<p>So I was just wondering if ( at a school where the average GPA of incoming freshman is 3.75 ) extra curricular activities, a high (but not AMAZING) SAT score, steady improvement, work experience and great high school reputation would be enough to counter... say... a 3.23?</p>
<p>Just wondering.</p>
<p>bump bump bump bump!!!!</p>
<p>It depends. What colleges are you applying to?</p>
<p>Generally, a 3.23 is not good. But if you show yourself as a very compelling applicant and, ideally, you have a reason for such a low GPA, it won't matter as much. Though again, it depends on the school. At publics such as Berkeley, Michigan, UCLA, UVA, etc. they aren't as forgiving about GPA as privates are.</p>
<p>Cal Poly. :| (psych)</p>
<p>The lack of detail makes it hard to answer. Important questions to answer include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>How unique are your ECs? How good are you at them? Do you have a leadership role in them? What kind of time commitment goes into them?</p></li>
<li><p>What is your SAT score? What is the school average? What about SAT Subject tests? AP, CLEP, or IB Exams?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there an explaination for the GPA? Are you taking mostly AP, IP, or college classes? Do you have scores (AB, IB) that show you are qualified, even with low grades? Is your school are particularly well ranked, highly competitive one? </p></li>
<li><p>Where are you applying? Not all schools are holistic.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>My EC's are pretty nice. A ton of Race For The Cure volunteer hours, as well as basic community service (ie: recycling program, community center & senior center), I work in a field that relates entirely to my major, and have for 4 years at an average of 30ish hours per week over the past couple of years. My SAT score is 1850, which I know isn't great, but its way above my school's average and above Cal Poly's average. </p>
<p>And as for a reason, it really doesn't matter because essays don't count with state schools.</p>