terrible GPA, above average SAT scores, extracurriculars, and a decent portfolio. is it enough?

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
1

let’s just say my college experience has been…suboptimal so far.

i’ve been in community college for three years, trying to balance maintaining decent grades with my mental and physical health, as well as a job. i figured everyone else does it, so why couldn’t i? turns out ADD, chronic pain, depression, and suicide attempts/illness flareups leading to hospital stays mid year can really put a dent into your GPA.

i’m 21 years old and a graphic design major. art has been my utmost passion since childhood, i’d like to think i have above average skills considering the amount of time i’ve committed to art. i’ve gotten a few As, a few Bs, a few Cs, a few Ds, even a few Fs. there’s not a grade i haven’t gotten these last three years of community college. but the gpa…is terrible, to say the least. i’d like to attribute some of the Fs to some hospital stays that resulted in absences and falling behind (thanks ADD), giving up and thinking college wasn’t for me.

SVA has been my dream school forever, but truth be told i haven’t really tried getting in until now. i think something always held me back. i’d like to think i’m competent (1640 on my SATs, not sure what that translates into now with the new SAT), done a lot of extracurricular activities (i’m on 2 boards for art clubs at my college), and my portfolio is well rounded and i’d say worth the consideration (i’m modest to a fault). it’s just my GPA at this moment is so bad (1.8), i feel like i’m wasting my time. i explained my bad grades in my statement of intent, and how i’m doing so well this spring semester (all A’s right now!)

is it worth a shot, or should i just forget it?

tl;dr - graphic design student with severe mental illnesses and hospitalizations leading to some bad grades (1.8 gpa), but i have a decent SAT score (1640), lots of extracurriculars, and a strong portfolio. am i wasting my time?

thanks for reading if you did :slight_smile:

2

Graphic design and art are more about skill then grades. If your local to them make up a portfolio and have a meeting. If not upload a portfolio to them. Keep your sketch pads handy. They might want to see your doodling. Seriously. The good thing is you know who you are. Do whatever you need to do to stay better and don’t let people telling you know discourage you. You just need one person to say yes. There are many schools of art out there. Don’t get locked down by one. Even taking classes and building your resume up that way. No one that is going to hire you will care where you went to school or even “if” you went to school. You either have the talent their looking for or you don’t. Makes sense?

But if you got accepted could you afford it? If not aim lower and get the instruction you need to move your life forward. Stay positive.

3

thank you so much! you really helped put things in perspective for me. :slight_smile:

4

Instead of getting Fs as a result of your medical problems, if these medical problems continue you should be trying to get medical withdrawals (W) instead of Fs or Ds.

5

The above advise is good about medical withdrawals. As an aside. Biofeedback tends to work great for the symptoms you mentioned. If your able to try it, it might help. Good luck.

6

Have you looked into Academic Renewal at your CC? It may be possible to petition to have some of your past D’s and F’s removed from your GPA, especially given your recent improving trend. Even partial abatement of these low grades could probably get your cumulative GPA above a 2.0, which would improve your transfer prospects. It may also be that individual schools would overlook your current GPA as-is, in light of your portfolio, EC’s, improving grades, essays, recommendations, etc… but no point giving them any more to overlook than is absolutely necessary!

7

After 3 years of college your SATs really don’t matter.

8

that’s what i thought until they asked for my SAT scores haha