Low GPA, High ACT. Chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Reed College
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<p>So, I'm kind of in love with Reed and really want to go and see it. I REALLY want to go there (I am probably going to apply ED). However, I want to go and see it before I commit to it. Make sense? The only problem is, if I don't have a decent chance of getting in because of a low GPA, my family really can't afford to fly out there. (I live just outside of Detroit). </p>

<p>So, could anybody tell me if I have a chance? </p>

<p>Basics:
White/Hispanic (Spanish) female from MI.
Grew up lower-class but now live in a middle class city.
Parents income is virtually nonexistent because my mom was laid off and my dad has been on disability since I was in 7th grade because of a car accident.
First generation college student
First generation American (mom’s side)</p>

<p>The numbers:
GPA: 3.568 UW / 3.73 W [I was diagnosed with depression in about February of my junior year. It really made my junior grades pretty bad, but after I recovered, my grades went up, but not really in time to affect my semester grades. My essays will explain what happened as will my counselor rec.]</p>

<p>ACT: 33 (29 E, 34 M, 33 R, 34 S)
SAT: 710 M, 630 CR, 590 W
SAT 2s: 800 Math 2, 640 Bio M, 600 World History (retaking).
APs: English Lit (3), World History (4), Calculus AB (4). Self studied: Psych (4), US Gov (4), English Lang (3), and Bio (3). </p>

<p>Significant ECs:
-Help found an all-girls basketball league in a poor Detroit neighborhood.
-Coached basketball for league above for 3 years.
-Coached softball and volleyball for 2.
-Help found an Animal Rights club at school. President Senior year.
-Well over 500 hours of community service.
-Over 200 hours of tech on school plays. Thespian (11-12).
-Awareness and Activism (charity based club).
-Have played Volleyball, Basketball, Softball, and Swimming for 13 years (for community sports. Busted knee in 8th grade so I couldn't play competitively after that).</p>

<ul>
<li>My passion is working with disadvantaged children. I came from a disadvantaged background and want to give other kids the same opportunity to overcome it that I had. This is probably what my essays will be about.</li>
</ul>

<p>I know that was long. Thanks so much though :)</p>

<p>Oh yeah, I want to go into Anthropology/History and Spanish and then go on to law (not that it matters lol)</p>

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<p>You have an excellent profile academically and in terms of extracurriculars. Your URM status and being a first generation college student will mos def help. You have a shot!</p>

3

<p>Haha thanks. </p>

<p>I am just worried about my GPA, but reading more, it seems like Reed isn't extremely numbers oriented like some people have told me. I kind of feel sheepish now for my post lol.</p>

4

<p>I think you have a plausible case. One very important thing, which may not come into play if you intened to apply ED: your first semester grades in your senior year can help you a lot if they are at or above your current GPA and if you continue to take a demanding program. (And if you are denied ED but deferred til April, those grades will absolutely make a difference.)</p>

<p>You are right that Reed is not entirely numbers oriented, but it's also true that admission is becoming more competitive at Reed each year. So you want to put forward your best case.</p>

<p>I also think your background -- not just minority status, but your economic background and being a first generation college student -- would be a plus for Reed, which is looking for ways to diversify their student body.</p>

<p>But even with those characteristics, you still have to sell your case. You haven't told us what puts Reed so high on your list. You will have to persuade the Reed admissions committee in your "Why Reed?" essay, and in the process also make it clear that you think you would bring something TO Reed (and your fellow students) and not just TAKE a lot from a Reed education.</p>

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<p>Reed is more numbers oriented than in the past. Here's an excerpt from a recent article in Reed's alumni magazine discussing in detail the factors that are considered in admissions --- it may help you evaluate your chances:</p>

<p>""Every application is rated according to five criteria— some data-driven, others more subjective:</p>

<p>Courses taken in high school, based on rigor of classes and curriculum;
Grades, class rank, and standardized tests, including the SAT and ACT;
Personal character and intellect, based on interviews and recommendations;
Essays and application essays;
Involvement, such as extracurriculars and community service. </p>

