Occidental?!?! Screwed around BAD Freshman Year, but there's an upward trend. Help?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Agh- I just wrote this huge post, but it got deleted :(</p>

<p>Round two!!</p>

<h2>(My long explanation is LONG, so here's a quick summary)</h2>

<p>THE SHORT:</p>

<h2>2.9 GPA coming out of one of the best prep schools in the nation, 2160 SAT. Late bloomer but I've decided that all I want in life is to get into Occidental. Be honest, what're my chances?</h2>

<p>THE LONG:</p>

<p>Okay, basically I screwed around freshman year because I was living under the delusion of living a "rock and roll" type lifestyle (aka who cares about college, right?). Now I see how foolish I was.</p>

<p>I go to one of the best, most high-pressure schools in the country (consistently top 20 in rankings). Taking the May SAT, but I've taken many practice tests. Here's my best approximation:</p>

<p>CR: 730
M: 660
W: 770
TOTAL: 2160</p>

<p>And now, the not so pretty side:</p>

<p>Frosh average: 2.26
Soph average: 2.86
Projected junior average: 3.2</p>

<p>If I can maintain these grades (or slightly raise them) next year, we're looking at an overall 2.9 cumulative GPA. </p>

<p>One of the quirks of my school is it does not disclose GPA- colleges need to calculate it themselves. Also, my school does not disclose class rank, nor does it offer AP classes.</p>

<p>I don't have that many in-school ECs, but music is my big passion, and I've taken private lessons in several areas of it for the last 6 years:</p>

<ul>
<li>I play guitar at an advanced level</li>
<li>I am proficient (recording level, but not performance level) at drums and piano</li>
<li>I am heavily involved in music production, recording, engineering and mixing.</li>
<li>I've produced three self released LPs (one solo electronic record, two instrumental rock records for a group)</li>
</ul>

<hr>

<p>So, what's my deal? Basically, college was a non-issue for all my life until the beginning of this school year, since then, it's become clear to me that I would do absolutely anything to get to Occidental, and entirely plan on applying ED in December. One hook is that Oxy has accepted 18 people from my school (don't know how far back this goes, I think maybe 10 years?), but only one has attended. Hopefully ED would give me a bit of a boost with regards to this.</p>

<p>Also, I'm a full paying student from the east coast. I fully intend on relaying the gist of what I've just explained in essays and interviews [my people skills are quite good so the interview in particular should help me], but at this point the question is: is Oxy realistic for me, and what on earth can I do to get there?</p>

<p>Thanks!!</p>

<p>PS-- I'm exhausted and just had to write this whole post twice, so please forgive me if it doesn't make any sense :)</p>

2

<p>Sorry guys- I hate to do this but I’m bumping. Any insight?</p>

3

<p>It’s a long shot… but why not? Be ready to go to a state U for a year and transfer.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the reply dude! But just to clarify, so you don’t think I have a realistic shot with an almost 3.0 and good boards from a highly competitive school?</p>

5

<p>No, I don’t think so. Even if your school is competitive, your grades are well below-average. However, there are plenty of other options out there, and you can always transfer in.</p>

6

<p>:, what about Pitzer? Would it be foolish to waste an ED application on Oxy if it’s really not going to happen? I’m willing to explain to anyone who will listen (through essays and in person) that I just found my academic footing and know that I’m a better student and participant than my application indicates</p>

7

<p>@jackiepantomime
I’m no expert, but I think Pitzer’s admission staff would be more willing to look beyond grades. Are you set on Southern California? Reed (in Portland) might also be willing to look at the whole story, not just the numbers. It’s an excellent school as well.</p>

8

<p>Thanks dude! I was planning on visiting Reed this summer. Any of the decent UC schools? Also, I still think I’ll give the dice a roll on Oxy for ED, so any tips on how to make my incredibly low odds any better would be epic</p>

9

<p>If you belong at Occidental, you’ll end up there. - You have to have this frame in mind while applying for colleges. Write the best essays you can, and choose your teachers for letter of recommendations wisely. Beyond that, it’s out of your control. </p>

<p>A few things that I learned from an admissions officer when I visited Oxy last week:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Don’t worry about your freshman gpa! Actually, it was interesting because it was new to me, but did you know that they often don’t count freshman grades? They recalculate your grade point for sophomore-senior year. </p></li>
<li><p>Only do an interview if you think it will enhance your application. The officer advised me that if you get nervous and aren’t super great having a conversation with someone you don’t know, then don’t do it. Interviews and Letters of Rec. are considered last, but if you love Oxy that much, then do everything you can to try to get in. Try an interview if you think it would enhance your app.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Good luck!!</p>

10

<p>To apply to any UC from OOS, you need a minimum 3.4 GPA.</p>

<p>Your best advice will come from your school’s college counseling office where they know what it takes to get into different colleges from your school.</p>