@hardworkerABoss I mentioned it before, but I got a 1540 on my sat (790 math, 750 verbal) and an 800 on my sat math 2. I forgot to mention my act tho, which is a 33 (35 math, 34 English, 33 science, 28 reading). I’ll probably just submit the sat tho since it’s slightly better.
@kjake2000 not trying to excuse the b’s, but trying to see what I can do to get out of the hole i dug. I messed up the absolute most important factor in college admissions and must find ways to make up for it to ensure I still get into top schools. A below average gpa is way harder to make up for than below average test scores. I’ll be applying with a below average gpa, which might be tough. The downward tend is what I fear the most. I wouldn’t have been nearly as afraid had it been 1 b each semster of 10-11. A huge hook like isef is highly unlikely. My science fair project probably won’t make it past states this year. Aime qualification is possible tho. It seems that everyone on this forum is implying that the b’s have reduced my chances exponentially and that safeties are my only chance.
It’s the assumptions thst are driving me bonkers. I have read adcoms at a single digit college occasionally write, “But he has a B.” It can be that fierce.
But you insist it’s ok, “probably not too bad,” with your several B grades, that those courses won’t matter. Or that somewhere, somehow, you know of kids with B grades who got in. That’s without knowing more about their actual apps.
I suggested you round out your ECs, a measure of CYA, and you feel stem mgmt will count as diverse activities, as breadth. You seem to be so focused on your own wants that you can’t see the colleges’ goals or the immense competition. And they are the deciders.
And through this thread, the gpa you project has varied. I get that you want what you think is a top college. But it.may be wise to quit asking and invest the rest of this year into bringing up physics and the other B’s and broadening your appeal.
Then, with 2nd semester’s results in hand, come back to fine tune the list.
@Ynotgo yea, the YouTube videos really help and I feel I am better understanding the info. The math is pretty easy but I’m just adjusting to the conceptual difficulty. My physics grade is slowly going up, but it is pretty much impossible for it to be an A. I calculated that the highest I’ll be able to get this semester is an 84, but I’ll do everything I can to avoid making the same mistakes again like getting a 50 on a lab report and not studying for the tests. Junior year has just been so stressful so far and as a result, I’m getting my all-time low GPA.
@lookingforward Ahhh, if one B is really that big of a deal, then I’m actually kind of scared. 4 B’s must be absolutely awful then. Luckily, this semester is an anomaly for me and is not a consistent pattern. Adjusting to the rigor while being involved in many extracurriculars and some stress at home probably caused me to have a rough semester, but I hope I’ll be able to redeem myself and get straight-A’s next semester and first semester of senior year. I don’t really want to explain the B’s in my college app tho because I didn’t have an extreme situation and it will just sound like I’m making excuses.
My absolute-non-STEM extracurriculars include debate and some occasional political blogging. I also attend volunteer events here and there. My biggest non-STEM would probably be fundraising for some school clubs. I know this is kind of STEM, but I’ve also been making apps for social causes. So some of my activities combine STEM and humanities. But then again, I don’t even know if these extracurriculars matter since I have multiple B’s.
I do appreciate tht you look on the bright side. But there’s a point at which, so to say, one needs to heed the call to action. If not, you aren’t bettering your situation.
Debate is good. Consider finding a place to routinely vol that serves the needy, not random through a club. See if there’s another thing you can do at school. Some techy kids, eg, do theater tech crew, a way to use their interests but in support of a non-stem activity, that benefits all the kids. Blogging and apps are more solo. Go back to that pm I sent you.
I’ll add that when my D applied to UCLA she listed CSE as her first major and her alternative as EE assuming she would do the computer engineering track (ECE). After submitting, she actually contacted UCLA and changed her alternative to EE. In the end, she was admitted as an EE major and not CSE. Al least, that’s how I remember it.
@svlab112 I know ee is pretty competitve too. I’m the more mathematical/algorithmic type but I do enjoy hardware and physics too (even if I have that terrible grade lol), so I’ll probably select cse or eecs so I gain experience with both. What were her stats to get in? Also, did she get into berkeley?
