sportsdude336

Hi everyone, Cal Poly is currently the school I'm aiming for. The more and more I think about my stats (particularly my GPA), the more I feel I'm going to be disappointed next spring. Anyways, I'm applying for business administration, and I'd like everyon's honest opinion, so here's my info:

GPA (uw/w): 3.22 / 3.37
SAT: 1510 (m + cr)
SAT II: 790 Math II, 730 US History (Unfortunately, I don't believe they look at these scores. Would it hurt/be possible for me to send them anyways?)
APs: 4 APUSH, 4 Stats, taking World History, Bio, Calc AB this year
Class Rank: Not used by school. However, my school (located in SF Bay Area) is in top 50 public schools across the nation I believe.
ECs: Only major thing was basketball all four years (varsity the last two), but I'm in a couple of clubs, decent amount of community service, babysitting, etc.
Other: Got a letter of rec from the Mayor of Fremont (although again, CSUs don't look at this).

I've heard that Cal Poly's admittance is a bit inconsistent -- people with good stats getting rejected and people with weak stats being accepted. Also, what role does geographic location play in admission? Is being from the Bay Area (where 1/3 of Cal Poly students come from I think) a good thing?

SLO_pop

Your SAT score is VERY good. CSU's don't look at SAT II scores or class rank, and EC's don't count for much. Yes, your GPA is on the low side. Take the ACT if you can.

CSUs are now giving some preference to students in their 'service area'. This would help if you lived in Paso Robles, for instance. Not sure that Fremont is close enough, but there are a lot of students from the bay area. Good luck to you ...

ocslodad

I don't know about business, but my son got accepted last year into Comp Sci with a 2.9w GPA and 1450(m+cr). He had 7 AP classes. They seem to like really high test scores and rigor of study. You might think about engineering with your math scores. I think you have a very good chance. BTW we are from Orange County if you couldn't figure that out from the screen name. I don't think we live in the service area.

slodad

2.9? did you mean 3.9 ocslodad?
My son got rejected ED and accepted RD into business administration with a 3.75 weighted GPA and lower SAT than you (not sure exactly what his score was). We live in SLO and I think that's why he got in. I'm not sure if you would have an advantage being from the Bay Area.

ocslodad

2.9 is correct. Major makes a huge difference. He also went to a very difficult high school. 2nd in the nation according to US News and World Report. Extremely rigorous. All classes are honors or AP. He also got 750 math, 700 cr on the SAT and 790 math II, 780 US history on the SAT IIs. He started Cal Poly with 63 units and will be a junior by spring quarter. They must have looked at how hard his classes were in high school.

ralph4

Low GPA can be overcome by high SAT and high rigor of classes taken. My son was admitted with 3.0w GPA and a SAT of 1430 (M 740, CR 690). He took 8 Community College classes his senior year and took 4 AP exams (3 were self-study) Chem 4, Eng Lang 4, Eng Lit 4, US Gov 3

sportsdude336

When did he take the 8 CC classes - the summer before senior year or during? I took one psych class in the summer, and so I have a total of [only] 6 college-level classes...

Does Cal Poly do a personal statement or any other opportunity to explain why I may not have performed well in a particular semester? And is there a way for me to use the letter of rec I got from the mayor in my favor when applying for Cal Poly?

ralph4

Sportsdude, for senior year my son enrolled in a charter school that granted dual credit for courses taken at a community college. So he didn't take any classes at the HS, and only took classes at CC. But because he was getting HS credit, he was still considered a HS senior.