<p>i have pretty good test scores (in my opinion): 2250, 800 mathiic, 800 chem, 5s on ap chem, ap bio, ap lang, ap stat, and ap calc ab. however, i didnt really try in school, although i took the hardest classes possible, so my uw gpa is really low (a little more than 3.3). i started to try second half of my junior year, but it was already too late and i couldnt bring my gpa up enough. its my senior year now, and im taking 5 ap classes. if i get a 4.0 1st semester of senior year, will i be able to avoid being seen as a "smart but lazy" student and stand a chance at all at top schools like cornell and berkeley? i would consider my ecs and intangible stuff decent to pretty good. also, my recs should be good since i talked with my teachers/gc and they agree that i have improved exponentially during my junior year. i'm black/asian, but i'm not going to put my race down for personal reasons.</p>
<p>I don’t know if you’ll get into those schools or not - seems like grades, rigor, and test scores are the first level of gatekeeping that colleges do, <em>then</em> they look at the student’s trajectory, ECs, essays, etc. My only advice is to definitely apply - it seems possible, especially if you are able to get to 4.0 or beyond! </p>
<p>But I really wanted to reply to you to congratulate you on the word “horribad.” I hope you don’t mind if I borrow that on occassion. ;)</p>
<p>^ I agree. On both paragraphs. Horribad is an awesome word!</p>
<p>thanks for the reply guys, im just afraid that ill be sent directly to the rejected pile because my gpa and sat make me seem like a really lazy student (which i used to be).</p>
<p>I’m interested why you wouldn’t put down your race statistics … there are some scholarships and other aid available at some schools to try to attract a more diverse field of candidates. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of this? If you are being proud and don’t want to get extra consideration because of your race, think again. Even if the college would give you extra consideration, there are other diverse candidates that you would be compared to as well, and you still have to be stronger than they are to get the final slot they have available. Unless your parents are extremely wealthy, I would suggest you reconsider this position you have taken.</p>
<p>Gpa is the number one consideration of almost all universities.</p>
<p>How much can your family afford to pay? Sit your parents down, and have the “Money Talk” with them. Until you know about that, you won’t be able to assess your options very well.</p>
<p>You also might consider planning now for a Gap Year. That would mean that your (presumably) better grades from your senior year will all be fully on record when you apply to colleges.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Putting your race down will provide an advantage. However, if you’re uncomfortable with putting it down or you’re uncomfortable with using it to your advantage in admissions, don’t feel any pressure to do so.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, good test scores alongside horribad (love that word) grades looks like you’re really lazy and you’re wasting your potential.</p></li>
<li><p>Getting a 4.0 senior year first semester would probably drastically improve your application.</p></li>
<li><p>Whether it would nullify the notion that you’re lazy is not something that we can really determine.</p></li>
</ol>
<hr>
<p>And now for the foolish quote of the day:</p>
<p>
</p>
<ol>
<li>It’s GPA, not Gpa.</li>
<li>You have no idea what you’re talking about.</li>
<li>Even if you did, you’d need to cite a source.</li>
<li>GPA is meaningless, as each school does it differently and each student takes different classes. For example, a high GPA at a school that gives everyone a 4.0 is meaningless. A 4.0 UW in easy classes is not as impressive as a 3.9 UW in hard ones.</li>
<li>I will concede that the high school transcript is often the most important piece of an application.</li>
<li>The high school transcript has much more to it than GPA. This is also where course rigor, GPA trends, and class rank come in.</li>
</ol>
<p>* if i get a 4.0 1st semester of senior year, will i be able to avoid being seen as a “smart but lazy” student and stand a chance at all at top schools like cornell and berkeley? i*</p>
<p>I highly doubt it. The acceptance decision will be made before 2nd semester grades are in. One semester of grades won’t bring up your GPA.</p>
<p>the UCs mostly use grades from grades 10 - 11.</p>
<p>Are you instate for Cal? If not, will your family pay.</p>
<p>What is your budget? How much will your family pay?</p>
<p>What are the other schools on your list. You need a realistic list.</p>