I’ve been looking through these forums and other sites and can’t seem to find many applicants to the schools I plan to apply to with similar situations to me (below average gpa but all in one semester, 75th percentile scores, great extracurriculars). There are a handful tho and about half were accepted and half were rejected, but I can’t say too much about them. I’ve also looked at naviance for my school and can’t find much info either. No one really applied with my gpa and test scores. My scores seem to be somewhat above average (the most recent data is converted from the old sat tho) and my gpa seems to be about average. Due to the fact that we offer 22 AP classes and many more honors classes, our gpa’s might be slightly inflated compared to other schools. A 4.5ish is in the bottom end of the top 10%. I still can’t find data on unweighted gpa tho. However, I will never know my exact class rank because only the top 10% is reported at the end of senior year, so that leaves a lot more unknown. Also, half the school is struggling, ~30% is average, and the other 20% is hyper competitive and aiming for Ivy’s and top uc’s, so I will definitely be competing with people with higher gpa’s. However, I’d say my schedule is more rigorous than at least 90% of the people at my school. I’ve seen that 98% of the people at berkeley were in the top 10% of their class (which I can’t say for sure I’m in, but I’m definitely in the top 15%) and I assume hypsm is similar. My class ranking has plummeted because of this semester and I may have just changed my entire trajectory. And my 10-11 uw gpa will either be 3.77 or 3.82 (depending on whether I can get a 97 on my calc final). Something is telling me that my amazing extracurriculars won’t make a difference if my grades are “awful.” I’m surrounded by people with 4.7 gpa’s (seniors tho and gpa’s in my class are a lot lower than for the class of 2018 because they recently changed the number of ap’s we can take) who think my chances are low because of this semester who think they are matches for the schools I want to apply to; however they don’t have my extracurriculars and think mine are better than 99.99999999999999…% of people in the county, which of course I know isn’t true. If I was at some competitive high school in the Bay Area like monta vista or mission San Jose, my extracurriculars would be very average and probably everyone applying to reach schools has similar extracurriculars.
I just need to find a way to mitigate the effect of these grades, especially being a privileged orm male from California.
She had a 33 ACT. 4.0 uw but did not take the most rigorous schedule. She had 3 IB classes (6 semester) that gave her a grade bump so her capped and uncapped were the same at around 4.1ish I think. She’s graduating from UCB EECS in May, but was also admitted to UCLA under her alternate major. She was ranked 2nd in her class— in a not so competitive high school. The school rarely sends students to Ivy or other top schools. We are UC instate.
It’s hard not to draw conclusions or try and predict outcomes. However in the end just try and do your best going forward. Do activities that you enjoy. As I mentioned, her activities involved photography (she started a little freelance business and photographed local events). She is a musician and singer but nothing very accomplished. Just picked up a guitar one day and taught herself. She would perform at a few local events.
I know it’s hard to not stress about your grades or your GPA. My youngest who is a senior now ended junior year with his first 3 Bs ever—two of which were 89%. I’ve explained to him that his UC acceptances will be unpredictable. He in the top 9% ELC and scored 35 on ACT but the downward trend in GPA will be an issue for him. He had very routine ECs.
He applied early non binding as an OOS to another state school that gives good merit aid for his stats. He got in early with a scholarship and a direct admit in mechanical engineering. He’s hoping for a top UC admittance, but is happy he got into his safety. He has a great option come fall if nothing else pans out.
@svlab112 I know ucb and ucla are very hard to predict. They reject 4.0/1600/36 people all the time who might just be your typical academic overachiever with boring ec’s and personality, but some people with lesser stats and better ec’s and personality get in too. Now I’ve seen lots of people ask if they can get in with a low gpa and a great sat, but many don’t specify the exact gpa. A low gpa could mean a 2.0 to someone and a 3.99 to someone else. I do not think a 3.8 unweighted is bad at all and many ivy experts say it gets you past the first round of screening. I know many people who got into harvard and Stanford with many b’s spread out through 10-11 in the past decade and were nothing near legacy. The problem for me is that a huge majority of my b’s are in one semester, which happens to be in junior year, and I have some in math in science classes. If I got a b in Spanish every semester 10-11 and got the same gpa or even lower, I’d probably be fine. Calc and stats could easily be an 89. There might be some hope tho. Apush will probably be a flat 80 and physics will probably be a flat 78 (the minimum b). Will I be able to redeem myself if my second semester is straight-A’s. I’m also so concerned about how I’ll have to explain this. I don’t want to make excuses, but I also don’t want to present a huge red flag with no suspicion, which might happen if I pretend I’m unaware of it. Yes laziness is a small reason, but I’ve snapped out of it and am working harder than I’ve ever worked now. Tests this year are just so much harder than last year and I have to study way more. I could get A’s without studying last year, but I keep getting c’s on test this year even with some studying. These grades do not reflect my ability and potential at all and my test scores have been improving. I just do not want to waste an essay talking about adjusting to rigor because it’s cliche and I have way better things to write about.
Agree some get in with lower stats and appeal to adcoms in other ways. Ds friend got into Stanford with 3.7 uw and around a 30 ACT. He lives with unique personal challenge yet shows strength and grace
The UC app has 4 shorter essays now. I read on another UC blog, that applicants should address any downward trends. However, that’s a personal choice you’ll have to make when it’s time to fill out apps.
