<p>Hello, I am a senior in high school. I go to a college prep school. I am a very average student. My GPA is 2.5 and my ACT score is 17 (I am taking it again 9/11/2010)!! I have a lot of extra curricular activities such as: Dance, Drill Team, Environmental Club, and Campus Ministry. I've also have an extensive amount of community service hours (300+). I really want to go Hawaii Pacific University! Its my dream school...</p>
<p>Money is a huge problem! The total cost for one year is $30,415! Both my parents make under $18,000! I am considering taking out student loans. I know I can apply for scholarships, but with my GPA it is going to be very unlikely that I receive a huge scholarship. Is there any other ways that I can make this school affordable for me? Should I just give up my hopes of going here? I would really appriciate all advice givin thank you</p>
<p>You need to start by talking to your high school’s college counseling office.
They can advise you both about how financial aid works and how to make a list of realistic college choices.
Do you live in Hawaii now?</p>
<p>*GPA is 2.5 and my ACT score is 17 (I am taking it again 9/11/2010)!! *</p>
<p>Your stats are not high enough for scholarships to HPU.</p>
<p>HPU’s scholarships are for lowish amounts and require stats much higher than yours. Your stats are in the bottom 25% for HPU so you won’t qualify for a scholarship. </p>
<pre><code>Middle 50% of First-Year Students at HPU
</code></pre>
<p>ACT Composite: 18 - 24 </p>
<p>You can’t take out student loans for large amounts of money. You’ll be limited to $5500 for freshman year. Student loans are limited for a reason - because they are hard to pay back after graduation. </p>
<p>You need to be realistic. Your stats are quite low. Your ACT is in the 26th percentile. It may be hard for you to get accepted into many schools. </p>
<p>What state are you in? What schools are near your home? Are there community colleges near you?</p>
<p>BDancer – you seem to have the positive attitude that would make any school you ultimately attend be a great experience. That may or may not be HPU.</p>
<p>Community college is what most people do who are 1) not rich, and 2) have lower than average stats coming out of high school. It is affordable, offers smaller class sizes, offers a part-time schedule, and offers more tutoring and support than most larger universities can.</p>
<p>Lastly, and I know this sounds odd on a College forum, don’t assume full time college is everyone’s destiny. Lots of people start their careers right out of high school, and don’t go to college, or go part time while working. Those who start working right away sometimes decide to go back to college in their mid-20s when they have a more clear idea about their career path.</p>
<p>My Dad worked full time at Northrup and Hughes Aircraft all through his four years at Long Beach St. and UCLA.</p>
<p>I live in Missouri. I know that my stats are low, but that will not stop me! I WILL make it into college. It is the most important thing to me in my life thus far. I have other schools I wouldn’t mind attending. It is just that HPU is at the top of my list. All the school I want to attend are out of state. Heres a list of some of the schools I AM going to apply to:</p>
<p>Hawaii Pacific University
UC Riverside
UC Santa Cruz
Chaminade Univ of Honolulu
Creighton Univ
Eugene Lang College
Marymount Manhattan College
U of Minnesota Twin Cities
MO State Univ
Occidental College
Regis Univ
University of Hawaii-Manoa</p>
<p>I love it when people doubt me because it makes it that much better when I succeed ! I am meeting with my college counsler again soon. Also Hawaii Pacific will be in my area this October at a college fair! I will most definitly be there !!! :)</p>
<p>In the next two weeks, the best thing you can do to reach your goals is to study for the ACT.</p>
<p>I admire your attitude about attending college, but I have a few notes about the UCs (UCR, UCSC) on your list.</p>
<p>1) Your GPA makes you ineligible to apply to any UC - oos students must have a **minimum **3.4 UC GPA. You might look into transferring after two years at a community college with a GPA of 3.5+.</p>
<p>2) The UCs typically do not provide adequate financial aid to oos students. The cost of attendance at a UC is approximately $45,000 to $50,000 per year. You probably have much more affordable options at your in-state public universities.</p>
<p>It is a very good idea to discuss your options with the Hawaii Pacific representative in October - good luck!</p>
<p>Maybe you could go to a community college in Hawaii, if that’s where you want to be? UC schools are brutally competitive. I think you should look at more local state colleges, and maybe try to get an internship in the summers? Or very small Catholic colleges in your area?</p>
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<p>I like your determination as well and I believe this is an attainable goal – to go to college. </p>
<p>However, if it’s the most important thing, as you say, what circumstances have conspired to saddle you with such a a low GPA and test scores? I think understanding this is far more important than getting into the school of your choice. I say this based on the objective being not just getting in, but leveraging the prospects for future success. </p>
<p>In other words, it will be important to address any continuing obstacles that might hinder your academic performance in order to help assure your success at the college level. Otherwise, getting into your “dream” school is unlikely to be the experience for which you are hoping. </p>
<p>I’m not doubting your abilities by the way - just trying to better understand your circumstances, which in turn, might help you choose the best options for college.</p>
