I just got my high school report card

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I just got my junior year report card, and my GPA ended up being horrible. I have a 3.06 this year, but this is only because I have a D in Precalc (the rest are A, A-, B+). The rest of my grades are ok, but this year has been horrid. How will this D impact me in the admissions process?

I have been living outside the US for the past 7 years. —I am currently living in my 5th country that is outside the US. Over the course of these past 7 years, I have been attending private international schools. For each year of my high school, I have lived in a different country, and gone to a school with a different curriculum. Bearing in mind that I do relocate so frequently, I know that my GPA is not as high that it should be, and that my extracurriculars are fragmented (as opportunities vary from school to school) I currently attend one of the top 2 international schools in Asia.

My profile:

SAT: 1460 (New SAT)

GPA:
Freshman year: 3.7
Sophomore year: 3.5
Junior year: 3.06

AP Classes: By the time I graduate, I will have taken: AP MicroEcon, AP MacroEcon, AP World History, AP Lang and Comp, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP US History, AP US Gov, AP Comparative Gov

ECs:
-Babysitter for 3 years
-MUN for 4 years +leadership roles
-Captain of my debate team
-Debater/member of forensics
-Speaker at TEDx
-Organizer of a TEDx conference
-Internships with Human Rights Law firms, local newspapers, and BBC News
-Student Government Secretary
-Founder of Public Speaking Centre
-Editor of School newspapers (2 years)
-Monologue Competition Winner
-Regular participant in charity runs
-Treasurer of Interact Club 1 year
-Habitat for humanity 1 year
-Soup kitchen volunteer+coordinator 1.5 years
-UNICEF member

This is my current college list, what are some changes I need to make to accommodate for my Junior year GPA? I want to major in Political Science.

Tufts
Wellesley
Vassar
BU
Skidmore
UMASS Amherst
GW University
Clark—
Colgate
Barnard
Fordham
Smith

Do I still have a chance with any of these? Any help is much appreciated.

2

Seems like your cumulative GPA is 3.4 with a downward trend. That will be tough for most of the schools you have listed.

Are you an American citizen? Can you claim residency in any state? How much can your parents afford?

3

Our family has many of the same issue as yours.

If your present int’l school is American curriculum, then it should have an experienced college counseling office & track record for American college admissions. The school’s GCs will have had lots of experience with students like you who have had to move frequently. The GCs should know to write in their recs about your freq moves and its impact on your grades and EC opportunities. Many schools will welcome the unusual multi-cultural perspective you could bring.

By all means apply to the schools on your list, but be pragmatic. Add a few more match schools, plus a couple of safety schools. The safety schools should be FINANCIAL safeties, in addition to being admissions safeties. Unless your family has been able to maintain residency in a state despite being away for more than 7 years, you cannot count on instate tuition rates to any public university. Clark is a good match w good merit money for students w int’l residency. Consider also some other CTCL.org schools.

If your parents remain overseas, a nice-to-have (but not an absolute necessity) is access to a major int’l gateway airport, like JFK, LAX, ORD, ATL etc. So you might want to do a search for schools within a one hour radius of major airports.

4

Your “low” GPA situation is very different than that of plain vanilla American domestic students. Here is my reply on your other thread:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19759248/#Comment_19759248

5

I would see if there is an online course you can take over the summer and redo precalc. Talk to the GC at your school and ask for advice from him or her. If you do that, make sure the online course is accredited.

6

I would scrap Tufts. The rest might be worth applying to.

7

Lower GPA trend is very hurtful for admissions. I had the same 1460 R+M (2190 single seating back in the day), but still got in to GA tech and Rutgers full ride due to my good (and slightly upward trending) GPA. GPA matters much more for the schools you listed, it is only the very top 20 schools where standardized tests matter more.

8

@tucitcennoc

Were you an expat kid who got dragged from country to country every few years and constantly changing schools? Or did you attend one HS continuously?

9

Yes, I have been to a new high school in a new country for the past 3 years of my schooling. The longest I have ever lived in one place in my entire life is 4 years.

10

I am an american citizen, and my family can claim residency in Massachusetts. I do attend an American school, so I am hoping that my GCs will be familiar with such a situation. Thank you for your help!

11

Are you ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN you still qualify as a Massachusetts resident? You’ve been out of the country for the last 7 years. You don’t automatically retain the state residency of the state you lived in.

Google the MA residency rules to MAKE SURE.

12

Although your GPA has a downward trend, it is possible that schools may overlook it because you can bring an international perspective to the schools that many people do not have. I agree that Tufts may be a stretch, but I think you have a solid chance at being accepted to the others! Chance me back?

13

I think that you are in a unique situation- while a domestic student with your GPA would almost certainly be rejected from most of the schools you listed, you are counted as an “international” student and you have a lot of interesting experiences, particularly the internships. I would say Barnard would particularly love to have you, based on what i know they look for -initiative, leadership, etc. I would say your best bet is to write interesting essays, and get good recommendations that can talk about your unique experience.

14

Actually, OP wouldn’t be an 'international’student (which is the hardest category for admissions) but a domestic applicant with international experience (very positive).
The universities would likely know that the 'downward trend’would be explained by changing schools and attending a top school in Asia. Hopefully your guidance counselor will be able to explain that.
Do check that you are considered a Massachusetts resident.
Apply to UMass Amherst Honors.
Find another college you like and can afford (UDel?) and are quite sure you’ll get into. Try to apply to universities used to expat kids - what about American U in DC?

15

WSJ article: advice for expat college applicants:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/from-the-expat-blog-advice-on-applying-to-u-s-colleges-1426018187

16

Unfortunately a 3.4 is going to make it a challenge at Tufts, Wellesley, Vassar, Colgate, Smith - while many schools are test optional which you did excellent at, GPA is harder to overcome.