less than a 3.6 and 1900 SAT is bad. Not true. CC is full of extremely high achieving kids who aren’t average at all.</p>

<p>Now, where would you like to go to school? I might be able to come up with some suggestions of places to look into. Also, race? That’s another factor.</p>

<p>We are not giving him bad advice. </p>

<p>If he really wants to go to a competitive university, and if the flagship public university in his state is one place where he wants to go, then a good option is to go to community college for 2 years and then transfer. A lot of state colleges are obligated to take CC transfers, so it is a good way to get into good schools.</p>

<p>It’s a way cheaper option than shelling out 20-40k a year to a small private college. The odds are better in transferring from CC->nice state school than from 4-year to 4-year. Or if he decides that college is not for him, then he won’t have wasted a ton of money. It’s a smart option.</p>

<p>Getting a 2200 on your SAT with a really low GPA is not a great answer. What colleges see in that equation is a smart but very lazy kid. Not a great combination. When they see high GPA and low SAT, they see a kid who works very hard. Most colleges are looking at the whole picture. It also has a lot to do with what major you’re going into. A bad GPA doesn’t necessarily keep you out of a 4 year school, it just doesn’t help a lot. Don’t be so turned off to the CC idea. Remember that your diploma comes from the school you graduate from, not the one you went to your freshman year.</p>

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[QUOTE=Mikozee]

But I know Virginia Tech is definitely plausible. Difficult perhaps, but definitely plausible compared to MIT or even UVA.

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No, it’s not. Only 2% of students had HS GPA under 3.0 I’m sure most if not all of them had a hook much more significant than 2200 SAT (which you do not have yet).</p>

<p>Look for other colleges.</p>

<p>Is it even possible to transfer to a school like Harvard and MIT from a Community College? Hell, is it even possible to transfer from a school like Virginia Tech or UVA?</p>

<p>Well, it’s good you realize that. MIT and Cal Tech you can forget. Don’t apply. Unless you want to waste your time and money. </p>

<p>But let’s be honest here. Suppose you have a 2.5 GPA (I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt) and a 2200 (here too). What will the school think when they see your app? They will see a student who is intelligent, but lazy, and puts no effort into doing his work the way a diligent student should. Your GPA is THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR in college admissions. Don’t think that a high SAT and mediocre ECs will save you. They won’t. </p>

<p>I still think you should at least consider community colleges. Some of them are really quite competitive, and if you do well, you can transfer your credits to a better university.</p>

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<p>Also, like others have said, if you’re not going to provide specific numbers, we can’t give you specific answers.</p>

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<p>lol lol lol</p>

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<p>I think that your parents are wrong, then.</p>

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<p>I personally don’t think that you can get at 300+ score increase over the summer, but that’s just me. </p>

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<p>Why in the world is community college not an option for you? It would probably be the best (and maybe only) way fro you to go to V Tech, and it also would be very cheap. Are you just too good for it?</p>

<p>Also, look at this:</p>

<p>[Freshman</a> Snapshot | Undergraduate Admissions | Virginia Tech](<a href=“http://www.admiss.vt.edu/apply/snapshot.php]Freshman”>http://www.admiss.vt.edu/apply/snapshot.php)</p>

<p>“I believe my intelligence alone may even be within the top 10% of my school”</p>

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<p>“I’m not sure if that’s how colleges work however.”</p>

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<p>“The minimum that my parents and I want is at least Virginia Tech.”</p>

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<p>“Virginia tech is the very bottom. UVA is next. MIT and Cal Tech is at the very top.”
hah. my friend had a 3.8something and a 33 act and she got rejected from uva.</p>

<p>Vtech isn’t happening for you. try again.</p>

<p>Could you actually give a number for what your SAT score is currently? Like what the hell does “1600-1900” mean?! A 300 point range? Can you just not remember what you scored the last time you took the test?</p>

<p>An interesting thing to note that only 3% of Virgina Tech’s applicants had GPAs in the bottom half.</p>

<p>[College</a> Search - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - Virginia Tech - At a Glance](<a href=“http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?match=true&collegeId=89&searchType=college&type=qfs&word=Virginia%20Tech]College”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)</p>

<p>No offense, but you’re being a bit arrogant I would say. 2200 is DIFFICULT. If you don’t tell us just about what your GPA is, we won’t know what the range is. Under 3.0 is 0.00 ~ 2.99. If you ask me, that’s a big difference between a bunch of Cs and Bs and a bunch of Ds and Fs. I don’t believe a student below a 3.0 GPA would be able to achieve it, unless you were just lazy throughout high school. You can check out Cal State Fullerton in Southern California. Academy of the arts has a 100% acceptance rates as do other schools. If you really want a college education, you’ll get one. There are plenty of colleges that accept students who failed to do their part in high school. But remember, once you get into college, a GPA below 3.00 isn’t going to cut it if you really want to be successful in life. (Not saying everyone who failed in college are unsuccessful, I’m saying Majority) GPA of <3.00 means you haven’t gone through the rigorous preparation high school has to offer you to be a decent student in college. Just remember, if you do end up going to college, you may need to work twice as hard as everyone else. You can take a look at Univeristy of Nevada: Las Vegas. Their acceptance rates are pretty high. Maybe UC Merced. Acceptance rate is 91% however, only 8% of the students have a GPA of between 2.5 and 2.99</p>

<p>Yeah, another thing: if you’re pulling straight C’s throughout high school or the like, do you seriously think that you could handle the workload at Virginia Tech (let alone MIT!)?</p>

<p>There’s a reason why colleges care about GPA, it’s because they actually want to be sure that the kids they accept won’t fail and drop out. Unless you can prove that you’ve had some sort of miraculous moment-of-awakening and are now ready to become a good student by getting straight A’s your first term senior year, then I know that if I were an admissions officer I would not accept you…</p>

<p>The OP does not think they will be going to MIT! Sheesh. Look, you may not go to the college you would have gone to if you’d have actually applied yourself in high school, as others have pointed out not that many people are going to be interested in what you “could have” done. They are mostly going to be interested in what you did. But, don’t worry. There are some really fine schools where you will get accepted with those grades and those scores. Just be realistic, expand your horizons and see if you can’t find something a little bit more creative than just Virginia Tech. You say you’re in the top 10%, so use your skills to do some research.</p>

<p>This thread is amusing. No I don’t have anything constructive to say…</p>

<p>OK, OK I do. Buck up and go to CC for a year. I did. It hurt, but I’m transferring to my dream school in the fall. All with a quaint 2.8 HS GPA and void SATs</p>

<p>what 4 schools did you get into?</p>

<p>OP: What are your plans for senior year? Have you made an iron-clad commitment to yourself that you will buckle down and get, say, straight A’s? I think you can do it.</p>

<p>This is about more than what colleges you can expect to get into. This is about character. Regardless of where you get admitted (and I also think that starting at a CC is your best and probably only bet), learn the lesson: You get out of something what you put into it. You have put very little into your high school career, and you’re now reaping the inevitable results. Resolve to start over, right now. Work hard, even when you don’t want to. Three years from now, some school will be impressed at your turn-around, and 5 years from now, you’ll be graduating with a degree you earned and can be proud of.</p>

<p>Honestly, there is NOTHING wrong w CC at all! My sis did two years, easily transferred into UCLA. There are so so many examples of kids who have done the same! it is NOT a bad choice to attend a community college if you keep your head straight and work hard. saves $$too, and you will graduate with a better degree than if you just scraped for a college to go to. your parents are being ridiculous if they think your SAT scores will save you based on them alone, and you AND your parents have to realize this.</p>