Do I have any chance at college?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I scoured this forum to see if there was a case similar to mine, and while there are a couple of low GPA/high test score cases, there weren't really any that matched my high school career. </p>

<p>During the first five semesters of high school (till Junior year second semester), things didn't go very well. My cumulative GPA was 61.438, with a class rank of 832 out of 839. I had failed ten classes, with more than three of those having grades in single digits. I did have many high A's, but those were more than overwhelmed by the poorer failing grades. </p>

<p>The past two semesters (Junior year, second semester / Senior year, first semester) have gone much better. My lowest grade has been a 98, with a cumulative average of 107 (my school system weights AP classes by +10).</p>

<p>The course selection I "chose" was more or less as rigorous as possible (I did not really pick the classes - my teachers always overrode my attempts to take easier classes). I was in all gifted classes, which in my school is the highest possible non-AP class level. I have already completed 7 AP classes, receiving a 5 on all of the exams (even the three AP classes that I failed with final grades lower than a 20 in the class). I am now taking 5 AP classes my senior year. </p>

<p>Despite my turn around, I still have a cumulative GPA of only 74.214, with a class rank of 806 out of 822. Obviously, these are not very impressive numbers. I am trying to figure out whether I should just go to some "easy acceptance" college in my home state (which is GA - so something like Georgia Southern, Georgia State, etc) or shoot for a better school. I do not have any school preference, nor do I have any idea what I would like to major in, so I don't have any in particular schools in mind. Do I have any chance of getting into a college at all? I talked to my counselor last week and even she admitted that she had no clue as to what I should be aiming for, or even if any college would accept me at all. She said that I should take the community college path, but I don't see myself handling that very well. Plus, with 12 AP credits, if I went to a four year school that accepted AP credit after community college, I wouldn't really have much "college" left. Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. </p>

<p>The "good" things:
SAT Score: 2360 (800 M, 790 V, 770 W)
PSAT NMS qualifier (score was 23something)
Cumulative GPA for the past two semesters: 107
Rigorous course load; 5's on all AP exams (7 completed already, 5 more to go senior year)
Perfect attendance / no tardies all 4 years (except for OSS - see below)
Large and respected high school (usually ranks in the top five public schools in Georgia, with over 95% of the graduating class proceeding to secondary education) </p>

<p>Extracurriculars include:
USS Swimming (I am not academically eligible for my high school team). Finished top-10 in state (GA) in two individual events.
Leadership council of school's FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes)
Raised $170,000 for Katrina victim aid </p>

<p>The "bad" things:
Cumulative GPA of 74.214, 16th from last in my class (4.0 GPA is something like 2.8 - school transcript doesn't show it, and I can't be arsed to calculate it)
10 failed classes
Very few elective classes (only the bare minimum required - all of my "free" credits were spent making up failed classes)
Poor disciplinary record (8 days of OSS, 14 days of ISS, all for class disruption / disrespectful behavior. I was referred to an expulsionary panel second semester Junior year but since I had done nothing violent / drug related the arbitrator gave me a second chance) </p>

<p>Basically, my record is a convoluted mess. Given my grades, and especially my disciplinary record (although I have done nothing bad senior year), I would have to wonder if any decent college would take a chance with me. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.</p>

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<p>ethernal, that is an amazing turnaround.
if you explain your 'turnaround' in your essay i think you'll have a chance at outside colleges.
however, you may be rebuffed by schools still using the gpa/sat composite index.
im not too informed about admissions, im sure others will chime in.</p>

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<p>Man, you really effed up, didn't you...It's a real pity about the GPA and the disciplinary record, because based on your SAT scores and PSAT scores, you would have been a competitive candidate for any number of top colleges.</p>

<p>OK, I'm sure you know all that. Would any decent college take a chance on you? Yes, if you played your cards right and chose the right college. The fact that your SATS are superb and especially that you have clearly turned yourself around would, I think, make a positive impact. However, you're not going to be accepted a top college on that basis. </p>

<p>I think you have two options outside of the community college route. The first, going to an easy acceptance state college, you've already mentioned. This is not a bad idea. I think you'd get in on the basis of your SAT scores and Merit Semi-finalist status. It would give you the opportunity to prove you can do college level work,and, once you've demonstrated you can, the option to try transferring to a more rigorous college after your Freshman or Sophomore year. </p>