<p>Each criterion is rated from 1 to 5, with 1 being “superior” and 5 “dismal.” The scores are averaged to arrive at a composite score for each student. Anything below 1.8 is terrific. A rating higher than 2.5 more than likely eliminates a candidate. The applicants are also rated on fit—whether they’re a good match for Reed— and yield—how likely they are to say “yes” if admitted. There are also various tipping factors that influence the decisions: weighted consideration is given to students of color, “first-gens” (first generation in the family to attend college), and children of alumni.
""</p>

<p>You can read the full article here:</p>

<p>Reed</a> Magazine: Many Apply. Few are Chosen. (1/5)</p>

<p>As I said, this article lays out exactly what Reed looks for, and even discusses how the admissions committee evaluates applicants. It is something that everyone applying there should read. But -- don't let it scare you off. If you are convinced Reed is "the place" for you, apply! </p>

<p>Reed is a unique place, so before deciding to apply there ED, if there is any way you can visit, I would strongly recommend it. My daughter liked Reed on paper, but ran like h*ll after visiting. My son was not particularly impressed with Reed on paper, but loved it from the moment he stepped on campus and a student asked him if he could translate the greek lettering on the bags in the bookstore. </p>

<p>So, make sure you do your research. If you can't visit, go to Livejournal.com, register, and search under interests for "Reed College." That will turn up a link that answers questions from prospective students, and another link of a discussion forum for current Reed students. You can ask questions about Reed on both, but just reading back through a year or so worth of archives will also give you a sense of what Reed is like. The alumni magazine archives can also give you some more insights to help you decide if Reed is "right enough" for you personally to make it your ED choice. This sort of research will also help you write a convincing "Why Reed?" essay, which, according to the above article, plays a role in tipping in some applicants and keeping others out. The same with interviews - you need to know why you want to go to Reed specifically, and show that you understand what makes Reed unique and right for you during your interview.</p>

<p>Make sure to choose your recommendation writers wisely. Look for teachers who will talk about your intellectual passion, and academic potential, not just your extracurriculars. Your counselor should be able to discuss how you have challenged yourself by taking the most rigorous courses available to you, and it will be a plus if your senior year schedule shows a 4th year (or more) of core academic subjects like math, science, foreign language, social studies, etc.</p>

<p>Reed does interviews in different locations across the nation. Make sure to check with Reed admissions about when they will be in your area, and schedule your interview as soon as possible. Interviews seem very important in the Reed admissions process.</p>

<p>By the way, at this point, Reed is still not considering the writing section.</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK!</p>

6

<p>Oh, my senior schedule looks like this: </p>

<p>-AP Prob and Stats
-Spanish IV
-Honors Cultural Anthropology
-Tao in Thought and Lit
-Honors Humanities I and II
-Ecology
-Honors Philosophy
And the required:
-Comp Apps I
-Lifeguarding</p>

<p>It's pretty much the hardest I can take. I exhausted most of my AP classes this year and the only ones left to take, I've already taken the tests for. Besides, the honors humanities and anthropology are much harder than many of the AP classes at my school. The only thing I could've taken harder was my science. I could've taken honors physics, but to be honest, I don't like physics and I chose instead to take another literature course (Tao in Thought and Lit) because that is much more interesting to me than physics. Ecology at my school is very writing and research based which is why I chose that and Tao over physics. </p>

<p>And as for why I enjoy Reed, it just strikes me so much as somewhere that you can actually LEARN and not just earn grades. I enjoy learning for the sake of learning, which is why I have self-studied Latin and done extensive projects on ancient history (which I could've earned school credit for, but I didn't do it for school, I did it for me). There are other reasons, but that's just the major one. </p>

<p>My recommendations are going to come from my Spanish and World History teacher. My Spanish teacher knows the most about my past (there is more to it than simply what I put here) and my World History teacher knows how passionate I am about learning. I did many independent projects with her throughout the year and we developed a close relationship.</p>

