I’m only a sophomore in highschool, but I’m already panicking about college. Yay.
For some reason, my brain didn’t work the first quarter of freshman year, so I started out with a terrible gpa. I have a 3.3 now, and with how my classes are going I should have at least a 3.5 by the end of the school year, hoping to graduate with something around a 3.67. I don’t know what I would get on my SAT, but I am smart and always test very well because I also have a good memory. I’ve taken all the AP classes my school offered and gotten a 5 on all of their tests.
My mom also graduated from there, but I dont know if that helps at all. My dad didn’t go to college. I also speak Polish fluently, have taken Spanish for 3 years, and took Japanese for 2.
I know it’s early, but I was wondering if getting into Bowdoin was possible. Thanks.
Anything is possible. You could have an amazing essay and short answers that really grabs the attention of an admissions person who champions your application. Also, if your GPA really shows that you got almost all A’s after your bad first half of your freshman year, you and your counselor (who submits a letter) should be able to explain that and focus them on the rest of your GPA.
That said, in raw stats your cum GPA will still be on the low side for Bowdoin. It’s also hard to really be confident at the start of your sophomore year what your GPA will be by the end of your first quarter of senior year (which is what will count for your application). This is especially true if you are taking the most rigorous classes your school offers, which is what schools like Bowdoin look for. Some of those may (or may not) be more challenging than you expect or have a teacher who is just a hard grader, etc. For sure if you take course that are not the most challenging available to your grade for a given subject, schools like Bowdoin will wonder why.
Also, SAT/ACT is optional at Bowdoin but if you do submit you’ll want a score in the 98+% range nationally, just to set your expectations.
Your mom having gone there can definitely help, but likely only if your application is on the bubble – i.e. you are in the group of applications that are under serious consideration. Her legacy status won’t get you such a bump that it assures admission if your application otherwise isn’t a contender.
And if this is your dream school, definitely apply ED. Bowdoin has a much better admission rate ED than RD. Some of that is due to athletic recruits, but not all.
All that aid, please don’t obsess on this THIS early. You are barely past the 1/4 point in your HS career. I hope you are devoting some of your energy to things you really like, whether school activities or unrelated. Colleges like to hear and see evidence that students were passionate about something. So go enjoy something and it will eventually help your application.
The 5s on AP exams are good. I would work on the SAT/ACTs and SAT IIs to get a decent application.I assume you are talking about unweighted GPA, so it isn’t that bad with mostly AP classes. I would recommend applying to a range of schools and not focusing on one.