Low GPA Chances

<p>Hey! I just wanted to know what my chances are for these schools. I'll put them in order of preference:</p>

<p>1) University of Virginia
2) Georgetown University
3) New York University
4) University of California - Los Angeles
5) University of Florida
6) University of Miami
7) University of Central Florida
8) Rollins College
9) Ohio State University</p>

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<p>Stats:</p>

<p>GPA: 2.7 (cringe, I know... but it'll be explained)
ACT: 35 (retaking for the 36)
SAT: 1980 (retaking for at least a 2050)</p>

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<p>AP Scores:</p>

<p>AP Biology (2)
AP World History (4)
AP Spanish Language (5)
AP United States History (5)
AP English Language (5)
AP Comparative Government (3)</p>

<p>*AP Scholar with Distinction!</p>

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<p>Current Senior Schedule:</p>

<p>AP French Language
AP Statistics
AP American Government/AP Macroeconomics
AP Microeconomics/Chorus IV (honors credit)
AP Calculus BC
AP English Literature
AP Environmental Science</p>

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<p>Tests still to take:</p>

<p>SAT Subject for US History
SAT Subject for Math II
SAT Subject for French Language
SAT Subject for Spanish Language</p>

<p>Holistic Application:</p>

<p>-President of French Club (12th), VP (11th)
-President of French National Honor Society (12th)
-Historian of Spanish National Honor Society (11th-12th)
-Induction into Tri-M Music Honor Society
-Founder of Rho Kappa Honor Society (12th)
-Invitation to Stetson University Choral Clinic (10th)
-Founder and President of Operation Haiti (9th, a brief project to help the '10 quake victims)
-Tutoring Spanish at local middle school (9th-12th)
-Mu Alpha Theta (11th-12th)
-Internship at Republican Party of Florida
-Assistant to Campaign Manager for local congressman
-Philosophers Club (11th-12th)
-Key Club (11th-12th)
-Extracurricular Choral Ensembles (9th-12th)
-Worked at Barnes and Noble between July 2011 - April 2012 (quit to study for 2012 AP tests)
-Work in family business 3 days a week</p>

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<p>My essays regarding my GPA will tell the story about my dad being diagnosed with stage III lymphoma. I had to get that job at Barnes and Noble to help pay the bills and I had to devote the rest of my time with helping out in the family business since he was at home recovering from multiple series of chemotherapy. Because of so much tension, my parents were on the brink of divorce, and with my older brother leaving the state for grad school, it also became my responsibility to keep the house in order.</p>

<p>However, working in the business so much kind of grew on me. I mainly worked at helping my mom keep the monetary records. I learned how to do cost analysis, put people on payroll, and all the micro financing going on in the business. Essentially, my love for economics started through this experience, and that's what I want to do.</p>

<p>I quit my job in order to focus on my studies at the end of junior year. Over the summer, my dad was officially cancer-free, my parents reconciled, and I no longer had to work, so that's why my extracurricular activities really increased my senior year. I've also been able to focus on school. We're half way through the semester and I have all A's in my 8 AP classes. I'm hoping to use my ACT score, AP scores (regarding my Bio score, eh... it was my first ever AP back in freshman year, never had a background in Bio, and it was the first time I had ever taken a class that challenged me. It was certainly a learning experience; I learned how to adequately prepare for the AP exams through my failure in AP Bio), and my first semester grades to prove that I am academically capable.</p>

<p>If your Junior year GPA was great, then you might stand a chance.</p>

<p>And the single most important thing you must put your heart into: write a stellar essay!</p>

<p>The essay should reveal your hardships and justify your failings. BUT, do not let it be a mere excuse/justification. It must go beyond. Be brief in your hardships -well, there are many thousands out there who have had harder times than you did. Focus on showing what you learned and how you matured through it. Emphasize how you changed and how you are more than capable now.</p>

<p>The writing of it is up to you, but this is my two cents. If you get the essay nailed, and get a 4.0 in the Senior GPA and stellar scores in the subject tests you’re planning on taking, you definitely stand a great chance.</p>

<p>I’m from Virginia and your chances for UVA are very good. The 35 ACT score by itself could probably get you in. I agree that you definitely need to write a good essay about what you went through, and explain how much more responsible you became. Overall everything else looks perfect. Good Luck</p>

<p>Thanks for the responses!</p>

<p>If you can churn out a great essay it will even the odds for a good number of these schools, and I think UCF will be a safety for you.</p>

<p>UVA: Match
Georgetown: Reach (unless, somehow, taking these APs could make your GPA go up)
NYU: Match
UCLA: Reach
Florida: Match
Miami: Safety
Central Florida: Safety
Rollins: Safety
Ohio State: Safety</p>

<p>That makes me feel a little better! Can we add UNC Chapel Hill to that list?</p>

<p>UNC Chapel Hill would be a high match, perhaps even a reach. Make no mistake, UNC is a school almost as selective as UCLA for out-of-state admissions.</p>

<p>Today I was notified of my acceptance to Stetson University. I only really applied because they sent me a letter saying they’d waive my application fee. Free application? Why not! I was also awarded a $12,500 scholarship for my participation in their choral clinics. I guess that’s one more thing to add to my ECs.</p>

<p>Here’s another little part: I want to major in Economics and maybe double major in Economics and French Language. What other schools are good matches for me given the above information?</p>

<p>Best wishes! But…you can’t even APPLY to a UC with less than a 3.0 UCGPA, 3.4 out of state I think. Admission rate at UCLA for UCGPA’s below 4.0 is less than 5 percent. But who knows?..</p>

<p>Well, that sucks. :/</p>

<p>Meh…if you are out of state, probably not worth $55k/year, anyway…</p>

<p>That’s true. I know at UCF they’d give me a semester (based on my AP scores right now), maybe even a whole year if I pass all my senior AP exams. So I’d be able to do a transfer much faster, I suppose.</p>