What are the odds?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey,
I just stumbled upon this website literally just now and really want to get a take on what my chances are getting into these schools.
I am currently applying to NYU, USC, UCONN, Wesleyan, and other similar schools. I am planning to study Business and Entrepreneurship with some Marketing and Advertising in consideration. Im also interested in music production and composition. </p>

<p>Career wise, I want to Compose and Produce Music. However at the same time Id also like to start an entertainment company. Much of the likes of Nerdist, Node, Rocketjump, RoosterTeeth etc. </p>

<p>I think this goal is definitely achievable with the proper knowledge and resources. </p>

<p>My SAT: A low 1500 (Planning on retaking it at least twice)
AP Exams so far: Language and Comp: 5 Gov 2 (Blanked out on Fiscal Policy Questions and Mixed up Bureaucratic terms)
My GPA: 3.1 unwt. 3.4 weighted
Current classes for this year: AP Psych, AP Lit., AP Microeconomics, Music Composition, Orchestral Strings, Pre Calculus, And Photoshop </p>

<p>By the time I graduate I should have :</p>

<p>(In Years)
Foreign Language: 3
English/Lang/Lit: 4 (Ive taken all Honors courses since sophomore year)
Science: 3
Technology: 3<br>
Math: 4
History: 2
Civics/ Social Studies: 2
Psychology: 1
Art Elective: 4</p>

<p>I should Graduate with anywhere from 32- 34 credits </p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Community Service Volunteer (Veterans Affairs Hospital, Teen Mania Volunteer in Kingston, Jamaica, Music Production, Film Club, Teachers Assistant for Steel Pan band/ Logistics Specialist (Job), Orchestral Performance at various events, Rifle/Pistol Shooting, Advertising, Yale Urban Debate League </p>

<p>Heres some background:
I am currently a senior majoring in music at the Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School in New Haven C.T.
The reasoning to my low grades and scores are due to my failure to apply myself freshman year. That year I didn't take myself seriously, thinking that I would become a musician.... Yeah just a musician.
It was sophomore year where I discovered that this all mattered, and I could really screw myself. Granted I did, I am not a stupid individual. I am extraordinarily well rounded in terms of both IQ and Personality, and am more culturally aware of things than most people I come across. Ive started conversations that make Yale students' eyes pop... Im not joking about that. However, putting that aside, Im also no Einstein. I didnt apply myself and now I am stuck with scores and grades that dont reflect my true nature. I failed to plan ahead and execute my abilities properly. Quite the conundrum right? Well now Im stuck, trying to find out the odds that are stacked against me. </p>

<p>So please, If youd guys be so kind to guide me through this difficult process.</p>

<p>Quite Frankly Im lost at this point. </p>

2

<p>It is impossible to change your GPA now that you are a senior you are stuck with it. However, there are several things that you can change drastically to improve your chances. </p>

<p>Colleges look at GPA and Test Scores first. So, improve your test scores! Aim for at least a 2000 SAT score to make up for your GPA.</p>

<p>Next, write an essay that reflects your passion and ‘true nature’ you should have no problem there if you put in effort and simply write a well crafted essay that the admissions officer can tell you spent a lot of time on.</p>

<p>Next, show interest in your colleges! Visit them, ask the admissions officers questions.</p>

<p>These things I’ve listed are all in your control. You can’t change your GPA anymore, your stuck with it. But you can change all of these things and give yourself a very good change of admission. Good luck bro.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the Input! </p>

<p>I came to realize that GPA is a huge killer regarding applications. And it only became a worse feeling when I took the time to calculate it. </p>

<p>However, I agree the high SAT score is a reachable goal. My only issue was that I have had a consistently bad experience with mathematics which means Ill have to work months in advance. Im taking another one on Nov 8, but Im ill prepared for this one, so it’ll be more of a benchmark. Ill focus on Improving my strengths and then go for the super-score for math. </p>

<p>I became extremely frustrated with myself, knowing that I could have well been considered, if not accepted as UC or even Ivy league material. But Im working with what Ive got and Ill make the absolute best of it.</p>

