<p>Hey! I’m an African-American female from Detroit, MI. I attend a small performing arts school that is considered “underrepresented” (little to no resources), and my family suffered from financial hardships. </p>
<p>3.55 UW gpa: No APs are available, but I will be dual enrolled at local university in January.</p>
<p>ACT: 26 (33 E, 26 M, 23 R, 21 S)
Second highest composite in my class and highest subscore</p>
<p>ECs are amazing: Just learned that I’m a semifinalist for the Coca-Cola Scholarship! 400+ community service hours, current part-time job (4 work experiences), girls varsity volleyball captain, student government officer, art department president, founder of 2 clubs, 4-H vice president, costume design and makeup for theater department, and more. </p>
<p>I know that one of my reaches, The University of Michigan, is familiar to this, having numerous applicants from Detroit, but how will other schools compare me?</p>
<p>Within the SE Michigan area and nearby (Northern OH), schools may be accustomed to applicants from your particular HS. Certainly UM, MSU and WSU are accustomed to applicants from Renaissance and Cass – thus, your being a higher performing applicant from your school won’t be unusual or difficult for those schools to evaluate. Make sure you spread a wide net (EMU, UM Drbrn, UM Flint, UToledo, UDM, OU, LTU – perhaps others in state like Ferris, WMU, CMU). I mention these as they are used to admitting successful applicants from the DPS. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>I plan to apply to private, out-of-state schools.
My main concern is how students are assessed on performing in rigorous courses when none are really available to them. Because my GPA is low, will I be penalized?</p>
The less familiar the college is with your school’s offerings, the less context they’ll have to evaluate you. More risk is then assumed. What will be necessary for you is for your Guid counselor to clearly state your relative academic standing vis a vis your school’s offerings. Already in the Secondary School report that will accompany your application will be demographic information that will greatly inform the college about your school: % kids who go to college, % kids eligible for free/reduced lunch (shows relative income level of school), information about what honors/college prep classes are offered, etc.</p>
<p>In your communication with these OOS privates, try to speak directly with an admissions officer and ask him/her about how comfortable they feel admitting someone such as yourself from a less-resourced Detroit HS. Certainly, they’ll tell you something convincing or even non-committal (they’re trying to sell their college 100% of the time) but you might connect in a great way with one or two admissions officers who will really value your conversation. Unfortunately, most of the area college fairs have already passed by.</p>
<p>Follow T26E4’s advice closely and carefully!!! If colleges are not as familiar with your school, and if they are processing thousands of applications, they may not readily recognize your school’s offerings/circumstances. You want the information to be covered in as many areas as possible - your guidance counselor letter, even a phone call from your guidance counselor to your top 1-3 schools, any “additional info” text box of any applications, and communication by yourself with the admissions officers.</p>
I’m an African-American female from Detroit, MI. I attend a small performing arts school that is considered “underrepresented” (little to no resources), and my family suffered from financial hardships. </p>