Need a perfect fit..need help from you all..cmon help me out =)

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Okay so I have 2 worries.</p>

<p>ONE..I dont know where I could get in (selectivity wise)
TWO..I dont know what kind of colleges I would fit into perfectly (people, lifestyle,city)</p>

<p>Well I'm not going to do into extreme detail but my academic situation is kind of WEIRD. I have:
Pretty good SAT scores (2130)
Hard classes (6 AP semesters) (4 honors semesters)
Low GPA..3.0 unweighted
AMAZING Essay..explaining why my GPA is low..very valid reason(non-pity)
Very very good EC's..above above average</p>

<p>So for my first worry..I don't know where I can get in..with above average SATs and good every thing else..but a pathetic GPA</p>

<p>My second worry is...what kind of school I would fit in:
I like to have fun, be social, party, make friends.
BUT..I also like to learn, study, succeed in education, get into medical school.</p>

<p>So i know those can be contradictory desires...but I was hoping YOU all can help me find a perfect fit college.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for helping.</p>

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<p>You should have posted this in the college search & selection forum. They will be much more helpful there.</p>

3

<p>University of Wisconsin at Madison comes to my mind. You have an excellent SAT score but then what happened to your GPA?</p>

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<p>any st school</p>

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<p>State schools sound good. Or LAC that aren't super competitive (not that you wouldn't get in there, you just seem to want a more relaxed atmosphere). Places like Haverford, Bucknell, etc. Maybe some UC's? You have a decent chance anywhere, but applications are a crapshoot. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Try going to princetonreview(.com) and filling out their counselor-o-matic. It's really helpful.</p>

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<p>With a 3.0, you are definitely not looking good for the top universities. Maybe a middle tier state university?</p>

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<p>Do you want a city, or more suburban? Size? Any EC's? Do you have something other to talk about other then low GPA?</p>

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<p>We can't judge the validity of your essay topic. If you truly have a good reason for your GPA, and you present it well, then some schools may look past it. If you want to, you should feel very free to apply to a wider range of schools than most students will need to. And be wary of Chances threads, because you have an atypical situation. </p>

<p>You need to apply to schools that will take a student with a 3.0, but that won't reject an otherwise great applicant b/c of yield concerns...either make sure that you really show the love, or, better yet, find a safety with rolling admissions. You can also apply to schools that match the rest of your stats (minus GPA, that is), in hopes that some of them will see past that number. Private LACs may be your likeliest bet in that case, but not exclusively.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Unless there's really a story behind it, you don't need to make your GPA the focus of your essays. If it really ties into who you are, what you've experienced, what you can offer, then great. Otherwise, you can put it in an addendum. Talk to your GC about this, and about addressing the GPA issue in general...it can be a tricky line to walk, and (s)he should also know what's going on.</p></li>
<li><p>What are your other preferences? You're not giving much info about yourself (which may be best, for privacy reasons), but you're asking for us to suggest 'a perfect fit'. What type of ECs have you done? What are your academic (besides med school) interests? What ECs would you like to continue? Big or small school; urban, rural, suburban; what part of the country; is a sports scene important; are you preppy, quirky, anything else-y that you'd like in a student body; how do you feel about Greek life; etc.</p></li>
<li><p>Do know that the perfect fit on paper isn't always perfect in real life, and also that you can be very happy at a school that isn't necessarily a perfect fit. Most schools have at least some party-goers, and most schools have at least some dedicated learners...you shouldn't have trouble matching your most basic criteria.</p></li>
<li><p>Agree with OKGirl: you'll get better responses in another forum.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Best of luck.</p>

10

<p>4giggles--
I want a city/urban atmosphere.<br>
And I have a good amount of EC's:
Debate Team Captain(won 14 debates 1st place; 22 debates 2nd place)
Debate Club President
Philosophy Club Vice President
Mock Trial participant
Mock Elections operations manager
Laws of Life Essay contest winner
Literary meet 2nd place winner
Intern at hospital
Intern at community clinic
Volunteer for Red Cross</p>

<p>My GPA remains a big problem =(</p>

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<p>Student615--
Thanks a lot for the response.</p>

<p>Well A LOT of people have told me I should be very careful with talking about that. The thing is, I don't want it to only sere as an explanation for my GPA, it's my entire motivation to succeed in college and life which also plays into my GPA reasoning.
I wont go into detail but I had a kidney removed at birth and a couple of years ago I found out that my other kidney was starting to fail as well. Due to my rare blood type and the unique situation of my kidney, I was at a low chance of finding a kidney donation in time. I had to drink a lot of water to keep it hydrated, but the more fluid I drank the more it burnt my urinary tract, so I was quickly running out of time. My doctor said the chances were low and that if we didn't find a donor, I would have about 4 years or 5 at best. I was a child and lost all motivation to try but my mom didn't know about the situation so she kept pushing me to take harder classes. AP classes + no motivation + pressure from mom = DEPRESSION. I spent 9th, 10th, and most of 11th in depression. This February however, we found a donor and the transplant was extremely successful. I decided I wanted to become a doctor to help people like I was helped and became extremely motivated. </p>

