<p>What could maybe, possibly, convince the adcoms to cut me some slack for my abysmal gpa?</p>
<p>Sky high test scores.</p>
<p>bad family background, low income families, amazing test scores, amazing extracurricular, superb athlete, special illness or condition</p>
<p>Formal medical report outlining the causes for your extended absences from school.</p>
<p>Formal psychoeducational evaluation discussing your recent diagnosis with a learning disability, and the classroom accommodations that have made it possible for you to succeed at last.</p>
<p>Formal letter from your guidance counselor detailing the series of family tragedies that prevented you from performing to your capability.</p>
<p>Well, I’m guessing that you aren’t going to develop a family tragedy, mental condition, physical illness, or extreme level of athletic ability overnight, so you should make sure that your extracurriculars are strong and you have amazing essays that demonstrate who you are and what you’re passionate about.</p>
<p>On another thread, you say you have a 3.57 GPA. That’s extremely great for the bulk of colleges in the US. It portends well for your collegiate success – you shouldn’t doubt this. However, given the competition at "top 25 " colleges, you’ll have to likely be comfortable with the fact that your GPA will be overshadowed by many others with better numbers.</p>
<p>You should focus on a wide breadth of colleges that you know you’ll enjoy and find a home. Don’t obsess with a “name” but rather where you’ll thrive and be happy. You should be proud of your accomplishments – if you were my kid, I’d feel that.</p>
<p>I don’t have any learning disability, family tradegy, or that stuff. I just took the hardest classes and got a majority of B’s instead of A’s. I regret it everyday. But I still want to go to a top 25. I have actually looked at lower tier colleges. They are not able to provide the enviroment that I have maintaned by taking hard classes. What a paradox! The one who likes the rigor is stuck with the B average colleges.
I do science research and am a prominent Muslim activist.
How do I convey that to top 25s?!?</p>
<p>Many “lesser” colleges are perfectly equipped to give you the best possible education. I’m not saying you won’t be admitted to a single “top 25”–hey, if that’s what motivates you, sure, go ahead and apply–but I think your senior year will be much happier if you set your sights slightly lower and learn to treat a certain tier of schools as a remote possibility instead of your birthright. That will both dull the sting of rejection and sweeten the taste of acceptance.</p>
<p>A lot of people take the highest level classes AND get A’s… AND still get rejected from top 25s. If you can convey in your essays that you deserve to go to those schools despite being less academically qualified, then you should get in. But that probably won’t be easy.</p>
<p>There have been some relevant threads on the parents forum.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767118-under-3-6-gpa-applying-top-20-parents-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767118-under-3-6-gpa-applying-top-20-parents-thread.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1026754-under-3-6-applying-top-schools-2010-11-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1026754-under-3-6-applying-top-schools-2010-11-a.html</a></p>
<p>Quick summary if you don’t want to read through everything:<br>
If you want to get into a top school with a less than tippy top GPA, …
Extremely high test scores can help
Very rigorous class schedule can help
Early decision and early action can help
Choose your schools wisely - some schools are more willing to accept non-tippy top GPAs than others
Apply to schools with a broad range of selectivity - really hard to predict results of students with mismatched grades/test scores.</p>
<p>If you’re T20-qualified in other respects–teacher recs, course rigor, scores, ECs–consider applying ED. Schools are more likely to take a chance on you then.</p>
<p>Nothing will exactly outweigh a lower GPA when it comes to top 25 schools. Even the ones that have more holistic admissions processes focus first on GPA. However, it will mitigate things quite a bit that you’ve taken the most challenging courses available to you. It will also help if you have or can start working on some strong EC’s. Doesn’t need to be athletically related necessarily, but does your school have some kind of interesting/out of the ordinary activity that interests you? Maybe they have a sailing club or an Arabic club or a quiz bowl team? If not, maybe you could start one? If you’re already involved in a volunteer pursuit, maybe try to think about a summer project that you could tackle related to that, something you would devise and execute on your own. </p>
<p>Other than that, look at schools where they do have more holistic approach to admissions (you’ll probably know who they are because they will trumpet this). Find ones that are SAT optional if your test scores are not outstanding. </p>
<p>And most of all, try to do interviews whereever possible. That will give you the opportunity to talk about how you are an activist and also to discuss your science research in greater depth than just putting them down on a resume. </p>
<p>I think there are schools that you can find in the top 25 who would at least be interested in you, and I’m certain that there are schools below the top 25 that could still give you the rigor that you want. Ask your guidance counselor for some good suggestions and try to be open minded.</p>
<p>Objective Statistics:
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 220’s range for PSAT.
