How are my chances for (any) school?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey guys, I'm a junior in high school in Montana, and I'm somewhat worried/confused about my chances. I never intended on post secondary schooling so my GPA is, quite honestly, terrible. I'm not sure what it is at the moment but I would estimate 1.8-2.5. Unfortunately I waited until the last moments of my junior year to realize I want to continue my schooling and get an engineering degree some day, so I only started doing well in school this quarter (I'm pulling 5 A's and a single B I believe, at the moment). I know I am a capable student, and I regret my past laziness. I love science and do well in all my science classes. I have taken several advanced science classes since freshman year, including Chem II this year and Physics II next year (I'll be eligible for the AP exam with phys II). I have always gotten good marks in my sciences. Also, I spent two years in our robots club. Both years I was the primary builder/engineer (100+ working hours). Our first year we managed to place 3rd in a national competition, and second year I was also a team captain. Our mentor (who also happens to be my physics and chem teacher) would probably write me a letter of recommendation if I needed one. Unfortunately I'm not very ahead in math classes, I'm in the typical spot right now in Alg II. I'm taking pre calc and statistics next year. </p>

<p>Anyways, I know I am a capable student but I have made myself look like a complete moron and I feel I may have ruined many of my chances. I am taking the ACT in June, and I have been burying myself in study material, so I have somewhat high hopes there. </p>

<p>So more to the point, how badly will my poor grades hurt me? I'd like to apply somewhere out of state, preferably east coast, although I would love going to UC Berkely (I know I'm getting ahead of myself there...). As I said, I would most likely major in mechanical or electrical engineering. Also, I want to serve in the navy at some point, whether it be before or after college. I would like to go after so I can more easily become an officer, so I have also been considering joining an NROTC division, which obviously limits my school choices.</p>

<p>Anyhow, if I do still have a chance at an out of state four year university, what can I do to improve them, assuming they will be poor? (sports, clubs, volunteerings, etc) Also, does my work experience count for anything? Back when I didn't care about school much, I was working at times 30+ hours a week. My dad owns the business so the labor laws don't apply to me and I can work more. I have held the same job for over five years.</p>

<p>and one more note, I have no idea how I would be paying. I do have a wealthy parent, but, I don't know.</p>

<p>Thanks for the help, and sorry if I gave too much info or anything, I wanted to attempt and explain the situation entirely.</p>

2

<p>bump, i suppose. How much will a high GPA senior year help? It will make for a pretty large upward trend… but I plan on applying to schools as early as I can so I’m not even sure if I’ll have it on my transcript…</p>

3

<p>bump again; with some more info that may or may not apply.</p>

<p>I do have some reasons other than “laziness” for my poor grades. My mother has severe health problems and has had them for quite some time. My parents are split and constant fighting has made me move between them several times. At times I was even living at friends homes. That, along side my time working, are some reasons behind my bad grades, and they did really make me pay less attention in class… Not sure how that would help me, if it would at all, on an application. I’m sure admissions doesn’t want to hear a sob story. Although it does greatly frustrate me what I’ve done to myself… As I’ve said several times now, I am a very capable student. My teachers always knew this and told me this constantly, I just never did the work. I could have graduated at the top of my class easily (I go to a very small school, maybe 80 kids in my grade). I beat myself up about this alllll the time, especially since my good friend just got accepted to UChicago and half the time I was helping him in our classes together! I know that if I could find a good way of doing it, I could prove this (that I am in fact a bright person - but not to sound egotistical. as i’ve said, from now on ive been focusing on school and doing great. But I still have 2.5 years of awful grades holding me back, and a lack of EC aside from robotics and working, if that even counts.). I just don’t know how.</p>

<p>But as I said I have done well in my advanced classes and if my GPA were weighted it would be MUCH higher. I honestly don’t know how that works though when applying…</p>

<p>Furthermore, I have no idea what school I want to go to. The only school I have a lot of info on is Chicago, due to my friend. As I said; I would prefer the east, and I want to go for mechanical or electrical engineering. I want to get into a good school more than anything because my highschool experiences and study on my own time have taught me almost entirely college level material (in physics and chem; my teacher literally told me that at a typical university I would probably learn nothing new my first two years), so i want to go to a school that is going to challenge me and allow me to LEARN much more than I would at some typical ol’ university. But I understand my chances are slimmed down due to my horrible high school career. So along with giving me some ideas to make myself more applicable, could someone possibly recommend eastern schools for engineering?</p>

