<p>I am in a bit of a conundrum at the moment in terms of college, and was hoping those older and wiser could give me their opinions/advice ;). I'm a current junior in high school, and this year went pretty terribly for me personally and academically (semi- abusive relationship, eating disorder... not fun). My grades first semester plummeted, bringing my gpa down to a 3.6. I have since brought them back up to A's, and my SAT scores are good (w800, v800, m- retaking, haha), and I am very committed to a number of EC's (music, board of ed, gov school, etc). My guidance counselor thinks that this gpa is going to kill me at the schools I want to apply to (Swarthmore, Smith, Pomona, Williams, Wellesley), and I'll be the first to admit that it is on the very low end of the applicant pool. Do you think the SAT scores, involved EC's, and a good essay could make up for the grade slump? Should I mention what's gone on this year personally to give a bit of a context? Any advice/ comments would be appreciated:)</p>
<p>I do hope that your problems are behind you! They sound quite tough.
When adcoms see high SATs and low GPAs, they tend to think bright underachiever; they're not the kind that colleges want. So the low GPA needs to be explained. The best person to do so is the GC. You can append an explanatory note to your app to put your junior year grades in context, especially if your freshman and sophomore years and the first part of your senior years are stronger, but do not make the explanation the focus of your essays. You want to come across as someone who can handle college, who will contribute to the college community rather than as a whiner making excuses. </p>
<p>The colleges you are considering are all reaches for most applicants, so add a few less selective ones. If finances are a consideration, add some financial safeties as well. You may be in the running for some merit aid. You do have some great SAT scores!</p>
<p>I agree with the previous post. I would add the following. In a case like yours, your grades from first semester of senior year would probably be reviewed closely. I don't believe that admissions officiers normally spend too much time trying to track down the mid-year senior grades, but they would if the guidance counselor wrote you a explanatory recommendation. </p>
<p>Trying to get into the very, extremely, competitive colleges at the top is a crap shoot for anyone, however. For every one they accept, they deny five people who are almost identical to the one that they accepted. Be sure to find a safety school that you would like.</p>
<p>I second the suggestion to have your guidance counselor include an explanation in their recommendation. My daughter's grades slipped in 10th grade after difficult personal events and her guidance counselor has already mentioned that she will discuss the reasons behind the grade slip in her recommendation. I would also say that you might want to consider bringing some of this up in your interviews --- but do so carefully, not with an air of excuse-making but rather explanation. Unfortunately, because your grades in senior year first semester will be scruntinized carefully, I would advise against applying ED or EA. You will need time to prove that you really have turned things around. Finally, you should add some realistic choices to your list beyond the top colleges. There are many excellent schools out there that would welcome you with those grades and test scores, even if they are not the "top" schools. Concentrate on finding those good choices before you set your sights on the highly selective schools. Good luck!</p>
<p>ladylazarus,</p>
<p>You have, unfortunately, joined a very large group of applicants - those with high test scores and mediocre grades. Slipping jr. year grades are so common, as kids gain independence etc, that adcoms tend to be fairly immune to reasons.</p>
<p>IF, and it is a big IF, you can get your GC (better yet, head of guidance) to provide a solid letter of explanation, preferably to places where your school admin has a relationship and track record, and IF your second semester Jr grades are stellar, you might avoid an automatic reject at top schools. But it is a looooong shot.</p>
<p>Your best bet, IMHO, is to have a good range of colleges on your list. You may need to start lower and move up over time (transfer).</p>
<p>Keep in mind that american higher education is great about allowing second chances through transfers. Keep in mind, too, that high status colleges mean the most to the attendees and their parents. Future employers, grad school admissons committees and relatives care more about what you did at school than where you did it.</p>
<p>There's no doubt that your grade slump will hurt you. Reality is though that "A Is For Admission" is right when it says that despite the propaganda, high test scores/low gpa kids do better than low test scores/high gpa kids.</p>
<p>Shoot for the moon on your SAT scores. Try hard to get as close to 2400 as possible. Why? There's this little game colleges play...They like to pretend that the kids taken in the ED round are just as qualified as those taken in the RD round. In other words, contrary to reality, they try to argue that applying ED doesn't help "that much"--when it really does. In order to try to make this argument though, they like to keep the median SAT of both groups about the same. The ONLY way to do that and make the coaches and alumni parents of legacies happy is to take some of those kids with very high SATs, almost always including some with less than stellar grades. (If anyone doubts this, take a look at Montauk & Klein's chapter on early decision.) </p>