[</em>] SAT II: taking Math 2C, Bio M, Spanish
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.57
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school does not do rank, top 15%
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): All 5’s
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP stat, AP Spanish Lit, AP English 12, AP Chem. (Most rigorous)
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): </p>[/li]
<p>Science/Math:
- working towards Intel STS semifinalist
- working for USABO Medal
-working for Grand award at Intel ISEF - working for Siemens Westinghouse Competition
- 1st place award in medicine /health category at Regional science fair.</p>
<p>Quiz Bowl:
- Gold Medal at Muslim Interscholastic Tournament Nationals in Quiz Bowl Bracket Competition
- Quiz bowl:team is 60ish in the nation, were working on it. National Awards, PACE Nationals, HSNCT, and NAQT Regional.
- Medusa Mythology Exam Gold Medal (quiz bowl related)</p>
<p>Academic:
- Academic Honor Roll
- Silver Award, President’s Education Program.
-will be National Merit Semifinalist - will be AP Scholar with Distinction
- U.S. Congressional Award for Community Service (Gold)
- Treasurer for the Class of 2013-2010, 2011.<br>
- will be Treasurer for School: 2012</p>
<p>Scholarships: (working for the following)
- NRA Youth Scholarship
- Olive Garden 15th Annual Pasta Tales Essay Contest
- Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship
- Toyota Community Scholar
- Coca Cola Scholar </p>
<p>[li] Extracurricular:[/li]1. Writing book, “10 biggest misconceptions about Islam”
2. Future Doctors of America President- organize meetings with doctors, who teach about the road to becoming a doctor. (Mon. and Wed. lunch after school.)@
3. Science Olympiad
- Member, 2008-Present
- participation in competition
- USABO
- Freshman Mentors Club Founder/President: meetings to intorduce freshman to high school and guide them through how to get ready for college.
- Muslim Student Association President
-Treasurer: 2008- present, President: 2012-2013
- increased membership by 50%
-Organized a fundraiser, made over 1000 dollars for expanding of local mosque.
-Organized a MSA Spring Day with over 200 attendees.
-Organized a movie viewing “My Name is Khan” made a large amount of money.
-organized the Fast-A-Thon, got 30 registered fasters.
- Treasurer
- Class Treasurer 2010-2012, School Treasurer 2013
- Volleyball, recreational mostly
- Spanish Honors Society
- It’s Academic Quiz Bowl
-Placed nationally, went to tons of tournaments, including NAQT Nationals, and PACE Nationals Tournaments, B team-9, captain B team 10, A Team-11, 12</p>
<p>[<em>] Job/Work Experience:
- Worked throughout the school year with a startup company; the usage of “Cloud” Software to Apple and Google, and to local small businesses.
- worked as a staff writer for the Muslim Link.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 350+ hours at Red Cross and various other locations.
[li] Summer Activities:</p>[/li]
<p>Post 9th Grade:
-Rx Biosciences Full Time Intern</p>
<p>Post tenth grade:
- Rx Biosciences Part Time Research Assistant
-NIH research assisstant, youngest in the lab.(15) - Took classes online
- Wrote a book.
- Science Research: secret ;)</p>
<p>Post 11th grade:
-Classes online
-Clark Scholars Program or NIH Science Research again.
[<em>] Essays: common app one about after recieving a D+ in honors precalculus, my counselor recommended me to have a free period to focus more (study hall). As a result, I have sat in the library for a whole semester just reading about everything that life entails, and how that changed my perspective on school. My parents “asian-ed” me into taking super hard classes, and I got B’s in them. But then after this whole calm period, I prioritzed everything I needed to do for next year. Risky, I know, but that’s how I roll.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: one from future AP Bio teacher, I’ve met him already, one from Spanish or WH teacher.
[<em>] Counselor Rec.: I’ve been keeping in touch with her since the beginning of soph. Year, and she knows me well enough that she agrees my precalc teacher super-deflates everything.(avg. grade for exam was a D-, avg. quarter grade C-)
[</em>] Additional Rec.: NIH Principal Investigator, Ive met him since beginning of soph. year, Rx Biosciences CEO, since 8th grade.
