GPA vs Good/ Decent Standardized Test Chances

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I really want to go to a LAC school with an excellent philosophy program. My GPA is trash but I'm hoping some of my standardized testing scores will make up for it. Posters please provide me with some good matches and safety's that provides for my needs. I'm worried that I might get rejected from the schools that I consider a "safety." Thanks CC :)</p>

<p>Gender: Male
Race: Asian(Korean)
Residency: California
Second Generation Student
Income: 250+ Prior to Taxes...brother attends UCSB
School: EXTREMELY Competitive Public School (TOP 30 CA)
Class Rank: No Rank(Class Size = 996) should be around top 25 percent</p>

<p>UW GPA: 3.55
W GPA: 3.80
SAT: 2110 (Single Sitting) 740 WR / 740 MATH/ 630 CR T.T
SuperScore: 2280 740 WR/ 740 MATH/ CR 800
SAT II: Math IC 710/ USH: 770/ English Lit 750/ Chinese 800/ World History 780</p>

<p>AP's
Freshman Year - AP Biology (self studied)
Junior Year - AP Calculus AB/ AP US History/ AP English Language/ AP Computer Science
/AP Psychology (Self studied)</p>

<p>Senior Year- AP Environmental Science/ AP Statistics/ AP English Literature/ AP US Government/ AP Spanish Literature / AP Miroecon (self study)</p>

<p>AP Scores: APENG (3), AP PSYCH (3), AP BIO (5), AP USH (4)</p>

<p>SENIOR YEAR COURSES
AP Spanish Literature
AP English Literature
AP Statistics
AP Environmental Science
AP U.S Government
Speech and Debate</p>

<p>Reason For Low GPA and AP scores: I got demolished Junior Year second semester involving a 15 day suspension/ lots of missed tests during this suspension including a final 0/200 T.T/ Constant meetings with deans during and getting withdrawn from class, one time I went to the office 7 times in one day...../ It wasn't criminal activity, something else which I am not willing to talk about on CC </p>

<p>EC:
Model United Nations - 4 years/ Committee Director / (college invitational awards UCI, UCB, PCC, ETC...)</p>

<p>Speech and Debate - 3 years/ Capt/ (League Awards, Invitational Awards, district awards)</p>

<p>Business Co-Founder - 3 Years ( involving retailing and donating)</p>

<p>Toastmasters International - 4 Years ( West Division President)</p>

<p>Founder Toastmasters International -2 Years ( East Division)</p>

<p>Founder Gavel Club - Senior Year</p>

<p>Piano - 14 Years (California State Panelist (TOP 50 CA, TOP 25 SOCAL)</p>

<p>Football - 1 Year JV, got a concussion and tired of getting head and spinal injuries..decided to quit but was Capt LOL Amazing right</p>

<p>Special Olympics Sports Coach - 3 Years (coached some championship teams..happiest times of life)</p>

<p>Paid Tutor - 3 Years</p>

<p>Legal Intern - EB-5 Program, making sure million dollar Chinese Corporations cooperate with the US Government and the CLC in order to trade off their economic benefit for green card immigration...pretty interesting stuff</p>

<p>REC Writers :
Club Director and Employer
Penn Alumnus and ex-Claremont Professor (Really excited about this one)
APUSH Teacher (not really sure if she can write well, but I did well in his class )
My Intern Director (super excited about his rec)
Counselors (They have to write recs for 1000 kids..doubt I'm going to get anything special from them)</p>

<p>NMST - Commended Scholar
Business - Mercy Corps recognized Partner</p>

<p>Schools (Mostly Liberal Arts)..want to go to law school (No EA or ED)
MAJOR : Applying as Philosophy (non impacted)
UC Irvine
UC San Diego
UC Merced
UC Riverside
UC Berkeley
Davidson College (My #1 Pick)
Rice University
Deep Springs College
University of North Carolina
Carleton College
Williams College
Amherst College
Bowdoin College
University of Texas
University of Pittsburgh
Johns Hopkins University
Reed College
Washington and Lee College
Georgetown University
Rutgers College
Hamilton College
Occidental College
University of Texas
Vassar College
Wabash College</p>

2

<p>Many of these schools usually need higher GPAs than 3.55 unfortunately. That being said, your EC’s make you stand out and your test scores are good. And the fact that a suspension was the cause of a lower GPA will not help your case either. UC’s should be low matches to matches aside from Berkeley which would be a reach. Most of these LAC’s would be reaches as well and I would check out if every school superscores.</p>

