Is GPA the most important thing????

<p>Hi guys. Im asking this because my GPA is low, it's 2.9. I am SURE I will do much better in my senior year. Im aiming for 3.5 by the end of the first semester.
I wasn't going to college in US so I didn't study in my junior year... but then i changed my mind by the end :(((
I want to go to NYU or FORDHAM... Do I fail?</p>

<p>I want to major in drama... so its %50academics %50talent
But I'm still worried... my GPA ruins my chances???
I have lots of ext. activities as well as charity work...</p>

<p>GPA is the single most important factor in college admissions because it is the single most powerful predictor for all measures of success in college - first year GPA, final GPA, sophomore year retention, graduation in four years, etc. Yes, some people do get their acts together late in high school and/or early in college, and go on to be wild successes. However, since college admissions committees don’t know which students will do that, it is very hard for students with your kind of GPA to get into their first choice of college.</p>

<p>Arts majors sometimes can get away with having lower GPAs if (and this is a very big if) they have excellent portfolios/performance credits. Read through some of the threads at [Theater/Drama</a> Majors - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/]Theater/Drama”>Theater/Drama Majors - College Confidential Forums) and see what you think.</p>

<p>It is important in terms of a range, and a 3.0 is usually needed for competitive programs, at the very least. Many public universities look at a gpa/test score combo but they do have minimums for either number even if the combined number meets the requirement. For some state school, the gpas are so inflated that it is tough to get accepted if you are in the lower half of the class even with what I could call a “good” gpa. This class rank thing can really hurt, I have found.</p>