<p>The second option is to try getting into one of a number of decent colleges that tend to welcome kids with promise like you that have had some problems. Where can you find schools like that? Try this website:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ctcl.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ctcl.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It lists 40 decent colleges with excellent track records for nurturing students. You'll notice that at many of these schools, a large percentage of the students were not in the top 10% or even the top 25% of their HS classes. Anyway, here the plan would be to do superlatively well, and then based on your superb undergrad record, apply to a name grad school (if a post grad degree is your thing).</p>

<p>You know, come to think of it, you probably want to play both options. Apply to a state U and some of the colleges listed on that website. One or the other is bound to work.</p>

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<p>Apply to both,and if you don't get into a good school you could always transfer after your first year.Just make sure you get straight A's in college.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the feedback Xe and Amp. </p>

<p>I appreciate the link to the Colleges that Change Lives site, although I'm not sure if that is for me. I know that sounds rude and silly, but the schools seem too small and personal. The less personal association with the teachers I have, the better. The more teachers try to help me, and the more connected I become with them, the more difficult it becomes to do work for them. It sounds ridiculous, and it probably is, but my school difficulties trace back a long time (from before even elementary school), and that is just something that I have noticed. </p>

<p>Given what you have said, however, it seems that applying to a medicore in-state college would probably be the best solution. I probably wouldn't mind going to Georgia Southern. My sister currently attends there (she is, ironically enough, a 4.0 student who has never had detention in her life), so I'd just be following in the family footsteps, I suppose. </p>

<p>Just out of curiosity, what kind of things would a college look for when transferring from another college? Besides grades, I mean. Extracurriculars, community involvement, what? </p>

<p>Thanks again for the feedback.</p>

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<p>ECs, community involvement, leadership perhaps, and, I hate to say this, often recommendations from teachers or professors or some one who knows you.</p>

<p>And seriously, have you ever considered getting some counseling? My mom's a psychologist, and she's helped kids like you solve their problems and get themselves together. You might want to look into it. Would probably help.</p>

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<p>I want to tell you about a young man I know. He has some personal problems. He also did some foolish things, but everyone has made mistakes. One of them was that he refused to take his SATs b/c he refused to go to school on a Saturday (not b/c of religious reasons, but just b/c his week-ends were his time). He did not look into sat optional schools at all. He chose a private school based on lower tution than average. He took 2 courses there as a "non-matriculating student". In other words, he did not first apply. He went there, worked, rented a room nearby, and took 2 classes. He did well in the classes. He then applied to the school and was accepted, and so were the credits of the 2 classes. He says that he feels one could do this with just about any school. He feels that this is the back way into many good schools, if one cannot get in through the front door. I am not sure about "any", but probably many schools. He just marches to the beat of a different drummer.</p>

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<p>Amp: Well, as ironic as this may sound, I don't think recommendations are an issue.. the majority of my teachers enjoyed having me in their class (with the exception of a couple that caused the class disruption / disrespectful behavior referrals). All eight of my teachers that had PhDs said that they would be more than happy to write a glowing recommendation for me, if that means anything. </p>

<p>As for counseling.. thanks, but no thanks. I can assure you that I have been there before. Since pre-school I have been referred to psychologists. I have gone to something like ten, and they have all diagnosed me with different "illnesses", from ADD to schizoaffective disorder. It's hard to believe them when each of them is sure that he or she is "right"... when all of them have a different diagnosis. </p>

<p>Please don't take me as a stupid teen who had a retarded phase of rebellion. I don't mean to blame my high school performance on past schooling experiences, but it's hard not to. In elementary school, I was placed in a special education class (with literal mental retards - the ones with drool coming out of their mouth) for half of the day for five years. The school knew I wasn't retarded - the other half of the day I was in a special gifted class. I needed a "unique educational environment", they said. I was nearly expelled for constant (all non-violent) conduct problems, almost all involving refusing to follow a teacher's directions. During my stay in middle school, I was suspended for a quarter, and technically failed 6th grade (although my Language Arts teacher fudged my grades up by about 30 points to pass me.) Anyway, that isn't really relevant, but what I'm trying to say is that I've had my fair share of referrals to psychologists and various youth counselors by my schools because of my behavior. I apologize if I sound like a disillusioned and angry-at-the-world teen or something, because I do not mean to (and I am not - I am quite happy with my life)... it's just that, given my experiences with them, they don't really seem to help me. </p>

<p>Northeastmom: that is an interesting idea. If I am unable to gain admission to an "easy" in-state school, I may have to try that. That sounds like one crazy kid, though. :) </p>

