Hi I am a junior a with a UW 3.55 GPA and WGPA of 5.1 out of 6. This low GPA is not from a lack of effort but from my innate lack of intelligence. Throughout high school I have been trying a really hard and have some strong extracurriculars (no sports) but nothing unbelievable and a 1600 SAT score with a 22 on the Essay. I also have a 800 in Math II and 780 in SAT Bio and History.
I have been working really hard on my standardized tests, my extracurriculars and my grades as well. Although I have been taking the most intense course load possible (12 APs by Senior Year) math and spanish just do not come easily to me and my grades on those classes have been consistently dragging me down. My class rank is top 18% so about 108/600.
Considering my poor rank and GPA it seems that the only school I could get into and my parents would pay for is my state flagship, Rutgers. However, I could still probably almost definitely get into rutgers with a gpa thats a few points lower or with a less intesne course load that will not cause me as much stress.
My question is , is there any benefit staying in these top classes and putting effort into my extracurriculars? I have an upward trend (3.49 freshman and 3.61 sophmore year) would attaining a 4.3 junior year put me in contention for some top 25 schools? Are there any top schools that emphasize sat over gpa?
Doing well in harder classes will prepare you with study skills and a work ethic that will help you succeed in college, so your effort is not wasted no matter what school you end up at.
“Is there any benefit staying in these top classes?” How about learning? How about being in a class with bright and interested peers? But if your stress level is outweighing these benefits, then dropping at least one hard class might be prudent.
“Is there any benefit to… putting effort into my extracurriculars?” Hopefully you enjoy them and did not just do them on the hope that you will get into one of only 25 schools because of your participation in them.
“and my parents would pay for.” Maybe your guidance counselor needs to meet with your family and help you and your parents get a realistic sense that are many excellent colleges in the United States, not just whichever 25 you are talking about. Your counselor can help you explore your interests and your family’s financial restrictions and help you find realistic reaches, matches and safeties to explore.
Getting into a prestigious college is a laudable goal, but it seems that you are putting too much emphasis on it, to the point that you are losing your sense of self worth. Your comment that you have an “innate lack of intelligence” is concerning. No one with a 3.55 GPA in challenging classes and top scores on your SATs and subject tests can be anything other than extremely smart and capable. Believe in yourself! You are losing perspective and giving factors outside your control, like college admissions, too much power to determine what you think of yourself and how much you enjoy what you do. You might benefit from speaking with a counselor or therapist.
You will be able to get into quite a few good schools with your stats, but your general health and well being are more important here.
@TheGreyKing Thanks you for your advice. I do have to have a honest conversation with my parents, they come from India where college admittance is based entirely on test scores. They are aware that I have poor GPA but do not understand the American college admissions process and do not believe me that they are overestimating my chances.
Also I thoroughly enjoy my ec’s but some of what I do is extremely time consuming. I founded a non-profit marketing consulting firm (we consult for free) and managing 23 volunteers and 56 non-profit is quite stressful and overwhelming and I am unsure how beneficial it is in the long run. Regardless, thank you for the perspective and the encouraging words.
I agree with @bodangles and @TheGreyKing.
Also, I was lucky enough to go to graduate school at one of the top universities in the country. As far as I can recall the only undergraduate school that had sent multiple students to the program that I was in was Rutgers (they had come via Bell Labs back when Bell Labs was a big deal). The students that I knew from there were all excellent. Since then I have worked with two people from there who were also excellent.
You can do very well with a degree from Rutgers. The more that you learn this year the better prepared you will be if you go there.
Have you looked at SUNYs and CUNYs? Surely if your parents can pay for Rutgers, they can pay for those and it should be in commuting distance. You can spend a year there. boost your GPA. get involved, and then transfer somewhere you would be happier.
You could get accepted to a top 25 school, paying for it is a different question. Maybe not top 10, but top 11-25. I’ve heard (here on cc) that Vanderbilt favors high scorers.