<p>I lived in France from age 7-16, so my 9th and 10th year grades don't have Honors or APs since those don't exist in France. Therefore my GPA isn't high when it is cumulative (2.9) but if you look at my Junior year of HS it is 4.1. And my senior grades are looking the same so far.</p>
<p>I took 2 AP exams last year: Psychology and French, and got 5 on both.
I am taking AP European History this year and ALL Honors classes. (And i'll be taking the AP European History AP Test)</p>
<p>My counselor statement explains my lower GPA and grade situation for 9th and 10th grade.
I have strong recommendation letters, one from my AP Psychology teacher and the other from my previous Honors English Teacher who is now my Honors Humanities teacher.</p>
<p>SAT:
Critical Reading: 660
Writing: 720
Math: 520</p>
<p>Subject test:
Literature: 640
French Language: 800</p>
<p>I'm the photographer and web designer of my school newspaper, I babysit and do french tutoring, I do community work for the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity, but have only done so since about 2 months. I play the piano and do portrait photography. I've been in clubs such as FBLA and the French Club in which I believe I demonstrated leadership in helping others learn about the french culture and language... and I have also been a lead actress in drama class.</p>
<p>My commonapp essay has info about my living in France (diversity), the culture and traveling experiences I had (I traveled throughout Europe a lot) and the effect these experiences had on me.</p>
<p>I think that my supplemental essays are effective/strong and stand out. I think that I make a good point in explaining why I am applying to NYU and why I would fit in there in the other supplement/essay sections they offered. (i'm also showing interest in their Global Centers, #1 being their Parisian one)</p>
<p>I want to major in French, Journalism, or Psychology.</p>
<p>Any opinion? </p>
<p>P.S: i'm not applying as an international applicant.</p>
<p>Even if you didn’t have honors or APs in France, why is your cumulative GPA a 2.9? That’s less than a B. NYU’s average GPA is an A-. Also, your SAT math score is way out of range. Your ECs are good, and it’s good that you’re taking all honors and APs now, but something just doesn’t click with a 2.9. What does a 2.9 equate to in your school’s grading scale?</p>
<p>In France grading scale is 0-20. When I moved to the USA they translated the course names and grades to coincide with the courses offered in my USA High School. My 9th and 10th year grades in France were average and sometimes low, the classes are very tough there, you are not allowed to choose any of your classes and the system is just completely different. My junior year GPA is a weighted 4.1 though. I just had a real hard time with those two years in France. I was an average student in France basically, they don’t really rank us over there.</p>
<p>Your best bet is to</p>
<p>A) Raise your SAT scores, preferably to a 2050 or higher. SAT scores matter a lot in terms of college decisions. Your current score of of 1900 is a little below the total average SAT score.</p>
<p>B) Keep your upward trend going, showing that you can do well in American coursework.</p>
<p>C) Hope that the admissions officers realize that the coursework in France was a lot harder than in the US. If they equate French coursework with American coursework, you’re screwed. A really high SAT probably could compensate for the latter situation. By high, I mean 2150+ for CAS, your intended school.</p>
<p>I wrote in the “additional info” part of my common app about the circumstances of my education in France, etc, so hopefully that will help.
I don’t think I can bring the SAT up any more, i’ve already taken it 4/5 times and my math actually went down the last time, so…
But I am indeed working hard on my grades this year just as I did last year…my surroundings seem to think I might have a shot at NYU due to the circumstances, I guess i’m just losing hope though.</p>
<p>Hmm… well I suggest that on your supplements, try not to repeat anything. Like since in your common app essay you talk about France and you also did the French AP and subject tests, you might want to stay away from French-related things in all the other essays. Also maybe ask your teachers/college guidance teacher which of your activities they elaborated on in their portions of your application so you don’t have to worry about cramming those into your supplements either. </p>
<p>My GPA is a 3.4 and I got a 1710 on my SAT and I still got in…although it was ED1 and I wasn’t applying to CAS… but in my application I made sure to not repeat myself and I assume that helped me out a lot. Of course higher scores never hurt. XD</p>
<p>I don’t think I was repetitive, other than my common-app essay I only mentioned France in the supplement when they ask us to talk about the campus or global center of our interest (which in my case was the global center at Paris).</p>
<p>Any other opinion/advice?</p>