GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA currently 2.85
Weighted HS GPA currently 2.89 on 4 scale
College GPA N/A
Class Rank: ?
ACT/SAT Scores: N/A
Coursework AP Psychology, AP Environmental Science, AP Lit, N/A (still taking), Advanced Digital Music Production
Awards
Won a competitive school-wide writing contest and read/published the piece at a winners banquet
Gold Standard of Excellence Award (x2)
Extracurriculars
multiple passion projects
4 years of French (in school)
self taught in German and Korean
UC BerkeleyX Psychedelics and the Mind Course (edX, certificate)
HarvardX Fundamentals of Neuroscience Course (edX, certificate)
HarvardX Building Personal Resilience: Managing Anxiety and Mental Health (edX, certificate)
Girls Go STEM program (attended two years in 6th and 7th grade)
U of I performing arts summer program
student government (x2) in elementary school
played competitive/academy tennis for 5+ years and was a featured player
volunteered as an instructor at my high school’s summer tennis camp
competitive swimming, 2 years
running club & XC in junior high, 1 yr
part-time job on weekends, 6hr shift
catholic religious ed program
played clarinet for 4 years in school band
self taught in piano
(will be doing an immense amount of catching up this summer in terms of more community service, internships, college programs and activities)
Essays/LORs/Other Haven’t written yet
Cost Constraints / Budget Not sure
Schools
College of the Holy Cross (REACH, top choice, applying ED1)
(I’ve shown lots of demonstrated interest as well)
I wish you luck. Do you have test scores? Your GPA is very low, and unless there is some extenuating circumstance supported by a strong test score, I wouldn’t count on an acceptance.
I absolutely love their academic heavy environment and lack of Greek life which is exactly what I’m looking for in a school (as well as being close to Boston). I gravitate immensely towards the unique classes and programs they offer regarding Psychology. Among many other things, their campus is the perfect location and incredibly gorgeous. I’m hyper-aware of the fact that it’s very much a reach school for me but if there’s anything else I could do to improve my chances I would really appreciate any feedback you may have.
Worcester State, Assumpiton and Clark are all easier admits and in the Higher Education Consortium of Central Mass which allows you to take courses at Holy Cross.
I think to improve your chances you should take the SAT/ACT and try to do well on it. That may help show admissions officers that you can handle the work, which is a concern with a low GPA.
If you can score a 1400 or higher, I think it will help significantly. I would still submit mid 1300s though, as that appears to be the average for accepted students.
Where does your GPA put you in terms of class rank?
Based on Holy Cross’ Common Data Set, 98% of entering students are in the upper half of their high school class. (And the outliers in the remaining 2% are more than likely recruited athletes.)
Yes, Clark is extra-well-known for psychology, and most of the things you said about HC are true of Clark also.
Do you like the fact that HC is Catholic/Jesuit, or is that not important?
Other east coast urban Catholic colleges that might appeal include Loyola Maryland in Baltimore, St. Joe’s in Philadelphia, and Providence College. Saint Michael’s in VT isn’t as urban, but Burlington (also home of UVM) is a fantastic college town with lots going on. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the student quality of life at St. Mike’s.
In the Boston area, check out Endicott - gorgeous location, excellent internship opportunities. Wheaton, about 40 miles outside the city, could also be worth a look.
Be cautious about using mental health issues to explain your weak GPA. This can end up being like the French proverb that says, “To excuse a fault is to double it.” While an interest in mental health advocacy is a great thing, colleges often don’t want to take a chance on a student who may struggle with known mental health issues once on their campus. Most colleges’ mental health services are stretched to the breaking point, and they want to avoid tragic outcomes on their campuses at all costs. So you have to be very judicious about how you address this in your applications.
Talk with your parents about budget. Picking colleges and then discussing costs can make for painful disappointments.
Are you also considering some schools closer to home?
Was going to respond to this earlier, but didn’t click send!!
I actually know someone who is going to Holy Cross in the Fall. She had 3.1 GPA but had a 1460 SAT. Also applied ED. So there is a chance for you if you can get your GPA up a bit and score well on the SAT. But it’s critical you create a balanced list with 2-3 safeties, 4-5 targets, and 4-5 reaches or so. Also, you need to ensure your family can afford Holy Cross before you apply ED. Good luck!!!
Do you have an uptrend? If so, then this can be quite important.
Can you tell us your unweighted GPA for each year, or even each semester, on an A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1 basis?
There was a recent thread on CC by someone who had poor grades for a year or two, then quite good grades for the last two years of high school. They did quite well in university admissions and will be off to a good university in the fall (the thread was to help them decide which school to pick from among many acceptances). When my younger daughter was in high school she had an acquaintance who had similar results, again with multiple good acceptances after getting their act together approximately half way though high school. Doing as well as possible from now on can help you quite a bit.
If anyone could tell me anything beyond generic traits and get into any specifics regarding what College of the Holy Cross actively seeks out in applicants (ex. personality traits, work ethic, certain ec’s, etc) that would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
Yes, my most recent trimester gpa was 4.00W. I received all A’s in junior high, horrible grades freshman year (D), average grades sophomore year (C), and now well above average grades this year (B+/A).
I assume the top two GPAs are at the end of five semesters. Not sure it’s mathematically possible to get to a 3.2 (unweighted?) from a 2.85 with an additional semester of classes, even if all As. Have you done the math and that’s possible? Are you on track for all As this semester?
What classes will you have senior year?
Does your HS use Naviance or Scoir? If so, how do your stats stack up on those historical scattergrams? What does your high school college counselor say about your chances?
Assuming NPC shows affordability, I would likely encourage you to not use your ED at Holy Cross, but defer to your HS counselor/HS record of placement there.
I am not sure I see this, what unique programs/classes are you seeing that aren’t available elsewhere?
I agree with those who suggest taking/retaking the SAT or ACT.