So I am applying as an art major and I have a very strong portfolio. My portfolio is very conceptually based but also shows my technical skills, but I have a very low gpa. I meet UC minimum for gpa and sat, but due to medical reasons that came up during my sophomore year that year really impacts my cumalative average. My grades do show improvement over the years though.
UC Weighted 3.34
Unweighted: 3.13
Common app Weighted: 3.5
Unweighted: 3.3
Sat: 1920
Pretty strong extracurriculars and involvement. I currently study at Otis in a scholarship program and interned. I submitted my application for YA and I’m waiting for their response, and although I heard they take into consideration your portfolio the most, I am worried that my academics will pose as an issue for my acceptance for any of these colleges since I am not necessarily applying to a strict art school except Parson’s.
Especially for UCLA.
Nobody can give you an accurate chance at these schools when your portfolio is such a big component of your acceptance/rejection. Despite that, the problem I see is that your SAT score is too low for most of these schools. If your GPA was truly not reflective of your academic abilities, then your SAT score would be higher and thus corroborate the story that your GPA is low due to medical problems. If you could get your SAT up then you may be fine for some of these schools, but the reality is that these schools have thousands of applicants, all with near perfect stats, ECs, and sometimes, portfolios. Art alone isn’t enough to make you competitive.
Another thing to consider: are you in-state or out-of-state for California? The UCs will cost a ton of money if you’re out-of-state, around $55k/year. They offer no financial aid to OOS students.
I agree with the above poster. A good SAT could have made up for your less stellar academic.
Your chances are low for UCLA/USC/UPenn/Cornell
I am in state
@uclaparent9 the thing is I know several special cases where UCLA accepted students with very low grades and sat. I know of a girl who has gotten in with a 2.6…she did not meet UC minimum but she was accepted. Although this was about 8 years ago…I talked to uc rep and the art department has the final say on acceptance but my app does go through general admissions first who will write down what they think on my stats. Obviously though if they were deciding between 2 portfolios they would choose the individual who has better stats…
^ I hope that will be the case for you. Exceptions always happen, and hopefully happens for you too.
On a pure stat basis, it seems unlikely for UCLA/USC/UPenn/Cornell
But there will be a lot of emphasis on your portfolio so I suggest that you apply anyway
@stanfordtree2014 thank you
Hi, I cannot wait to hear good news from you! Good luck!
There is an additional info section on the Common App allowing you to explain low grades for medical/family reasons. Raise your SAT to 2000+ or get ACT 31+ and you will have a fighting chance as long as your grades were high for all other years except for your troubled year.
If you achieve either of those scores, you will have good chance for all except reach UPenn and Cornell, but they are reaches for everyone (if you really want to aim for UPenn or Cornell, raise scores to SAT 2100+ and ACT 32+).
Best of luck!