<p>thanks a bunch to whoever replies</p>

4

<p>First you need to figure out how much your parents will pay for college. If you have a wealthy parent you won’t qualify for Federal help or need based aid. You’re unlikely to qualify for merit aid. So knowing what you can pay must lead the search.</p>

<p>If your parents are unwilling to pay a community college will probably be the only thing you can afford. On the other hand if they’re willing to pay $50K plus per year, you can look at many schools.</p>

5

<p>Assuming my parent did agree to pay, lets say, 40k/yr, how would that effect me and my chances? If not, I would probably go into service first, save as much money as humanly possible from my paygrade, and plus I would have my GI bill (which isn’t much, but it’s something).</p>

<p>when I say I have a wealthy parent, I don’t mean multi millionaire or anything; more like 300k/yr at best. and a lot of that money goes back into his business. but, I know he would be capable of paying for a majority of my schooling. I just don’t know if he would actually do so or not. </p>

<p>And aside from that, I have no idea what my chances for being accepted anywhere are.</p>

6

<p>I think you should take the ACT or SAT. It will really help prove how able you are. I think your expenses will not be much of an issue if you have a parent willing to pay ~40k/yr. After you have an ACT/SAT score you can look at your options a bit more. If you have a great record, ECs, community service, and solid test scores, then the GPA may be excusable. Best of luck!!</p>

7

<p>Now, assuming I did NOT have a parent willing to pay, and I scored well on my ACT; would I still have a fair chance at an in state university? I honestly would much much MUCH rather go else where but the major perk about montana universities is the extremely low cost for in state students. Only ~5,000 for tuition, which i could afford myself.</p>

8

<p>Yes, start taking tests to get a measure of your abilities, so as to have another “numbers” component to offset the grades. Given your grades, however, your most realistic approach might be to go to your state flagship, at least for the first two years. This would give you an opportunity to create a new version of yourself, one that has moved beyond the high school self. You could use these two years to, essentially, re-create and rebuild yourself academically. Because your in-state tuition will be relatively low, this is a less costly way of building a new academic profile and set of more successful academic behaviors. If you find yourself flowering at this institution, then consider transferring to a more competitive, OOS school. Make that reassessment during your sophomore year, knowing that with a transfer application your high school records will not be IRRELEVANT, but will be less relevant because of your success in college.</p>

<p>It is never too late to regroup. In your case the regrouping might be better in-state for two years, for less money, and then a transfer out-of-state when you get an academic record that will make your high school record LESS relevant. Start investigating those in-state four year colleges and then start thinking of a long-term educational strategy that will get you not only on track, but on a very successful track. You clearly have the intuitiveness about your situation to make this ultimately a very powerful and successful journey.</p>

9

<p>thanks mate, i’ll definitely look into that. I’ll try and set up a meeting with my counselor this week and see if he has any advice. Also, I am only a junior, so if I can do well next year (over 3.5) I suppose that would look nice when going for a transfer as well, especially considering my classes ( Physics II (AP), AP Government, statistics, pre calc, to name a few)</p>

<p>But again thanks, I never even thought of going to uni here in state then transferring… only going to CC and then transferring out. CC would still be cheaper but in all honesty I want to get out of here as fast as I can. </p>

<p>But once again, thanks! I’m feeling a bit more confident now. At first I felt completely helpless :/</p>

10

<p>No, definitely try for a four-year in-state as Plan A. A community college should be Plan B, if and only if necessary grade-wise. Clearly your abilities are full on college level, so don’t sell yourself short. </p>

<p>You are making ALL the right moves at this point, especially going to see your high school’s cc. It is never too late to get back on track, so DON’T feel hopeless or helpless and without options. The options are out there, you just need to seize them.</p>

<p>Good luck, and PLEASE keep us posted.</p>

11

<p>thanks again man, I didn’t talk to my counselor today but I did a fair amount of research on the state university I’m looking at, and it’s looking like a pretty decent school. Also, admissions don’t seem too tough at all, so I’m pretty confident at getting in. Again, I don’t care for the area a whole lot, but it’s only two years (hopefully), so I should be able to survive.</p>

12

<p>Wait, what will your gpa be at the end of this year? </p>

<p>1.8-2.5 is a huuuuge range.</p>

13

<p>Talked to my counselor today. My GPA was much worse than I thought… I’m too embarrassed to even post it.</p>