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<p>Your GPA is low for top schools. You SAT1 score is pretty decent for at least half of the schools on the list. I can tell you really want to go to UT Austin as you listed it twice. :slight_smile:
Your course load is definitely rigorous. However, you only take 4 AP exams of out 6 (and you did better for self-studied subjects). There is also no AP class listed in sophomore year. That make me wonder why are you taking so many AP classes plus self studying more? If it is for AP credit, you did not take 2 tests on the AP classes at school and no class in sophomore. If it is for the AP scholar award, you should have taken at least one more test. If you want to show course rigorous, you skip the sophomore year. Also, would that suspension shown on your transcript or school record? All these may raise a red flag in the admission office and hurt your chance.</p>

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<p>@Tuftshopeful69 Thanks for the input…I do not really want to go to a UC school. The UC system is too systematically structured for my liking and the large public school system isn’t to my liking.</p>

<p>@Billscho I was really hoping that UT can be a backup school. As for sophomore year, AP Biology was the only offered course at the time but I had already taken it my freshman year through outside study…so yes, I wasted my sophomore year completely. The suspension does not show on the academic transcript…I cleared that with my dean multiple times but I am still forced to report it because of the application process. Do you have any suggestions school wise that I have a legitimate shot at? Thanks a ton</p>

5

<p>May we ask why you were suspended?</p>

6

<p>Try to explain that in the essay and describe what lesson you have learn and how did you overcome that.</p>

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<p>@dancingqueen, can you please provide me your e-mail and I will tell you everything…</p>

<p>@billscho, Upon reflection, I realized how much damage that haunting period of time was. I hopefully I do explain myself well on the common app essay. </p>

<p>Thanks for the time and valuable input!</p>

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<p>can you pm me too about why you were suspended so I can better chance you and give you more advice abt the application process since I know a kid that was expelled but had a 34 act. I can you tell u abt that kid’s college app process…</p>

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<p>@Firelion, I’m not sure if my message went through but I did in fact PM you</p>

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<p>I think you have a good chance at every school on your list, though I am not too familiar with LACs. All of the research U’s aside from JHU and Rice are matches. I would put JHU and Rice as a high match/low reach.</p>

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<p>Could you pm me too? I don’t feel comfortable giving you my email (has my name in it)</p>

12

<p>email me and talk about the suspension if you want. I can help you and chance you. There’s a kid in my high school got suspended, and through some clearing, he got into top colleges
email: blog96072@ gmail . com</p>

13

<p>Updated College List chance?</p>

<p>Washington and Lee
Georgetown
Vassar
Hamilton
Grinnell
Davidson
Whitman
Bowdoin
Colgate University
Wabash College
Allgeheney College
George Washington University</p>

14

<p>Allegheny, Wabash = safeties
Whitman = match
Everything else is a reach due to GPA, although it’s mitigated by your SAT scores.
Apply to 2-3 UC’s regardless of how you feel about the large school setting.
Look into Reed, Brandeis, New College of Florida, Holy Cross, perhaps Carleton and the Claremonts.</p>

15

<p>Finalized List please chance me (ESSAYS are Done, doing triple revisions) !</p>

<p>Davidson College
Colorado College
College of William and Mary
University of Michigan
Wabash College
Allegheny College
Colgate University
Hamilton College
Washington and Lee University
Connecticut College
Davidson College
Lafayette College
Grinnell College
Rhodes College
Union College
Vassar College</p>

16

<p>I can’t comment on the specific school chancing because mobile is a pain, but I’ll talk about your overall admissions.</p>

<p>Your gpa, off the bat, is rather low. So are your ap exam scores.
BUT your super scored SAT test is pretty high, but they still take into account the one sitting, and your subject tests are okay. Pretty cool how you got a 800 on Chinese when you’re Korean.</p>

<p>Your ECs are what stands out the most. It shows your leadership and ability to do a lot of things. However, there doesn’t seem to be a single passion in those ECs. Remember, one man can’t love to do everything. He can only become excellent in one area in the future. Show your passion for something. Well rounded students come a dime a dozen so be unique in your essay</p>

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<p>Thanks @joesm112. I realize that my GPA is extremely low and its unfortunate that my school is late in its first semester senior deadline so college would not be able to see my senior first semester grades upon initial evaluation. I pulled it together this year and have a 3.8 UW and 4.6 W. Do you think my upwards trend would help propel me into the match zone?</p>

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<p>Davidson College: reach
Colorado College: low reach
College of William and Mary: reach
University of Michigan: reach
Wabash College: safety
Allegheny College: safety
Colgate University: low reach
Hamilton College: reach
Washington and Lee University: reach
Connecticut College: match
Lafayette College: match
Grinnell College: match
Rhodes College: match
Union College: safety
Vassar College : reach
Upward trend will help. Reason for suspension may change odds +/-.</p>

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<p>@myos1634</p>

<p>Thanks for the response! Any others comments/chances/reflections would be appreciated :)</p>

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<p>bump bump bumpity bump bump</p>