<p>my grades have been decent (mostly A's with a couple B's). But it seems like each semester theres a class i do poorly in (ussually spanish). This semester i got a C in spanish, last sem. a C in spanish, two semesters before that a D! in math, and a c each semester freshman year (spanish and bio?). THis brings my gpa down to a 3.5w. will colleges see that i struggled in spanish and look past it, or see im an idiot and reject me?</p>
<p>Heres my other stats:
33 ACT
800 Physics sat
800 Math sat2
great ec's(paid NASA internship writing research paper, volunteering, robotics team captain)
top 35% of class</p>
<p>chools im lookin at:
USC
Case
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Michigan</p>
<p>Canadian schools:</p>
<p>UBC (british columbia)
Utoronto
University of western ontario</p>
<p>That D in math makes me think you were too bored to do any of the work. Your SAT 2 score seems to indicate that it wasn’t a lack of ability. They might want you to explain that. I think the rest of your record sounds strong enough that they’d at least give your application a serious look.</p>
<p>Does having a D, two C’s, and a few B’s really= a 3.5??!!</p>
<p>That’s actually not that bad..what would 7 B’s look like??!!( Can you calculate it for me because I am obviously ■■■■■■■■)</p>
<p>However, those few C’s and that D!!( was that freshmen year because many colleges do not matriculate freshmen year into the GPA) are red flags to me. You really have to find a way to explain that to college adcoms because they WILL see it. Also, the comforting fact is that obviously you are a smart kid because your test scores directly contradict those few discrepancies. HOWEVER, colleges may think that you, like the guy before me, are lazy and perhaps not capable of maintaining work in college- so it’s up to you to show colleges, through your essays, carefully selected teacher recs,etc., that you are capable of doing your work,etc. It’s all in how you present yourself!</p>
<p>ya its a 3.5 weighted. The way my school does it honors classes add .5 so all the A’s in honors classes brought me up. And i got an H (98+) that counts as a 5. so theres no way to say what 7 B’s would be because the number of honors classes would change it drasticely. but 7 B’s (all honors) would range from 3.65 all the way up to a 4.2 depending on the number of honors classes.</p>
<p>D was first semester sophomore year. But I plan to use my internship ecperience to prove how i can work really hard when im motivated because i learned complex astrophysics and differential equations and wrote a 20 page research paper on them in less then 10 weeks.</p>
<p>Oh, I didn’t see the 3.5 Weighted…I was thinking it was UW…that changes a lot things…You will have to try really hard but look for safeties because I am assuming you are not in California? That would change things for USC already but if you tack on a 3.5…it’s really difficult to asses and it would really depend on your application. Also, calculate your GPA unweighted because that’s what most colleges look and do so it wouldn’t be good for you to think you have one GPA while colleges are really looking at something different- it brings things more into perspective. Your internship experience sounds wonderful and it would be REALLY good for you to highlight that- but make sure, as we all tend to do, that by trying to really explain something in your essay, you don’t ruin the aesthetic appeal of the essay; or rather, it doesn’t come out like a laundry list or that you are trying to explain something but rather, make it more natural and how you would write a stellar essay- don’t forget the quality of the essay!!</p>
<p>ur in at all the canadian schools… trust me… canada doesnt require any standardized testing… as long as you got the grades for canada thats at least above a C, you’ll get in… canada is a joke… minimum requirements for UBC Engineering program is like a 75% plus depending on what major your applying (that was for mechanical engineering)
U of Toronto is a little bit more demanding, and University of Western is easy… but yah im canadian, its easy to get into canadian universities so use those as backups.</p>
<p>I can understand where you’re coming from. I’ve been in a very similar situation. There are just some areas that no matter how hard you try, you still get a C… or even a D. Instead of looking at the negatives, let’s consider what you do have to benefit you…</p>
<ol>
<li>Your GPA is good (even with the C’s and the D).</li>
<li>You’ve got a good list of extracurriculars.</li>
<li>You’re not shooting for an Ivy or MIT or Stanford.</li>
<li>Your test scores are very high.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you show your ambition and potential to do well at whatever university you apply to, they will give you a fair shot (D or no D). My serious advice would be to not question whether they will take you because you have C’s and a D. That may ultimately be your “Achilles heel” if you will. Dwelling on a few negatives is never a good thing and will only make it more difficult to get in to your top choices.</p>
<p>I’m not too up on admission requirements for those schools but I did apply to comparable schools with a similar situation (a few C’s mostly in English and History, and 1 D in pre-calc; GPA was a 3.6). I got into each school I applied to, even early admission at one (U of Miami for Marine Biology). So a few C’s and even a D won’t ruin your chances, but here are a few things you can do to improve your application (from my experience I know they will work).</p>
<ol>
<li>Try to take an advanced course in math (where you got your D) and do well. If anything make that the course that you will get an A in. This will help you more than the D will hurt you.</li>
<li>Don’t quit Spanish because you got a C. Instead consider taking Spanish at a local community college or go for one more semester to show dedication and endurance.</li>
<li>Try to get an interview at these schools. Email admissions. Call. Talk to currents students and alumni. Nothing can benefit you more than getting your face out and talking to the people that matter.</li>
</ol>
<p>I wish you luck and I’m sure you will get into one of your top choices if that is what you so desire and work for!</p>
<p>Ambitousteen: thanks thats a relief. ya those are pretty much my safeties because im a canadian citizen so theyd be cheaper hem my state school lol</p>
<p>creolan: Thanks for he advice. if u dont mind me asking, is your gpa weighted and what schools did u get in to? and IVe been doing alot better in math sense then, i got an A in honors precalc this semester and am signed up for AP next year.</p>
<p>And i did drop spanish for next year. I think part of the reason i do so bad in those classes is because i cant sand the teachers because they r so anal about things, and i know i would get a c next year to.</p>
<p>Im thinking about keeping studying spanish and takin the sat 2 in it. if i do well will that be the same as takin a class at a community college.</p>
<p>That was my weighted GPA not including my freshman year because I attended a different high school, so they wouldn’t weight my honors courses. I’m not sure if the universities actually calculated the weighted GPA themselves differently than my high school… </p>
<p>Anywho… I applied to University of Colorado (Biology), Univeristy of Utah (Biology), University of Miami (Marine Biology, early acceptance), and Chatham College (Biology, small women’s college). All the universities, except for Chatham, are top 100 schools overall and in the top 50 or higher for the program I applied for. I got in to each school and ended up going to Chatham because they gave me a decent scholarship and very generous financial aid (which is why I really really encourage everyone to research smaller schools, they’re usually more generous with financial aid).</p>
<p>I wanted to go to USC too (ever since I was little, how cliche… I know!). I met with admissions and attended a presentation on their undergraduate colleges. It didn’t seem like the right fit for me, however I do remember them saying that the average GPA was a 3.6 and I believe that could be weighted. If not, remember that’s only the average, not the minimum.</p>