<p>However, my counselor did tell me I still have a great chance at getting into my local state university if I do well on my ACT, so I’m not quite worried yet. Also, he did tell me that my work experience will actually benefit me; he said it is a decent substitute to normal EC. (probably would have been better if I just joined clubs, but at least a college won’t see me as a horrendously lazy person.)</p>

<p>So I do now have a game plan;</p>

<p>Do well on my ACT (I’m pretty confident, managed a 27 on an older test without any study - and I’m studying like a mad man from now until test day… plus I still have two or three more opportunities to retry)
Do extremely well my senior year (taking as many advanced classes as possible)
Develop a really good personal statement (Going to have my UChicago friend help me with this)
Try for MSU</p>

<p>I still need to talk to a navy recruiter and see what my options are financially; if I can somehow get into a better school through the navy then I’ll definitely take that chance.</p>

14

<p>can someone chance me please???
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1334097-chance-me-these-schools-please.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1334097-chance-me-these-schools-please.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

15

<p>sorry for the bump, but I have a new question. I took my ACT last saturday; I didn’t study much (should have, but got busy) and I’m not totally confident in my score. I feel I did fairly well, but certainly nothing in the 30’s.</p>

<p>If I study to no end and take it in september and manage, say, a 33 (I KNOW i am capable of this if i study), do schools with auto admission based on ACT still apply to me with my terrible gpa? I finally figured it out and if I get a 4.0 next year I will have about a 2.4-2.5 when I graduate.</p>

16

<p>Honestly, I would think about SUNY or Community College (in california). Do it for a year, and transfer credits to save money and it will be like a second chance at high school.</p>

17

<p>Good to hear from you again! </p>

<p>A SERIOUS suggestion. I think you should take the bull by the horns, so to speak, and talk directly with an admissions officer at what ever four-year you may be looking at. Is it your in-state flagship? Even if that is not your first choice, go see someone at that in-state flagship anyway. Make an appointment. Start a dialogue. Tell your story. Let them get to know YOU and what you have to offer. Be honest about how things have been up to this time. But talk also honestly about how you are actively planning for your academic future and what you not only want out of your education, but what you can bring to the school. It is not just “what can you do for me,” but also, “what I CAN bring to you.” We can give you long distance advice, but now that you are really moving into high gear, it is time to make some contacts at whatever school you want to attend. This showing of initiative could have very positive admissions results down the road if you make and keep up a real contact and demonstration of interest! </p>

<p>As I say, that first meeting should be with your state flagship to get some sense from the school itself about how your application might be received, and what you can do-- or need to do – to secure an admission. You are highly intelligent and I think that quality, and the capacities for honesty and self-reflection that you have displayed here, can really shine in a face-to-face conversation. Stats are not everything, though they often get you in the door. Your stats are not real stellar right now, as we know. However, you have personal qualities that I think can get you in the door to your in-state flagship. But you need to make personal contact now with an admissions officer and start the dialogue about HOW you make this happen. Hey, a year or two down the road you may be doing well enough to need a transfer. But you don’t have to tell them that!</p>

<p>Now, I am not saying that your in-state flagship is the only application you submit. But having a frank and engaged conversation with someone in admissions there can also suggest how your application will “play” elsewhere. It will give you a sense of HOW it will be read at schools. You can certainly get helpful, and generally applicable, advice to make use of where ever you decide to apply.</p>

<p>That, at any rate, is my suggestion. Start contacting schools, certainly at least the in-state flagship, because you can visit. It is time to start making contacts at schools so you can find out what they will want from you, and what you need to put together applications that will get you IN. Only they can tell you, by frankly talking with you, what you need to do. So…off with you!!!</p>

<p>And, of course, DO study for the test again and do your best. Good test scores don’t totally trump grades, but they can suggest your intellectual capacity and readiness for university. The best test scores you can get also signal that you are becoming TRULY SERIOUS. And that revitalized intellectual/academic ambition is part of your story.</p>

<p>To specifially answer your question: this is the reason I am suggesting meeting – in person --with someone in admissions at the flagship. Find out specifically the weighting of grades versus test scores and whether you would be rejected automatically because of grades. I do not think you would be, but you need now to have the talk to put your mind at ease about this, and talking to someone “in the know” at the flagship is the best way to put your mind at ease about admissions, so that you can just concentrate on school work. I do think your high school counselor is probably right, but it is time for you to contact the school so they can get to know you and get you primed and ready to apply and – I think – attend! Remember, if you go there, transferring is always an option. So, attending the flagship is not a DEAD end. It is a BEGINNING!</p>

