High SAT/downward trend GPA - Where should I apply?

College Search & Lists
1

My stats are as follows:

SAT I…haven’t taken yet but I’ve scored between 2290 and 2340 on practice tests
SAT II…I will probably take literature and US history. I expect over 700 on both.
UW GPA (out of 4.0)…currently 2.94, will be most likely be a 3.1 by the time I apply
RANK…currently 136/434
AP…Euro (4), Lit (predicted 5), us history (predicted 4)
SENIOR YEAR COURSE LOAD…most rigorous available (all AP/honors)
MAJOR AWARDS (USAMO, Intel etc.)…none
EXTRACURRICULAR’S…playing piano since I was 5, Student Council Association 11th &12th grade, year round swim team 9th grade, varsity letter on hs swim team all 4 years
JOB/WORK EXPERIENCE…currently applying for part time jobs
COMMUNITY SERVICE…none
ESSAYS…I’m a fairly good writer and I’m counting on my essays to overshadow my GPA
TEACHER/COUNSELOR REC…they’ll probably be very generic
ADDITIONAL REC…I’m probably going to ask my piano teacher to send in an additional rec. She’s been my teacher most of my life and I know she’ll write an amazing recommendation.
STATE…southeastern VA
SCHOOL TYPE…average public school ~2000 kids
ETHNICITY…black
GENDER…female
INCOME BRACKET…too much money to qualify for financial aid and not enough money to afford the sticker price

The reason why I’m starting a new thread on this topic instead of referring to the countless other Low GPA/High SAT threads is because, unlike the other threads, my GPA is more of a downward trend and isn’t caused by any extraneous situation. It’s caused by pure laziness and lack of motivation that started around second semester of sophomore year.

9th grade UW GPA: 3.41
10th Grade UW GPA: 2.73
Predicted 11th Grade UW GPA: 2.56
Current Cumulative GPA: 2.94 (UW)/3.32 (W)

My problem is that my GPA puts me out of reach of most scholarships, but my parents still expect me to get a full tuition/full ride scholarship because they cannot afford the sticker price at most schools. Also, my PSAT scores did not grant me NMF so NMSF scholarships are out of the picture. So my question to you is: Which schools provide generous merit aid for people with stats like mine?

I’m looking for a school that is somewhat difficult to get into (a.k.a. I don’t want to attend a college that is used by most students as a safety school) and has a traditional and large greek system (big sorority houses, greek row, etc.). I would prefer that the school be in or near a major city and not be in Virginia but neither of those criteria are make-or-break factors for me.

So far I’ve looked at the Morrill and Eminence scholarships at OSU, Forty Acres scholarship at UT Austin, the Presidential scholarship at USC, the Chancellor scholarship at UW-Madison, the Regents tuition waiver and Classic scholarship at UGA, the Gator Nation scholarship at UF, the Robertson scholarship at UNC, the Presidential scholarship at UMN, the Banneker/Key at UMD, the Deans scholarship at Lehigh, and the Johnson scholarship at W&L.

To be honest, all of these colleges are high reaches but they all really fit what I’m looking for in a school.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and any responses are greatly appreciated!
:slight_smile:

2

I’m going to be honest here. You have NO chance of scholarships. You have a very low GPA, no SAT scores. Taking a practice test is not the same as actually taking the real test. You have NO volunteer, NO work, NO EC. It sounds like you really don’t care about school. You will most likely need to do a low level state school, or community college. The chances of you getting into any of the schools above are slim to none. Sorry : (

3

What was your PSAT score? What about National Achievement Scholar status? To be perfectly frank, your declining GPA during earlier years puts you at a serious disadvantage at highly selective colleges or at colleges that give out scholarships for GPA and test scores. But there are scholarships at less selective schools that start at GPA of 3.0 with CR+M at a certain cutoff point. Also, you haven’t officially taken the SAT so it’s difficult to say exactly what you are competitive for yet. Once you get your metrics established then you should look for schools that you are high above the metrics for that school. There are threads about automatic scholarships at less competitive schools. Good luck with the journey and you will land at the right place. Make the most of it.

4

Well, now that you know what’s at stake, you CAN pull up that “estimated” junior GPA. If you manage to attain a 3.0, or something above 2.74, you may actually make a cumulative 3.0. What’s stopping you from working harder if the only reason for your grades is laziness?

