My Dad's Potential

<p>As was explained in your thread a moth ago <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/984409-i-need-advice-please-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/984409-i-need-advice-please-2.html&lt;/a&gt; your grades/SAT’s make you non-competitive for UGA. You will need to look at a less competitive school in GA, even if you do qualify for the HOPE. And if you qualify, you need to maintain a 3.0 to keep the scholarship.</p>

<p>Well, I went to visit SCAD and they told me that if my junior year is bad then they’ll take my senior into consideration. I don’t know about KSU but my mother says that shell take me and we’ll look at the school as well as Spelman. Clayton State, which is the nearest community college to me, i will take into consideration as and visit their campus. If I make all A’s this semester, won’t it come up to a 3.6? I believe that if I take the initiative and study then I can boost my GPA by the end of the semester, maybe join a few clubs, and not worry about the other things going on in my life except that.
I’m taking my SAT on October 9 and i’m taking it again in November. As for my ACT i’m taking it in November as well. I just want to try harder…</p>

<p>As for taking the year off I fear that if I do I might lose a lot of information towards school and I don’t think I want to do that because my dad also told me that if I didn’t go he’ll sign me up for the army. When he told me he was quite serious about it too…</p>

<p>As far as majors/minors go i’m positive about the Theater for that’s what I want for my profession. My dad talks about a backup plan but the only thing that interests me other than that is writing stories and learning languages. I’d also like to learn more about Photography but my father said you don’t need a degree for that.</p>

<p>Doesn’t the Hope scholarship say you have to have a 3.0 average by the end of the year?</p>

<p>Edit: I would also like to add that by the end of the year my mother will be moving my brothers, sisters, and I back to Louisiana (I’m from GA, but when my parents divorced my mother moved us LA. until Hurricane Katrina) because she just got engaged. I told my mom that I don’t want to go back because my college will be in Georgia. I have family in Kennesaw and I my dad lives about a county away from me. She said that she’ll feel more comfortable if I went to KSU so I can be near my family and get situated living alone. The other option would be to go to SCAD on which they said that Portfolio, Essay, Recommendation, and Auditions are supplementary. But if I submit a video of a monologue i’ll be eligible for a one year scholarship. Then there is Clayton State. If I go there i’ll be living with my dad…</p>

<p>My D has several friends who graduated from SCAD and they really loved it. But it is an expensive private school.<br>
<a href=“https://www.scad.edu/admission/cost-financial-aid/cost.cfm[/url]”>https://www.scad.edu/admission/cost-financial-aid/cost.cfm&lt;/a&gt;
They do offer a limited number of full-tuition artistic scholarships but you would still be looking at pretty hefty room and board and other expeenses. I’m not saying don’t go for it but just keep that in mind.</p>

<p>If you pursue a degree in theatre there are many schools that offer artistic scholarships. So keep that in mind as you are looking at your options. Good luck with your senior year and your college search.</p>

<p>You may run into residency requirements if your mother claims you as a dependent on her taxes and becomes a legal resident of LA. That will affect your instate- OOS tuition, and after the bru-ha-ha that happened with KSU this year, they will probably be paying closer attention to that.
And even if you get all A’s this semester, your overall HS GPA wont come up from a 2.9 to a 3.6. Divide your total GPA by the number of semesters to calculate your GPA</p>

<p>(O_O) Kennesaw State? What happened? and I did the calculations and I still got a 3.6</p>

<p>[Jessica</a> Colotl Kennesaw State University Illegal Immigrant - Newsopi.com](<a href=“http://www.newsopi.com/us/jessica-colotl-kennesaw-state-university-illegal-immigrant/1824/]Jessica”>http://www.newsopi.com/us/jessica-colotl-kennesaw-state-university-illegal-immigrant/1824/) Thought this student was an undocumented alien and that is a different matter, nonetheless you will have to prove your ability to qualify as in state. You will probably be OK for at least the first year, but it could be a problem after that.</p>

<p>Still do not believe you can bring up a total GPA that much in one semester. I dont know your stats, so if you are comfortable posting your semester GPA’s we can help you. But also, you dont yet have all A’s so its a moot point. Even with a 4.5 in fall semester senior year you can only bring up a 3.0 GPA to a 3.2 in one semester from the previous 6 semesters.</p>

