<p>Okay, so my GPA sucks. It was 3.29 at the end of fall semester (it's gone up since, but I haven't seen the new number), and that's WEIGHTED. I haven't the slightest clue how it'll look unweighted. All I know is that two of my classes were on a 5.0 scale (which I had an A in), and one was on a 6.0 scale (which I had a B in). (If anyone can give me an idea what my unweighted GPA might look like based on that, I'd be ever grateful.)</p>
<p>Anyway, my SAT, on the other hand, is a 2100, with 790 critical reading, 640 math, and 670 writing with an 8 essay.</p>
<p>What I'm asking is, can my SAT score make up for my grades? Or are my chances still pretty low for a good college?</p>
<p>I don’t think your SATs can make up for bad grades. However, I believe that SATs and grades show two different sides of you; your SAT score measures your intelligence/reasoning capability so the fact that you have a decent score means that you’re fairly smart. Your GPA, on the other hand, measures your diligence and work ethic. With your low GPA but high SAT score, colleges will probably see you as being intelligent, but lazy. I honestly don’t know if that works in your favor at all.</p>
<p>Does it help if my grades are going up? It’s really only that low because I slept through all my classes Sophomore year, but I’ve had mostly A’s (with B’s and the occasional C in my AP English class) this previous year, and those grades should only stabilize this coming year.</p>
<p>However, I should mention that I don’t take many rigorous classes. English is my only AP course (though that is what I plan to major in).</p>
<p>At many state schools that use formulas for admission, a high score can balance a lower GPA.</p>
<p>Once you get beyond the top 20 or so schools, an upward trend really helps. If you can afford private colleges, many are happy to dig deep to see your strengths.</p>
<p>Different colleges weight their admissions differently.
University of Texas, Austin decides very heavily on class standing.
Notre Dame is more towards SAT/ACT.
Miami University puts a lot of weight on the essay.
Its pretty variable, and more than a little random.
Apply early and often, good luck.
for an idea of how you compare to other students try
college’dot’mychances’dot’net</p>