<p>I am a rising sophomore at a college out of state. Due to a major change in family circumstances, I have to move back to NYC to reduce college costs. My 'oddness' stems from the fact that unlike all other Indian-American kids, my grades are less than stellar:
SAT I : 2140<br>
SAT II : they are dreadful cause I took them long after the particular class was over
HS avg: 89/100 (more on that below)
HS extracurricular: tutoring, fundraising for disabled children and to build schools around the world, participated in global and environment awareness campaign
College Avg: 3.6
College major: Economics and Political Science
College EC: Indian subcontinent club
Work: in college library (long hours to pay for college)
other: immigrated to US just before HS
Almost everyone I knew from my specialized high school got into an ivy league school. Columbia would have been perfect for me both academically and financially. BUT I ruined one year of HS because I had an emotional breakdown as a result of being abandoned by my dad and relatives once I arrived in the US. I had very little money for anything let alone fancy extracurriculars and test prep. I did not go to school for weeks and failed classes. I finally managed to pick myself up and did extremely well in the remaining years of HS. Yet, my GPA was destroyed as well as my chance to go to Columbia. Now that I have to return to NYC, my only college choices are a CUNY which will not let me join honors because I am a transfer (dumb rule because I had got into its honors just out of HS) and Columbia which is insanely difficult. I am very academically capable and need a challenging environment. How much longer do I have to be deprived of opportunity just because of 1 year? PLEASE evaluate my stats and give me strategies to transfer to Columbia or any other prestigious school where I can get good finaid.</p>
<p>It may depend on the level of college that you are currently attending. A 3.6 from some colleges may be regarded more highly than from other colleges. As a rising sophomore, basically you are just one year removed from high school - there isn’t a lot of college work to base things on. </p>
<p>I’m sure there are a lot of decent schools in New York, but if you are set on getting into an Ivy level school, you are probably on the border and will just have to take your chances. But remember, you can get a good education and be challenged at schools that aren’t “prestigious.” </p>
<p>But I’m no expert on any of this.</p>
<p>To be honest, your college gpa of 3.6 does not jive with your story of having just one bad year in HS and being:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You need to excell academically and take advantage of all of the opportunities currently available to you before you are ready for a more competitive and selective school.</p>
<p>Entomom, I agree 3.6 is not a great gpa. I got 3.6 because I took advanced polisci classes filled with college seniors while changing my major to econ and trying to fill requirements for the new major. The low gpa is not because I found any class difficult. And as my post indicates, I have to transfer. I cannot “take advantage of all of the opportunities currently available.” Thus, when I go back to NYC, I need a challenging school rather than a regular CUNY.</p>