Help me strengthen my application [TX resident, 3.2 GPA, <$12k from parents, business, political science, economics, pre-law]

Applying to College
, ,
1

I am a high school junior in Texas looking to pursue government and law. Recently, I’ve been a little worried about my chances of getting into a good school (My dream would be McCombs) due to my weak academics freshman and sophomore year. I have a weighted GPA of 3.6 and unweighted of 3.2, which I know is terribly mediocre and a stronger EC track record. There is a part of me that is worried because prior to my junior year my resume is practically blank. This is mainly due to mental health and home issues, which I’ve heard some schools let you expand on if there is a spike in GPA in your later years, but I’m still worried admissions officers will overlook my application regardless because of it.

My stats are:

Academics

  • Unweighted GPA of 3.2, Weighted 3.6.

  • Upward trend spike junior year.

  • 4 AP’s as of now and have only tested for one, getting a 5, and do expect to pass for the 3 I’m taking at the start of May.

EC’s

  • Humanitarian and Volunteering Club, Founder and President, Junior year and continuing Senior year.

  • Academic Decathlon, Captain, have been appointed for the upcoming year.

  • Awareness Club, Event Coordinator, Junior year and expecting to continue Senior year.

  • FBLA, no position, Junior year and continuing senior year.

  • Key Club, no position, Freshman to end of high school.

Awards

  • 1st in FBLA State

  • 2nd in FBLA Area

  • Competing in FBLA Nationals this summer

  • 6 Academic Decathlon District awards (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze, and 3 5th’s including overall award).

  • 2nd in Academic Decathlon Regional’s for Essay

  • Camp Enterprise JA Titan Simulation winner, CEO, $1,000 scholarship recipient.

  • Local Pageant title holder

  • Internship at local Insurance company, summer before junior year.

Extra info.

  • 100+ volunteering hours accumulated from Key Club, humanitarian club, and FBLA.

  • First generation from 3rd world Latin-American country

  • Fluent in Spanish and English

  • Average family income

Future Plans (in hopes of strengthening my resume)

  • Applying to Girls State, not sure if attending yet.

  • Working over the summer.

  • Focusing on SAT prep to retake in the fall and hopefully justifying my low GPA.

  • Applying to scholarships over the summer and writing competitions.

Since I’m hoping to pursue law, my top 3 undergraduate majors are International Business, Political Science, and Economics.

Please if anybody has any program recommendations or activities I could participate in within the following 6 months, feel free to comment as I am in the Greater Houston Area.

2

If you are in a public school in TX, what is your class rank?

Do you have financial constraints/a budget for each year of college?

How many B’s, C’s and/or lower grades do you have on your transcript?

3

Lucky for you, there are hundreds of great schools. Hundreds - and most will get you to the same place - because you will get you to the same place with your hustle.

And many great schools don’t look at ECs - so you have no worries.

But how you pick a college starts with budget - first and foremost - so how much is your family able to spend each year - colleges can cost $25Kish up to $100Kish per year.

Your ECs are more than fine.

Work on that SAT prep, focus on your academics, get a job this summer like you did last (if you can) , and yeah, you’re likely not going to UT - but there will be hundreds of great schools for your interest.

Do you have a specific business interest - like finance or marketing or not yet?

Is law school a goal? If so, you need a 7 year plan of finance as law school could be another $100K a year.

Right now, it’s a buyer’s market - meaning better for the kids - and lots of great schools need butts in seats and you’re not going to have a problem finding a great school.

But need the budget….not I need aid or my income is average but an actual $ amount.

After budget - what would you want in a school:

  1. Large, medium, small - and yes UT is large
  2. Urban, suburban, rural - and yes UT is urban
  3. Big time sports?
  4. Greek life (which has a cost)?
  5. Religious affiliation?
  6. Weather

Those type things.

But fear not - you’ll have plenty of schools and most schools are subs to one another - regardless of what US News wants you to think.

That kid that can get into UT Austin but lives in Missouri - there’s a good chance they go to Mizzou, in other words, etc.

I look forward to hearing more from you.

1 Like
4

Thank you! Obviously, it would be my dream to go to a good undergraduate but it’s not my main worry especially since no matter where I go, I have a chance to prove myself in college in order to focus on what matters which is a good law school. To answer your questions, I do prefer urban and large to medium school’s, I don’t particularly care about sports, and I don’t have interest in Greek life. TCU is another school on my list, though I’m not really religious, so it’s not a necessity nor deterrent, but I would prefer to avoid a more conservative environment. I also plan to stay in the South as I do not like the cold. For my undergraduate I’m prioritizing affordability. As for business, it’s a field I’m considering as more of a back up, as I’m looking to pursue government law.

