3.2 GPA, late bloomer, HIGH SAT score, top university?

[JHS]

If you live in Georgia, I would trust your guidance counselor about UGA, not people on CC. (Or did you mean UVA? Then I'm not so sure . . .)

If you really had 2200 SATs, and excellent recommendations that both showed enthusiasm for you (with anecdotal detail) and explained why your 9th-10th grade performance doesn't show what you can do, then places like Delaware or Vermont would certainly not be out of the question, and you could have a shot at NYU (which admits a ton of people, it's really very large) or Emory. I think UNC or Cornell, and probably BC, would be so out of reach that it would hardly be worth trying, unless you bring something really sensational to the table from your ECs. (And even then, probably forget UNC out of state, since that is strictly limited in how many out-of-staters it can take, and vey numbers-driven.)

You may want to think about smaller liberal arts colleges, too. They can make much more individualized admissions decisions, and are often willing to take a risk on someone who is interesting but not perfect on paper. Look at the thread called "Do These Colleges Make Sense" for some ideas. Think of yourself as a 3.6 student, not a 3.2 one. But make certain to have a 3.2 safety or two on your list.

[mom2collegekids]

>>>
Okay, I am not an idiot, that is a bunch of bull and I can pick it out. We had 2 kids get accepted into UVA last year, one had a 3.4 GPA and another had a 3.6 GPA, both did spectacular on the SATs (1900s) and had some ECs and Volunteer Hours.
<<<<


Getting 1900s on the SAT is NOT spectacular...that is a word that most would reserve for SATs that are over 2200. 1900s is about 91 percentile.


I'm sorry if people's posts haven't said what you've wanted to hear, but most have been pretty accurate. Your GPA is going to hurt you. And if you don't bring up your SAT, it will hurt you also.

The schools that you've listed are accepting kids with higher stats these days.

No one here wants you to waste your time only applying to schools that will likely reject you. It's ok to apply to a couple of them as "reaches," but you need to choose some schools that will be reasonable matches and safeties.

BTW...do you know how much your parents can pay each year...that will be a factor, too.

[Protagonist111]

1900s is a good score.

Another problem, NYU, BC, Emory and Cornell have the same acceptance rates. Once again, I find it hard to believe but people in here do not know much of what they are talking do they?

Thanks for all help but the college confidential crowd is not helping me at all, in fact I believe most people in here are ill informed. Forget liberal arts colleges, I will get that 2200, apply for Emory, Cornell and BC and tell you guys about my results when I get accepted.

Not be Out of Question for University of Vermont or University of Delaware?

Those colleges are known for accepting B students.

Man, people on here surely try to make the college admissions process look like a nightmare don't they. Oh let me guess, colleges like Georgia Southern and UNC at Wilimington are out of reach as well.

*shrugs*

[Shrinkrap]

THAT went well....

[mom2collegekids]

Well, we all hope you get that 2200 SAT. It's hard to make that big of a jump. Many of us have been thru this before with our kids.

But, your GPA will be a negative; no doubt about it. I don't care what some rep said; their job is to get people to apply.

Again....No one here wants you to waste your time only applying to schools that will likely reject you. It's ok to apply to a few of them as "reaches," but you need to choose some schools that will be reasonable matches and safeties.

And again......do you know how much your parents can pay each year...that will be a factor, too.

[Shrinkrap]

How about college boards "how do I stack up" feature?

Academic Tracker - Meet College Admission Requirements - High School Class Selection

[barbara960]

Momtocollegekids: You are so right! Remember who the reps work for- they work for the colleges, not the applicants! Their job is to encourage people to apply, so the colleges can collect application fees and enjoy a low yield, which makes them more attractive to people like USNWR and CC members.

[onthefly]

Thanks for all help but the college confidential crowd is not helping me at all, in fact I believe most people in here are ill informed. Forget liberal arts colleges, I will get that 2200, apply for Emory, Cornell and BC and tell you guys about my results when I get accepted.

Lol 90% of emory students were in the top 10% of their hs class, 98% of cornell students were in the top 25%, and 96% of BCs students were in the top 25%, and most kids who go to those school have at least 2100s.

Those are just the facts, I'm not telling you not to apply but you need to be honest with yourself. They are high reaches at best

[pugmadkate]

Thanks for all help but the college confidential crowd is not helping me at all, in fact I believe most people in here are ill informed...

I know hearing what is said here is difficult. But one thing most of the regular posters here are not is ill-informed.

We live in south Texas. My son has a 3.8 UW, 35 ACT and 2310 SAT. According to his guidance counselor, he could "write his own ticket and it was just a matter of choosing which top school you want to attend."

Here's what I learned reading the Yale and Brown acceptance threads; students who are first in their top ranked high school class with a 4.0 UW and a 2350 get rejected from them. Of course, students with lower scores get accepted, but it is brutal.

