<p>Hey,
Im a junior in high school, and to be honest i really really messed up my freshman and sophomore years. I didn't pay much attention to my gpa, and allowed it to drop to a 3.08(*i took MYP which is a preparation program for IB but I didn't do the IB program). However now that its junior year, and since i had some what of an epiphany over the summer, i have been getting a steady 4.0 (3 AP's and rest honors, and i go to a really competitive h.s).
My worry now is that my freshman and sophomore years have messed me up too much to get into the schools i want, and especially since my family cant afford to pay for it and i need a scholarship. The schools that i am considering are University of Maryland College Park(i would need to take a loan), Howard, Morehouse, or any other school that will offer me a scholarship. And by the way i am an African/African Amerian who has a green-card in the USA, and i come from Sudan. Also i have been EXTREMELY active with my school SGA, freshman i helped out on steering committee, Sophomore year i was SGA class president, and now i am a representative of the county-wide SGA to my school.
so do you guys think i can get in and or are there any schools you would recommend for me?</p>
<p>They’ll look at your WGPA as well as your unweighted (assuming your school has that). I’m in a very similar situation. I’d recommend you put excess effort into SAT IIs or APs so it’s clear that your GPA is low simply because of the classes you take. </p>
<p>my unweighted GPA is 3.08 and my weighted is a about a 3.6
i have taken 2 Ap’s so far (Ap Gov=4, Ap Us History=3)
and i am taking another three this year if that helps</p>
<p>I think the answers you’re getting are too pessimistic. You’ve got a interesting background being from another country, and it’s one that can explain a slow start to your high school GPA. If you can get the GPA you’re talking about both semesters this year, and stay strong in your senior year, I think colleges will love you, especially if you get the SAT you estimated. You clearly are involved in school EC’s - do you do anything outside of school, like tutor or help other people coming over from Sudan, work a part time job, or take care of siblings? </p>
<p>I don’t know anything about financial aid for non-US citizens, but there may be some schools that will offer very good merit aid for your stats.</p>
<p>Do you know what you want to study? There may be some LAC’s that really want students like you - students with a background from another country. You’ve got time to really look into schools - try to find schools that like to have a diverse student body, have some money for merit aid, and offer what you want to study. Clark and beloit both have reputations for having money for students, and like students with unusual backgrounds and interests.</p>
<p>Your SATs are sufficiently fantastic, if they come through, that you should be in at at least some of the HBCUs for sure. LACs are liberal arts colleges. Some of the HBCUs focus on undergraduate study, while many have large graduate programs. LACs are the C part of HBCU. The ones with graduate programs are the universities, the Us. Good luck!</p>
<p>If you continue to do well this spring and next fall, your GPA will be quite a bit higher by the time you apply to college. But the reason Admissions Departments ask for your high school transcript, rather than just your GPA, is to see how you got the “number.” It’s really common for hs freshmen not to be very focused on school, or on the future; so some Admissions Departments recalculate GPA with the 9th grade omitted. Admissions officers also want to see a rigorous curriculum–your APs and honors courses will serve you well there. All your EC activities are impressive too. Sometimes communities or local organizations, or colleges, will give scholarships to “student leaders” or to students from unusual backgrounds–maybe ask your guidance counselor about this.</p>
<p>Also, realize that if you qualify for financial aid, you do not necessarily have to be a top applicant at a particular school to get assistance. Most money for college is distributed on the basis of need, not merit. I believe, though I’m not positive, that green card holders are in the same category as US citizens when it comes to qualifying for need-based aid. Check out the Financial Aid Forum for better information than I can give.</p>