Good SATs, horrible GPA, and a tumor. Chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm a junior, set to graduate in June 2010, looking for fall 2010 admissions.
White female of a middle-class, single parent household in the suburbs of NYC. Moderately competitive public high school. </p>

<p>GPA UW:87
GPA W:91
Rank: 51/188
-This will all go up. I still have the next half of my junior year and I'm taking extra classes over the summer to bump up my GPA (hopefully to about a 94, weighted) and rank. The reason will follow... </p>

<hr>

<p>SAT: 2320
(CR-780) (M-740) (W-800)
I'll be taking SAT IIs in Eng. Lit, Italian, and either Bio or American History. </p>

<hr>

<p>APs:
Sophomore: Euro (4)
Junior: APUSH, Eng. Language, Physics B, Psych (Predicted 4 on Physics, 5 on everything else)
Senior: Lit, Calculus AB, Bio, Government, and Italian (if it runs, which it might not. In that case, I may do Chem)</p>

<hr>

<p>EC's: (In school)
Student council (9,10,11,[12]) </p>

<p>Student Peer Organization (11,[12])<br>
-Class treasurer</p>

<p>Model UN (11,[12]) </p>

<p>School Newspaper (10,11,[12])
-Co-chapter founder </p>

<p>School Literary Magazine (9,10,11,[12]) </p>

<p>Unpaid tutor (10,11,[12])
-Co-editor in chief</p>

<p>Varsity Badminton (10,11,[12]) </p>

<p>Varsity Tennis (11,[12])</p>

<hr>

<p>EC's: (Out of school)
Religion teacher (9,10,11,[12])</p>

<p>Hospital volunteer - 100 hrs/year for two years, so far. </p>

<p>Clerical job at a neurosurgeon's office - about a year and I can get a killer rec. from him.</p>

<p>Involved in Young Republicans</p>

<hr>

<p>Misc.</p>

<p>I've participated in some worthy summer programs (CTY, Brown SSP) over the past few years, and I've done a little bit of lab work. </p>

<p>I was inducted into National Honor Society last week, and I'm a member of my school's Language Honor Society. </p>

<p>I've won a couple of writing awards... nothing major, but they're existant. And I'm waiting for national merit. </p>

<p>Oh, and last month, I had a thyroid nodule removed. It was benign and now I'm perfectly okay, but I'd had it for years without it being diagnosed. It caused substantial weight gain, some other physical issues, depression, and just general laziness. Which basically turned my motivation in school into apathy, and made my GPA drop. Still, I guess I retained my intelligence, and my test scores are good (ie, SATs). And I basically diagnosed it myself. I ignored a lot of people telling me that I was a hypochondriac, and went to doctor after doctor until my thoughts were confirmed. I'm planning on writing about it in some of my essays. Not a sob-story, but just to let the schools know what has been going on. Maybe how my life has changed since I was diagnosed, and maybe a little on the process of how it was diagnosed (with a little bit of comedy- how the television show House sparked my intuition [= ). </p>

<p>So, I know I'm not going to HYP, but I'd like to see my chances at some other schools (provided, of course, I bump up my GPA). Chance me at: </p>

<p>Binghamton University (SUNY)
Fordham University
Hunter College (CUNY Macaulay Honors)
Lafayette College
Gettysburg College
Manhattan College</p>

<p>Columbia is my dream school, and I know there is probably no way I'll be accepted, but humor me. What do you think?</p>

<p>And, if there's anything else you think might be a good fit for me... please don't hesitate. I'm still doing my visiting and narrowing down my lists. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Although your GPA is definitely a drawback, upper-tier universities tend to be very holistic in admissions, so construing your application in a way that shows how you persevered through your troubles could give you a very compelling chance. You are lucky in the sense that your GPA is the only flaw in your record (which isn’t that egregious in itself).</p>

<p>Oh, and by the way - your post gives credence to your username ;).</p>

3

<p>Binghamton: Yes
Fordham Uni: Yes
Hunter College: Yes
Lafayette: Never Heard Of
Gettysburgh: Probably
Manhattan: Yes
Colubmia: No (5%)</p>

4

<p>Just wondering: if I go get myself irradiated, will my chances at a college go up? A disability seems like a silly variable to consider.</p>

5

<p>When the disability itself sheds light on why ones grades are so poor, it’s most likely an important factor to consider. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told. ;)</p>

6

<p>You sound like someone who will make the most of any oportunity, so no matter where you end up, you will be fine! That being said, Columbia disappoints 90+% of the people who apply, so chances are slim. But try it and just be realistic.
I agree with mcvcm92 and add that Gettysburg should be likely and Lafayette is a decent bet.</p>

7

<p>

</p>

<p>Thanks for that. =) I’m not really taking Columbia too seriously. If anything, I’ll just work my ass off in college for that 4.0 and go to Columbia for grad school. </p>

<p>I’ve recently become really obsessed with Fordham. Am I okay there?</p>

8

<p>Columbia’s my dream school too. I want to go there for grad also cause my high school GPA sucks =p</p>

9

<p>All of the schools listed are schools that I think you have a large probability of getting in, easily (scholarship money, too–maybe). As for Columbia, the only thing I saw that stood out was the SAT score.</p>