<p>Oh, I heard that on the news earlier this year but any who, I am comfortable posting my grades. I will post the ones from in my earlier posts with the new grades my GC gave me.</p>

<p>Here are my grades:
9th(1st sem/2nd sem):
~Mixed Chorus - 97/99
~*Honor English I - 100 (95) / 93 (88)
~Algebra I - 86/88
~Biology - 85/80
~World History - 100/100</p>

<p>10th:
~Mixed Chorus III - 99/100
~<em>Honor English II - 80 (75) /92 (87)
~Geometry - 70/88
~Physical Science - 78/78
~</em>AP Government & Politics - 83 (73) /80 (70)
~French I - 89/88</p>

<p>----------I moved to a new county-----------</p>

<p>11th:
~Adv. Ensemble - 96/97
~French II - 87/80
~<em>AP Lang & Comp - 94 (84) /84 (74)
~Algebra II - 70/78
~Chemistry - 77/ 78
~</em>AP US History - 70 (60) /77 (67)
~Theatre I - 89/85 [Previous School didn’t have Theatre]</p>

<p>12th (Now)[So Far]:
~Adv.Theatre II - 90
~<em>Honor French III - 92 (87)
~Study Skills - 100
~</em>AP English - 81 (71)
~Human Anatomy - 81
~Current Events - 93
~Algebra III - 88</p>

<ul>
<li>In AP they add 10, in Honors they add 5 (in parenthesis are without the 5 and 10)</li>
</ul>

<p>AP Scores - AP GoPo (1), AP USH (1), AP Lit (2)</p>

<p>I dont understand your parentheses with your grades. Why dont you post the GPA from each semester-- easier to calculate.</p>

<p>Add up the GPAs from each of the 6 HS semesters and divide by 6 for yor previous GPA. Now add up the 7 GPAs (estimating what you thik it will be this semester) and divide by 7. It cannot jump from a 2.9 or 3.0 to a 3.6 in one semester. Not possible.</p>

<p>I apologize, here are my GPA’s:</p>

<p>Freshman : 3.9
Sophmore : 3.6
Junior : 3.1</p>

<p>I did a GPA calculator…</p>

<p>I am sorry, but you are not understanding. Calculate your GPA for EACH semester individually. Then divide by the number of semesters. Calculate your weighted and unweighted GPAs. Which do the colleges see? The weighted with the bonus for AP/Honors or the unweighted?</p>

<p>Freshman : 3.8, 3.8
Sophomore : 3.2, 3.5
Junior : 3.2, 3.1
= 3.4

  • Senior : 4.0
    = 3.5</p>

<p>They look at the unweighted which would be a 3.2</p>

<p>Am not asking for your cumulative GPAs, but your individual GPA each semester. Your Junior year individual first and second semester GPAs look to be (just estimating) in the 2.6 - 2.8 range each (An A, 2 B’s, 2 C’s and a D.) Correct? Hard to understand that a GPA with several 60’s and 70’s is going to have a cumulative GPA in the high B range. How can your Soph yr individual GPAs be in the 3.2 with an A, 2 B’s and 2 C’s?</p>

<p>You have continuously said that your GPA is a 2.9, and that you will not qualify for the HOPE. This is not consistent with what you said above. Please provide accurate information or no one can be of any help to you.</p>

<p>What I put was weighted though. I didn’t put the unweighted. On my transcript is says that current weighted GPA is a 3.1 and my unweighted GPA is currently a 2.9. </p>

<p>I’ll put the GPAs unweighted:
9th - 3.6, 3.6
10th - 2.6, 3.2
11th - 2.6, 2.7</p>

<p>This is what I calculated and got twice and i’ll do it again to be sure.</p>

<p>Edit: I did it again and got the same. I apologize if i’m still not comprehending…</p>

