I have an 82/100 GPA and a 1300/1600 SAT score. Now that I’ve started to look at colleges, I’ve realized these grades are low, especially for the colleges I want to go to. I virtually have a 0% chance of getting into the school I want to go to, the University of Southern California. I am going to be a senior after this summer. Like I said, I know I’m not going to be accepted with my current grades, but is it possible to raise them this late along with my SAT score? If not, is it reasonable to try to go to another institution and transfer? If that is reasonable, how long should I wait until I transfer?
There are a LOT of very good universities in the US. I think that you should try to find a short list of universities which are a good fit for you. Your GPA and SAT might not be quite enough for USC, but they are enough for many other very good schools.
You could do some SAT preparation and try to get your score up. This might help you down the road, but I still don’t think that you should count on USC. The GPA is harder to increase, since most classes are over and university applications will be in before your midterm grades are available next year.
Also pay attention to the cost of universities. Run the NPC on universities that you are interested in, and find out what you and your parents can afford.
Some students do go to either university or community college planning to transfer after either one year or two. This seems a bit more common in California but I don’t know much about the California system (I did graduate work in California, but have lived in New England for a long time). Personally I don’t think that this is a good idea. I think that you can get into good schools with your high school grades, and then graduate from the same school and if you are considering graduate school that is a good time to switch to a “big name” school. If you go to university planning to transfer, then I think that this will impact the ability to “settle in” and make friends.
I second the above.
You have a decent shot at schools like Loyola Mary Mount, Chapman, or Cal Poly SLO with 1300 SAT, obviously, the higher SATs will get you even better odds. GPA is a lost cause this late, you have to accept what you have and make sure your senior mid-yr grades do not drop below the mark you have now. I don’t like the whole transfer game, if you are gun ho on playing this transfer game, you will not enjoy your 1st two yrs of college experience and risking rejection again for the transfer option down the road. It is better off to do the best you could in a good undergrad program then think forward to compete to admit into one of those top schools for grad/prof. programs, if you want to go that far. Getting into top undergrad schools has many non-academic factors in the decision making process (URM, first-gen, athletics, legacies blah blah )… but grad/prof schools admissions are mostly academic factors oriented -(GPA, scores, research papers etc)… either you cut it or you don’t, URM blah blah or not// so getting a 3.89 GPA from a good undergrad school will still open many doors at the best grad schools in the US. It’s a long road ahead. Keep that in mind. JMHO>
Thanks for responding everyone.