<p>Hi, everyone. I'm Laura and I go to a very good public high school in New Hampshire, and Smith is my top choice school. The problem is, my first two years of high school I really messed up. So badly that my unweighted GPA is 1.86. The thing is I am not dumb, I just really slacked off due to some serious personal issues and just overall laziness/no motivation whatsoever. Now I have really realized I need to kick myself into gear and so far this year my grades are all very good, all A's and one B and I intend on keeping them that way. I am really, really passionate about Smith and hope to apply next year, but my question is, do I even have a chance? If I keep working my hardest and continue to be as passionate as I am, could I be accepted?</p>
<p>I don’t usually do chances, but it might help you a lot of you attended a community college for two years and then transferred. Your GPA is going to significantly limit your chances at any top college <em>hug</em></p>
<p>First of all, it’s great that you are on an upward trajectory, definitely keep that up no matter what. A lot of students don’t have the maturity and presence of mind to admit they’ve made poor decisions and then work to correct them, so you can give yourself a big pat on the back that you’ve managed to turn things around. </p>
<p>Before I go any further, two points to keep in mind: 1) we are NOT admissions officers, nor are we the college admissions gods. We do not know everything (or anything neccessarily), 2) there is NOTHING wrong with you. You made some not great choices, you are working with the consequences and making lemonade out of lemons. I don’t want anything you read on CC to lower your self esteem or deter you from continuing on the great path you are on. You are awesome! </p>
<p>Ok, now for the big BUT: I tend to agree with susgeek, you should definitely think about trying to do your first year or two somewhere else and then transferring. This could either be at a community college, but I think if you keep your grades up and keep pushing yourself to perform well, you could be an excellent candidate for a state U, either in New Hampshire or in another state. Also, have you considered junior college? These are all ways to continue working towards your academic goal while building the transcript that will really make you competitive at a place like Smith. </p>
<p>The problem is not your lack of brains or passion, it’s just that you are already a junior. By the time you apply, Smith will not be able to see your senior year grades. So even if you get a 4.0 senior year, they’ll only have 1 year of awesome grades to look at and 2 years of so-so grades. Considering the transcript is important in admissions, that makes it hard for you to compete with other applicants. </p>
<p>Now, if I was 16 and reading this I would be thinking “Why did I even bother getting good grades then, if I can’t go to Smith anyway. I hate school, and my life, and I wish I could change it all and start over and I’m not going to get good grades anymore.” If you’re thinking that way, PLEASE STOP. As I said above, you are clearly a very mature and self aware teen, ahead of many of your peers. You’re smart enough to realize the path you were on is not the path you want, and you are correcting. </p>
<p>If you keep that up, you can go to a great college. Maybe that means going to a state school and transferring to Smith. Or maybe it means going somewhere you haven’t thought of yet. The important thing is not to get upset because your grades are not as high as you would like, the important thing is making what you have work for you. </p>
<p>SO. Ask yourself, what is it that you like about Smith? Is it the small classes? The career advising? the strong academics? the campus? the women’s college environment? The location? Once you know that, then you need to ask, what other colleges have these features that I like, and are they found in schools that are maybe a bit more realistic for me? </p>
<p>You can STILL apply to Smith. But you never put all your eggs in one basket, not even if you are a 4.0 genius child violin prodigy. So find other places that you think would also make you happy. And apply to all of them. ANd if you get in to Smith, then great, you will have achieved what you wanted. If you don’t, you’ll have a bunch of other schools you also like to choose from, and you’ll be able to study hard and maybe transfer to Smith later if you still want to. </p>
<p>The truth is you are not AT THE MOMENT a 4.0 student. BUT THAT IS OK. You are a great student, a smart, hard working, passionate student, and there is a college out there that wants you and wants the GPA you currently have. Don’t beat yourself up over one particular college. Learn to love what you have, and find the school that will love that too.</p>
<p>Nice answer, S and P. I could add: if you really pulled off a stellar junior and senior year, and then took a gap year and did something interesting and applied during it, you might also have a chance. That way, the school could see how you’d maintained your effort for both years, and have a chance to evaluate them before you apply. I think gap years, thoughtfully done, can really help students focus on what they want out of college. (I didn’t take a gap year, myself; I took two years between college and grad school, and felt that I was much better prepared for grad school than I would have been had I, like most of my classmates, gone straight from college. Different situation, of course, but I think a gap can center you, and give you some experience that is helpful when you hit a big transition, like that from school to college).</p>
<p>I agree with everyone. You should apply to Smith (I think while the school is SAT/ACT optional in your case you should really submit them, as another data point proving you can do the work), with a recommendation from a teacher or guidance counselor that mentions how your circumstances have changed to enable you to do good work now (or a very brief addendum to your application explaining this, if it’s not something folks at school know about).</p>
<p>But have a couple Plan Bs that you’re happy with too. Going someplace else and trying to transfer is always a possibility…and probably a cheaper one, too!</p>
<p>:( I’m glad you grew up and tried to pick up the pieces. I do think that if you apply anywhere, you should get an interview or just write something in your application about what caused you to not do your best. This might change the admissions officers choice if they realize you made a mistake due to personal problems. I know a girl that has a story just like yours, and shes come a long way- from sneaking back in her house at 5:30 to get up at 6:30 for school to working her butt off in AP Bio and AP English. Most of her troubles came from an unstable home life, bad influences (drugs) and medical issues. I digress, but I think if you believe in yourself and own your mistakes, you still might have a chance to get admitted to a high esteemed college.</p>
<p>Anything is possible. I would definitely apply. I would write my essay about my academic turn-around, stressing personal growth. I would have several teachers who know you well write recommendations that also focus on your turn-around, and academic promise. I also agree with those who say visit and interview.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I actually have a similar problem. One of my top choices in Smith college, but I only have a 3.0-3.3 GPA and not so good SAT s (1650). I too majorly slacked off due to personal problems as well as, though I am ashamed to say it, laziness. I am a senior international student from Morocco. I have been taking all the advanced classes available at my school, but I got straight Bs in freshmand and soph years and straight As with 2 Cs on my junior year. So far in my senior year I have straight As and one C.</p>
<p>My ECs:</p>
<p>I speak 4 languages fluently, Arabic, French, English, and Spanish. </p>
<p>Volunteered in a center for handicapped children and at a local orphanage (2 separate years).
