<p>Hey,
I have a 3.3 unweighted, 4+ weighted and a 1420 SAT(780 M 640 CR)
My ACT is 32 and sat IIs are 800s.</p>
<p>Where should I apply, top 20 schools not even an option?</p>
<p>My ecs are stellar(Eagle Scout, Med Research)</p>
<p>Top 20 schools are definitely viable options for you.</p>
<p>Increase your CR score and top 20 schools will be well within reach for you. What's your class rank?</p>
<p>I would definitely apply to top 20 schools. What do you want to do? Any more info?</p>
<p>well im a senior and ill give you a more indepth profile
Texas...
1420 SAT(780 math 640 CR) 12 on the writing 32 ACT
690 Chem SAT II, 800 Math Level II
Chemistry AP test 5
I am expecting great LORs, both teachers love me and I have an A in AP biology which is huge at my school.
I have a low gpa(3.3 out of 4) and ranked 172/572 but I took the highest course load(bout 14 AP's overall)
My ec's are great, eagle scout, 3 months of medical research with a 3rd place research award at a major competition, math honors society, varsity trivia team captain(its fun), 445 hrs. at a local hospital. Also working on a personal research project for the YES competition(pretty big). 2 years in marching band, and 3 in Jazz band(1st tenor sax)</p>
<p>My essay is pretty good, good story and my english teachers told me that it has a very high level of complexity. </p>
<p>I have a LOR from a distinguished professor at a university. </p>
<p>Basically, my gpa does not represent my academic skills at all, my test scores prove all of them wrong. I am at a hard high school and my motivation went down the drain early in high school due to a family illness. I sort of explained this in my essay. </p>
<p>As far as what I want to do, I want to major in the biological sciences somewhere(maybe molecular).</p>
<p>Also, I posted this because I just got rejected hopkins ed.</p>
<p>brownish, your math scores are amazingly high. I think you should apply to MIT or Caltech (just rejected from there). I've seen on the boards that most of the Caltech early acceptances have 800s in math. You seem really interested in the sciences too so I think somewhere techy fits you? Plus the rec from professor will help alot of the techs.</p>
<p>I have a low GPA as well (school has strange system, has had kids accepted to all sorts of top univs with 3.3-3.5) and similar test scores, although my math scores are not as high as yours (reading and writing seems to be my strengths).</p>
<p>btw I'm from texas too :)</p>
<p>holy bejeezus i have 780M 640CR and 800MathII also.</p>
<p>It's a viable option if</p>
<ol>
<li>Your school is impossibly challenging (such as many IB schools are)</li>
<li>Your class rank is high (because many other students can't get As)</li>
<li>Your teacher recommendations are good</li>
<li>SAT (which is very good)</li>
<li>You have extracurriculars and lots of volunteer hours</li>
<li>etc. etc., you should be weary of such explanations by now.</li>
</ol>
<p>Just trust your gut, and remember to apply for some schools that are easier to get into just in case you are not accepted.</p>
<p>i'm almost in the same boat as you - i would like to know more on this too</p>
<ol>
<li>my school is challenging, but not to a serious extent.</li>
<li>my class rank is not high, (top of 2nd Q)</li>
<li>My recs are "supposed" to be good, but disasters may happen. </li>
<li>My SAT is good</li>
<li>My ecs are good</li>
<li>Yes I am weary, but anxiety is keeping it going. </li>
</ol>
<p>I did apply to some school that should accept me(tulane, lehigh, and case)</p>
<p>I'd say tulane and case will take you in a jiffy, not so sure about lehigh.</p>
<p>yea i know, my ec's should get me into lehigh</p>
<p>you wont get into ivies thats for sure. top 20s will be tough. same thing happened to my friend, he applied to penn early had a 2300 SAT and only in top 15% of class and got rejected b/c he slacked off. and this is from a school that sends many applicants to top 20 schools.</p>
<p>I am really frustrated by the fact that its ok to have a high gpa/low sat but not okay to have a low gpa/high sat</p>
<p>Even if its relative, what if you went to a school in Hicktown, USA where it is really easy to get good grades, so you have a high gpa, but you are not really that smart. </p>
<p>I have a low gpa due to overloading on hard classes...which was a mistake but it shouldn't ruin my chances for colleges.</p>
<p>^It's not so much gpa- it's all about the class rank.</p>
<p>It's because colleges know that the SAT is just a test. GPA is a better way of showing schools how hard you've worked. And Johnson is right, it's really about rank. If it's super easy to get good grades in a school, it'll show up in the ranking since 10+ people will share a rank. That just screams grade inflation. They will take into consideration if you took harder classes. Colleges prefer you get Bs in APs than take a bunch of cake classes to boost your GPA.</p>
<p>even class rank, its not set on a national scale.</p>
<p>It doesn't have to be on a national scale. That would just be confusing since schools give different amount of GPA points for certain classes and use their own GPA scale. Besides, not all schools rank. I like that they weigh GPA more because I wouldn't want my future decided on one test and would rather they look at all the work I put into school.</p>
<p>My school doesn't rank either, but my GPA is **** because I took too many AP/post-AP classes. I totally know how Brownish feels; it sucks that I am screwed because I took harder classes than my peers and now have a lower GPA. If it's any consolation, I keep telling myself that if worse comes to worse, you can always transfer into a better school sophomore year in college. I hope, at least! I would hate for one thing like a HS GPA to ruin the rest of my life.</p>
<p>It's the opposite for me. I took the hardest classes and got good grades. But when I took the SAT, I couldn't even break a 2000. =/ It was really disappointing. So I guess we both have something that'll kill us come admission time.</p>