<p>Thanks again for your feedback.</p>

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<p>ethernal,
My niece had so many issues in hs she was sent to a boarding school for trouble youth. After flunking out of two (count them, two) colleges, she obtained a paralegal certificate. Then she went back to regular college, and got her bachelor's with honors. Then on to law school at UT Austin. Graduated with honors, passed the Texas bar on the first shot. She's making about twice as much as I am.</p>

<p>So, you are in a hole, but you can get out of it. What are you interested in majoring in?</p>

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<p><em>edited</em></p>

<p>Wow, ethernal, that is really an amazing story. Obviously you are very intelligent, and my curiousity is burning ... is there an actual, tangible reason for you doing so poorly/behaving badly? You mentioned that you had poor experiences early on in school, and that you have been tested inconclusively by psychologists, but I think your story would be more compelling if you had more concrete reasons for why your performance was so poor. Did you have family problems at home? Certified disorder? It seems that colleges are willing to overlook a lot if you have a legitimate, serious reason for your previous trouble. Otherwise it sort of seems like you're just making excuses for previous lack of maturity. </p>

<p>For example, a true story:
One of my friends had both her parents and her older brother perish in a car accident during 5th grade. She had no other relatives to take care of her, and was placed in 6 different foster care homes from 6th-11th grade. Most of the caretakers were incompetent, and one was jailed on drug charges. Needless to say she had little to zilch support at home, and failed 8th and 9th grade, but was allowed to advance only because teachers could see she was really smart. She made improvements in 10th. In 11th grade she became an emancipated minor and was allowed to live with a friend, and just like you, her performanced skyrocketed and she achieved stellar SATs/AP scores/GPA in 11th and 12th grade.</p>

<p>Despite her very poor previous record, she wrote some amazing essays and was accepted at Penn, UCLA and UCB. Penn took her with huge scholarship/financial aide, and she's currently doing very well in her 2nd year. </p>

<p>Don't give up hope!!</p>

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<p>Previous post was edited.</p>

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<p>ethernal, man that is AMAZING.</p>

<p>can you calculate what your GPA is without freshman year? because some colleges dont look at your freshman year grades so that would help you A LOT.</p>

<p>aside from that, if you live in Georgia, why not go to UGA...with your SAT score you might get into their honors program too if you explain your situation.</p>

<p>second, youre obviously a bright student. i wouldnt be suprised if at the end of your freshman year, you transfer to a great school since you have great SATs, and presuming you do great freshman year in college.</p>

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<p>secondly, if you were to say, send a heartfelt letter or have a personal meeting with an admissions officer and explain what occured, i wouldnt be suprised if they take you as a interesting case...</p>

<p>the problem is that youre a senior and most college admission deadlines have closed so id either go to a school that takes you then transfer or take a year off (and hopefully take classes at a college as a special student)</p>

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<p>Did you study for the SAT? If so, how much?</p>

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<p>How did you raise so much for hurricane victims?</p>

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<p>Ohio Mom: I'm not really sure what I want to major in. To be honest, up until two weeks ago, I wasn't even really planning on college. Given my grades and disciplinary record, I figured it was a big no no.. but then everyone I knew began getting college acceptance letters, and I felt sort of jealous so I looked into my options. Finding a college is my first job, figuring out what I want to major in is a second. I understand that isn't the "right" way to do it, but it's probably the only thing I can do. </p>

<p>bouncechrissy: Well, I don't want to get into details of my emotional state or entire life history here, but in a short answer, no. For all practical purposes I had the perfect childhood: a white upper-middle class family living in a wealthy suburban community with great schools. There were no family tragedies and neither of my parents drink, smoke, or do drugs. I had a great sister who was perfect by every measure. I was athletic and socially competent. I suppose that I'm labeled ADD or something similar by the school, but that's a generic and worthless label. </p>

<p>I guess I was just a child that didn't want to be treated like a child, I guess. In pre-school and elementary school I didn't enjoy being baby-talked to, and being treated by teachers as if there were things I "shouldn't know." After kindergarten, I was placed in a special education class with mentally challenged kids (because of my conduct problems), and that made it even worse. As you can imagine, I rebelled against the teachers in that class and fell into even more trouble. I wouldn't play their stupid games that involved naming colors and shapes, and the teachers came to hate me and I came to hate them. By the time I finally moved on to middle school, I had fallen into a pattern of under achievement and misconduct. I hated school as an institution, and hated every second that I was there. Things got better for a while in 7th grade, but things then continued to slide downhill in 8th grade and continued through high school. </p>