<p>WOW long story^^^ lol sorry</p>

<p>And sorry I wasn't very clear about myself and what I want. Well my EC's are in the post I posted before this. And what I want is a school where the people are friendly and smart and motivated but also aren't boring and completely lifeless. I want a lively city. I have a lot of energy. As far as academics go, I am really really interested in psychology and plan to major in it. The part of the country doesn't matter too much. But a somewhat big school is fine, more than 8,000...less than 35,000. I'm a pretty preppy guy, but not like a jerk. Just come from an area with a lot of rich people and I guess you could say most are shallow.</p>

<p>THANKS every one, I know I should have posted it somewhere else. Sorry, but thanks you all are really helpful. </p>

<p>Keep em coming =)</p>

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<p>Wow, I'm glad everything worked out for you!</p>

<p>Just curious, how come your mom didn't know your situation?</p>

<p>If you have time, try reading the book "colleges that change lives" from Pope Loren -it has a lot of colleges with different atmospheres, so I'm sure you'll at least will like one.</p>

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<p>tnguyen08--
thanks I will check that book out. And my mother has high blood pressure and hyper tensions issues. She also is very unstable, emotionally. She did know about my kidney condition but did not know I had limited time. We didn't want to "trouble" her unless absolutely necessary, because due to past experiences my dad and I know she doesn't react well.</p>

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<p>Dang man you brought a tear to my eye. I hope you have much success at whatever college you end up at.</p>

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<p>you can try the smaller boston schools. Northeastern. BU maybe if you seriously make them cry because your essay is really good. but you have had to take sat IIs.</p>

<p>there is also always chicago. Loyola has a good program for health related fields (nursing? i think). right in the heart of chi-town and okay campus. VCU is in the nicest part of the city. Good reputation for medical stuff. </p>

<p>i can think of a few others but im lazy.</p>

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<p>hey man, glad everything went well for you
I'd say that would be a good reason for a gpa drop...</p>

<p>and you def have some skills, as shown by debate + mock trial
how many tournaments did you go to man? I was heavily involved in circuit + local all 4 years at high school and I have to say your record is damn impressive!</p>

<p>would you mind telling us where you live? if you live in CA you're prob in luck if you apply to the UCs. A lot of people I know that didn't have the highest gpas but were really good at something got accepted at quite a few places. your chances of getting in somewhere good also increase heavily if you can point out an increasing grade trend after you got your transplant.</p>

<p>and yes, I realize my grammar is terrible, but its 4am, give me a break</p>

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<p>Make sure that you're wringing as much as you possibly can out of the non-GPA factors. You need to convince adcoms, among other things, that your grades were due to your situation and that you have the ability/motivation to succeed at their school. Teacher recs, interviews, essay, GC rec (is your GC familiar w/your situation?), SAT2s, senior year grades...all opportunities to seize.</p>

<p>Re: essay...your angle sounds perfectly logical b/c it ties in so strongly to who you are, what you want out of college, etc. If that is what you decide to write about, a few thoughts:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Remember that it's not only content that counts. You have a very moving story, but you'll need to tell it and write it well (just a reminder, although some of your awards suggest that you'll be fine in this department).</p></li>
<li><p>You don't need to make your low GPA the focus. Tell your story in whatever way feels natural, and if the situation/GPA link isn't clear enough, then you can include a brief addendum in which you refer back to the essay. Your GC should also address the situation, which may render an addendum unnecessary. Talk to him/her about this. Bottom line: you have far too interesting of a background to risk it being interpreted as an excuse for low grades, so whatever you do, make sure you gather a few trusted opinions re: your essay, addendum, or what have you.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Again...if you're interested in some reachy schools, don't be 100% disheartened. I had a terrible semester in my freshman year, but a higher cumulative GPA and a less interesting overall story. Even so, I was rejected at a safety and accepted at a reach. This can be a mysterious process even for those whose numbers are in order, so realize now that you need to fall in love with some safe bets, but also that there's little/no point in comparing your stats/chances/whatever with others', because your situation is particularly unique.</p>

<p>Lastly, have you considered a gap year? If you're on a relatively new upward trend, having all of your senior year grades + recs from teachers who see your renewed motivation could help you. That said, there are certainly good schools that fit your criteria and would happily accept you outright. Just trying to get all cards out on the table. Other questions: is FA important; and do you have any feelings about religiously-affiliated schools?</p>

<p>Specific schools aren't jumping to mind, so I apologize for the vagueness. The *Colleges That Change Lives<a href="Loren%20Pope">/I</a> suggestion is a good one. I do wish you the best :)</p>