High Test Scores but struggled in school

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>Hey, I’m glad I found this site. It has a wealth of information. Now to the details.</p>

<p>I was diagnosed Bipolar when I was 12 and have been admitted to a mental hospital twice. However, my medicines are finally stable and I’m starting to do better.</p>

<p>Here are my attributes:</p>

<p>Male
Rising Senior
Plan to go to liberal arts school and major in English and follow that with Law School.</p>

<p>ACT- 33
ACT Writing- 12
GPA- 3.2 (I struggled with depression.)
Rank- Not very good.</p>

<p>EC’s
Not that many. </p>

<p>High School Baseball

  • Varsity (9, 10, 11, 12)
  • Looking to play at my college</p>

<p>Graduate Assistant for Junior High Basketball Team

  • 10, 11, 12</p>

<p>FFA

  • 11</p>

<p>FCA
- 9, 10, 11, 12</p>

<p>Student Council Pres.

  • 9</p>

<p>Hooks

  • I think my struggles with my disease will help me some. My top essay is centered around how I have overcame it.</p>

<p>Teacher Recs.

  • I should have very strong teacher recs. </p>

<p>Essay

  • My counselor told me my essay is one of the best she’s ever seen and she’s been in the profession since 1970.</p>

<p>Schools

  • Williams
  • Swarthmore
  • Amherst
  • Dartmouth
  • Reed
  • Pomona
  • Harvey Mudd
  • Grinnell
  • Cornell
  • Wash U
  • Claremont Mckenna</p>
2

<p>Reed will sometimes take a chance on someone with high test scores (your ACT is above Reed’s 75th percentile; see <a href=“http://web.reed.edu/ir/cds/cds0607/cdssecc200607.html[/url]”>http://web.reed.edu/ir/cds/cds0607/cdssecc200607.html&lt;/a&gt;) but low grades if there are signs of a lively mind. However, Reed has no baseball, in case that’s a requirement for you. Strong writing is a big plus.</p>

3

<p>top lacs are generally more interested in your performance in school not test scores. what are your matches and safeties?</p>

4

<p>You probably don’t want to go to HMC if you are planning on going into English or Law. HMC has way too many core science/math requirements for people who are not stoked about that stuff.</p>

5

<p>suggest apply to some schools whose typical incoming class GPA is consistent with your junior-senior year grades.</p>

<p>Generally I think GPA is held as highly relevant.</p>

<p>With your “story” they might be willing to give less emphasis to the earlier years, but at some point they might reasonably conclude that what you’ve accomplished more recently is indicative of your actual likely academic capabilities going forward, given the combination of your intellect/ test scores and your medical condition.</p>

6

<p>Harvey Mudd also strikes me as a very illogical choice for you (and I assume that admissions would agree). Even if you were interested in what the school offers (I believe that one of your degrees–minor, if not major–must be on campus, meaning that it has to be within a narrow range of tech fields), your application doesn’t offer much that says “look…I really can do this stuff” (relevant ECs, subject tests, etc.).</p>

<p>Beyond name, I don’t know anything about Grinnell or Wash U., so forget this if they cover this (and forgive me if they don’t), but make sure you have true safeties (i.e. schools that will definitely admit you in the possible scenario that everyone decides to care about your GPA).</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>