<p>In short, I have no way to excuse my behavior. And as much as I would like to say that I had an epiphany junior year second semester, I didn't. I just wanted to see if I could do well, and I could. It wasn't me saying "Oh, crap, I need to get into college" - I figured I had already missed the boat on that one. It was just a change in mindset I guess. </p>

<p>Bobbobob: Well, my Freshmen year was actually pretty decent. I only failed two classes, and I had mostly A's and only one or two B's. The two classes I did fail, however, I got 20's in. The exceptionally poor year was my sophomore year - I failed seven classes. During my second semester, I had a cumulative GPA of 14%. </p>

<p>As far as going to UGA, wI doubt I'd make the cut. It's a pretty competitive school now, mostly because of the HOPE scholarship Georgia offers. If I didn't have the excess baggage of disciplinary problems, then maybe I could get in.. but because of it, I doubt it. And as far as having a heartfelt letter or personal appeal.. that would be great, if I had an excuse or some revelation that encouraged me to succeed. But I don't - I'm just a screwup trying to make the best of the mess I've managed to create. </p>

<p>killaerone: I didn't study for the test personally, but I did some prep work in my language arts and math classes, if that counts. If it helps I could take the SAT again and aim for a bit higher score on the writing. All of the multiple choice was right, but I only received an 11 (out of 12) on the essay. I had a brain freeze when I wrote it though, and spent the first half of the section tapping my pencil, so I wrote the whole thing in eight minutes. If I could avoid that, I might be able to get an 800 on it. </p>

<p>Thanks again for everyone's feedback.</p>

<p>edit: Bobbobob... I wasn't really aware of the college admission deadlines. I thought that they were a bit later than now.. like in March or something. As I said, I've just recently begun to look at my options.. I realize I'm starting a bit late, and my counselor did say that I needed to make any decisions as quickly as possible because deadlines were an issue, but I figured I still had some time left. What percentage of schools have already passed their application deadlines?</p>

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<p>peachesandtreats: Well, immediately after the Katrina disaster, my school's FCA challenged its members to raise money for Katrina victims. Rather than go door to door, I did some research on tax laws and charity deductions. I (and a couple of my friends) went around to about 70 local businesses and tried to get in touch with the owners to see if they had looked into charitable donations for tax exemption purposes. </p>

<p>For extra incentive, I worked out a deal with the athletic director to put up a temporary donation "sponsor" board in the football stadium for Katrina relief for any business that donated $5,000 or more. (football is big at my school - we were on Southeast regional television three times during the year, so this isn't as silly as it sounds). </p>

<p>This offer, combined with tax laws on charitable donations, resulted in more than 20 local businesses donating a total of $168k within the month following the Katrina disaster.</p>

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<p>Wow, thats some true commitment you show too. I'm thinking an excellent essay explaining your situation could be the key to your admissions.</p>

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<p>Hi, I'm a mother of a sophomore, just reading the boards for tips for my oldest DD. But reading your post, I see some of her qualities and some of my own. Can I recommend Rutgers--New Brunswick in NJ? I went there (and graduated 20 years ago). I had a very positive experience there. Here's why I think it might be good for you.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>It's big. Really big. So big that there are niches for everyone, and if you make an effort to find your niche, you'll find friends and a support group. When I went, there were LOTS of kids like you--superbright, but with checkered school records. They're willing to give "turnaround kids" a chance.</p></li>
<li><p>I understand it's easier to get in from out of state. It's competitive for people in NJ...but the unspoken rule has always been that great test scores are VERY important to them. With scores like yours, I would think you would be accepted despite your GPA.</p></li>
<li><p>The downside of a school so big is that you can easily slip through the cracks. The upside is that they leave you alone to make your own way. Rutgers grads, in my experience, come out very practical, very eager to make a living, very realistic.</p></li>
<li><p>You can go as far as you like in the areas you're interested in. They have some fabulous professors and excellent honors programs. Honors students are treated very well. </p></li>
<li><p>It looks good on your resume. On this board, Rutgers sounds like a dumpy state school compared to all the Ivies that people are discussing. But in the Northeast and most of the rest of the country, it's very well respected because it gets the top NJ kids--including plenty who are accepted at bigger name schools but can't afford them.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

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<p>UCF (university of central florida) automatically accepts NMSF/Commended into their honor college - they'll accept you before looking at your transcript (i got my acceptance notice before i sent mine in - the same is true for my other friends who are NMSF or Commended).</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ucf.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.ucf.edu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>