<p>Now, it is true that if you don't have near perfect scores and your grades slumped, applying ED will hurt you. It's just not true if your scores are very high and colleges know that letting in that 2400 will allow them to let in some 1800 ED athlete or legacy without lowering the median SAT. The kid with mediocre grades and rocket scientist scores has a better chance of getting in ED to a college, especially a liberal arts college (smaller number of kids makes each score matter more than at a university) than RD to the same school. </p>
<p>Some of the colleges on your list take more than 40% of ED applicants, BTW.</p>
<p>What you MUST do is keep those grades up senior year. No senioritis allowed. If you do get deferred, those grades will matter A LOT. </p>
<p>I concur with the advice to have your GC or a teacher explain your difficulties, instead of doing it yourself. If your eating disorder was serious enough to require hospitalization, you might consider having your treating physician write a brief letter to the school giving the diagnosis, dates you were in the hospital, etc. MAKE SURE that it you do this, (s)he says in the letter that you are now healthy and (s)he doesn't think it will be an issue for you in college. </p>
<p>I'd also suggest that you review the chapter on early decision in Montauk & Klein after you have your exact scores. It has the best explanation of who should/should not apply ED of any book on college admissions I've seen. </p>
<p>I also agree that you need to find some safeties. Apply to a few LACs lower down the totem pole. MAKE SURE you get the apps done before you hear the results of the ED app. It's hard to focus on the apps if ED doesn't turn out well and RD apps are due shortly after you find out.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>jonri:</p>
<p>I was gonna suggest just the opposite of ED/EA for this group. If senior grades are all A's in difficult classes (honors/ap), then I would think that the gc explanation would have much more influence in the RD round as noted by dufus. As has been noted previously, the chance of being admitted from the deferred pool declines precipitously relative to the rest of the RD group. Indeed, the deferreds are re-read last.</p>
<p>OTOH, some of the less selective colleges would LOVE to boast of admitting one of the first 2400s!</p>
<p>ladylazarus - It appears you have stumbled into one of those life defining moments. It is truly unfortunate that your personal issues have coincided with the most important year in high school academically, and even more unfortunate that the people who love and support you couldn't be more helpful during this critical period. I agree with previous posters that, left to draw their own conclusions, adcoms will not understand why a really smart student would be getting B's in high school. An explanatory letter from your GC will help a little, but any BIG help will have to come from you.</p>
<p>So it's time to decide whether you want to attend one of your target schools, or whether you're comfortable settling for a lesser institution (which will take little effort, considering your SAT scores).</p>
<p>If you want to attend one of your target schools, you will need to campaign for the opportunity. How you do this is up to you. You might take two or three college courses this summer. Those WILL show up on your ED application. You might pick one or two target schools and begin extensive contacts with adcoms for your region and professors in your chosen area of study. You might visit multiple times, building relationships and illustrating both interest and ability. In other words, you need to do everything you can to put yourself in a favorable position with your preferred school BEFORE you submit the formal application. Of the schools on your list I would choose to focus on Wellesley, but that decision is really up to you also.</p>
<p>Good luck with this. And please keep in mind that virtually every accomplished person has had to work through at least one crisis in his/her life.</p>
<p>I agree with all the above strategies but will offer another perspective that may or may not be valid given your situation.</p>
<p>If you have been working with a counselor on your eating disorder you may want to include school choice as an important element of maintaining recovery. As you know, college campuses seem to be rampant with eating disorder behaviors, in some instances involving group binge-purge cycles among students on an entire dorm floor. Most ED teens are perfectionistic overachievers and an environment that falls into the excesssive range of those characteristics may not be the healthiest choice. Just something to consider.</p>
<p>How you do this is up to you. You might take two or three college courses this summer.</p>
<p>DON'T. Eating disorders are often the results of attempts to cope with pressure. Do as well as you can for the rest of the semester, and do as well as you can in the fall. But this summer, try to RELAX. If you want to take a course, fine. But only because the subject matter interests you. See the threads about resume-padding.</p>