Some of these schools accept less than 10% of the applicants. That means more than 9 out of 10 get a rejection letter. It's simply a matter of demographics. There are far too many "superstars" out there than there are slots in the top colleges.

My son's guidance counselor didn't mislead him on purpose, but geographically she is at a disadvantadge. It was not only CC but when I asked friends who worked in top New England high schools to take a look at this numbers that I began to grasp what 93 out of 100 not being accepted looks like, or even 85 out of 100.

Living in Texas, I have often come across parents/students from out of state who do not understand how difficult it is to get into UT-Austin from out of state. Getting into a school like UVA is like getting into an Ivy for an out of state student.

There are exceptions to every rule but ancedotes are not data. Taking the chance that you will have the same luck that someone you know has had is not a good plan. Pick a few super-reaches and reaches but find matches and safteys that you really love. If you know what you're looking for and what your financial constraints are, this place can be a fantastic source of great information.

I wish you the best of luck.

[marite]

EMORY:

The following statistics are for the Emory College first-year class, beginning in the fall of 2009.

Applications
Applied 15,610
Admitted 28%
Enrolled 1,315

Academics - Admitted Students
Average GPA, middle 50% 3.71 - 3.98 / 4.0 unweighted scale
SAT verbal, middle 50% 640–730
SAT math, middle 50% 660–750
SAT total, middle 50% 1320–1460
ACT, middle 50% 29–33

BOSTON COLLEGE

Undergraduate Students 9,060
Graduate Students 4,843
ADMISSION
Entrance Difficulty Very difficult
Overall Admission Rate 26% of 30,845 applicants were admitted
Early Action Offered Yes
Early Decision Offered No
Regular Admission Deadline January 1
Selection of Students
Factor Very Important Important Considered Not Considered
Academic GPA X
Standardized Tests X
Essay X
Extracurricular Activities X
More Factors...
Qualifications of Enrolled Freshmen
Average GPA Not reported
SAT Math 685 average
640-730 range of middle 50%
SAT Critical Reading 655 average
610-700 range of middle 50%
SAT Writing 665 average
620-710 range of middle 50%
ACT Composite 30 average
28-32 range of middle 50%

NYU:
Academic Statistics (Four-year Programs)
Average High School GPA: 3.63
SAT Critical Reading Score Range (middle 50%): 630 - 730
SAT Math Score Range (middle 50%): 650 - 750
ACT Score Range (middle 50%):29 - 31
Ranked in Top 10% of High School Class: 69.7%

UNC is very tough for OOS students to get into because of the limit of 18% OOS.

[rocketman08]

It's difficult for a high SAT to make up for a low GPA... one is based on a few hours the other is based on years.

If you're GPA is being weighted down by low grades during Fresh/Soph year then if you can put in a really strong showing during Junior year it will really help.

[Barq45]

to be quite frank with you all, it's extremely apparent that a number of things in this thread are very suspect

for example, no UVA admissions rep would say a 3.2 is excusable as long as someone has a 1300. A 1300 SAT score is rather below par for UVA admission standards (both in and out of state) and would logically not make up for a 3.2 GPA regardless of the school which is basically entirely out of range for UVA.

You do have to remember, Virginia has some of the best magnet/private high schools in the country, a 3.2 from these schools (and we're in-state) would nowhere near be enough to get in. Also keep in mind that a 2200 isn't atypical at UVA, there are lots of students with this type of SAT score here, and that wouldn't make up for it. At my magnet high school in VA, we have kids with 2200-2300 scores get flat rejected because their grades weren't up to par.

[marite]

Could it be the rep was thinking of 1300/1600 instead of 1300/2400?

[Barq45]

marite, i meant 1300/1600.

the average accepted student last year had a 1390 and the average enrolled i believe was around 1360. Keep in mind, both of these averages include recruited athletes as well as URMs (for some URM groups UVA admissions is extremely different than for the typical UVA student).

logically, there's no way then that a 1300 would make up for a 3.2

[mathmom]

I'm looking at the Naviance data for our school you can take it or leave it as you please. University of Vermont virtually everyone who had a weighted GPA of 85 from our school got in. University of Virginia is another kettle of fish, no one got in with less than a weighted 93 (probably about a B+ unweighted.) Boston College looks similar to UVA. UNC is super selective according to our statistics, though there is one outlier with much lower grades, I'm guessing an athlete. Emory we have a couple of B+ students who got accepted. All of our highest SAT scorers get waitlisted at Emory. It's very weird. Cornell no one has gotten in with less than a 94 weighted GPA. NYU looks more feasible, we have a number of students accepted with weighted GPAs around 90. So I'd say at least if you were at our school, your chances were slim of getting in at most of the universities you listed. By all means if you love them apply, but you need some matches and safeties. All these schools are a big stretch unless there's something we don't know about you. Obviously all we have is your numbers.