<p>I really dislike the fact that I am being so beat up on here! But I know that this is the REAL world and I appriciate all the brutal honesty. I have confidential reasons why my GPA and test scores are not above average. I went through (and am still going through) some “tough times” in my life. This is the reason I want to go to college so bad. I want to get away from all the negative around me and create a better life for myself! And what is so wrong with being average?! Just because I’m not an A+ plus student makes me less of a jewel?? Its not like my grades a terribly low or anything. I am just simply average. I am working my butt off this year, and I don’t care how many negative comments come my way no one will deprive me of my biggest dream!!!</p>
<p>No one is beating you up. Do not mistake reality based advice for criticism.</p>
<p>I do not see any post here that could be considered “beating you up.” They are all offering practical advice to help you toward your goals.</p>
<p>I’m sorry I’m overreacting… But this is really difficult to hear. I am trying my best in school and its hard to realize that my best may not be enough…</p>
<p>The reality is, is that these days getting into college is super competitive. You have a C average and low ACT scores…those things do not make you a competitive applicant, especially for scholarships. If you really have the drive and potential you speak of then you should be able to attend community college, save some money, and get a better GPA. Do you have some kind of adviser at school you can talk to? They might have a more concrete idea of what the next move for someone in your situation could be…but no one is jumping down your throat, so I hope you choose to stop seeing it that way.</p>
<p>UCSC is great if you want to sit in the trees and smoke dope. Beyond that, the posters regarding GPA are, unfortunately, fairly accurate. May I suggest you narrow your list to schools closer to your GPA and then focus hard at getting into those institutions.</p>
<p>BDancer, since cost is an issue I would suggest you consider some of the schools that participate in the Midwest Student Exchange Program. You will need to verify which programs at each school are covered but it may be a way to save money. I know it’s not Hawaii but it could offer you a chance to go away for school.</p>
<p>[MHEC</a> : Student Access: Midwest Student Exchange Program (1)](<a href=“http://www.mhec.org/MidwestStudentExchangeProgram]MHEC”>http://www.mhec.org/MidwestStudentExchangeProgram)</p>
<p>With a gpa of 2.5 and a slightly higher ACT (21) you would be an auto admit for the University of North Dakota. No warm sunny beaches but a lot of nice midwestern people.</p>
<p>I truly hope everything turns out just like you want!</p>
<p>Another school that you should be able to gain admittance to is South Dakota State. With a total cost of attendance under $14,000 it may fit within your budget.</p>
<p>Getting into college is different than other aspects of life because you have others deciding whether to admit you based on the req’d info…GPA, test scores, etc. </p>
<p>Many schools have minimum req’ts (such as the UC’s), so it doesn’t matter how hard someone has tried or how much they want to go, they won’t get admitted if their stats are too low. </p>
<p>Your list is not reasonable. You will end up spending too much time on applications only to get rejected or get unaffordable aid packages.
**</p>
<p>You should apply to a couple of schools on your list just to see what happens, but you will be one VERY unhappy student next spring if this is the list that you’ll be applying to.**</p>
<p>Talking to college reps isn’t going to help. Their job is to get as many applicants as possible. They aren’t going to care if you won’t get in or you won’t get the money to go there.</p>
<p>What instate schools will you be applying to?</p>
<p>I think off her list on the previous page she would only be instate for Missouri State. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if that is a viable option. For an auto admit she needs either a 24 ACT, a 3.5 gpa or be in the top 25% for class rank.</p>
<p>The COA for an instate student at Missouri state is within $500 of the COA for an out of state student at South Dakota State which is why I suggested it. I think she may have an easier time being admitted to SDSU than MO State.</p>
<p>BDancer – my Dad had the same dream of going to college. The difference is, living in Los Angeles, with a wife and a 2 year old baby, a widowed mother who could not contribute at all, and just returning from the Korean Conflict, his financial options were very limited. He did not let his modest circumstances get in his way either! So he worked full time and went to school 2/3 time. He graduated in 6 years from Long Beach St. and UCLA.</p>
<p>He made the most of his opportunities and rose in business to be very financially successful, for such a humble beginning. </p>
<p>Look, Private universities, and most Out of State Public Universities are for rich kids, or kids who test in the top 5-10% of the students at a school.</p>
<p>So, since you are not rich, you need to either find:</p>
<p>1) an IN-STATE 4 year school (you act like that is beneath your dream),
2) a Community College where you can raise your GPA (you also act like that is beneath your dream), or
3) a school where your stats are in the top 5-10% where you can qualify for merit scholarship.</p>
<p>Do NOT borrow a ton of money to go to college… the debt will follow you for half your adult life!</p>
<p>Dreaming is good. Dream realistically. Or get rich. And appreciate that he good tax payers of your state have made it possible for you to attend college affordably in your home state.</p>