<p>I get the sense that the OP really wants to go to a top tier college. If she does, she should apply because if she doesn't, for the rest of her life she'll wonder "What if?" So, applying ED to a second tier college is something I just don't think she'll want to do. </p>
<p>While colleges do keep track of the stats of "admitted" students, they also keep track of "enrolled" students. So, a 2400 or close to it in the ED round can be "locked in" by the college--they know the odds are better than 95% that the student will in fact enroll and that 2400 will be included in the stats for admitted students. Additionally, many colleges release the stats of their ED admits. Given the pressure to enroll recruited athletes and legacies who apply ED with lower SATs, the colleges are really tempted to accept ED bright kids who really seem as if they just hit a bad bump in life and have high SAT scores. They don't want ED scores well below the rest of the class accepted RD. </p>
<p>If you'd like to read a better explanation, I do recommend the Montauk & Klein book. The Title is something along the lines of "How to Get Into a Top College." The chapter on ED really is the best discussion I've read as to which students should/should not apply ED. </p>
<p>While colleges further down the list will leap at the 2400, I don't think that the OP should settle for one of them and always wonder "what if?" I don't think she has a "hook" and for those without one, ED offers much better odds. (I think Wellesley accepts twice as high a percentage of ED applicants as regular applicants.) </p>
<p>Obviously, this is a matter of opinion, but it sounds as if she'd be happy at several different top LACs so she can, after all, apply to some on her current list and some safeties in the regular round if she is deferred or rejected. I just think she should pick one and try ED, ASSUMING she can get that math score up! If not, that's a different matter.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all the advice... you have been wonderfully helpful. Just wondering... would being an All- Eastern Singer and/or having a rec from the district superintendent (I do a lot in terms of the school district, Board rep, etc.)qualify as a hook?</p>
<p>LL, Difficult questions. Youve received some good advice, so Ill just add a few thoughts.</p>
<p>First, being an intelligent and knowledgeable consumer, I assume you have identified a less selective or two that youd be happy to attend, right? That done, you can think about how to overcome the deficiency in your profile. And having a wonderful safety will also help you relax a bit and concentrate on getting your grades back to where they belong.</p>
<p>The good news is that the LACs that you have targeted, while reaches for just about everyone, do evaluate the total person and since you will presumably score high in 5 out of 7 areas scores, ECs, recommendations, essays, talent you have a shot at compensating for your relatively low GPA and, again I assume, rank. When you say youve brought your grades up, do you mean that you will end up with a strong second half of junior year? This makes a difference as you want to be able to show real improvement, not just good intentions.</p>
<p>Your musical accomplishments can certainly be a hook. </p>
<p>The issue of how much to explain is tricky. Although the adcoms are sympathetic and in general like the idea of overcoming diversity, eating disorders and abusive relationships can also warn of trouble ahead. To focus on psychological problems as a cause for grade deterioration may give the colleges a reason NOT to take a chance on you. To ignore them altogether provides no rationale for the drop in grades. Id suggest taking an indirect route in having your counselor or teacher that youre close to personally weave your personal issues into an otherwise positive recommendation. Writing about these kinds of problems in essays is also risky.</p>
<p>I would also steer clear of these controversial topics during interviews. Present yourself as confident and enthusiastic. Its very unlikely that your interviewer will ask about your grades (quite often they dont have access to your transcript) and I think youd have a hard time explaining without sounding defensive. </p>
<p>If money is not a consideration, then by all means apply ED. At the time that you apply in mid-November you wont have your senior year grades, its true, but maybe your school can help you project.</p>
<p>ladylazarus, I wish you the best of luck. Speaking of "perfectionistic", it amazes me how many people posting on this thread would call a 3.6 GPA "low" and "mediocre" . It's an A AVERAGE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! No matter that you may have had a higher GPA than that before your troublesome junior year, remember that a 3.6 is a GPA that many students would cut off their arm to have. I personally admire you for taking charge of your life and I wish you the very best. I do agree that you should have a range of choices on your list. The schools you listed are all extremely selective and you never know who they'll take or reject. So put some "sure bets" on your list as well. Take care.</p>
<p>Correction: I mean "overcoming adversity" not diversity. Buzz word meltdown! </p>
<p>And I agree a 3.6 average is nothing to be ashamed of. Relatively is the operative word here.</p>