How much emphasis does Hampshire put on applicants' GPA?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Hampshire College
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<p>My son has visited Hampshire on three different occasions. His last visit was mid-November when he attended classes for a day. He left feeling really excited about the school, the instructors, and the students. By then he had already sent his EA application to Hampshire as well as Emerson, and others. If we knew then what we know now -- that he would not get into Emerson -- he would have applied ED to Hampshire, but having spent last summer at Emerson's Young Filmmaker's Program, he was quite set on going there. Well, he didn't get in (which was not a surprise) and honestly, I think Hampshire is a better fit for him anyway. </p>

<p>I think he is a "good fit" for Hampshire, and I just wonder if his GPA is going to be a huge strike against him just as it was at Emerson. </p>

<p>My son has a real passion for filmmaking, which I think is very evident in his application/essays, recommendations, and interview. It's not something he decided to do because he had to pick a major -- he's been making movies for about 3 years. He's done two summer film programs and has taken Film Production at his high school for the past two years (an art elective). So, I think his passion is a plus. He sent samples of his work on a DVD with his application. He can also write very well, and at the request of his interviewer, sent along a couple of samples of his creative writing. His recommendation letters from teachers are great, his SATs were good (700/660 in the English/Reading and 550 in Math -- math is a weakness, this is actually better than we expected!). I think his interview went well. He has shown real interest in the school by visiting 3 times (plus the interview which was in Boston) and writing "I love Hampshire" letters after each visit. Here's the bad part -- his GPA is a 2.86. Mainly because he is terrible with math and science, and has gotten C's in almost all of those classes. The rest of his grades have been mostly B's. He is very bright, just does not apply himself to classes that don't interest him. He also does not have great study skills when it comes to tests, so his test grades tend to be lower but written essays and papers are much better (see why we like Hampshire?). </p>

<p>He is offbeat, has longish hair and a couple of piercings in his ear, wears mostly black... so he felt very " at home" when he visited Hampshire. He also attends a small private school with a classroom atmosphere very similar to what he experienced at Hampshire. </p>

<p>So my question is, will his good points outweigh his mediocre GPA when the admissions folks at Hampshire review his application? </p>

<p>And, at this point, is there anything else he can or should do to help his case? His application was submitted by November 1, so we're just hanging around waiting until February. (And why the heck is their EA notification so late? Because they want to see all the regular apps first?) </p>

<p>If you're still reading, thanks in advance for any advice!</p>

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<p>That GPA won’t take him out of the running, but it certainly won’t help. Our daughter got into Hampshire EA with similar SATs, but her GPA was north of 3.3 with a number of AP or honors classes. Still, if your son made a good impression, wrote a strong application and can point to some leadership or other out-of-school activities, I think he has a shot. </p>

<p>Our son was admitted to Hampshire ED, so his college search was over by this time of year. He had slightly better SATs and grades than his sister, but I’m thinking that his writing may have put him over the top. It appears to me that Hampshire looks for good writers - they certainly stress it once students arrive. </p>

<p>I think that you are right about the EA notification date. They want to see who all is out there first.</p>

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<p>We know of a student who was admitted (ED) last year with a lower GPA than my son has, which is why I keep thinking he has a shot. According to her (what she told my S), she got in because of her fantastic essay. Well, I’m sure it was more than that, but her GPA was quite low. </p>

<p>I wonder if it helps that we are not asking for financial aid? </p>

<p>Another question (and by now you can probably tell that this is our first kid applying to college). We made an appt. for an interview and tour over the summer. The visit went well, but the interview lasted maybe 5 minutes. There were other prospective students there at the same time, and their interviews were just as brief. Then, in early fall, my S received a letter from an admissions rep saying she would be in our area in Oct., inviting him to schedule an interview with her. We figured, well, we thought he HAD an interview, but given that it was so brief, sure, we’ll take another one! So he did the second interview here in Boston, and it lasted about an hour. My S felt that it went very well, the interviewer (an admissions rep, not an alum) invited him to send her some samples of his writing, which he did, etc. </p>

<p>So my question is this. When we check his application status online, the July interview is listed. The Oct. interview is not. My concern is that the 5-minute interview is part of his record, but the longer interview isn’t. Is it appropriate for my S to write a letter expressing this concern? </p>

<p>He’s also doing a lot of writing this year and I wonder if it’s also appropriate to send a new writing sample along with with letter. Or is that overkill? </p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

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<p>First, my advice would be: BREATHE. The college process is extraordinarily stressful, but every now and again remember everything will all work out.</p>

<p>Secondly, I think Hampshire puts much more emphasis on student’s initiative, interests, ability to fit into their program, writing, and personal character than they do GPA. I know of a student who got straight D’s that was admitted, though she made an effort to address this in her interview and give, apparently, a good enough reason for it. As long as you make it clear to them that while his grades are not necessarily the best, they do not reflect on his ability – just wasn’t interested in the classes he was taking. I wrote in several of my paragraph suppliments that i found it difficult to be motivated to do well in classes that did not challenge me. I think my GPA was more like a 3.4 unweighted, but i think the principle applies regardless of the number. And i should point out my grades were exactly what most colleges hate: Started off all A’s and progressively went downhill my last year and a half of HS ;)</p>

<p>He seems really focused on film making – did he do well in classes related to that? If he shows he made an effort to pursue his interests both in and outside of the classroom, they will weight that much more than his grades in math. His writing ability is also much more important that his test taking skills. </p>

<p>Supposedly Hampshire admits “need blind”, but i think it DOES make a little bit of a difference whether or not you need aid. Not enough to tip the scales necessarily, but that coupled with a strong application is certainly a plus. I applied needing 100% aid, and i think that meant i had to work a lot harder to prove i was a strong applicant, while those who can afford to give full tuition to a school with very limited funds to begin with are certainly given a little more leeway – the financially challeneged pool of applicants is far more competitive. </p>

<p>RE: the interview, it certainly never hurts to send admissions an email addressing your concerns. I highly doubt they forgot about his second interview, but i believe the online form can only have one date submitted – probably didn’t update it with the second date since creating his account. But ask anyway! </p>

<p>As for new samples…Bare in mind Hampshire recieves A LOT of paper. Be kind – do not send them every essay he has ever written. They will not appreciate having to read all of that. If there are one or two (at most) essays that show a marked improvement over the ones you have already sent in, i would say that would help to show his growth as a writer. Otherwise…it’s sort of a waste of time to be submitting pieces that are the same caliber as the ones he has already sent in.</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

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<p>My son got in! We are thrilled.</p>