<p>I have a question about the applicants whose grades are not above average, but there are a few that do get admitted. Stereotypically speaking, their grades wouldn't be above a 3.2, SAT = 1500-1800, but they have something to contribute.*</p>
<p>1) Are there any applicants admitted like this?
2) What could they have that Harvard (or any Ivy League) took strong interest in?</p>
<p>*=random generated profile I thought of.</p>
<p>Tough. Harvard (or any good school) loves a potential transfer who has something to contribute--but, it'll be hard for them to over look a low(-ish) GPA. (The SATs are slightly less important for transfers--esp. junior transfers)
The fact is, with over 1000 applicants per year, and only about 40 open spots, there are plenty of candidates who have decent GPAs AND something to contribute, whatever that may mean.</p>
<p>Hey Lordlockhart, my gpa is not that high, but I'm still applying for transfer admissions. What I plan to do is to update the admissions committee on my second semester midterm grades, which will hopefully be more reflective of my ability. However, I'm not sure how much good this will do. As WindCloudUltra said, there are so many fabulous applicants applying every year who have amazing GPAs, that without a decent one, it's really really tough. =</p>
<p>I understand what both of you are saying. The thing is, this past year my gpa shot down as a result of taking courses and thinking of going into a major completely wrong for me. At the end of Spring07, I can honestly say my gpa was probably a 3.5. Why? Well, highschool was a big mess for me and I wanted to start off a bit easy, and so took an array of classes that caught my interest, but yes there was some challenge involved but due to interest I found enjoyable. This past year is all science-based (engineering+comp. sci), and my mind was somewhere else...so my gpa shot down. I stated this in my application. This past year...does not show who I am. And I told them I decided on my major once and for all and how at Harvard I can continue on the path to being great at it. (this sounds a bit full of myself, doesn't it? I would never have applied, but something special made want to) </p>
<p>And also, I do have great rec. letters, and a long list of extracurriculars.</p>
<p>A long list of ECs won't be as important as ECs in which you made major accomplishments.</p>