Low Grades, High SAT

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi! I am applying to college soon but I have a problem! My SAT is great, but my IB predicted score is low.

SAT: 1520 (750 R, 770 M, 16 Essay)
SAT II: Going to take Math II, expecting between 700-800
Unweighted GPA: School does not provide GPA
Rank: School does not provide rank
Senior Year Course Load: IB Math HL, IB Computer Science HL, IB Economics HL, IB French ab initio SL, IB ESS SL, IB English SL
IB Predicted Grade: Hasn’t been confirmed, but it is around 33/42

  • Computer science, French, and ESS are 6 predicted. English and math are 5 predicted.
  • Economics is undecided, but it will be either a 5 or 6.

Common app essay is between good-very good, teacher recommendations are good (from Comp teacher especially, this is also my intended major)

My main worry is that the difference between my high SAT and low grades will prevent me from entering my dream schools. Many applicants with high SAT scores also have high grades. Since I moved to India a week before high school and had to learn from a new curriculum, my grades suffered.

List of schools (Applying for CS at their Engineering schools unless otherwise stated):
UVA
William and Mary
VCU (applied early for scholarship and Honors College)
Boston University
UCLA - Undeclared L&S
UCB - Undeclared L&S
Georgia Tech
GWU
NYU
Maybe UPenn?

I’m an Indian born in America, and I lived and attended school in Virginia until I was fourteen. Then, my mom and I moved to India. My dad still lives in Virginia, has a job, lists me as a dependent on his taxes. Both my parents are citizens.

I don’t think I’ll qualify as an international applicant due to my American citizenship, the fact that my permanent address is in America, and I lived in Virginia for a long time.

My family income is more than 150k, so the chances of me qualifying for financial aid are low.

Any help would be appreciated! I’m very worried as the college deadlines are coming up, and my college list is not confirmed. I’m also looking for some additional safeties along with VCU, preferably on the East Coast.

2

Extracurriculars??

3

Hmm… the IB score is probably a problem for a number of those on your list. SAT is important but not as important as grades. For a comparison, my D moved to US just before high school too. Totally different system so she also struggled. Her GPA maps to about the same as your IB prediction (I know these calculations are dodgy), a bit higher if using weighted gpa; she did ACT and it is also much stronger than typical for her GPA so all in all I think she’s quite similar to the situation you’re in. She’s also applying to NYU, GWU and BU; GWU is the only one on that list she’s fairly confident of an offer for; the other 2 are achievable depending on how her ECs, diversity, essay etc are judged but far from being likely. (BU looked more achievable on paper than it sounded at the info session we attended. )

I’m not familiar with all the colleges on your list but UCLA, UCB and obviously Penn are definitely reaches and from what I understand about them, UVA and Georgia Tech are as well. You definitely need more safeties; there is a thread going about schools for a B+ CS applicant which you might find useful to give you some ideas: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/2070693-cs-schools-for-the-b-student-would-love-some-input-on-our-list-p1.html

You don’t mention what your ECs are, which will be important at selective schools.

4

My Extracurriculars:

Leo Club (11-12th grade)- We hold fundraisers at my school throughout the year to put into a scholarship fund. At the end of the year, we provide scholarships to the children of the janitorial staff. These staff members earn the minimum wage and live in poverty.

English tutor (11-12th grade)- I go to a local government school in India to teach English to the students. These children come from families with low incomes and English is their third language.

UVA Advance - Attended a 4 week summer program at the University of Virginia. Earned 6 undergraduate credits in Politics and Philosophy.

Habitat for Humanity Volunteer (11th grade)- Went to a city in Northern India and painted an orphanage for a week

TiE Intern (10th grade)- Unpaid internship at TiE Bangalore for one week

Violin Player (9th-10th) - Part of the high school ensemble

Classical Indian dancer (9th-11th grade)- Practiced an classical Indian dance form since I was six and danced at various recitals in India and Virginia

Joy of Giving (11th grade) - Held fundraisers over the course of a month to donate to various charities.

Winter Drive (11th grade)- Held fundraisers over the course of a month to donate to various charities.

Terry Fox Run - Helped disabled kids complete a walk at my school where all money raised went to the Terry Fox Foundation

By the application deadline I would have around 150+ hours of community service

5

Those ECs will certainly help -

6

If you are in-state in Virginia (and you should verify that), I’d say you should add Virginia Tech and GMU given your intended area of study.

7

For the colleges that I am familiar with, you would be classified as a domestic applicant and not an international. This would be because you are a US citizen; doesn’t matter where you live.

From every person I’ve talked to in the admissions world, GPA is the dominant factor in admissions. It is the best predictor of your performance in college. Look at the “common data sets” for the colleges you are interested in and compare your GPA to those listed in the CDS. That should give you a good idea of which colleges are realistic for you.