I’ll also mention that I do have ADD and am currently taking meds for it. This causes me to not turn in homeworks sometimes and have poor study habits. I do have an IEP for extra time on tests and a copy of notes to help me keep up, since I am a slow note taker. But yea, my trouble focusing has probably affected my grades a little bit (although I received nearly all A’s last year, nothing was higher than a 93 and my average was around a 91. With a much more rigorous schedule, my grades have been hanging in the 80s in multiple classes.) I don’t want this to sound like an excuse, but I’ve been thinking of mentioning how I have ADD to provide more context.
Mentioning it may cause them to see a possible issue with your college performance. Just do the best you can and revisit all this in June. No one can predict where you’ll be then. The rest is hypotherical.
Put your focus energy where it matters. You are not applying yet. The right efforts at the right time will get you further than spending spare time here, asking “what if?”
Do you guys think taking online community college classes (cs and math classes) and earning A’s in them will mitigate the effects of those few b’s and increase my chances for top Uc’s for engineering? I know that GPA is very important to the uc’s and taking those classes might give me a .1 increase in my unweighted gpa. a 3.9 is much better a 3.8. i’ve pretty much maxed out my ec’s and test scores, so my only weakness is my gpa.
“Mentioning it may cause them to see a possible issue with your college performance.”
If you have an IEP and and an ADD diagnosis, the colleges cannot see that as an issue and use it against OP in admissions as that would violate ADA/504.
“I’ll also mention that I do have ADD and am currently taking meds for it. This causes me to not turn in homeworks sometimes and have poor study habits. I do have an IEP for extra time on tests and a copy of notes to help me keep up, since I am a slow note taker.”
You should have mentioned this earlier, this changes the discussion quite a bit. Colleges need to know this as you will need these resources when in school, and that shouldn’t be an issue as many of them have good student services for people with LDs. And adcoms do have some compassion and won’t expect an ADD student to get straight As. You also cannot get denied because of your ADD as that violates the ADA.
Adcoms at his reachy reaches will expect full prep, not missing assignment dates. Theyll want to know he is even with peers and can keep up, especially as the workload increases. Why would a candidate to these admit he has poor study habits?
That’s not discriminating, which would be blocking him simply for having an IEP, despite a stellar record.
Adcoms will look for the positives, the triumphs despite a challenge. Not the trips. So give them that.
Yes, I know that my ADD has caused me many trips; however, there has been some good improvement and I should be able to redeem myself next semester. I’m improving on the late work and studying very seriously now. But raising an 80 to an 89 is not an improvement that the colleges will be able to see. It’s still a b nevertheless. One low test score is also very hard to recover from. But my teachers should be able to give a good word and I know that multiple of them wrote in a letter of rec for a summer program that I’m resilient and able to accomplish things despite my challenges. I can definitely handle the content and produce high-quality work, but being slow and having trouble focusing is my biggest weakness.
I’ll add here that i screwed up the psat and probably won’t even be commended. My fault for staying up the night before and falling asleep during the test. I thought that it would help make up a little for a bad semester.
The situation is very bad right now. I’m probably getting at least 4 b’s this semester. Shouldn’t have any c’s tho. I honestly don’t feel that confident about my calc test today. There’s a chance of getting 5 and my weighted gpa for this semester will be a flat 4.0 and uw will be a 3.2. But straight A’s next semester is highly likely. But my gpa is getting killed; still above a 3.7 tho. And the downward trend is even worse. I’m not sure if getting straigI honestly don’t mind taking 5 community college classes just to bring it up. I’m not too concerned about my gpa as it should be around a low to mid 3.8 with the community college classes, but rather the patterns in grades. My first semester junior year is absolutely awful and it’s going to look really bad on my college app. 3.7 uw is probably still in the running for ivies and isn’t that bad, but b’s clustered together looks bad. just don’t know what to do at this point.
first. bruh you’re a junior. Lots can happen. Just focus on maintaining consitency and leadership. Create a narrative through your activity selection that you can use as a praxis to base all your essays off of. It makes them look connected to your goals and you as a person.
Additionally, there is a possibility you may want to cut down on your applications - like some dude said above, quantity over quality. I’m going to assume you’re going to take a heavy workload senior year. This means you also want to show success throughout that workload.
If you want to show that success, you need time to do work, study, etc… Juggling 10+ apps is a lot more than you think. They take lots of thought, time, and collaboration with any teacher that you may want to edit them.
IDK. Capitalize on your strengths. Pinpoint things that are most unique to your goals.
Think about it this way:
death (or application) by a thousand needles gets blurred together (it’s like sending 6 recc. letters). On the other hand, everyone notices Thor’s big ass hammer. That’s an impressive hunk of metal- turn your EC’s into a big ass hammer.
I hope this helped. I’m a senior and just finished all my college apps.
p.s. quality over quantity is also better because there’s no way you’ll have time to convincingly talk about all of your EC’s throughout the application- trying to blend and prioritize all those dynamics will be hard for you.