Should I Apply To Harvard.....1.7 High School GPA

Transfer Students
1

<p>OKAY....IM NOT REALLY APPLYING TO HARVARD....I'M NOT THAT DENSE, BUT, IT GOT YOU IN HERE LOL. CAN YOU PLEASE CHANCE ME!!!!!PLEASE. I WILL RETURN THE FAVOR, I PROMISE. I AM A BIT OF A SPECIAL CASE & IN MUCH NEED OF ADVICE. </p>

<p>The Gist:
I Graduated High School in 2006 with a 1.72 GPA...(the horror lol). In result, I didnt get into any college. Three years later, I am a straight A student hoping to transfer to a larger institution. </p>

<p>Background:
I'll be honest (unlike most CC posters), in High School, I was an okay to good student, usually 2.8-3.0 gpa type student. capable but, lazy. Regardless of my sub par grades, I tested very well so I was put into Advanced Classes my junior year. AP Psychology, AP Physics, Honors English, Honors Calculus...etc. At the tail end of my junior year, i went off the deep end. I am not going to make any excuses for my mistakes because I am an adult but, some things I experienced in that time period were primary factors towards my future destructive behavior. My older brother (10 years my senior, a father figure) was found shot in the head my 11 grade year. It left a huge void in my life. I got into a lot of "bad" things afterwards. I ended up almost flunking highschool (Straight Fs during Spring Semester-Junior Year, Fall Semester-Senior Year & Mostly Ds Spring Semester-Senior Year)....After graduation, I enrolled at Philadelphia Community College. I still wasnt motivated nor focused on my future or lackthereof. I dropped out after taking 8 credits with a 2.0 GPA....Again, I am not using my brother's death AT ALL as a crutch/excuse/reason for my choices. Every choice I made was my own. It happened. It effected me in someways. It is what it is. 2 years later, I enrolled at Miles College. A Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in Birmingham, Alabama. I am now a sophmore, I have 41 College Credits and a 4.0 GPA. Going to school in Alabama made me realize that I am capable & I can do the work. I also realized that I need to be truly challenged & I am not receiving that at my current institution.</p>

<p>(I was a Honors/AP Student, a lazy one nevertheless, kids in my class went to Harvard, MIT & William & Mary, Im not saying that I deserve to be at those schools because I dont, but, i dont feel good about succeeding (easy A's) at my current institution seeing as I was more prepared than my peers here. I want to push, challenge & prove to myself that I can succeed at the most rigorous institutions like my peers from high school)</p>

<p>Personal Info:
21 Years Old
African American/Native American
Philadelphia, PA
Miles College - Current Institution
Sophomore - Class Standing
Business Major</p>

<p>Target Schools:
Georgetown
Northwestern
Brown
Cornell
U of Maryland, College Park
U of Minnesota, Twin Cities
U of Iowa
U of Michigan
Penn State
Howard</p>

<p>Grades:
High School GPA - 1.7 GPA Weighted
Community College GPA - 2.0 GPA Weighted (8 Credits)
Miles College GPA - 4.0 GPA Weighted (41 Credits)</p>

<p>SAT: (Re-taken Early This Year)
Critical Reading - 670
Writing - 710
Math - 610</p>

<p>1990/2400</p>

<p>Awards:
Freshman Honors (Last Year)
Dean's List (Last & This Year)</p>

<p>Extra-Curricular Activities:
Miles College Art Club
{Miles College}
{Vice President}
{2008-Present} {Freshman/Sophomore Years}
*Accomplishments
{Black History Month Art Showcase}
{Aids Quilt, College Poetry Night}
{College Play "Romeo & Juliet"}
{a tale of two students from different fraternities}
Student Government Association
{Miles College}
{Sophomore Class Officer}
{2008-Present}</p>

<p>Freshman Basketball Team
{High School}
{2002} {9th Grade}</p>

<p>African American Student Union
{High School}
{2004-2006} {11th Grade-12th Grade}
{Met twice a week to hold group discussions on topics regarding minorities in America}</p>

<p>Leadercorps
{High School}
{2006} {12th Grade}
{Joined senior year, missed alot of important causes}
{My time there - MS Walk, HIV/Aids Awareness Day}</p>

<p>"I AM" Fellowship
{Church Organization} {5th Grade - 12th Grade}
{Created by a woman from my church as a mentor program for young males}
{Met weekly for bible studies, volunteering, activities to strengthen character, field trips}</p>

<p>Team L.O.G.I.C Music Ministries
{Music Group} {Christian Hip Hop}
{9th Grade - 12th Grade}
{Released Two Albums Regionally}
{Performed up & down the east coast}
*From Connecticut to Virginia
*Atleast 150-200 Performances from 2003-2007
*The group disbanded as everyone went to school, army, etc.
{Featured in city newspaper, Largest Show was Philadelphia Stop The Violence Rally}</p>