<p>Keep us posted!</p>

18

<p>Thanks swingtime, I’ve been pretty confident lately and your post made it all the better. </p>

<p>You’re absolutely right suggesting I take the initiative and talk with an actual admissions person. Ironically, my state university is actually very far away on the western border, and I just so happen to live on the eastern border. Oh well, only an eight hour drive, no biggie, right? I have a TON of interview experience, and I’ve worked with people all my life, so I’m sure that would be a giant step in the right direction for me.</p>

<p>In other news, I’ve been doing a lot of school-searching and have spent a lot of time talking with some good friends who graduated this year, all of which got into amazing schools (UChicago, Cornell, Carnegie). I’ve known these people for a while and have had classes with them, and they basically reassured me that I am not the student that my GPA would suggest I am. I’ve compiled a list of prospective schools, most of which are long shots, but I’m probably going to apply to a few of them. I feel that if I can manage to get my interests, work ethic, capabilities, and game-plan across to the admissions, I should have a chance, although probably still quite small.</p>

<p>I’m probably going to accept my state school if it’s all I can get into, but I will certainly look into transferring (it isn’t necessary, I know, but I would love to go to a school further away, east coast preferably, and I plan on going to graduate school sooner or later, so a more credible undergrad school should hopefully make that process a little bit smoother). And money isn’t an object at this point. I’m going into the navy either before or after school, and they should be able to pay a lump sum of my tuition. I still need to meet with the recruiter though. Heck, I might even just go navy first and get my associates out of the way then go directly to my more preferable university. I’m not sure yet.</p>

<p>As for my gameplan; I’m going to start working on essays very soon. I haven’t started my ACT studying yet, but I’ve been doing 4 hours of studying for my next year classes three days a week. I do more in between, but the 12 hours a week thing is my minimum that I force myself to stick with. Although I really would like to just get my senior year over with, I’m very confident that I’ll completely blow up my grades this year. There is absolutely no reason why I can’t get a 4.0. I still have some problems at home, and I will probably still be working, but I know I can find better areas to study and get my work done. I have several strategies that I “experimented” with last year that should definitely give me the upper hand this next year. Also, I’m probably going to join robotics again as President.</p>

<p>So, in a conclusion of sorts, I’m not so mopey about my horrendous GPA any more (still a little disheartened, but oh well). I’m glad I’ve found so many different options, and I know that I can still go anywhere if I work for it and dedicate myself, which I know I can do. Thanks again for those who helped. I’ll keep this updated if anything significant occurs.</p>

<p>And if anyone is interested, here’s a few of the schools I’m interested in taking a shot at right after high school. Even if I don’t get in I’ll still consider a transfer. Yes I understand I may be losing my marbles even considering applying to some of these, but, a little mental instability never hurt anybody, right?</p>

<p>UIUC
Purdue
School of Mines (SD)
School of Mines (CO)
Northeastern University
USC
Umich
UCI
UCSD
Illinois Institute of Technology</p>

19

<p>Just an update: </p>

<p>Really disappointed in my ACT</p>

<p>25 composite. It was a bad day, and I really should have studied more. Now that school is out I am literally studying at least four hours a day. MINIMUM. I’m shooting for the 30s and I know damn well it’s within reach; my practice tests are going pretty well so far. </p>

<p>I’ve knocked out a lot of the above schools. I think im going to try for Montana state and SDSOM. Both have auto admissions for certain act scores, which I’ve already met. </p>

<p>Assuming I get accepted to one, and do very well - deans list, tons of ec - should I give some very selective schools a shot?</p>

<p>Hypothetically speaking, Cornell, USC, Chicago (thinking of a physics major - but being a liberal arts this may be tricky ), NYU-Poly, Georgia Tech.
Would these be attainable with an outstanding college performance? </p>

<p>Also, I’ve come to learn that being from Montana may benefit me if I apply to more southern schools. Hopefully that’s true.</p>

<p>I’m also going to see if there’s anyway I can workout taking college classes this year for dual credit - registration is in about a month.</p>

20

<p>You should interview for every single university you apply to. You have a story to tell, you know?</p>

<p>I think some Admissions offices would be open-minded if you make a good impression on them by showing off the work ethic you had hidden for a couple of years. :slight_smile: Try interviewing for NYU-Poly – maybe once during the summer, so you plant a seed :wink: and then once or twice more in the fall, to make sure more than one admissions counselor knows you.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>