So my schedule for junior year came out today and unfortunately, I am only eligible to take one AP class and maybe one honors class. However, I am worried that the lack of APs would keep me out of schools like Ohio State, Purdue, Syracuse, and Baylor even if I get about a 29 on the ACT. I am also worried about the 2 Cs and one D on my transcripts and the fact that the one C got me out of honors English freshman year. I’ll try to take one or two honors this year to go along with the AP and am also hoping to start an JROTC program at my school. Does anyone have any advice? Any help is appreciated.
P.S. I’ll also try to raise my GPA from 3.11 to 3.4
It wont Be the one AP class that keeps you from getting in. What were the Cs and D in? Were there extenuating circumstances? Those would be my concern. Any school wants to see you do the best you can in the most challenging classes you can handle.
It will not be lack of AP’s. Your grades are going to be your limiting factor. If you have a 3.11 at the end of 4 semesters, you would have to have a 3.9 over the next 3 to get your overall GPA up to a 3.4.
I had a C in algebra 1 and English honors and a D in chemistry (68) sophomore year. If I manage to get my grades up would it still look as bad? There extenuating circumstances because I tried to take classes I thought I could handle when making my schedule freshman year and later ended up regretting this.
Thanks for the help. My transcript also lists my yearly gpa along with cumulative. Would colleges take this into account if I were to make a massive improvement in grades? Even if I do make a major improvement would one AP class be enough?
An upward grade will be looked upon favorably, but there are many 4.0 applicants with plenty of AP’s that cannot get into “top schools” so even a 3.4 will not make a competitive applicant.
Schools like Syracuse, Baylor, Purdue, Ohio State, Embry Riddle, University of Washington, and University of Illinois to name a few. Along with Pepperdine.
Pepperdine will not be an easy admit but they will take into consideration your GPA, test scores, LOR’s, essays and HS rigor. Having a competitive SAT/ACT which are optional, can help your chances. With around a 30% acceptance rate, it will still be a slight Reach with an average cumulative UW GPA of 3.66. I am not familiar or can offer advice for the other schools, but I would first figure out your college budget, then identify 2 safety schools before considering these “top” schools.
Found the 2019 Freshman admit data for Pepperdine.
Freshman Admit Unweighted GPA: 3.64-3.97
SAT Total 1300-1450
ACT Composite 28-32
If you have below average UW GPA than you would want an above average ACT so 32+ could make your more competitive.
I would try your best to do well on your ACT test and the rest of Junior year to see where you stand academically. Then find colleges that fit your stats and not try to make your stats fit the college.
The aviation/pro-flight major at Purdue is competitive. They will expect to see high rigor and strong grades in STEM courses. I’m not sure if they allow for double majors. The proflight students my D knows spend a ton of time getting their flight hours in.
I think any flagship that is out of state for you is going to be a reach with your GPA, regardless of what happens on your standardized test.
I totally agree with this: “I would try your best to do well on your ACT test and the rest of Junior year to see where you stand academically. Then find colleges that fit your stats and not try to make your stats fit the college.”
Would it still be a hard reach for me even if I take two ap classes or one ap class and two honors and really show colleges improvement? Would past grades really haunt me this much? I’m really worried that my chances are very low even if I greatly improve junior and senior year.
On 21 January, 2019 you were a Junior- halfway through grade 11- taking 4 APs. In July, 2020 you are a rising Junior- ie, just finished grade 10, worried about having only 1 AP in your schedule. What’s up with that?