<p>ok so im a student in a school placed in the top 10% in California and wants to major in engineering (aerospace to be exact) i have a low gpa but i feel that i could still get somewhere decent. plz honestly chance me.</p>
<p>gpa:
3.02 UW
3.75 W</p>
<p>test scores:
SAT I: 2240 (800M, 740 CR, 700 W) gonna retake
SAT II: 800 Math 2 770 Chem 740 Physics (might retake)
ACT: 34
Chem AP 5
Physics AP (just took, prob got a 4)
Calc AB AP (just took, prob a 5)</p>
<p>EC:
4 years marching band
1 year concert band
3 years wind ensemble
4 years Academic Decathlon (last 2 years we got first in our county and placed very high at state)
2 years robotics club (i'm treasurer)
2 years Math Club
2 years Swim Team</p>
<p>so i have a slight upward trend in gpa but it still remains low. The colleges i am applying too are:
UC Berkeley
UCSD
UCR
UCI
UCLA
USC
UofChicago
CalTech (0 chance but it is my dream school so im still gonna apply)
Rose Hulman</p>
<p>Also it would be nice if u could give me some advice because i am the first in my family, not to go to college, but go to college in USA (i am Indian) and would like a nudge to the right direction. Thanks for you help.</p>
<p>Have you considered any of the East Coast science-oriented schools? If I were you I would take a look at them.</p>
<p>You have real solid test scores and good ECs, but your GPA is pulling those down. I would say you have a pretty good shot at UCLA and UCB, U Chicago might be a bit of a reach.</p>
<p>So you have a low GPA. I have the same problem. It seems that the best way to express to colleges that our GPA doesn’t accurately represent our abilities is through AP exam scores. If you score highly on your AP exams, colleges will understand that your school has a very difficult curriculum and there is a fair amount of grade deflation. Other than that, your ACT (as well as mine) should get you into most of the UCs (they’re suckers for good ACTs), and write a good essay. Good luck.</p>
<p>Your GPA is the biggest factor that’s hurting you, but like others have said, your ACT is good and good APs will help to compensate for your grades. What you should be doing in your ECs is showing leadership or a great deal of involvement/progress. For example, try for section leader in band, score really highly in Acadec, individually, perform highly in math competitions, and it’ll show colleges that you have more to offer than your GPA indicates. The most important thing is to follow the advice of your past Acadec captains, because they are awesome and their performance in ECs helped them in college admissions :)</p>
<p>oh yea forgot couple pieces of info. i have double legacy for USC and legacy for U of Chicago (hopes it helps a bit) and im first generation indian-american. Also i helped in the finding of the school’s robotics club and won couple small engineering comps.</p>
<p>Like the others have said, your SAT is decent and ACT is good. However, your GPA is dragging you down. Also, a bit of volunteer work won’t hurt your chances :P</p>
<p>im did some volunteer work, but the thing is that it doesnt show who i am. don’t colleges like ppl who r dedicated to what they like? what i mean is that wont it be weird for an engineer major to work at a hospital?</p>
<p>How do you have double legacy at USC (and at Chicago) if you’re the first in your family to attend college in the US? If you have genuine legacy status, that’s your best bet.</p>
oh and another 230 in Band</p>