[<em>] State: (if domestic applicant): MD
[</em>] Country: (if international applicant): USA
[<em>] School Type: public, pretty competitive
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian, south Indian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: +80 K
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
- I know 3 languages, learning fourth: Urdu, Hindi, Spanish, learning Arabic.
[</em>] Strengths: EC’s, Science research, diverse interests, SAT
[<em>] Weaknesses: GPA! , transcript (2 C’s and a D (all in math) and a lot of B’s), ORM
[</em>] Hobbies: - Spanish Culture/Cooking
- Drawing Futuristic Landscapes, and concept art. Fan of Matt Gaser.
- studying philosophy and comparitive religion</p>
<p>From the Rx CEO: " he is mostly quiet. But he speaks with a tone that makes random strangers feel like best friends."</p>
<p>danishpastry123 -</p>
<p>I don’t know where you get the notion that a 3.57 is a “dismal” GPA. That is B+/A- range. Dismal would be D- range. The rest of your profile is excellent. Go ahead and apply to some “top 25” places if you feel like it, some of them may very well like your activities and forgive whatever it was in your transcript that made you not have a more perfect GPA.</p>
<p>Do talk with your guidance counselor about what would be good academic matches for you. Your guidance counselor knows which colleges and universities students with profiles similar to yours have been admitted to in recent years.</p>
<p>Lastly, sit down with your parents and find out what they can afford to pay. That will determine how deep you will have to dig to find your financial safeties.</p>
<p>I don’t like the “asian-ed me” language. ahaha Just since I’m asian and i did that 12 APs and everything else honors kinda thing.</p>
<p>Anyway I was like a 4.0 weighted, 3.7ish UW. Your ECs are far better than mine. You will probably beat my 1490/2190 SAT. I got into UVA (yes, top 25!!) and U of Michigan (in the top 30). So just stop panicking and start picnicking.</p>
<p>DANG. Impressive extra-currics. BTW, what do you meant by Muslim activist? Sounds wrong haha (I’m Afghan, so don’t worry about defending yourself) 
I feel like this profile is fake because of the level achievement in so many activities. I’m surprised you even got Bs with all that stuff going on. You sound promising to me, so I think colleges will see that too (given that you actually mention what you did in clubs, rather than just your title). As for a hook, being Indian and having 80k+ isn’t going to help your URM/priveleged effort, haha. For suggestions, have a FOCUS. Each activity is very involved, but none really stand out as your main passion, although the MSA thingy stands out because Muslims are somewhat a minority in top schools. But really, what is your main passion (there are hundreds of Indian applicants involved with Intel and medical research)? Tell me because I can’t pull that out of your list.</p>
<p>Do you sleep, btw? x)</p>
<p>How many Muslim scientists out there have a thing for Spanish culture? :P</p>
<p>My focus would probably be science, then msa closely second, then quizbowl.</p>
<p>if you think this this is impressive, then you probably don’t look hard enough on here :)</p>
<p>Money shouldn’t be a problem.
I got a couple of scholarships already.</p>
<p>danishpastry (the cheese kind? that’s my favorite), one of the best pieces of advice on CC is “Love Thy Safety”. It’s easy to fall in love with reach schools. You’ve already done that. Now you have to find places where you know you’ll get in, that you’ll like. This is harder work.</p>
<p>You say you’re going to be a NMSF. Start with that. Go look at the list of schools that offer significant money to NMFs in this forum: [National</a> Merit Scholarships - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/]National”>National Merit Scholarships - College Confidential Forums) . I’d suggest USC and U Rochester and Macalester for you, which certainly aren’t safeties but would probably be delighted to see an applicant with your pedigree.</p>
<p>Next, look at Keilexandra’s thread on safeties for students aiming at tip-top schools:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/881237-ivy-caliber-safeties-matches-condensed-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/881237-ivy-caliber-safeties-matches-condensed-advice.html</a></p>
<p>Then go over to the College Search forum, and the Parents forum, and ask for specific advice on what schools should be on your list. I did this a couple of years ago for my D1 after she’d received a few C’s in rigorous courses at a highly rigorous high school. People offered wonderful advice, both on possible schools to add to her list and on how to best present herself in her application. </p>
<p>One more thing: you say that you don’t have to worry about money, that you’ve won a bunch of scholarships already. Make sure you have the money talk with your parents. Make sure that they run the various online estimators which will show them how much many schools will expect them to pay each year. Get a specific budget from them, not just a heartfelt “you work on getting in, and we’ll make it work out financially”.</p>