1 Like
5

Again, there are hundreds.

Guess what’s a GREAT undergraduate that a lot of Texans go to. U Oklahoma (and it’s gorgeous to boot), U Kansas, Arizona, Alabama, etc.

You are missing the point - there are hundreds of great schools. Some get in a magazine and people act like - they’re the best.

When I took my daughter to Wash & Lee, we spoke to a professor on campus for 20 minutes. He said they were #2 per capital in govt in DC. You know what he said was #1?? Sewanee (aka U of the South). Have you heard of it? I don’t know if his data was true but it’s what he stated.

There are so many GREAT schools out there.

And if you’re worried about law school - well Harvard’s first year class of less than 600 is from 163 schools, Gtown - 222 in the first year class of 672, and Penn over 200 in the class - so whether Arkansas, Salisbury, Christopher Newport to Montana, Boise State to Towson, you can get into a top program from anywhere.

So please get off the - I want to go to a good college. You know what will get you into a great law school? Lamar. Stephen F Austin, UTEP, etc.

But you’ll need a great LSAT.

Again, need a budget. Prioritizing affordability means nothing - so talk to mom and dad and ask - do we have $10K a year (then you’ll be home), $30K, $60K, etc.

Need a specific # - but note you will add $300K (potentially) for law school - and you want no loans, especially in undergrad.

Just as a reference, in-state UT would run high 20s tuition, room and board only. But unless you’re at a crazy grade deflation school, UT likely isn’t in the running but that’s why you were asked about rank too.

thx

1 Like
6

So the main things you need to do are keep reasonably challenging yourself with classes, and do your reasonable best in those classes. Then try to do your reasonable best on a standardized test as well.

I wouldn’t be overly concerned about other stuff, but one simple recommendation is to get a normal paying job–which I note is on your “Future Plans” list, which is good. But to underscore why, many AOs, including for very selective colleges, name normal paying jobs as one of their favorite ECs to see. Among other things, it communicates work ethic, time management, an ability to work well in teams, understanding of real world business and economic issues, and so on.

And you make some money! All around a good use of your time.

3 Likes
7

I am guilty of not directly answering your question. You have good ECs now, and agree with niceunparticularman that having a paid job this summer will be an excellent use of your time. Hopefully you can continue with your other volunteer work/tutoring this summer too.

You are exactly correct. Law schools want a high GPA and high LSAT score, so choose a school where you can succeed academically. Also choose a school that is affordable. We can help you build a college list but do need to know your budget.

3 Likes
8

Agree that a job could enhance your resume.

Check out the University of Dallas Jindal School of Management BS degree in Global Business.

P.S. Jindal offers lots of generous scholarships.

3 Likes
9

Have you talked to your parents about what they will contribute for your college costs?

https://lawschoolnumbers.com/application-prep#prelaw-tips may be helpful for pre-law students.

10

I go to a public school and I am in the middle ranks of my class though I’m not 100% sure. I have a budget in plan and my family plans to support me with at least $12,000~ a year and I am going to work and apply for aid. As for my transcript, there are mainly B’s and few C’s.

11

Thank you! UTD is a part of my college list so I am definitely considering this possibility.

2 Likes
12

Combined, my family has offered to provide around $12,000~ a year, which since I am likely staying in state would be a great help.

13

So at most places room and board alone cost more than that.

So is there a two year or four year where you can live at home and commute?

Have your family fill out a net price calculator too. Many private schools are generous with aid - and perhaps a few would be for you.

Here’s two:

Welcome | Net Price Calculator

Hendrix College | Meadow Net Price Calculator

1 Like
14

Thank you!

1 Like
15

Class rank? Any ACT or SAT scores?

Class rank is the most important factor in Texas public university admission.

16

One thing that I am wondering about based almost entirely on the budget constraints: I am wondering if you should at least think about doing two years at community college, then transferring to an in-state public university to finish your bachelor’s degree, and then possibly applying to law school (optionally with some work experience after getting a bachelor’s degree).

One friend of a daughter did at least the first four years of this (two years of CC followed by completing her bachelor’s degree at an in-state public university), based on similar budget constraints. This went well for her, although I do not think that she was interested in law school (at least I do not remember it).

3 Likes