<p>Volunteer Hours:
UAB Hospital
200+ Hours
{Thinking of becoming a Psychiatrist} {Reasoning for this being my place to volunteer}</p>

<p>Work Experience:
Walmart
Stock Clerk
August 2008 - June 2009</p>

<p>Walgreens Pharmacy
Cashier/Stock Clerk/Photo Tech.
June 2006 - July 2008</p>

<p>Vector Marketing
Customer Service Rep
May 2006 - June 2006
{hated this job lol}</p>

<p>Super G Grocery Store
Cashier
May 2005 - Oct 2005</p>

<p>Step By Step Moving Company
{My Brother's Company Before He Passed Away}
Mover
June 2002 - Dec 2004
Part Time/Weekends/Whenever He Needed Help</p>

<p>Wendys
Cashier
May 2004 - August 2004</p>

<p>Boys & Girls Club Summer Camp
Camp Counselor
June 2002 - August 2002</p>

<p>OKAY....CHANCE ME....I KNOW I HAVE A CHECKERED PAST BUT, I AM ATTEMPTING TO TURN MY LIFE AROUND, DO I HAVE ANY HOPE....SORRY FOR BEING SO LONG...I WILL RETURN THE FAVOR...I PROMISE.</p>

2

<p>Northwestern and Brown can be reaches. Just don’t forget that they’re the most competitive schools on your list.</p>

<p>You may want to try BC or UNC - Chapel Hill.</p>

3

<p>I know that you aren’t trying to use your brother’s demise as a crutch in your application process, but his death and impact on your grades and life can be used to explain your grade trends. If you were to write about it though, you wouldn’t want to make it a “cry for help and sympathy” type of deal, but rather a general explanation for your past performance. </p>

<p>It is obvious that you have found the determination needed to achieve a 4.0 at your current institution. Although I cannot accurately chance you on east coast schools, I would say with a well written personal statement and a continued 4.0 gpa, you would have a good chance to get into most of the colleges on your list.</p>

4

<p>I think a well-written explanation of how your brother’s death affected and changed you can mitigate some GPA damage, as it contextualizes your experience. You should keep up the positive trend in grades and talk to your advisors (as well as those at your prospective schools), as your case is very unusual and can’t be judged by the normal rules of admissions. Good luck and Godspeed.</p>

5

<p>Hey,
I know that this is a moot point, but Harvard does not accept transfer students. Apparently, they don’t have enough housing.</p>

6

<p>Thanks you guys. I feel so relieved. I’ll take heed to your advice & will begin putting together the application packages. Thanks again. I will return the favor, I promise.</p>

7

<p>Keep us posted and please let us know if you need any advice/help with anything.</p>

8

<p>how the hell u bombed the math SAT after being in college?</p>

9

<p>tl;dr but I saw someone ask about your SATs from after you enrolled in college. Most places won’t accept these.</p>

<p>I had a similarly poor GPA/SATs from high school. Got into my first choice (I was not even thinking about reputation so it wasn’t the most prestigious) and transferred after a year due to finances. Went to a community college, did well (3.75), worked.</p>

<p>The overwhelming majority of my credits are from a community college.</p>

<p>Half way through my junior year now, I just applied to BU, Babson, NU, UMiami and URichmond.</p>

<p>UMiami, Babson, yes. Waiting on BU and URichmond. NU deferred me. </p>

<p>(Its ok. NU is kinda the tech school of universities. Funny part is they were my safety)</p>

<p>Apply. If you’ve been doing better and you can write a good essay, you’re in.</p>

10

<p>Sorry for the double. A few EC’s but full-time jobs that were more career oriented.*</p>

11

<p>I write well, hopefully that would be enough to get me into my school of choice. I would really like to go to University of Michigan, Ross School of Business for my BBA…Hopefully it works out.</p>

12

<p><strong><em>Edit</em></strong></p>

<p>(change in list after long consideration)</p>

<ol>
<li>Howard University</li>
<li>University of Maryland, College Park</li>
<li>University of Minnesota, Twin Cities</li>
<li>University of Iowa</li>
<li>Georgetown University</li>
<li>George Washington University</li>
<li>Vanderbilt University</li>
</ol>

<p>Can someone give there opinions on my chances, my stats are at the beginning of this thread…</p>

13

<p>bump…</p>

14

<p>i would not be able to tell about those colleges;nevertheless, i believe the positive slope on your grades will help you a lot. as someone said some replies above, making your essays about that dark episode in your life will not work, but using it briefly as an explanation of the impact that it had on you is going to be great. I have an international high school transcript, and compared to the high grades possible here, my transcript seemed as a “B”, and when i asked about my chances in some colleges, they didn’t consider that i had a 15+ courses every semester which made impossible for anybody to have 95%+ average. my grades were awesome for that country but not here. as a result,i went to a cc and kept 4.0gpa which meant more than high school transcript in the admissions comite decision. Let out all your passion on your essays, and with ur grades, i believe you can get accepted with no problem.</p>