<p>i live in indiana and have a crappy gpa of a 3.1, ok SATs of a 2160 (taking it one more time) and great ECs b/c of student gov and charity work. since my gpa sucks, and if i can write a great college essay, would colleges consider me (or maybe even weightlist me). i’m hoping about:</p>
<p>u of michigan-ann arbor
usc (cali)
northwestern (extremely high reach, but why not)
u of florida</p>
<p>Public universities almost universally select students based on the students’ grades, class rank, test scores, coursework, and state of residence.</p>
<p>Your chances for having a great essay make a difference are best at private universities, but as a Harvard admissions officer has said about things like this, “They can revive the living, but can’t wake the dead.”</p>
<p>A better question would be which colleges sway towards the SATs. Frankly, your app won’t be read at several schools with a GPA of 3.1, regardless of how good your essays are. My advice would be, if you are going to be National Merit, is to go to the schools that offer full scholarships to NMF’s. If you’re not, I’d consider Tulane. They’ll likely overlook your less than impressive GPA and you may even get some scholarship money. Case Western would be a good fit as well.</p>
<p>She can’t be National Merit because her gpa is too low. it requires about a 3.5 gpa. At best, she could be a NM semifinalist.</p>
<p>Floridagatgrl, What other colleges are on your list?</p>