Hello Everyone,
My candidacy has very good test scores and unfortunately a GPA on the lower side.
SAT 1570 (single sitting) with a 1600 super score across two sittings.
Most likely National Merit scholarship semifinalist. Finalist not sure due to low GPA.
Subject tests Math II 800, Bio 760.
4 APs in Soph and Junior with 3 4s and one 5 in AP tests. 2 more APs in Senior year.
GPA unweighted 3.2 and weighted 3.6 from one of the academically rigorous high schools in Mass.
Decent EC with Math team, Model UN, Internships at Johns Hopkins in public health.
Wondering what would be my stretch and match universities in Mass/NE area.
Umass Amherst, WPI, Northeastern, Brandeis, Univ of Rochester, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Cornell are some of the colleges I am thinking of.
Not sure if I will be wasting time with some of them or have a chance.
Thanks in advance for any feedback or help
Let’s take a look at your somewhat unusual situation through the eyes of an admissions office which is trying to select a class which will perform best after arrival on campus. Would you like the job? What will you look at?
IF you are using your attained college GPA as the dependent measure of success, what do we know about its relationship of secondary school GPAs and to entering student SAT scores? When the two are added together they will only explain the University GPA variance significantly for the first two years. What happened that changed these performance profiles in the last two years? Remember there are really no “yes” or “no” answers when you are dealing with models based on a surveyed groups behavior. The answer is always “maybe” (does this job sound like fun?).
GPA is a much better predictor of the University GPA than is the SAT as long as you are looking at groups which have strong test scores. So on average, you would bet on the higher GPA.
If we use US patents and professional awards attained by graduates as a measuring stick, the answers are still all over the field.
HELP! I want to quit this job.
Evidently you have a quick mind. The question is, what would you really like to do with it. What sort of environment do you need to feel highly motivated? When you have found your answer, you need to effectively communicate it to that University.
E.G.: What have you actually done? What are your dreams. What do you need to get there, Do you work well with others? Do you like to take the lead, but still listen to competing ideas? Do you want to colonize Mars? Do you want to save peoples lives? MD or Biomedical Engineer while still a Rock Star? You want a setting where you can put your talent to work.
Your University list is difficult as you are looking largely at entering student classes where only about 5% of the class will have your unweighted GPA and their average SAT scores will still be over 1400. Most will have weighted GPA’s above 4.0. UMass does not have this tight a profile overall, but may in your selected major.
Believe in yourself, but think hard about the personal nature of your match. You need a safety that still meets your needs.
With your Life Sciences interests, you might also look at Clark University where admission may be easier and the options are strong.
My D had a friend with a mismatch between high scores and low GPA. He overshot on his schools and ended up with a safety he was crushed to attend. My advice is to use the weakest part of your application to find your safety and match schools, not your strongest. And find safeties that you love and would be excited to attend.
What major are you thinking of applying to?
UMass Amherst looks at your weighted GPA rather than your unweighted, so that will help you there. Your SATs are good for them for most of their majors, and your weighted GPA is also in their range. You stand a good shot there, so long as your GPA was pretty consistent from year to year and you didn’t have, for example, one horrible year that pulled it down. UMass looks for consistency. Your GPA could be an issue at UMass if you’re applying to one of their most competitive majors such as engineering, computer science, business, but you might still get in, so you should apply.
Based on your overall list, I’d ask you to pick at least 1-2 backup schools that you like, where your unweighted GPA (as that’s the lower versus your SAT scores) is right in their range. Keeping in mind that may vary by major. For example, UMass Lowell might be a good safety school if you want to major in psychology, but if you want to major in engineering, I’d have you pick a different school as a safety.
Thanks RetiredFarmer, for your thoughtful analysis of my admissions question. I have now added Clark University to my list as they seem to have good Bio programs and that if I decide to pursue 5 year BS/MS programs the fifth year tuition is free. Great advice.
Thanks RoaringMice.
I am thinking of a major that combines my interests and strengths in Biology and Mathematics. Any advice will be appreciated.
Based on your academic interests, you may want to emphasize the availability of bioinformatics programs in your college search (e.g., https://academics.hamilton.edu/biology/home/bioinformatics.html.)
