Does the underachiever have a chance?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>So I'm not exactly a genius, ha.</p>

<p>I took the SAT (I took it while I was high, btw) for the first time as a senior last month and got a 1660. Out of 2400, I suppose. I'm taking it again next month but I don't even own an SAT book so I don't know...</p>

<p>My GPA, unweighted is: 3.3
Weighted, I guess, 3.1 (My school doesn't give weighted out.)</p>

<p>I'm on the fifth decile. Which means, I'm on the top 50%, lol. I took 4 AP classes. (Currently taking two.) Hm... I did a bit of volunteer work here and there. Maybe a total of 60 hours? Nothing special. I'm a part of a few clubs. I did soccer for two years.</p>

<p>I mean, needless to say, I'm not exactly an overachiever. I get by by doing work the morning it is due. Or not at all in many cases. Math and science have never been my strong suit, therefore Cs and even Ds as final grades in almost all of my four years of school. 5 honors classes, 4 AP classes, in all my four years. (Yay... yeah, not so great.) I had a rough patch especially last year. Familial, personal stuff.</p>

<p>Freshman GPA: 3.585
Sophomore GPA: 3.547
Junior GPA: 2.826</p>

<p>This year, my first marking period report card was straight As, two Bs (physics and piano), and a 62 in Pre Calc. lol</p>

<p>Like I admit it, I'm not your best student around. I feel school's not hard--it's not hard to do what you're supposed to and get good grades. All you essentially have to do is... what you're asked. But I mean, school's just never been all that interesting to me. I love school in the sense that I get to know things, rather than going there and earning grades. Not gonna lie, I was an A+ student all my life before high school. But I don't know... It's complicated, I guess. Or maybe I was just lazy. Just a lazy, uninterested kid with problems.</p>

<p>Haha, this is getting a tad bit long. I was just hoping if anyone had any advice. I really have no direction in life and I'm not looking for someone to enlighten me. What do you think my chances are at any school? </p>

<p>Liberal arts.
Possible major: philosophy</p>

<p>The only school I can think of is St. John's College in Annapolis. I've truly fallen in love with everything about it. (Minus the price... damn.) </p>

<p>Had it not been for math and science I would have a, maybe probably, around a 3.6/7 GPA. (Weighted.) But I don't. I have a 3.3258 weighted. </p>

<p>Suggestions? Colleges I might want to apply to? My chances of even getting into any college? </p>

<p>St. John's College in Annapolis: first choice
Rutgers I hear has one of the best philosophy departments in the country. Not too thrilled about staying in NJ though.
Boston University? (Just because it seems... mediocre. Probably even that is out of my league.)
Syracuse (I would love to, but also seems out of my league.)</p>

<p>Oh, and I'm getting two really amazing recommendation letters. If that even helps at all. And I know they're amazing because... lol, well I just know.</p>

<p>Another thing, no community college recommendations please. The plan is that I leave this place lol</p>

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<p>no idea about St. Johns
Rutgers: high match
BU: high reach
Syracuse: high match
Dude, I know how you fell. I can relate. I’m trying to stop being that way, but it’s really hard. Kids like you always seem to really pick it up in college though.</p>

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<p>Julia, if you don’t have more respect for colleges than taking the SAT high, well, don’t expect any love in return. Hard to see you getting into any of the schools you list with current stats. Much harder to see any of them give you any financial aid.</p>

<p>So if your family is willing to fund private colleges, there’s always some second through forth tier colleges willing to take kids who blew off schools and tests. If not, you’re probably looking at community college or non state flagships in your own state.</p>

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<p>Hello. I can’t really offer you any advice, because I don’t know much about this whole college admissions thing. But I’m hoping for the best for you, as cheesy as that sounds…Don’t forget that in the end your grades and what school you wind up at don’t define you. It’s the thoughts inside your head and the actions you take that are of value. Okay? :)</p>

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<p>Please, there’s no need for you to be interjecting your morals in situations like these and then following up with terrible advice.</p>

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<p>This is just outrageously false. Perhaps the OP’s numbers are going to be on the low side for Syracuse, BU and St. John’s, but she will have no problem getting into Rutgers and schools of its caliber (Temple, Drexel, Pitt). Besides, her SAT score isn’t abysmally low (you want around an 1800 for S/BU/St.J, so its around the bottom 25%, which is fine), and she taken a challenging courseload and maintained a solid GPA (though the junior year drop is disheartening), so that means she has a fighting chance.</p>

<p>Just because you haven’t broken 2000 on your SATs does not mean that you are bound for “community colleges and non state flagships”.</p>

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<p>Really, you can go to Rutgers while being bottom 50% and having a 1660? News to me!</p>

<p>And with a few hundred more SAT points, BU Or Syracuse might be possible but they save the aid for their better students.</p>

<p>Sorry, I have scorn for someone who takes their future so lightly and then expects to land on her feet.</p>

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<p>I agree with billabongboy. 2college2college’s post was pathetic and mean :(</p>