4

<p>SAT’s are my weak point too. I have a 3.61 gpa and only a 1600 on the sat. There’s still hope to raise your score though! For the math section, complete the problems that match up with the equations they give you, and get those questions out of the way first. After that is quickly finished, move onto the harder questions to add on some more points. That should help a bit- it helped me. </p>

<p>Don’t lose all hope… If you have an upward trend in your GPA and they can see some sort of progress, you shouldn’t be too worried. Write a stellar essay and you’ll give yourself some higher chances.</p>

5

<p>Both your SAT scores and GPA are lacking. However you could make up for it in recs and other things. I know Uconn doesnt require an essay. But I would retake the SATs this Saturday and try for a better score. I am applying aswell, 2100 SAT and 3.9 GPA. Good luck! </p>

6

<p>I would add more safeties to that list, weslayan doesnt require test scores, but nyu and the rest have much higher SAT scores and GPA requirements than you have. So just focus on essays and retaking the SATs to help out your application. </p>

7

<p>Are you a first-gen student or a lower-income student? What is your parents’ budget? (can you pay your EFC, will you need financial aid?)
Is that 1500 out of 1600 or 1500 out of 2400?
If that’s out of 2400, considering a GOOD improvement (ie., WELL above statistics) would be 150-200 points, none of the universities you cited are within the realm of possibility except UConn.
“Not realizing things” freshman year is not an excuse, let alone an excuse. You’re not competitive for USC, Wesleyan, etc - To put things in perspective, you’re not even at the median, or even at the bottom 25% level, you’re basically in the bottom 5%. And students in the bottom 25% have overcome terrible obstacles or are athletes or legacies.
the #1 element is course rigor/GPA so unless your parents can pay you a PG year at a day school, you’re stuck with a B GPA with “most rigorous” classes. That’s not a combination for schools such as USC or Wesleyan, or NYU; UConn would be a reach (and I’m not sure it’d help you in your goal).
Frankly, if your goal is to work in music production, you should be applying to Belmont. It’s a great school for Music Business/entrepreneurship and you’d have 50-50 odds of getting in if you raise your scores to 1600-1750, whereas your odds at the schools you cited are very very low.</p>

8

<p>Thanks for your input Myos. Im extremely aware of my position and know that the odds are indeed stacked against me. I also know that there are no excuses on college apps, just data that Is read with the accompaniment of an essay. However, you did indeed put things into perspective giving me the percentile that I fall in. </p>

<p>Though these are not the only schools I applied for. These are my high reach schools, and I have listed several safety schools in the likely event that I dont make it to these schools mentioned above.
I have added Full Sail, Uconn Digital Media and Marketing, and several local schools.
Digital Media and Marketing allows me to display a portfolio, which Is another chance for admission.</p>

<p>However in the event that I need to attend a community college for financial or the reasons aforementioned, I would like to know how the Transfer process would work and what I would need to do in such an event to reach the schools I wanted in the first place. </p>

<p>Thank you. </p>

9

<p>Don’t apply to Full Sail - it’s a complete rip off.
Not sure why you’d want to attend Community College when you have a shot at Belmont - one of the top Music Business programs in the industry.
UConn Digital Media and Marketing is a good alternative, yes.
If you do need to attend a community college, make sure to choose one that has a transfer agreement with the university you’d like to attend. For example, if you’re aiming for USC, you’d need to choose one of the “good” community colleges in CA (like DeAnza, Foothills, Diablo, SMCC, SBCC) but that’d cost you a lot of money as an OOS student who’d be living in very expensive areas ($$$rents and shortage of them - although there are some student residences around Diablo Valley I think). You could also look and see if NYU has articulation agreement with community colleges in NYC or NYS - email them and ask (politely/thank them for their time, etc.)</p>

10

<p><a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=2070”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=2070&lt;/a&gt; lists the average indebtedness of 2013 Full Sail graduates as $63,978, which is quite high compared to other colleges.</p>