I’ll be honest. You have zero chance for those scholarships. You can attend college; many colleges like the B student but these are not the top 20, or maybe even 50. However, even these colleges don’t admit students with a downward GPA trend. You need to focus on grades and bring them up. Don’t worry about the SAT exams. If you score 650-700 range for SAT I and II, you’re fine. A large gap between grades and test scores, along with a downward grade trend, signals an indifferent student.

5

Go to the Financial Aid forum and look at the pinned threads. I am sure there are a few full tuition scholarships available for your stats.

6

The competition for scholarships is brutal. Your best bet is pleading (by essay & interviews) for UVA to take a chance on a home grown kid. GL and be prepared to defend your GPA. Also, that’s your dream school. Don’t forget to apply to the lesser known in state universities. GL

7

You are delusional with some of those scholarships you mention your gpa puts you well out of the running–there is no SAT that would work in combination with those grades, and essays will not ‘overshadow’ a mediocre gpa. If you can grasp reality you have time to craft a better plan. Your best bet in your instate affordables. But there are a few schools in the automatic thread if you can break the 3.0 where you can get the tuition paid. They are not the ideal location all the time, and they are not always big name schools, but they will get the job done. I don’t know how you think you are in a position to be picky, what is your rock solid safety?

Note: I think Howard is the best one you might get free tuition from, check the whole list though, but you have to apply very early because these run out. So position yourself to be ready to apply. Testing done, essays ready…
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/

8

Youre asking for prestige and scholarships but your stats aren’t going to allow that to happen. Scholarships are awarded to those at the very top of the application pool, and any school that places you there is not going to be prestigious at all. You aren’t in a position to turn down schools because they aren’t prestigious enough. Honestly, your GPA is too low for all those schools you listed (UT, UNC, UGA, W&L, etc.) You probably wouldn’t get in, let alone get merit.

I suggest you look at Howard, Hampton, or Spelman if you aren’t opposed to the idea of HBCUs. But your best bet may be looking at state schools in Virginia (GMU, VCU) since we don’t have a true SAT for you yet.

Best of luck! And try to get that GPA to 3.0!

Also, if you’ve had a struggling GPA with your past courseload, I REALLY would not recommend that senior courseload.

9

Going to be honest here…if you didn’t want to go to a school that is considered a “safety”, then you should have tried harder. You said so yourself tha you were just lazy. You can’t expect to go to a prestigious university on a merit scholarship if you’re lazy. That being said, just bring it up to a 3.0 and you might have more chances

10

OP, welcome to the not so warm world of C.C. As you’ve experienced, it’s a bit elitist. Apply away and good luck.

11

Why don’t you take both the SAT and ACT, and then come back for suggestions. No student has ever been admitted anywhere on the basis of “expected” scores, and so your showing will be critical. Colleges might be more willing to take a chance on a bright, but under-achieving, African-American student, if she demonstrates great promise and managed to squeak out Bs in a rigorous curriculum. Scholarships are a different matter, however.

12

What classes are you taking (APs, Honors)…
To give you a real-life examples of schools where you have a shot and others where you don’t – African American student with actual SAT scores in the range of your predicted, same GPA as yours, roughly same level of ECs and income, but with actual extenuating circumstances for the GPA; the student got into Rider, Stetson, Hofstra, UNC Wilmington, Pitt-branch campus, and got denied at Binghamton, Northeastern, UF, Pitt Main campus.
In local equivalents, that means that UVA and W&M are out of reach, VCU and JMU are reaches, UMW, GMU, or CNU are matches, ODU or Longwood are safeties; Appalachian State, UNC Wilmington, and UNC Asheville would be matches, NCSU would be a reach, UNC-CH out of reach, UNC-G or UNCC would be safeties.
If you manage to pull your grades to get to a 3.0-3.1 by the end of junior year, you may have a shot at Howard and Spelman (no full tuition scholarship at the latter, but some scholarship at the former as long as you apply by September 1st, meaning your GPA has to be above 3.0 by the end of the semester).
Among the women’s colleges, Sweet Briar, Hollins, Meredith, Chatham would be matches, Agnes Scott a reach.