How low is too low?

Applying to College
21

You can be proud. (Something I rarely say.) You’ve grown. You’re one of those kids where I can say, no matter what, you will rise. Yes, you’re quite a different person from 7 months ago.

If you’ve submitted, it’s now in their hands. Hope for the best, but be proud of how you used the past months. Nothing can ever take that away from you.

Your chem AP5 is strong. I don’t know how the SAT M vs CR breaks out. But I think that, even with the B’s, they will see the strengths,

What we can never know, is how it will boil down, in the end. Geo diversity matters, some other who-knows-what institutional considerations. Those are factors beyond your control.

22

It depends on the level of competition. If the average unweighted GPA is 3.99, then a 3.7 will be tossed in the recycle bin. You’re not going to make up for it with the SAT, because all the applicants have near perfect scores also. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that a great “hook” will get you in. All of the other applicants are thinking EXACTLY the same thing…but they have the advantage of perfect grades.

Even with perfect grades/scores, these schools have a 5-7% admission rate(or so they tell you). There’s a lot more to choosing a school than selectivity. Selective means just that. It doesn’t mean “better” or more “rigorous.” Shop around for a wide variety of affordable reach, target, and safety schools based on your interests and personality. The career world is extremely diverse with a wide variety of backgrounds. Ultimately, it won’t matter where you go.

23

You have achieved so much since last college app season! The combination of green card and QB Finalist status is really going to boost your chances. That you are in a state that fully pays Zero EFC students’ flagship state school costs, and that you have such a fine school in UIUC puts you in very good position.

That you have some BA/MD programs in the basket too, shows you are truly looking at a lot of high selectivity options. That another state school has such a program and it’s possible that it’s affordable to you is terrific.

Even if you do not get a QB Match, you have a lot of eggs in a lot of baskets.

Make sure your FAFSA has a zero EFC—that is essential. If you are feeling antsy right now, look at some QB boards snd discussions from prior years. You’ll see very clearly that there are kids accepted through this program with less than usual academic stats. You do have a hook here, you have good state school back ups that might even be preferable to you than the QB schools.

You might also want to look at a number of other schools that are not as selective as the ones you have chosen already, and look for opportunities where full rides scholarships or full need met financial aid I’d very possible for you. These are overlooked schools, the ones that are not so easy to find. Do some scratching around.

Your thread regarding DACA students was extremely beneficial. Many are under the mistaken assumption that being DACA, being first generation, being low income all reap an admissions and financial aid bonanza. No, it’s not true, and you laid it out well.

But the promised land does not necessary give equal harvests to all even with the green card, even with QB. It is very difficult to gain acceptance to the most selective schools by definition alone. Yes, you have to have top grades, top class rank and take the most rigorous courses. You are not the top of the top in terms of kids posting here. If you read a number of these threads, you’ll find kids with 4.0 averages. Perfect test scores. Taking very rigorous courses. IMO, it’s getting more difficult each year to gain admissions to the top schools and most of the stats bear me out on this.

This forum is full of parents and kids looking hard for big merit money because they cannot or will not pay what the financial aid formulas say they should pay. If you can’t pay your EFC, big merit Is one solution. And that often takes you into uncharted territory. Most of the schools in this country are not household names and it takes some digging to find them and assess chances of getting enough money to make them possible to attend.

The College application process is extremely stressful when you apply to selective schools. Being selective when the odds are low is stressful.

In my state, DACA students, and even illegal immigrants without DACA status can get free tuition if they have graduated from a state highschool and can prove they have been in school here for a certain period of time. However, the aid given is pretty much limited to tuition only. You commute to one of the state schools unless you make it through the gauntlet you attempted last year with private colleges. I know a number of kids commuting to a CUNY or SUNY. One young woman I know with a 4.0 Gpa did not get really high test scores. She goes to community college and works part time. That was the affordable option. That she was a top student at her highschool did not net her any full RIdes to sleep away colleges. Without access to funds that require a FAFSA this is what is affordable. This is very typical.

24

Don’t angst over things that can’t be changed. At this point you should focus on presenting who you are and what you have accomplished in the best possible light. After that you have to let things fall as they may. You have a fantastic option with UIUC so one way or another you should be in a wonderful and affordable four year college next year.

