<p>Okay so heres my predicament. I have a low cumulative GPA ( roughly around a 2.97) Now there is a reason for this, when I was a freshman I played the "badass" card and didn't really care about school, at all. After struggling all year long, I ended up failing a world language class (Latin). My next year I did okay i got a 3.1 but my junior year I had enough of screwing around and I stepped up to the plate, I got a 3.71 my junior year, but it all amounted to around a 2.97 GPA My SAT's are good 1210/1600 but not great, I am thinking about taking the ACT's also. I have a few but solid extra curriculars( P2P - Student Ambassador, Ran a Sports Equiptment Drive, Special Olympics Vol.) I have a GREAT letter of rec from my counselor and I think my essay is good( I worked on it over the summer with 4 teachers) I hope that the solid SAT's and the upward trend of GPA will get me into one of these colleges w/ good rec's and what not. Also, Baseball Player</p>
<p>Senior Year Schedule
AP Stat
AP Politics and Gov.
Physics
Politics and Gov in Lit
Shakespeare
Cullinary Arts
Gym
and International Business.</p>
<p>COLLEGES, </p>
<p>Indiana University
Penn State - UP
University of Maryland - CP
Rutgers University
Virginia Tech
Emory University
Georgetown University
Syracuse University
Carnagie Mellon
University of Pitsburgh
Lehigh University
Villanova University
Cornell University
Northeastern
Michigan State</p>
<p>NOW, I know that some are BIG stretches, esp Georgetown but still...</p>
<p>My Tops are Penn State, Maryland, and Indiana. </p>
<p>So, are these reasonable? because I really am a changed person and just because I was lazy when I was 14, I hope doesn't ruin my chances at a good college.</p>
<p>Oh, and I am Hispanic =)/ ( Last name Rodriguez, lol)</p>
<p>Take the ACT
Retake the SAT I
Take 2 SAT IIs
Work hard to keep your gpa on an upward curve
Don't rely on your "story" to get you admitted
Work hard like everyone else applying</p>
<p>I had a 1210 on my SAT I as well. I took two SAT IIs and messed up on them. I got waitlisted to Villanova, and got into Northeaster for the Spring, but i had a 3.8 hs GPA. I think Penn State you have a decent chance because one of my friends was accepted with much lower grades than you, Maryland I don't think so, and Indiana I am not too sure of. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Below a 3.0 will make you kind of screwed for most of these, as there are very good schools on your list. Unfortunately, the "badass" card will not mean anything, as there were many badasses that did well in school. I highly recommend you not mentioning that as your excuse. I know this post is a little harsh, but it's the truth. My predicitons with a 2.97 and a 1200:</p>
<p>Indiana University-Maybe
Penn State - UP-Nope
University of Maryland - CP-Nope
Rutgers University-Reach
Virginia Tech-Reach, but probably nope
Emory University-Nope
Georgetown University-Nope
Syracuse University-Nope
Carnagie Mellon-Nope
University of Pitsburgh-Nope
Lehigh University-Nope
Villanova University-Nope
Cornell University-Nope
Northeastern-Maybe
Michigan State-High Reach</p>
<p>Places to look into:
West Virginia
Temple
University of Kentucky
UMass- Amherst
Stony Brook
George Mason
East Carolina University
LSU
Louisville
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Seton Hall</p>
<p>"I think Penn State you have a decent chance because one of my friends was accepted with much lower grades than you"</p>
<p>Michael9690, that is absolutely wrong. The gpa average range for admission at University Park is a 3.6-3.9. Your friend may have gotten into a branch campus, but definitely not into University Park with lower than a 2.97.</p>
<p>Sorry, I am a Junior, Ina very Competitive High School In NJ. Now, with Penn State and Maryland, I would be willing to apply summer start where I would go over the summer and start early. I am trying my best to get my GPA as high as I can, I even quit my love, Baseball to concentrate on my grades. The Best I can do this year is a 4.14, Straight A's and this is what I am striving to do. I am trying my hardest and I have all a's with the execption of one B. so I have a 4.0 Junior year. I know that the paragraph up top says 3.71, but I wrote this a few months ago and my grades have changed.</p>
<p>You should be fine for Indiana, & Syracuse (arts and science), if UW GPA can get over 3.0..... Others will be reaches even with an amazing grade trend due tocombo of low GPA with the ok SAT.(for those particular schools on your list)...agree with other posters that other schools should be investigated.....I like the list posted above for additional schools, but it seems like you are all over the board; publics, privates, huge schools, smaller schools, parts of country....if you would like some ideas, maybe you can narrow down requirements?</p>
<p>Okay, Thank You everyone I truley do appreciate your honesty, I was also Interested in UMass-Amherst, I thought it was on my list, but Indiana is probs my #1. Does anyone know about the summer acceptance rates at PSU and UMD?? Does anyone think that doing this will help. There was a kid who got into PSU at my school who got in with a 3.02 GPA and 1250 SAT, asian, Male, thats why it was on my list as a possiblity, I really liked it there. Also I would apply to schools undecided.</p>
<p>NK: it's highly possible (probable) that the kid with the 3.02 was accepted to a branch campus of Penn State; if you are looking at your Naviance, one of the problems with it is that branch campuses of schools are not separately listed in most cases.....</p>
<p>with the current economic situation, OOS at Penn State and MD are both extremely competitive, even for summer.....</p>
<p>He must have had a high weighted gpa to offset the low cumulative gpa. To be honest, I am skeptical of the e-mail he brought in, as getting in to University Park with that gpa is INCREDIBLY unlikely. The average gpa for accepted applicants is a 3.6.</p>
<p>He maybe should have been rejected from Penn State UP and Syracuse, but if he was able to slip through, then more power to him. If you like PSU, I would still apply. The numbers are never a sure science. I was simply going by the numbers with my predictions.</p>
<p>Your story is a lot like mine, except my GPA is a little bit higher and your SATs are higher then what I am going to get. We are looking at some of the same schools as well (Indiana and Syracuse).</p>
<p>Sure your chances are low, but if you have to know go ahead and apply. It will cost you a lot of money if you don't get waivers, but if you're one of those people that has to know whether they would've been good enough then go ahead; it's your prerogative.</p>