<p>I will graduate from a tough catholic school in delaware in may (not sure if it being private helps.) I have a GPA of 2.8 because i'm an idiot for not trying until my senior year. I have an SAT of 1350 single and 1900 whole and an ACT of 27. I took 2 honors history courses sophomore and junior year and I am taking one now. I took AP macro and micro economics my junior year and got 5's both exams. I am currently taking AP psychology. I have a GPA of 3.4 in my first quarter of senior year. I only participated in one club and no other extracurriculars because I have a paid job. My school requires us to do 25 hours of service every year and I usually do 40. </p>
<p>Let me know what you think. I appreciate any responses.</p>
<p>If that was a 2.8 from a Florida public high school, I would say that your chances were slim to none.</p>
<p>However, it has been my observation that high schools “up north” don’t suffer as much from grade inflation, so a 2.8 at a private school might be viewed with a grain of salt – especially in light of your test scores, which are solid. The GPA obviously hurts, but at least there is an upward trend.</p>
<p>Let me ask you a question—
Have you even applied yet as the acceptances for this fall term have been out for several days.
If the answer is no, given your GPA and being out of state, your chances are minimal at best.
1 in a 100…</p>
<p>yes you are spot on. Just to give you an idea of the differences in my school to area public schools: an 84 is a C+ where you have to get a 79 to get that in a public school. That doesn’t sound like much but a 77 is a D+ and in a public school that is a 69. I got letters from 3 universities already saying that they need my first half grade to make a decision. They are Towson University, UNC Asheville, and U of Miami. I am really scared about not making it in anywhere because, of these, Towson was the easiest school that I applied to. when these colleges see my grades for this year, will they see the semester grade or both quarters?</p>
<p>Actually an 84 is a C+ in Florida public high schools, too. I think you have to have a 94 to get an A. </p>
<p>I’m not sure how the difference occurs. It seems that when you compare standardized tests to GPAs, a lot of schools up north have lower GPAs with the same standardized tests for admitted students. That’s just my impression from a limited sample.</p>
<p>The grading scale in Florida can vary widely, too. I know where I attended high school, there was a county-wide grading policy where an A was a 90+, B was an 80+, C a 70+, etc. And I know that Hillsborough County in FL is one where GPA inflation is almost a pastime for the county (it seems like every year as HS graduation rolls around, there’s at least one story of someone with a GPA of like 5.7 or some crap). </p>
<p>If you applied on December 5 to FSU, you won’t get a decision until mid-March, as that’s when the second round of notices are sent out. It’s also pretty difficult to get in during that decision period, since spots are somewhat few and the number of applicants can be pretty high. </p>
<p>It’s tough to say though how you’d do. Knowing that your school is typically harder to excel at could play in your favor, but it also might go against you if the FSU Dept. of Admissions doesn’t know that about your school. What would hurt you is that of the “big 3” items on your application (GPA, ACT/SAT, and course rigor), the two that FSU cares more about are GPA and course rigor, which appear to be your weaker items. </p>
<p>When you send transcripts, all that FSU sees is your semester grades. They don’t see the quarterly breakdown or any other grades.</p>
<p>Overall, I’d say maybe 50/50 just because I don’t know if FSU would look at your GPA and then understand that your GPA is artificially lowered compared to some of the Florida schools, where it’s much easier to get a good grade.</p>
<p>Although I have been helped greatly with your advice over the past year and your advise appears accurate, I have to strongly disagree with you when you indicate that the original poster has a 50 / 50 chance in gaining admission to FSU.
Facts-
Out of state, poor GPA & his application went in during the second round…
I realize that this is Christmas Eve and everyone tries to be hopeful, but dude, there is minimal hope for this guy… I think you are doing him a disservice… Be honest and advise him to channel his energy more towards a safety school .</p>
<p>I said 50/50 because no one here knows whether FSU will consider his GPA to be artificially low due to his school or not. If you attend a school with a funky grading scale, like the one mentioned here, and it results in artificially lower GPAs, it’s something that FSU tends to consider on your application. It’s also like if you attend a school that doesn’t offer many AP or other rigorous courses. FSU tends to know these things, but it’s not clear if they will know this specific case. Given that the rest of his application seems pretty good, that’s why I said he has a 50/50 chance. </p>
<p>FSU isn’t some elite school where you need a 4.0 and a 36 ACT to get in, even if you’re out of state or applying in the second decision period (or both). </p>
<p>What FSU cares about most is your academic course rigor and your GPA, and your test scores. Then they care about all of the extra-curriculars and your application essay and whatever. If you attend a school though that limits how rigorous your course schedule is, or one that artificially inflates or deflates GPAs, FSU tends to take that into consideration if they know about it. As shocking as it might be, not every school offers AP. If the OP took 3 AP courses (2 taken and 1 now) and is doing/did really well in them, that matters to FSU just as much, if not more than if he got a C in some intro class back in 9th grade. </p>
<p>There’s still a decent chance he gets accepted. If you don’t feel that way, you’re free to express that opinion. All I mentioned here was my opinion and why I felt that way. </p>
<p>I don’t recommend that he focus his energy on a safety school. They’re safety schools for a reason. You should focus on your primary choice, but also continue to monitor your other applications.</p>
<p>My prediction is that you will not be admitted to the Fall, but you have a good chance for Summer or Spring. A lot of schools have to report their Fall freshman stats, so they are selective as possible during the Fall so they can report higher freshman statistics be ranked higher. </p>
<p>During the Spring and Summer, this is less of a concern. I think there is a good chance that admissions will see the OPs test scores and note that they are better a lot of students who have 4.0s and conclude that the grading at his HS must have been tough.</p>
<p>Whatever happens, let us know. It’s not often that you see such a disparity between GPA and test scores. This will be an interesting test. I’m so bored with people that have 3.9 GPAs and 1800 SATs. :)</p>
<p>You can try to apply through CARE. I had a friend who bombed his last two years of high school, and got where between a 2.7-2.9 GPA, and still got in. Although he was in-state. Then again, I don’t really think FSU would discriminate whether you are in state or out of state, if anything I think you probably have a better chance getting accepted out of state because not so many people cant afford it. SAT scores are important, and extracurricular activities (including part time jobs) as well.</p>
<p>If you do get rejected, just attend a community college for 60+ credits, where you can “easily” build a strong GPA, so if you do screw up at FSU, it wouldn’t affect your GPA that bad. Plus it’ll save you a lot of money for the first two years.</p>