Thanks merc81 for the recommendation. will definitely look at the bioinformatics as that is of interest to me.
If you have not already done so, check out https://www.wpi.edu/academics/departments/bioinformatics-computational-biology
What happened to bring your GPA down? Is it just that you overextended with APs and too many difficult courses?
where are you in your class?
Yes, I got overstretched a little across courses as I also took all honors courses in my school along with other EC activities. My GPA suffered in 10th and 11th after having a good GPA in 9th. I also switched from a middle school where it was more project type of learning to a high school which was conventional and also my middle school course work did not line up well with high school. For example first time I got exposed to Chem was in 10th grade and my knowledge was not the same as other class mates who went through middle school curriculum at this same school.
Thanks for any guidance, SuzyQ7
collegemom3717, I am most likely in the 25th-50th percentile in my class GPA wise for unweighted GPA and slightly higher for weighted GPA as I took all Honors/AP classes and no college prep classes. Thanks.
Forget Cornell, JHU, Brown with a 3.2 and a rank 25-50%.
UMass Amherst and WPI are matches.
You need more matches and safeties.
Run the NPC on Clark, Wheaton MA, St Lawrence, Marist, Muhlenberg, Dickinson (high match/low reach).
SUNYs, perhaps, if they’re affordable? UMaine Orono?
UMass Lowell would be a safety, honors college highly likely.
MYOS1634, Thanks for the guidance.
I sure do have Umass Amherst and WPI in my list. I have also added SUNY.
Is JHU a 0% probability as I have done two internships at their Public Health department or any possibility with a ED choice as a candidate with hooks (as the admissions offices call it)? Or will I be wasting it and be better off to use my ED somewhere else such as Northeastern which I really like as well.
Your GPA and class rank are way low for JHU. IMO, you’d be throwing away your ED.
Thanks momofsenior1 for your pragmatic feedback.
I would check common data sets for the schools you are interested in and eliminate those indicating they place more importance on GPA compared to test scores. I believe WPI places more emphasis on GPA. On the other hand, RPI might place more emphasis on test scores.
As suggested above, find safeties that match your GPA and go from there since it’s much more limiting than your test scores.
I think Cornell and Brown are unrealistic. JHU might be in the realm of possibility if your internship advisor/professor really liked you and goes to bat, but still a long shot. I think there is a good chance you will get in to at least two of the others if you rock your essay and have strong LORs and good GC recc (possibly putting a good spin on your lower GPA in 10th,11th.) And you still need a couple safeties too. Good luck.
One of my kids, unhooked, got into Cornell with a 3.0 unweighted. It was about 10 years ago. He was also a National Merit Scholar. We thought his grades would eliminate him too, but he had no Cs or D’s, took very the most difficult courses
He got into several selective schools
But we didn’t countnon it during the application process. He also go rejected from some schools that would have been easy matches if it weren’t for his grades. I think a research directed essay that hit some personal notes which was very unusual was instrumental since he got notes from colleges about it.
I do not think Hopkins or like school would be a go unless you have a professor from there who really pulls for you. OR, if you apply as a Social Sciences major making a clear case for wanting to entering that field with the work you have done. As a science major, With all of the top drawer apps they get, I cannot see it. You’d have to make a strong connection with your work and a school and major at Cornell too, not an oversubscribed one.
Understand these are lottery ticket chances. Those schools are in single digits for acceptance as it is.
A lot of good advice upthread. You should research your schools and make sure you have a number of them that are realistically with your GPA with your test scores as a sweetener, not using those scores as a match. Clark is a great school, SUNY Buffalo is a hidden gem. ; I know both schools well. I don’t know if Union college has programs that fit you , but I know they have taken outliers from their parameters. My friends DD was loath to transfer from URI to Cornell under some deal Cornell offers a limited number of applicants if they perform well freshman year at whatever school they do end up choosing. She stayed at URI, getting amazing research opportunities there and went to grad school at Cornell instead So there are a lot of possibilities out there. Most of the state universities with graduate level research facilities offer great opportunities in their fields. Just some schools better known than other, often thanks to their football team Also private schools with some excellent work being done. I truly cannot recommend Clark, UB, Union , URI highly enough in these regards.