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<p>Sorry, I have scorn for someone who doesn’t know anything about the admissions process and then still tries to sound authoritative.</p>

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<p>Oh, wow. You’re kind of really mean, 2college2college. Everyone here automatically seems to assume that because you don’t do well in school that you must automatically be looked down upon and shamed into a corner because you’re not smart enough. It’s been said time and time again, grades really don’t measure one’s intelligence. It’s really sad to see people so hung over, hanging for dear life for a couple of points. Trying to win and maintain labels that only serve an already biased opinion not of their own. </p>

<p>Maybe, I will end up at a community college. Maybe I won’t end up at a college at all. (Because let’s face it, whatever I want to know, I can more or less teach myself as I’ve been doing for a good part of my life.) Either way, I’ll still be amused and feel a sense of comfort in knowing that I’m not killing myself over an A for a meaningless career.</p>

<p>Btw, it’s top fifty, not bottom. </p>

<p>Ah, whatever, haha anyway thank you to those that replied. I figured I’ll do well on the essays and if they offer interviews, try and do them. I can speak well. Like… in a way, I don’t know. </p>

<p>Thank you, billabongboy9828. That made me smile, and somewhat gave me hope. Sammy, you were really sweet and bluedevils, haha maybe. </p>

<p>Also thinking of Loyola University at Maryland. Washington College, also in Maryland. I don’t know.</p>

<p>But yeah, again, thank you.</p>

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<p>I would definitely check out Marlboro College in Vermont. There are only around 300 students, and their average ACT/SAT/GPAs are in your range. While they accept what you could call the “misfits”, they are a VERY rigorous school, academically. With your interests and background, I think that could be a great place for you to pick things up.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I actually really like Marlboro College in theory and what it stands for. I went to camp at vermont in sixth grade. Not too crazy about living there. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I think I’ll definitely apply just for the sake of… having options. Thank you. :)</p>

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<p>If you weren’t high what do you think you can score on the SAT?</p>

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<p>

Cool.
Why did you do that?</p>

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<p>Wow, a bit late, but had I not been high, I would’ve maybe scored in the 1800s. Maybe low 1900s. And there’s no reason why I showed up high. There were a lot of problems at home and I left the house that morning in disarray. I had to travel in the cold by bus and foot to another town. It was just too much for me. </p>

<p>A few other schools I’m thinking of are:
Salve Regina, RI
Washington College, MD
Loyola, MD
University of Boston, MA
A few Pennsylvania State Universities
Saint Joseph’s, PA</p>

<p>haha, nobody cares, I’m replying a little too late. But yes. There’s my life. And I’ve decided that I will be definitely majoring in Philosophy. Or so I say now.</p>

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<p>Why do you want to go to college? I am not trying to be mean, but asking a real question. Is it because it is the next expected step? Do you just want to get out of the house? </p>

<p>The same with the Philosophy major. I was a Phil major, but I understand that not many get a job as a philosopher since they poisoned Socrates (I went to med school).How about taking a year off and join the peace corp, the jobs corp, army, job or whatever to figure out want you want to do and what degree might help get you there.</p>

<p>Then the interest will drive the studying which will drive the grades which will be better and give you options for the future. Spending a bunch of money for a middle school with a middle degree may be ok in the short term, but I 'd hate to see you ten years from now with a bunch of debt, a degree and still no idea what to do.</p>

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<p>I don’t know why I’m replying after a year but I just wanted to say if anyone cared that I got into St. John’s. It ended up being the only school I applied to. They loved me, I won’t lie. I even went for an interview after I got accepted and the guy loved me. We could have literally become best friends if he were 20 years younger. Anyway, to the guy that said that I would have a hard time getting into St. John’s in Annapolis was wrong, I got in so easily. It must have been the charm I portrayed in my abnormally long essays. </p>

<p>But anyway, just when you think this would have been the fairy tale ending for the loser, nope. I didn’t bother applying for financial aid. I know I would have received almost full financial aid, being poor and evidently charming. I lost complete interest by the end of high school in going to college altogether. I ended up nearly overdosing at some point. I got a much older boyfriend whom I now live with.</p>

<p>I’m at a Community College now just because he wants me to. So far I have a 100 in all of my classes and 109 in my Eastern Philosophy class. It’s wonderful. Who knew I’d be so great? Taoism and whatnot are fantastic. Philosophy is all very interesting. College is so easy. I also take a class at Columbia, lol there’s virtually no difference between Community College and Columbia. </p>

<p>Which is so funny. Sometimes I think if work is so easy at all the Ivy Leagues. That all these pretentious kids with astronomical extracurriculars and padded resumes are all really just dumb. But yes, anyway. I now plan on applying to Swarthmore and UPenn and Bryn Mawr since, well, my ever so loving significant other is planning on moving to PA. Thought I’d go with him. Life is so good though. It’s finally really good. </p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>It’s been nice talking to myself.</p>

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<p>wow congratulations</p>