I am currently a high school junior. I take my SAT next week
My gpa is 2.67
Im so worried about not being accepted into the universities Im considering. I do have a hospital internship next year during 2 hoursof school r, that a few number of students got. I always cared abt my grades, but no one was ever there to tell me “dont fuck up”
My grades right now are all A and B
Except my algebra 2 grade, which has a whopping 56. However, Im working my butt off to study for a test that I have coming up
Anyways, Im just so scared. That since my GPA is so low,below the average, I’ve fucked up that I wont get accepted into universities. I have taken practice SAT’s, and on those. My score isn’t the highest.
Well, what universities are you considering? A lot depends on that.
My top choices are Oakland University (MI), Wayne State (MI), and U of MI- Flint (MI)
None of these are “high profile” or popular schools.
Did you look at their Common Data set? Or google admitted student stats for each school? That should give you some helpful information S to how competitive you’ll be. Most schools consider an upward trend in grades, so keep up the good grades and do your best to bring up the math grade. Does your school offer tutoring?
I am sorry you have had a rough time. You might consider a couple of very good options. 1, take a gap year, do some really good things, work, study really hard and take the SAT or ACT again later this year. Then try applying when you have a year of strong senior grades and a higher SAT score. 2, go to community college, which is probably your best bet, get really good grades, and transfer in a year or two. That might be your best option, because it will ease you into how college works, and how to be responsible and meet the standards required at college.
Colleges care about good grades because college isn’t supposed to be easy. Good grades in high school show that you are ready for the rigor of college. Having a low GPA now doesn’t mean you will never be ready, but it does demonstrate that perhaps you aren’t ready just yet. I would personally not rush into it if I were you.
@Sharminh just keep working hard and try to end the year strong. Your final GPA is what will matter and once you have that along with your SAT scores, you can come up with a reasonable college list! There are over 3,000 colleges and unis out there and lots of kids get in with a 2.7 GPA. Of those you mentioned about 20-27% of the kids accepted fall into that range. Have you taken any SAT practice tests? What will also separate you from the pack will be a strong essay. When the time comes for you to write yours, feel free to PM me for assistance.
2.67 is not terribly high but it’s a B- .
What will matter :
- rigorous courses senior year (statistics, an English class, a foreign language class, a science class, a history, a social science class, and one more class.) Even if other Seniors only take 4, don’t give in: universities look at the classes you take as an example of how motivated you’ll be for college.
- test scores. Go to your school or town library and borrow the Erica Melzer books for English, and for math for each problem you get wrong, do some similar from a math book until you get 5,6 in a row totally correct. Start on the pre algebra concepts, then geometry and algebra 1.
- Read 'the act for bad test takers ’ and apply the lessons .
- Don’t hesitate to retake the test but only after 'prepping '.see if a senior who got a score 200+ higher than yours is willing to tutor you, or see if someone else can. You could also create a 'test prep study group ’ at our school.
- stay on this site and read the 'parent ’ and 'financial aid’forums. Don’t hesitate to ask questions.
Finally, Oakland is a good school. And if you continue getting A’s and B’s, work on your standardized tests, your odds are excellent.
Colleges want to see good grades, of course, but they do pay close attention to the pattern of your grades. If you are working very hard and pulling up your grades every semester (especially since freshman year) the upward trend will help a lot. They can see the effort and maturity building.
Try to figure out what is hardest about math for you…do you make computation mistakes, or do you have a hard time understanding the material? Drilling yourself a lot on computation can help in that regard, or finding out if your school will make accomodations to give you more time during testing (so that you can work carefully and slowly.) Getting a volunteer or paid tutor, or even a self-help math book (there are so many online) can make all the difference.
I second the idea of giving yourself a gap year or going to community college for a while if you need it to study, work and generally give yourself more time to be ready. Many, many fine students go to a CC for a year or two to save money, as college is becoming unaffordable for so many people. Others want or need to be close to family (for whatever reason) for a year or two before going away to University.
Stay confident in your path, and keep us updated on how your studies go!
I agree with comments from above that it is possible to go to a community college for a year or two, or to a low ranked university for a year or two, and then transfer to somewhere which you feel is ideal for you. The year or two at a community college can not only allow you to establish a record of better grades, but also give you time to think about possible majors and careers going forward. It can also be more affordable in many cases.
One of my complaints about rankings of community colleges is that people look at their graduation rate, but don’t look at the number of students who spend a year at a community college, transfer to a very good university, and then graduate from the very good university a few years later. This does happen, and when it happens it is of course a success story for the student, for the community college, and for the university.
There are many paths to a successful career and a successful life. Frankly most of them probably include a mess up somewhere along the way.
Yes, I am considering attending a community college after i graduate…but Im just unsure if my low gpa currently and my final SAT score will have any effect when applying for a 4 year school
Yes, it will. That is what we are all saying. Of course, it depends on the college you apply to. Look for colleges with high acceptance rates.
Thank you for all your advice
Keep working on those grades! I know people who have attended Oakland and UM-Flint. They all liked their colleges.
@sharminh: Actually, if you can get into Oakland (or Wayne State) it’d be better than community college. You can transfer to a better university from Oakland but if push comes to shove, you can stay and you don’t have to deal with transferring.
You could also get into Hiram (test optional, scholarships for active involvement/leadership), Alma, Alverno, Elmhurst, Adrian, Aurora, Blackburn, EMU, Ferris State, Illinois College, Loras, Indiana State University, IUPUI Indianapolis, UWI Superior.
Look at them, run the NPC* on them, start crafting your list.
- net price calculator. tells you how much you'd have to pay. Your base price for comparison will be Oakland. You can decide that you won't pay more unless it brings something special, or that Oakland is the limit.Obviously run the NPC on Oakland first.