<p>Today I received a letter from the University of Pittsburgh saying that I am not admitted to their main campus for School of Nursing. Instead they said that I could go to University of Pittsburgh Bradford Campus. So here is what I have:</p>
<p>I just took my SAT's 2 weeks ago in October</p>
<p>My gpa is lower because I messed up pretty bad my freshman year and then later on took some courses that I was not able to handle and so it brought my gpa down.</p>
<p>As of right now my senior year, if you look at just my senior year's gpa. As of right now it is a 4.15(weighted). Before I did not do well in my AP class(s) but this year I have a 90+ which is a significant improvement than before. The rest of my classes are all honors. </p>
<p>Drexel University however did accept me for their School of Nursing. Except I would really like to go to UPitt because it is my 1st choice. </p>
<p>Does anyone know how I can have them reconsider? An essay or a video, or something? I know they look heavily on the academic record however, I did not truly realize the importance of grades until midway through my junior year. Also I am a male, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>They can only be reached during Monday-Friday however, I believe that University of Pittsburgh does have an appeal process for admission decisions. </p>
<p>So in the event that they do, how should I proceed?</p>
<p>If they have an appeal process, they will provide you info on what you need to do. Often it is a form that allows you to state your case and to which you attach anything new (like a higher test score).</p>
<p>^^Write to them. You need to tell them something new, something they don’t already know about you. An appeal based on simply restating your qualifications almost never works. So what is something positive about you and/or your academic qualifications that they don’t already know?</p>
<p>Can I write an e-mail to them without an appeal form? Is it plausible to say that I used to have abnormally high amounts of test anxiety that I have only recently overcome? Because it is true… </p>
<p>Do I need to fill out an appeal form to ask them to reconsider or can I simply e-mail/send them a letter?</p>
<p>Scipio is right–you have to give them something new to chew on…if you hit the ball out of the park on your SAT 2s, that could be something that could work in your favor. Add to that–if you have been doing volunteer work either for a hospital or a private person (looking after an old lady, for example), perhaps a person could write a supplemental recommendation for you.</p>
<p>Another essay–naaah–you should have written everything you wanted to say already. A video–too cheesy. You want to give them meat!</p>
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<p>Look at the position of the admissions committee–you’ve come to see the light 2 1/2 years into the process. Other people have been working very hard during those 2 1/2 years. Obviously the school thinks that kind of sustained effort is very important in the kind of student they want, which is why they place such a heavy emphasis on academics. </p>
<p>You’re going to have to show them something really special to overcome their bias towards grades. It’s going to have to be more than “I just figured out I screwed up” and “I really still want to come to your school.” A good reason for your lower grades would also be a possibility. “I have test taking anxiety” is certainly not as good as “I was homeless” or “I had a debilitating disease.” But I suppose it is better than nothing.</p>
<p>Go ahead and write your email. The admissions committee will either tell you that they will take your letter under advisement or will tell you to file an appeal. They will tell you what you need to do to have them give your file another look.</p>
<p>The thing is not only my test taking anxiety, during middle school I became very depressed. Which lasted well into my later high school years. I have really only recently overcome it and thus came the improvement of my grades. </p>
<p>In my essay I used I stated my passion for nursing. However I do not believe that would explain my poor performance academically.</p>
<p>Also what is the difference between taking my letter into advisement or telling me to file an appeal?</p>
<p>The difference is that if they tell you that you have to jump through the administrative hoops to file an appeal, you have to use fill out their paperwork. If they say that your letter and supplements have given them reason to look over your application, then they’ll look over your application and your supplements and let you know if they have changed their minds. </p>
<p>Being that Rutgers is a state school, they probably have a procedure that you will be required to follow. Smaller liberal arts schools are much more flexible.</p>
<p>So can I e-mail the admissions board at the University of Pittsburgh asking them to reconsider? Or do I have to go through a lengthy process of filing an appeal?</p>
<p>You can certainly follow up with admissions. I would suggest a phone call. The following CC thread last spring suggests appeals at UPenn are not honored.</p>
<p>Yes University of Pittsburgh does allow freshman entering the School of Nursing. However there are only 120 available seats for the incoming freshman. That combined with the history I have had which caused my grades to suffer until mid Junior year is causing me some problems. </p>
<p>I have been accepted to Drexel University’s School of Nursing but I really love Pitt and so… I’m going to write them a letter explaining my poor academic performance. I guess my passion about nursing essay just was not enough.</p>
<p>Also yes, I am a senior in high school.</p>
<p>Yes you can enter in a different school however, the chances of transferring into nursing school is very small.</p>
<p>Your ACT composite of 26 is close to their 25th percentile range.
ACT Composite 25%=25
ACT Composite 75%=30</p>
<p>-Your GPA of 3.26 is very low considering this is your weighted GPA
-65% of admitted students have a GPA of 3.75 or higher
-You should also realize that colleges recalculate your GPA. They remove the fluff classes and recalculate the GPA based on the core classes of English, History, Math, Lab Sciences, and Foreign Language.
-In addition, nursing is a very competitive program. With a limited number of spots open to students in the program, your academic stats need to be stronger than those for students applying to less competitive programs.</p>
<p>In short, your ACT score is not high enough to compensate or explain away your low GPA.
Rather than spending your time focusing on this reach school, redirect your energy and focus on finding a solid Match school where you will be happy to attend.</p>
<p>On the very slight chance an appeal will be considered you will need something significant to back up your request. An additional claim of your love of nursing, however sincere, is not likely to do this. Have you taken the SATs? Some students do statistically better on one format than another. You may want to try the SATs. If you have a higher score as compared to your ACT, and high grades, this may be reason to reconsider. SATs taken in December are released online just shy of three weeks from the testing date. If these are in your favor, and U Penn has agreed to look at additional information, rush the SATs, along with an updated transcript, and any forms they may need. A call from your GC may also be helpful.</p>
<p>Another thought may be to enter the program you have been accepted at Drexel University, make as high marks as you can and be involved in Nursing ECs/Community Service, and apply for a transfer. You will probably have a better chance of a transfer from another nursing program than general studies.</p>
<p>You could also ask about the possibility of transferring into the main campus after starting at Bradford. The Johnstown campus also has a new nursing program that I think is a direct extension of the main Pitt School of Nursing.</p>
<p>If you do not want to attend Drexel, then spend some time research MATCH schools and send out a few more applications.<br>
Univ. of Pitt’s nursing program is out of reach for you based on your academic stats.</p>