Hello College Confidential forum. I am a student from Pennsylvania. I apologize if this post is in the wrong place, feel free to move/remove it if so.
To be straightforward: I have a poor transcript. My first two years of high school were dotted with low grades. I did turn it around junior year, but it was by no means an instant shift to straight A’s. It was gradual at first, and unbalanced in that throughout high school I have always excelled in English/history/writing classes, but not so much in math and science. This year, my senior year, I have been doing well.
My ACT score is a 32 overall, but I scored perfectly in reading and English, and I also received a perfect score on my writing sample. Does this matter? One of my teachers told me they primarily only view the accumulative score, which wouldn’t be good for me.
My recommendation letters are extremely, extremely strong, and I have one from a notable member of their school who knows me quite well. I hold a host of very minor and surely awards, but have a couple of very significant achievements. My EC’s are not widespread, and almost all are centered in around writing and my career- will this hinder me? It seems everybody I know has a laundry list of EC’s in a broad range of things, I am afraid I do not look well rounded despite how prestigious the awards and internships are. I also
Additionally, my GC recommended I apply to this school, she says that I set forth a strong application- but that the GPA means this is a major, major risk. Even though my grades are now good, the last is not going away.
All in all, I love this school. I really do. Plenty of kids love a school and have the perfect everything and still don’t get in- I know. This won’t be the end of the world, I am aware of that.I feel my essays were very strong, and clearly demonstrated to the school how much I truly love it and feel fit there.
I applied ED to a university with a very low acceptance rate, and a very high ranking.I do not qualify for financial aid. I know my chances are slim to none. Trust me, I know. However, I am curious as to if any of you have ever heard of anybody without a perfect GPA getting into somewhere that seemed impossible. I apologize for the rambling, but I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.
I’m not sure there’s an absolute “unfit”: percentiles are just that. Somewhere in the bottom group at each school is someone whose grades and/or test scores were low for the school, but they got in. You may have “wasted” your ED, but maybe not, since your GC recommended applying to the school and apparently did not say, “You’re crazy!” An anecdote or two about someone who got in … wherever … despite having a bad transcript is meaningless. Now, start working on those other applications, since you know the odds are against you. But, relax, my young friend, you took your best shot.
You are looking for reassurance that you might get into an extremely competitive college with a very low acceptance rate, despite two years of low grades. To reassure you that you might get in would be doing you no favors. Assume you won’t get in. If you do, it will be because you have something they want. Are you an underrepresented minority? An athlete? Maybe a legacy? The letter from someone who works at the school will not get you in. A great essay will not compensate for low grades. Maybe your awards will help you.
Your writing confuses me. What do you mean by “surely awards”? What career do you have as a high school student? I am not trying to be harsh, but have you not told us something significant, such as you are already a published author?
Sure, kids without stellar transcripts do get into top colleges. But that is virtually always because that student has something they want. If you don’t have something they want, please ensure you are working on applications to other colleges. You do not want to churn out a bunch of apps in a hurry.
The short answer is no I have not heard of anyone gaining admission to a school they are “unfit” for. But not knowing any details it is impossible to say if your are truly “unfit” or just perhaps slightly below the school’s average.
But you already applied ED so there are no decisions to be made now. You just need to wait and see what happens. But I would start to prepare applications to schools that are in line with your academics.
@Lindagaf the “surely”? Yes, that was just a grammatical error. You are not being harsh. I apologize for my vagueness, I am doing my best not to reveal personal information/identifying information. The position I hold can easily be traced back to me. Yes, it is significant. I have already sent out applications to other schools, and as I mentioned in my question, I know it would not be the end of the world not to get in- I was simply curious. Regardless, your answer was helpful. I do have the less than stellar transcript, so I am hoping my strengths in other areas may be something they want. Maybe not, maybe so! Thank you, anyway.
@“Erin’s Dad” I had a loss in the family, and a few other things going on. That’s why I didn’t do too well my first two years. I mean that my transcript is not a flood of perfect straight A’s like many of the students also applying. Like…my average is not the usual, but below. Maybe I was not clear enough with using “unfit” to describe my transcript.
Your GC thinks that you are a viable applicant. Go ahead. Apply. Let the admissions committee there decide if you are good enough or not. You may well be.
You gave it a shot. If you get in, you will have to work harder than ever to do well.
If you don’t get in, you have ample time to apply to other schools.
Don’t be convinced that your “dream” school is the only school for you…there are 3000 in the US. Start making a list of back up s that you are ready to apply to if you don’t get in.
@bopper yes I have already applied to quite a few schools, and I got into a couple with rolling admissions. I had a difficult time coping with a loss I was experiencing, but I do know how to work hard now! Thank you!
So you are clear, hooks at elite colleges are recruited athletes, children of celebrities and mega-donors, high-performing URMs, or someone with a really significant achievement, like Malala Yousafzai. Or maybe you won the Intel Science award, or you are world fencing champion. It’s got to be pretty major. Those are the kinds of hooks they want that will possibly get you in despite less-than-stellar grades. Unless your writing achievements are really significant, I don’t think that is enough to overcome the grade issue. Be happy with the other schools on your list and day dream about the ones you have a shot at, not the ones that are extremely, very unlikely to happen.
@lindagaf Yes, trust me, I understand what a major hook is. I in no way need clarification of that. You do not have to believe me. I know that you say possibly, but a concern of mine is how the application will be viewed. I am worried that it will immediately be rejected because of my first two years. Not sure how true this is, but I’ve heard everything (that the computers automatically sort them to rejected and etc.). I believe I got into the couple of other colleges because they personally reached out to me, but this school did not at all. I recieved one likely letter already, but nothing from this school. It simply does not have me on their radar. I am aware the chances are still slim, and that there is no use speculating now that I have applied, but it does make me feel less in the dark to have my questions answered. I am hoping for the best, but I know I will end up okay wherever I go.
@eloquenceviolet You are giving your top choice school your best shot and you already have other good options in hand. There is no sense agonizing at this point. I suggest you move ahead and enjoy your senior year.
^ This. Chewing on the possibility you won’t be accepted by a reach is an exercise in futility. You put your ticket in the pot. Enjoy what success you already have and be happily surprised if things turn out even better.
It might be immediately rejected. It might not. You will never know. Not sure what you mean about not believing you. I don’t think you are lying about anything. You wanted opinions on how your two years of grades might affect your app, I gave them. That’s it.
You have some acceptances already and that is a great position to be in. If you are applying anywhere else, I would ask your GC to include in the letter of rec that you lost an immediate family member. It helps when a college sees a valid reason for low grades, and it is far more credible coming from your GC.
