I have a 2.89 GPA, but there are certain reasons why it’s so low. I got a 770/800 on the Math II Subject Test, a 740/800 on the Bio M Subject Test, a 740/800 on the Chem Subject Test, and a 1540/1600 on the SAT. I’m also a varsity athlete in both swimming and tennis, a bassoon player in multiple elite youth orchestras, and I volunteer at a nursing home and two hospitals. I also started my own club in school which does community service to help military veterans as well as current servicemen and servicewomen. I want to go into Columbia’s nursing program, but since my GPA is so low, I’m afraid I won’t get in. How much will my test scores and extra curriculars help me?
Your GPA shows to colleges how you’ve done in the your past 4 years of high school. Test scores alone mean nothing to colleges. Even the worst of students can miraculously pull off a high score on the SAT. However, it’s your GPA that tells colleges how much work you’ve put in your high school career. If there are reasons that its so low, then maybe explain those reasons in essays or in interviews. For a school like Columbia, though, your GPA is really, REALLY low. That means you’ve been getting consistent Bs or B- for your classes. To make it even worse, you GPA is below the national average of students. While I wish I could say you have a decent chance, I do not think you would make a competitive applicant at all. Keep in mind that even Valedictorians with perfect scores and strong ECs do not make it into the Ivy Leagues, so don’t feel bad if you get rejected.
Best of luck
Nurses get paid the same amount regardless of the colleges they go to. It’s a great profession that can start from anywhere.
Luckily for you, Columbia’s nursing programs are all graduate programs. So, if you go to a college you can get into and get good grades and good GRE scores, your high school grades won’t matter a bit when you apply to Columbia’s direct-entry MSN program.