Does a 3.0 gpa have a chance at top schools? Please help

Applying to College
1

<p>I used to major in chem engineering. I hated it and didn’t do well there, no surprise my gpa took a real hit to about 2.7. I'm switching to architecture and planning to transfer to another school soon. I figured if I do well this 1 semester or 2 I'll get about 3.0-3.1 gpa.
Problem is, is it enough to get accepted at high end schools? I'm really hoping on UT Austin, or others including: UMich-Ann Arbor, U of Maryland, UW, Penn State, Ohio State, or Virginia Tech. I tried calling or emailing some, but they all gave vague answers like “I’m not sure, our school have very demanding standards”, “we’re sorry but we don’t have enough info in our database to answer your question” or “I don’t know, let me try to make some calls first and I’ll get back to you”
I did consider U of Ill- Urbana Champaign, but I crossed it off the list after the admission rep who received my call said i have absolutely no chance of getting there w/ a 3.0 no matter what. I also assume I'll have no chance on far reach schools like Rice and Wash.U. I cant go to art specialty schools as I’m planning to get a business minor if I have the time.
An advisor told me to apply anyway though, saying that many good schools count on portfolio more than gpa for architecture students. Does a good portfolio really give a good 2nd chance for such low gpa? </p>

<p>As an international student I didn’t have to submit a portfolio to get admitted to WA State, hence my complete ignorance. In some cases gpa isn’t my strong suit also. I admit I’m not exactly a “totally grade minded” student, looking for balance between life and academics instead. My English skills probably have some effect as well. I have no trouble understanding what most professors or TAs said, but there are some w/ really weird foreign accent (Russian, Chinese and Pakistani to name a few), and this guy w/ an odd accent from Mississippi whose English I can’t understand at all.
Making things worse is the fact that my academic advisor (in chem eng) was never available (he left for 3 full semesters for his phD research) and the dept. refused to assign me to another advisor.
Any info and advices are appreciated. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>You can't know unless you apply. If transferring is your goal, make sure you apply to true safeties that you really like,.</p>

3

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>btw can anyone tell me if having other skills, like foreign languages, sport, music and arts help boost my chances??</p>

4

<p>I am currently a freshman at Boston University. I applied to Ohio State University with a 3.3 GPA, very few extracurriculars, but a part time job. I got directly admitted to their business school (OSU has a pre-major program for GPAs under 3.3) It IS possible to get into OSU with a 3.0, depending on your other qualifications. You might simply enter a “pre-major” program, that is, you take courses until your GPA is high enough to enter the school of your choice. I would definitely check out their website, which has a lot (especially compared to most colleges) of information for transfer students. Also, don’t forget to take advantage of the opportunity for a personal statement! Mention anything that may have affected your GPA (grade deflation, disabilities, heavy EC involvement, etc). This will definitely help bolster your app and make your low (although not terrible!) GPA seem less of a big deal. </p>

<p>I can’t promise this will get you in, but from my transfer experience, this will definitely boost your application.</p>