<p>Personally I am around a 3.1 first two years and 3.3 GPA UW including some electives which didnt boost me that much and in the case of one probably brought me down some, im shooting for around a 3.6 rest of junior year then a strong senior year all with a tough courseload.</p>
<p>My SATs are in the 1300s, pretty strong great writing like I said before, you think I stand a shot with great ECs at NYU, American, GWU, BU? Or should I shoot lower and keep those schools as reaches due to my GPA</p>
<p>One thing that wasn't really discussed was the caliber of the classes the original poster is and has taken. If they have continually taken advanced classes or AP classes and they are in a competitive high school the GPA could be in the range that is being talked about. To me, GPAs are meaningless without context and I'm sure admissions people, especially at the LACs, are very good at determining whether a B GPA with a high SAT is because the student took the most difficult classload in a competitive high school or whether the B GPA with a low SAT is because the student slacked. This is one of the reasons why I'm sure a high GPA on it's own isn't an admission ticket to the top colleges.</p>
<p>I would definitely not say you're screwed, that's the CC reality. I was in a similiar disposition in my freshmen year with a horrendous GPA, then I changed my school and work my butt off from ten feet bellow the ground up to 3rd in the class. Some elite institutions will be careful enough to notice that and if you can really make the rest of your application stand out then you will have a chance at a final slot or wait list, and I'm speaking of schools such as Amherst, Wesleyan, Colgate, and Brown. </p>
<p>I'm going to Amherst and my GPA is nearly as low as your's if you factor in my first 1 1/4 years of education, but then considering that I have had a 4.0 uw all senior year at a school where there are no APs or chances for weighted grades, then I definitely have demonstrated capability. But your application really has to go above and beyond in all other sectors to make up for your early year GPA. It will not break you, but it will make a stand out application a must.</p>
<p>Haha, I have the same situation as you... ~3.3UW (3.9W) but a pretty high SAT (2230). I'm applying to like half the top LACs, I believe... likewise, I don't think you'll be AS hindered by your GPA (although sadly, it WILL hurt) as CCers make it out to be. If you've been taking the hardest courses avalible, that'll show - for colleges/unis recalculate your GPA; and beside that, they take careful consideration of your class rank, coursework, class profile, etc. I don't know about the classes you've been taking, but your senior year weighted GPA vs senior year unweighted GPA contrasts with your overall weight/uw, haha. Did you pick up a handful of APs/honor classes recently? But your upward trend helps a lot =]</p>
<p>You could also write about why your GPA is low (in my case, I can't do that... I just realized that having high B's weren't "good enough" midway through sophmore year, lol) if you're really worried about it, in a seperate slip of paper to include in your app. </p>
<p>But cheers! All hope isn't lost YET. I have a few relatives who've had average GPAs (3.1~3.5 range) and decent SATs and have gotten into Wesleyan, Tufts, and some of the other top 20 LACs =] Write a detailed resume, a passion-filled essay that'll make them literally jump out of their pants, and give it your best shot! A Tufts alumni (family friend) we know says that SAT still greatly effects the overall decision, it's not like 80% GPA, 20% SAT, or anything silly like that. The adcoms realize that it's not always possible to maintain straight A's through hs, lol.</p>