Help chance a (potentially less than) mediocre student?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Will I be able to attend a four-year institution or is my college future doomed?

TRANSCRIPT:
I have a 2.7 GPA and 1270 on the new SAT. I attend a challenging HS if coursework rigor counts for anything. I received a 4 on AP English, and 3s on AP U.S History/World.

ECs:
I’m the director of my school’s Model UN Club and president of a club focused on providing companionship for the elderly which I do get community service hours for (have been involved in both of these clubs without leadership positions since 10th grade). Member of Black Student Union since 11th grade. Member of Dance/Cheerleading since 9th grade. Took a course at NYU and received an “A”. Babysitter since 9th grade. Newspaper since 11th grade. Regular church goer? (Okay, now I’m just searching for things to add).

SUMMERTIME:
Between 9th-10th I participated in a leadership training program for women passionate about activism. From 10th-11th I got the opportunity to go overseas to intern in an embassy unrelated to the United States due to familial connections. Before 12th grade, I stayed in the city for a babysitting job.

RECS:
One is certainly going to be very sincere and heartfelt but will probably say nothing of my work ethic and only speak to my character. Still debating on who to ask for the other.

MISC:
Published in my school’s literary magazine? Not a very big deal, granted, but I’m listing just about everything relevant to my high school experience right now. Also I’m black but like so are thousands of other women. First generation American. AP Scholar. Published journal on an online blog run by the non-profit organization that my club volunteers for. Hobbies include playing ukulele and writing poetry, although I’m 99% sure there isn’t any place to list personal interests on the common app. This is just so y’all know I have a life.

ESSAY:
Currently about bridging the cultural gap with my immigrant parents being raised here while they retained customs from West Africa. Less cliche than it sounds…the beginning is more of a story of a moment because I noticed admissions officers seem to like that?

I want to know if I have any chance at Bentley, Quinnipiac, Suffolk, Temple, WVU, UMass, Drexel, Penn State, Elon, or American (well aware that this last one will be a reach…I’m applying ED II and I’ve toured campus and I hope to boost my GPA to a 3.0 by the end of this first semester of my senior year). After doing some research, I’m feeling severely underqualified and I wanted to know if it was even worth it to try for the schools listed above. Thank you all for your help!

2

What’s your intended major?

3

For Penn State you could investigate the 2+2 option – two years at a branch campus and two years at main. PSU really cares about GPA and main would probably be out of reach as a freshman.

4

@ryanPA I want to major in public relations and strategic communications!

@bodangles Thank you so much for the feedback- I’ll have to look into that!

5

Commenting again to push my thread to the top! Please anyone weigh in if you can, any insight/advice is much appreciated.

6

Bentley and UMass Amherst would be a reach with your GPA.

7

You sound bright and aware and maybe the 2+2 is a chance for you to catch up with the stats and then move forward. You just want to be sure your family can afford costs, which means running the Net Price calculators on each college’s web site.

The essay sounds good. You don’t have to structure it in the manner hs teachers want (thesis statement and proofs.) In general, the principle is “Show, not just tell.” So if “story of the moment” means telling of an incident, be careful it isn’t so long or detailed that it dominates the point you’re trying to make. Being a bridge is good, when it applies to peer relations, as well. You could work that in.

Nearly all your activities can go on the app- you may need to consolidate. The church thing is fine if you hold some role.

Wherever you land, I just think you will find your way.

8

Are you in NY state?

9

Don’t worry! You seem extremely smart and well aware of your options, even if your scores/grades don’t show it. I think you’ll get into a 4-year institution - WVU seems like a good shot. You should also apply to Michigan State, Northern Arizona U., University of Arizona, University of DC. You will get into a 4 year college. If you really want one of the others on your list and don’t get in, try community college first or the PSU 2+2.

10

Thank you everyone for helping out!

@Fishnlines29 Yes, I am a NY state resident.
@sunshine232 I appreciate that, thank you so much. I would try for Michigan State, Northern Arizone U., and University of Arizona except they are all reasonably far from NY and I want to stay as close to the Northeast as possible to make it easy and inexpensive to commute home and for my family to visit. I hadn’t heard of University of DC! Is there any way I could have a 4-year institution to apply to as a “safety” or should I restrict my safeties to community colleges?
@lookingforward Thank you very much! Is it enough to be apart of youth choir in church? Also, I hadn’t considered finding the balance for time allotted in my essay between the retelling of that moment and expanding on my central point, so that was very helpful.
@TomSrOfBoston Recently took UMass off the list after speaking with a friend who attends, and now I’m wondering if you would recommend I do the same for Bentley? I’m not exceptionally passionate about that school in the first place, and if admittance is a reach, then why waste the application money, right?

11

Choir. Yes.

12

Then I would check out CUNY schools: https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/adpr/admission-to-adpr

13

@Fishnlines29 YES thank you so much! I don’t know how I could possibly let CCNY escape my mind but I’m so grateful for you providing that link…my college counselor is new and has the task of managing our entire grade so she’s been focused on EA/ED applicants to ivy league institutions and has therefore been inaccessible as of late.

14

Other schools I am applying to are UNH, Arcadia, Hunter, UPitt, and Pace. Are these attainable?

15

Please tell us you’ve been running those NPCs/Net Price Calculators, that you’ve had the cost discussions with your parents and know what they can afford. At some of the schools you list, you may not get much fin aid.

16

@lookingforward Where do I find NPCs? I have had the cost discussion with my parents and filled out the FAFSA and I plan on seeking out as many scholarships as I can (for example ones listed by cappex/niche and one offered through the non profit organization I work with), however, I still haven’t done much research into total anticipated cost and don’t want to end up relying on loans.

17

Each college’s web pages. You can likely even google the school name and “Net Price Calculator.” If your parents own a business, there are some flaws in it. But for ordinary situations, these are a big help.

Some “outside scholarships” are for first year only, many are relatively small, compared to costs. And for some colleges, outside monies are deducted from their package to you. (You can usually find something about this policy on their sites, too.) So, be cautious, as you research. Good luck.

If you need more specific fin aid help, post in that forum. There are some very knowledgeable posters there.

18

I don’t know that they (as in 4 year universities) would be safeties, but could definitely be solid matches. However, there are probably some open enrollment colleges and universities near you. For example, University of DC is open enrollment for DC residents.

This link may be helpful to you, even though I’m not sure which of these are 4-year institutions http://www.collegecalc.org/colleges/new-york/open-admissions/

19

@lookingforward Thank you so much, I’ll definitely have to head over to the financial aid forum and do some more thorough investigating. There’s so much to this process!

@sunshine232 Wow, that is a very helpful link! Wish these resources had been provided by my college counselor…by the way, any thoughts on chances at the specific universities I referenced in my earlier comment? I feel behind in the application process because I’m only now finalizing my college list and working on my common app essay but I know people who have already submitted applications. Thank you again.

20

Only know about 2 but you have a good chance at wvu and UNH(if your referring to new hampshire, not new haven)