<p>Tufts seems like a great school and an awesome place to go to... the one problem that I have is my GPA is extremely low. Everything else, my SATs, teacher recs, extra curriculars, are all good/great but is it worth it for me to even apply with such a low GPA? Here are some stats:</p>
<p>GPA from 10th-11th grade: 3.00 UW
GPA from 9th-11th grade: 3.2-3.3 UW</p>
<p>School doesn't weigh or do class rank but weighted would be somewhat higher because I took a lot of hard AP/honors level courses. The problem is that I got some pretty bad grades in courses (lower than Bs). </p>
<p>If I do apply it will definitely have to be regular decision because my senior year grades are looking a lot better than 10th/11th grade. I took an honors level science class which I got 2 Cs in both semesters =/, but I'm talking that AP level class now my senior year and will end up with either an A or a B. </p>
<p>SAT superscored is 1510/1600, 2200/2400.</p>
<p>I can get some good recs... I am interested in majoring in either econ or engineering/computer science and the two recs I can get will be good ones from my econ and CS teachers. Also I think I have pretty good essays (the common app ones at least).</p>
<p>So basically everything is good/above average except the GPA. Is there any shot of getting into Tufts? I also took some courses over the summer which I did well in (at the local JC etc), so factoring that in my grades would be higher. And then factoring senior year they would be higher as well but I really screwed up 10th/11th grade. </p>
<p>Would it be worth my time to apply? Any thoughts/experiences on this? Thanks.</p>
<p>edit: I realize I forgot to explain some of my extracurriculars. I have some decent ones, was an editor of a non profit magazine and did community service that way. Captain of sports team/varsity member etc. and 1-2 other extracurriculars that I don't want to go into detail about but are pretty unique. I've won awards in some science/business competitions as well.</p>
<p>Your post is a little bit confusing in that you mention “extremely” low grades but say that you will have some good recs. In any event, while I certainly wouldn’t pin my hopes on Tufts, what do you have to lose? What you have going in your favor are great SATs (and I assume SAT subject tests also), a rigorous course load and presumably goods recs and interesting ECs. Also, Tufts says that it takes a holistic approach to admission decisions and one of the things it looks for is whether you “get” Tufts (the “why Tufts” essay question), so if you can articulate why you think Tufts is “awesome” and why you’re a mutual good fit, then that could enhance your application too. And don’t scrimp on your essays in general—they matter—don’t view them as a hurdle but rather as an opportunity to illuminate yourself.
Lastly, perhaps you don’t have to apply RD—I believe that the ED II application would allow Tufts to see your first semester grades and I’m not sure how much past that they would see with an RD app (but I could be mistaken). Good luck—and there are lots of great schools out there.</p>
<p>Well I got pretty bad grades in some classes but As in others (so it “evened out”), and it’s the classes I did well in that I’m asking for the rec (and it’s in these classes that the teachers liked me a lot). </p>
<p>Is there a greater chance of being accepted when applying ED II vs. Regular? ED II is January 4th and decisions come out early February correct (I think 1st semester grades are due mid January at my school), whereas Regular comes out in April? </p>
<p>The thing is that the classes I did bad in… I did really bad in, especially a certain class in particular. It was this that basically made a big dent in my GPA…</p>
<p>You’d probably be better off applying EDII, if Tufts is your first choice (sounds like it is). Most schools really like to see improvement, so if your senior year grades are far superior to those from previous years you should be in good shape. You SAT’s are outstanding, so that should help you out as well. As long as you write a strong essay, particularly with regard to the “Why Tufts” question on the supplement, I’d expect you to be a fairly strong candidate. That being said, I don’t really have any expertise other than the fact that I also am applying to Tufts (Reg Dec, probably). While my SAT’s aren’t as strong as yours, my ACT was a 34 (which I’ll probably send solo) and I’ve have strong grades for my junior and senior years. It’s still a competitive school to get into, even with good grades, mainly because they appear to value the essay and other qualitative descriptions of the applicant far more than numbers. Good luck, though!</p>
<p>I’ll be applying there, probably EDII then because of it being one of my top choices and it might give a better shot than RD.</p>
<p>I’m a “late bloomer” then… the summer of my junior year was productive and my senior year grades are a lot better than 10th and 11th grade. How could I explain something like that in the “anything else we’d like to know about you” section? Wouldn’t it look kind of bad to say I didn’t realize my potential until this late? </p>
<p>I’ve heard of high SATs + low GPA not looking very good on applications…</p>
<p>I’m fairly certain your chances become better if you apply EDII rather than RD, if only because it shows you are more committed to the school. I’m sure they can’t become worse, so if you know you want to go to Tufts, I’d suggest applying EDII.</p>
<p>Like most colleges (or all, I think) Tufts looks at your entire High School Transcript. This means 9th,10th, 11th, and 12th grade (1st semester). If your grades show improvement, that really helps, even if they aren’t that great.</p>