<p>Ok so in the application pool, almost a quarter of the people have stellar grades and test scores. You don’t. What might they look for in low gpa kids to accept them?</p>
<p>Minority, first-generation college, outstanding EC’s, significant hardship.</p>
<p>Write a great essay. You have to make them want you.</p>
<p>EC’s, great essays, maybe an “acceptable” reason for a low GPA (e.g. some sort of hardship?)</p>
<p>Very specific skill that they need such as a rare musical instrument, a sport, or a talent in the fine arts.</p>
<p>Colleges and universities want to enroll students who will be successful there. If after evaluating your academic record, your test scores, your personality and temperament as revealed in your ECs and essays, they don’t believe that you will be able to handle the load, they won’t accept you.</p>
<p>Excellent essays. If you don’t have a great GPA, you better at least have a sharp upward trend.</p>
<p>Good extracurricular activities and a demonstrated drive to succeed (participation in good groups, etc).</p>
<p>I disagree with YoungDoc. For this lowest quartile, YOU MUST bring to the table something that the file readers feel is essential enough to overlook many other applicants with better stats and grades (like some of the examples mentioned above).</p>
<p>“Good” EC activity and “participation in good groups” do not qualify – because practically everyone does these.</p>
<p>Outstanding essays and/or extracurriculars (exceptional talent in music, art or sports, for example, or significant achievements outside of school). If the school has a distinct identity, character qualities that make you a great fit may also help you a lot; very enthusiastic/well researched Why X? essays are always a plus. Stellar test scores that prove you have the potential to do well academically will NOT offset your GPA, but they are still practically a must if your GPA is especially poor.</p>
<p>Basically exactly what it takes to get accepted with a higher GPA, only done much better. And lots and lots of luck.</p>
<p>Is 3.55 especially poor?</p>
<p>3.55 is not especially poor, particularly if it’s associated with a decent rank/rigorous courseload.</p>
<p>"Is 3.55 especially poor? " It all depends on the context. For the vast majority of colleges in the USA, it’s sufficient. For a handful, it’s not. Just depends on which ones you’re targeting.</p>
<p>Yea my rank is barely top 10%
my courseload is most rigourous.</p>
<p>I’m talking about Ivy League.</p>
<p>How do you find out what special skills colleges are looking for at the time?</p>
<p>3.55 is not good enough for ivy league, especially if you’re not in the top 5%.</p>
<p>you don’t need to find out what colleges want. you already do. either you have a hook or you’re just ridiculously good at something (ex. nationally ranked athlete)</p>
<p>Make an appointment with your guidance counselor and ask for frank recommendations based on the college acceptances of other students with your metrics. Listen and take good notes. Top 25 colleges would be wildly extreme reaches for you. You should cast your net further. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>for you to get into ivies and have not so great gpa, you need to have something surprising that admission people have never/rarely seen. ex: asian who speaks fluent arabic, or white who speaks fluent chinese. or here is the best one: black who speaks fluent chinese and have lived in china. the last one probably could get a way with a 3.55 uw and still make it to an ivy.</p>
<p>Well, I am an South Asian Muslim. I am fluent in Urdu, Hindi, learning Arabic, and Spanish. </p>
<p>I preach to nonmuslims and work hard to dispel wrongful notions of Muslims that the media portrays. (Should I videotape one of my talks and send it to them?). I’ve attended exclusive CAIR conferences and worked with the UMCP MSA in planning events. I’m probably going to start a blog about my life as an American Muslim. I might write a short book about “10 biggest misconceptions of Islam”, because I always hear this “72 virgins” thing, and jihad.
I also do biochem research over the summer for the past 2 summers. Hoping to publish something soon. I’ve won some small awards here and there at the regional fair, nothing big yet. Also qualified for USABO semis, hopefully make it to the final round next year.</p>
<p>Others:
Fencing- just started…
Badminton
QUIZBOWL: Went to NAQT Nationals a couple of times, PACE NSC and NASAT 2nd and 3rd place.
SciOly- regional stuff
MSA- above, Muslim Inter-scholastic tournament nationals medals.
School Treasurer: I went FDR’s New Deal on this joint. A slew of fundraisers lowered cost for prom tickets by a lot and helped the school
National Honors Society.
National Spanish Honors Society.</p>
<p>For fun, I draw futuristic, surrealist pictures/ landscapes, and I am a beast at Settlers of Catan.</p>
<p>Oh who am I kidding, I suck 
So much people are better than me, and they have the grades. I have a sharp upward trend, but whatever.
No matter what I do at this point, I feel it is all in vain and in the end, my life will turn out average, surrounded by average people, and by average opportunities. In God’s name I will apply to top 20 colleges and prayyyyyyyyyy the night away…</p>
<p>So yea, that’s the heads and tails of it. Off to mope about now…</p>
<p>Btw, I want to go to Cornell.</p>
<p>emphasize fluent in spanish. if you are “brown” hindu/urdu is not that impressive. but if you fall under the asian category, I wish you luck.</p>
<p>“I also do biochem research over the summer for the past 2 summers. Hoping to publish something soon.”</p>
<p>Sit down with your P.I. and find out where he/she has friends. If you are planning to continue in biology/biochem/biotech, having a professor on the inside of the university who wants you there may make a difference. And if that is your specific interest, at Cornell you want to study in either the College of Human Ecology or in the College of Ag. and Life Sciences.</p>