<p>I am a junior who will apply in the fall, I fell in love with Boston College althoug I know it will be a big reach. The thing that will hurt me is a low gpa, i had a bad 9th grade year and each year has gotten better from there…so have been on a major upward swing. My sats are coming in strong, average about 760-780 math and writing about 660-680 but reading needs some work about 600. Will have good recs and strong ecs. Any input on what I can do to help improve my chances? Please no really negative remarks needed or anything super discouraging, I have already badgered myself trust me and don’t need more “beating up”. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>It never hurts to try</p>
<p>where are you from?</p>
<p>anewkid, PM me with your email address. I will tell you how you can get into BC early action. I will be attending BC this year, and know exactly how to get in. What I did got me in, even with my low scores.</p>
<p>Hey tushar could I have that same advice? I would love to go to BC but my SATS are nothing to brag about.</p>
<p>What I did does NOT guarantee your admission. However, it dramatically improves your chances. After you apply to Boston College, contact the admission department and ask them that you want to talk to the admission counselor who is assigned to your application (it is done by where you live). Prepare some very in depth questions and ask your admission counselor for the answers. Also ask for her email address so you can contact her later. Then from that point on, contact the admission counselor once a week (minimum) till you receive a decision. It can be either questions, or recent accomplishments. Do not forgot to hint that BC is your first choice even if it isn't. Make the emails professional. This way, the admission counselor will remember your name, so when she gets your application she knows you. At my school, a girl with higher SAT scores and class rank got wait listed and then accepted from Early Action. I was accepted in Early Action. She is also smarter than me. This really works. It might be tedious but it is worth it. I also got into UMICH doing this, however it was too much money and I couldn't afford it. This method will NOT work in IVY's as they just dont care since they have so many choices.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. Basically show as much interest as you can.</p>
<p>i am from ny and neither of my parents went to college, will that give me even a teeny edge?</p>
<p>you have a shot, anything can happen in college admissions. i also had a terrible freshman year (3.3 gpa) with a huge upward trend and im going to bc next year :). take the sats again, they will give you a bigger edge with the higher scores, take challenging classes now and do well in them. work hard on your essay and ask your guidence counselor if he/she could mention something about your growth during high school. seemed to have worked for me, the no college thing for parents will also help.</p>
<p>good luck!!</p>
<p>thanks beanieboo, do you mind if i ask what your sat scores were? if you don't want to post here could you pm me? did you apply regular or early decision/action? i hear the early pools are way more competitive, do you know if this is true? yea i think with my freshman year i too will be around a 3.2 but my senior year is an all ib program and i plan to keep up my strong grades so i am praying it might off set my crappy early start to high school. oh to click my heels and be able to start again! Thanks!</p>
<p>Tushar, this sounds like a good idea, and I'm glad to hear it worked because Michigan and BC are my two top choices. I'm curious as to what kind of stuff you would ask. Do you remember any specific questions you used?</p>
<p>yeah no problem, i got 760 verbal 700 math and 650 writing. i also got a 740 on history subject test and 700 on math II. i applied early action because from the beginning bc was one of my top two schools even though i knew it was harder to get into. i thought i was going to be deffered or rejected for sure because it was supposedly more competitive but im not sure. looking through the rd board, i see a lot of people who got waitlisted with similar stats to mine.</p>
<p>you actually sound a lot like me, i went from the 3.2 freshman year to taking 5 ap courses and one honors this year. i definetly think my great junior and senior years helped me alot in being accepted early. i also have been every involved with my ECs all throughout high school and i have a feeling bc loves to see concentration and involvement in a few things.</p>
<p>if you have any other questions, feel free to ask :)</p>
<p>thanks beanie, well in fariness you sound a little more "accomplished" than me, my 9th grade GPA was way lower than a 3.2 but there has definetly been a major upward trend and my sats should be pretty goo, your verbal score was really impressive and I am sure def got some attention, as that score does not come easy. I think many more score than in math than verbal. I personally am nervous to try and apply early so am thinking to apply regular, any insight either way? THANKS!:)</p>
<p>Well I asked a lot of questions. From job placement, to subject areas offered, to alumni network to almost anything that you have a question. You can ask anything. I know I did.</p>
<p>Anewkid, apply early!</p>
<p>id say apply early for sure.. that way you get two chances if you anret accepted rigght away. they say the pool is alot tougher, but about 1/3 of the applicants are accepted EA, 1/3 deffered, and 1/3 denied. thats how it was last year at least, so id say give it a shot. </p>
<p>and even if you get denied (which i hope not), you will now sooner and will be able to move your sights on somewhere other than bc. hopefully you will be accepted so there are no worries and jsut happy :) go for it!</p>
<p>ok... most of us know that colleges are looking for diversity... not being white certainly helps you when the admissions officers make a decision. (about 73% of students are white). it's always nice to have increasing grades, but it also depends on how much they increase by. if the increase is minimal (i'd say 5% or less) it probably won't help you all that much, but i'd say apply to bc and see what happens. i mean... what's there to lose?</p>