Theater for 1 year
Debate Club for 1 year
Internship at an online magazine for a summer.
Internship at a 5 star hotel for another summer.
Spanish classes for over 2 years
School newspaper for one year and literary magazine for another year
J.V. Volleyball and Varsity Soccer for 2 years each
Student Ambassador for 1 year</p>
<p>The thing is, I am a Moroccan, studying in an American school in Marrakesh, Morocco, so, would that type of diversity help? And I keep seeing these students with amazing SAT scores and 4.0 GPAs, do I have a chance in getting in as well?</p>
<p>I am also applying to Vassar, Barnard (though I am not holding my breath on either one of them unless there’s a miracle), Ohio Wesleyan Simmons and Adelphi. If I could maybe send my essay to any of you and get some feedback that would be great.</p>
<p>You probably see the similarities in all of my choices. I am looking for small class sizes, a reputable school that I feel passionate about. For example, I love the fact that Barnard, Vassar and Smith all have a mission of giving equal education to men and women, and that the three of them do put a great emphasis on the arts. </p>
<p>Thank you all for your help,
-Zineb</p>
<p>Marhaba, Zineb! </p>
<p>I think you definitely have a chance. Strengths of your application are obviously: international student, fluent in several languages, good EC list, not bad grades. Weaknesses are definitely though: Your grades are very uneven. Obviously you can do very well in some courses, but you struggle in others. Considering your SAT is also not the highest, that’s going to be a cause for concern. How is your TOEFL score? That will help a lot if it is high, as you’ll want to dispel the notion that your struggling has anything to do with a lack of English. Clearly your English seems excellent here. </p>
<p>Some of it will also have to do with how Smith asseses your high school. Competitive quality in American schools can vary a lot. If they’re familiar with your particular school and think its a place that’s very competitive, they might look more kindly on grades that are uneven. </p>
<p>So again, some strengths, some weaknesses, definitely worth an application.</p>
<p>Well, I actually just got my TOEFL score yesterday and I got a 106. That’s good, right?
My school is unfortunately very small. I’m actually part of the 4th graduating class of the school, so yeah, its pretty new as well, therefore it hasn’t really had the chance to make a reputation for itself.<br>
As for the unevenness of the courses, I think that’s probably because we’ve had 4 headmasters in 4 years, and each year, there are new teachers for each subject except for Science. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for your response, the fact is, any morsel of hope I receive makes my day. As I said, I just keep seeing these people with amazing grades and all who too are worrying over getting into the same schools I’m applying to. Each time I see that I just tell myself why the hell would they choose me over them?</p>
<p>Well, I think College Confidential offers a very skewed vision of what the applicant pool is. Definitely most of the people applying to Smith are not all 4.0s with amazing records (it helps, of course, but it’s not required). Hang in there, i wish you lots of luck.</p>
<p>Artemesakadiana, all you can do is give it a try–tell Smith who you are and what you’ve accomplished–and see what happens. I agree with S&P’s evaluation. Given that your school is so new and there’s been such turnover in teachers, I think it would make sense to choose carefully the teachers to write recommendations for you, hopefully ones who have known you for a while (perhaps science?) and who put a lot of thought and effort into personalizing recommendation letters. I would also think a letter of explanation from your guidance counselor to emphasize the upward movement of your grades and anything else that would put you in good light might be helpful. I’m not sure how to handle, if at all, what has been an annual turnover of headmasters and most teachers. What do others think?</p>
<p>Well, for the recommendations I asked a math teacher who taught me for about 2 years and who knows me pretty well as well as my current history teacher, who was a teacher at Harvard and he used to work in the Harvard graduate admissions office. Guess that’ll help a little.
Thank you guys so much for the help, I really appreciate it!</p>