<p>I am going to schedule an interview very soon, but with my dad in and out of the hospital, it is very difficult to be able to pick a day to do an interview :(.</p>

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<p>Hey, we have pretty similar cases. Our UW GPA and ACT are pretty similar so I know what it's like to fret about it a little. I also can't visit Reed. =/ I think should have a good shot, and hopefully I do too.</p>

<p>And thanks for the heads up on the application process at Reed, Carolyn! That was extremely helpful.</p>

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<p>My son self-studied Latin, too! Have you been taking the National Latin Exam? You can do it even if you're not in a latin class, and it's really nice to be able to show what you've learned in Latin. </p>

<p>As Carolyn said, it's getting harder to get into Reed, so stats are counting more, but I think that passion for learning and strong interest in Reed will probably still count for a lot. Even if you can't visit, you can show interest by always going to college fairs where Reed is showing, and things like that.</p>

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<p>^ Well, I don't think I'm quite that good. I've gotten through the first and second books from the Cambridge texts. And to be honest, I have to go back over those because I've forgotten a lot of it. I used to be very passionate about it, but then I got very sick and lost a lot of it. Now ancient history is my bigger passion and I still work on the Latin from time to time, but am concentrating more on honing my Spanish skills so that I can go back to Spain next summer.</p>

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<p>Reed</a> College | Peer Mentor Program | Home</p>

<p>My daughter participated in this program as a mentee/mentor- that you would qualify for.</p>

<p>You can still find out a lot about Reed on their web site to emphasize that you appreciate the details that make it " Reed", without visiting.</p>

<p>I would suggest that you still consider other colleges- and do the finaid calculators to see if your family could come up with EFC.
In our experience, Reed stuck pretty close to FAFSA EFC- but still students who couldn't attend because they needed more aid.</p>

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<p>I do want to add a caution.
If scraping up money to fly to visit a school that is your top choice is unthinkable, scraping up the money for books, flights home etc- may be equally difficult, especially if it takes a while for your mom to find work. ( has your dad found help with your states dept of vocational rehabilitation?)</p>

<p>Even if tuition is 100% covered- still other expenses.</p>

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<p>^ What I meant was, my parents don't have money to "waste" (their words, not mine) on a plane ticket, hotel, etc, etc. We have a little put away for college and I have outside help for that, but not for things like this. Does that make sense?</p>

<p>And the problem with my dad is that he'll never be able to work again really. He has been through physical rehab but he had a double concussion and has both short term and long term memory loss. He will repeat the same task 5 or 6 times and have no memory of it. Plus it left him with an inability to do more than one thing at a time. :(. There are other problems, but those are the two biggest ones, and they say he probably can never work again.</p>

<p>And my mom is getting training right now to be a substitute teacher and should be able to find jobs this fall :). So that will help a little.</p>

<p>Thank you for the link though, I will definitely check it out.</p>

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<p>Emerald: Actually, Reed can be very generous with help for extras once you're enrolled. We had a lot harder time affording the application process than my son has attending. Financial aid packages can include extra amounts to cover books, expenses and travel. That money comes to the student at the beginning of the semester as a check from Reed. So, with 100% of need met at some levels, there's actually extra money to cover these expenses.</p>

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<p>if you contact the admissions office here: Visit</a> request form | Reed College Admission Office you may be able to arrange a stay with a student host overnight, which would cut down on the costs of the visit. The only problem is you will have to visit when classes are in session, which probably means you will miss some school.</p>

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<p>Oh, andywinterman, so true -- and it can be on the weekends, too. One of the times my son visited, he was there for three nights. The first night he was "officially" having a host overnight. The other two nights I had made reservations for him at the Hawthorne Hostel, but he ended up crashing on a couch after someone offered it to him. (He actually had a bunch of offers. You can stay on campus as someone's guest like that for longer than one night, but you can only have an official student host overnight stay the one night.) </p>

<p>By the way, the hostel is a great option. The night shuttle service at Reed will even take you back there if you stay on campus late. During the day, there's public transit (bus) between Reed's campus and the hostel.</p>