<p>ok- so add those 6 GPAs, totaling 18.3, and divide by 6 (the # of semesters thus far), gets you an estimated current Cum. GPA of 3.05. If you get a 4.0 this semester, add 4.0 to 18.3 (22.3) and divide by 7 (adding this semester to the previous 6). This gives you a Cum. GPA of about 3.19. If you get a 4.0 second semester senior year (4.0), add that to the 22.3 (27.3) and divide by 8 (semesters) for a Cum graduating GPA of 3.29. So if you get straight A’s and 4.0’s (unweighted) this senior year, the highest GPA you can get at graduation is a 3.29. Understand?? You cannot get a cumulative GPA of 3.6. Not possible. </p>

<p>By the way, certain classes (things like chorus and ensemble, I am guessing) will NOT count as core courses towards a HOPE calculated GPA. Theater may or may not count for an English credit-- you’ll have to check. SO, for purposes of calculating your GPA for the HOPE scholarship, these classes will need to be removed form your calculation.</p>

<p>Thank you and I understand. My GC told me the same thing at the Senior Advisement. I have to only count my core classes. Theatre in school is an elective along with chorus so I don’t believe it’s an english credit. I’ll calculate and post my GPA without my electives unweighted when I get the chance to.</p>

<p>I think part of the issue here is that you’re too focused on the negative. You’re bummed you can’t get into Clark-Atlanta/Spelman/UGA/etc etc etc. And you father’s negativity isn’t really helping. On top of that, I think you’re maturely recognizing you made some bad choices, probably for a variety of reasons, and you want to get back on track. </p>

<p>My advice would be to go back to your counselor and say what is realistic for me in terms of colleges with these grades? Yes, probably means something in-state until/unless you can get the credits to transfer, and yes, maybe not where you dreamed you would go or where your father dreamed you would go. But what matters is making what you’ve got work for you. Maybe one of the in-state schools you’re qualified for has a strong theater program, or is at least in a community where you’d have the opportunity to audition for several plays. Maybe oen of them has a good English department or has some study abroad opportunities in France. Basically, just because you won’t be going to a state flagship or a top-tier HBCU, doesn’t mean you’re going to a bad school. </p>

<p>Also, have you considered other HBCU’s that maybe aren’t Spelman/Clark-Atlanta (or not in Atlanta at all)? There are a lot of smaller ones with good reputations that might interest you. Like Tuskegee University for example.</p>

<p>You can find out your HOPE GPA by setting up an account on gacollege411. It has your HOPE transcript and you can see in detail what you have and how they have calculated your transcript. One thing to note is that HOPE does not give credit for honors classes and only .5 bonus credit for AP classes. </p>

<p>I attempted to re-calculate your HOPE GPA based on what you posted and if you get all As your senior year, your hope GPA will be 2.97 and they do not round up. I do not think HOPE is going to work out for you.</p>

<p>I agree with the other posters that you should look at the community colleges in the area to start with and then transfer. I know of several students who were in your position you are now attending GA Highlands. I don’t know what majors they offer but if its only for two years, it will allow you to get the core classes out of the way and improve your grades to get to a school of choice.</p>

<p>I don’t know if you GC is very helpful but you do need to have a talk and see what is realistic.</p>

<p>Muzick_Lvr - I do know have any personal knowledge of the school/program, but Valdosta State offers a BFA in Theatre and appears to have artistic scholarship opportunities. Your GPA looks to be well within range for admission. I only learned about the program while assisting my D with research on Summer Stock programs and found that they are home to the Peach State Summer Theatre:
[Peach</a> State Summer Theatre Home Page](<a href=“http://www.valdosta.edu/psst/]Peach”>Peach State Summer Theatre - Valdosta State University)</p>

<p>Keep doing what you’re doing. Keep your grades up (4 As and 2 Bs is good!), do well on your SATs (consider a tutor, made a big difference for me), keep theater if that’s what you want to do, and don’t not apply to a school just because you don’t think you have the grades. You have 100% chance of being rejected from the schools you don’t apply to.</p>

<p>I think that Theatre may be the most practical undergraduate degree there is. Few undergrad degrees lead to careers anymore, and the ones that do typically only open the door to an entry-level position. From that point on, career advancement in any field favors those who can communicate, adjust their messages to their audiences, establish rapport and connect with others. In other words, those who can do precisely what Theatre majors are taught to do.</p>