25

The difference isn’t simply that OP is QB. It’s in what comes through on these threads about the individual.

It’s not just a gpa comparison, @coolguy40 . Not just the gpa isn’t perfect, so it goes into the recycle bin. That hapens in ‘first cut’ when a kid has a grossly subpar record. They will read the full app, QB and CA parts. A lot of top stats kids don’t do well on their full apps/supps, don’t show what needs to be shown, and that includes QB finalists, too.

If there is an advantage (not a guarantee,) it’s that a national organization has vetted and approved OP. Now he uses their fuller app, which covers more of circumstances and interests/actions than the CA can fit. Top QB colleges will read him looking for the strengths- not summarily dismiss for the two B grades. Not assume the 3.6x gpa isn’t 4.0, so out he goes.

When they read an app package, it’s an interaction. They want to like a kid- for inherent reasons as welll as accompishments. They want to see he can take advantage of their opportunity, fit, and thrive.

Imo, OP’s endurance and growth will be well received. Whether or not there’s an admit from that, we cannot guess.

The kids with better stats, who were quotes as anecdotes, may have missed in other important parts of the app. Or just because of institutional needs.

26

@cptofthehouse
As for my EFC, it is a 0, and fortunately, it seems like I am eligible for the maximum Pell Grant amount of $6,195 (yay). I also have a pending $5500 scholarship from my High School which I wasn’t able to claim since I didn’t have a college I was attending - they used to just send checks to the award recipients, but oh well - would’ve helped a lot.

It’s honestly a weird situation because although my brother is not my father’s dependent, my father and I are essentially his (my brother’s) dependent because he pays for almost 90% of our living expenses. I think that may have also pushed my Questbridge Finalist outcome as well - instead of $15.5k for a family of 2, it’s for a family of 3 almost.

Through Questbridge, I was pretty surprised to find out(on the Questbridge Discord Community with over 600 applicants!) that many of the individuals owned a house (~$200k or so). I was also, however, sad to see many qualified applicants not make it (more qualified stats than me) as their EFC was a bit high (around $3500).

Hopefully and fingers crossed Questbridge might be that “stamp of approval” to some of these schools for lower-income students/well achieving high school students and will positively affect me, if not, I’ll still have regular decision with a pretty significant “honor/recognition” to put on my Common App :slight_smile:

27

Unfortunately, too many kids who apply to certain programs do not research sufficiently to see that a zero EFC is important to get Dollar One from some programs and greatly increases chances of getting into some schools and programs. Frankly, i believe it’s unfair in that a very low EFC could often have been zero with a little foresight. As you know, that zero EFC is key to enhancing QB chances and certain state scholarships.

I am glad that programs like QB are around, and wish there are more of them , and that GCs at high schools were more proactive about bringing them to students’ and families’ attention.

I also wish that Admissions Offuces were more proactive in finding deserving students who have faced challenges. Particularly, colleges that can well afford to do more. The number of PELL eligible students at the most selective schools is minuscule. They can do better than that. For all the preferences that those from well to do families can “buy” for their kids , many simply born into such privilege, a bit more can be extended to those who have had to work against many odds.

But, yes, OP has a “hook” now. A very rare hook. Hooks do not guarantee admissions, do remember. Many legacy, celebrity, development , kids do not get into the select colleges they want. It’s just that more of them do than those with similar profiles and are unhooked.

It also helps to be doing this the second time around, when things are not such curve balls. For kids who are doing most all of the research in the college application process, many mistAkes get made. Even parents find this an overwhelming process.

I’ve gone through this with our family’s kids many times, and even then with the last child who had a pretty danged good application, I tucked in those safeties. Made sure that there was an opportunity for some free rides, less expensive options and schools certain to accept. Things can go amok in the process, things change.

28

No, there is not cut off. I know this from multiple experiences of people getting into top 25s with sub 3.6 gpas. Folks on this forum for some reason are under the impression that everyone has a 4.0gpa and a 36 on their act. Considering that only 1000 people get a 36 each year and these candidates are spread out throughout the admissions process, I can confirm this is not true. Be confident in your app and take a shot… the vast majority of people here are just trying to bring you down.