Hello everyone,
I am a newcomer here and I am desperately in need of advice. This is the last week running up to submitting my applications for my EA schools: U Mich, IU Bloom, Ohio State, and MIT. I have everything in order but I’m not sure if I should not apply yet for these reasons:
- Cumulative GPA
I have had an extremely difficult high school career due to many personal and family issues that have occurred and coupled with the rigor of attending a top 20 prep school it has been very difficult. I have struggled and ended my junior year with a 2.98 cumulative GPA. I would like to note that there is an upward trend.
- ACT score
My ACT is a 28 with a STEM score of 26. I have a outstanding 34 on the reading section though. I am applying as a science major.
I do have multiple letters of endorsements from faculty and people who have been supportive to me over the years stating that my high school scores do not represent me as a student. I am also a Varsity track athlete placing 6th in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League in high jump.
Should I wait and apply regular decision to these schools to show my senior fall semester grades? I expect my fall semester grades to be a 3.5-3.8.
Unfortunately, having another semester’s worth of grades won’t make a difference at schools like MIT and UMich. Your grades and test scores are not even remotely competitive. Please sit down with your GC and develop a more reasonable list of schools for you to apply to. Wishing you the best!
Those are my two reach schools. Will they not take into account the hardships that have happened to me during high school or the endorsement letters? We had a student last year gain acceptance who had very similar circumstances as I have. Do I have a chance at IU Bloom and Ohio State? I am an Indiana resident as well.
@NoteWrench MIT cares more about your raw intelligence over your grades. Nothing about your resume screams “intelligence”. I understand you’re not a dumb kid, but MIT is out of your reach.
@basedchem I understand that. I want to know if whether or not I should send the letters in with my application? Should I apply later? Furthermore, what chances do I have these schools:
Purdue (Indiana Resident)
IU Bloom (Indiana Resident)
Ohio State
Cornell
University of Washington
UCLA
UCSB
UCSD
@NoteWrench As an OOS student, you are nowhere close to competitive for any UC.
I’d look at OSU, MSU for OOS and IUPU, IU, Purdue for in-state. Your prep school may give you a 0.25 - 0.5 GPA bump if it is well known to adcoms. The UC’s and coastal schools probably won’t know your prep school unless there is a history of other kids attending from it.
U Washington might work if you are not studying CS or engineering.
The problem is that your ACT doesn’t support the story of a smart and capable student who experience challenges. If you had a 35 composite and a 4.0 in Fall of senior year, that would at least be plausible. The schools you mentioned as reaches are selecting from the top 1 or 2% of all students.
If you look at the CDS for Umich, only 1% had a GPA between 2.5 and 2.99. 30% had an ACT between 24-29 but most of those are probably in-state 29’s with high GPAs and recruited athletes. At MIT, <5% of students had ACT’s in your range. I think your application won’t survive the first cut at the UC’s UMich, Cornell, MIT etc…
You have some really great in-state options and I think that is your best choice. Definitely apply EA to those.
The UCs require a minimum GPA of 3.4 for OOS applicants, quite literally an impossible feat for a student with a sub-3 GPA even with a 4.0 this semester, so it’s best to look at more pragmatic options.
I agree with TooOld4School about your great in-state options and note that Washington would also be tough because the CDS shows that only 0.43% had an unweighted GPA under 3.0.
You ask if they will take into consideration your hardships. For the Ivies like Cornell on your list, they may take into account mitigating factors, but realistically only if you are in range or close to being in range academically. Your scores are too far away from that to get you much consideration. For MIT, the math score is critical. A good % of admitted students have a perfect 800 on the SAT math section or a perfect ACT math section score of 36. Even if your math matched your reading at 34, that likely would not be enough. I agree with the above poster. Sit down with your guidance counselor to come up with a realistic list
CC’s SuperMatch (up on the left of this page, near the top) will be more help, I think, than your GC. Click on it, wait about 10 seconds, and then start entering your stats and interests,
Forget about UMich. Your GPA is one point off.
I should add, this does not mean you would not be able to perform well at many of these schools.
You have a very good ACT and an upward GPA trend that you should try to continue in college.
You may not be positioned for admission to some of your favorite schools now, but if you apply yourself to your studies wherever you enroll, which will likely be a fine university or college, you could either be a standout student (with all of the benefits of that) there or consider transferring to one of your favorites on the strength of your college record.