<p>wow, really flows with the theme of the thread huh?</p>
<p>Oh snap, AdamM412!</p>
<p>my success story is finally unfolding. I was an A student for the first half of my freshman year in HS until I was diagnosed with leukemia the January of my freshman year. I underwent chemotherapy throughout high school and missed at least one day of class a week, sometimes more. My grades and SATās suffered because of this as I struggled to take on a hard courseload while also retaining good grades and ECās. I achieved about a B+/A- average (somewhere around a 3.4) with 4 APās and 5-6 accelerated classes. I took the SAT and was disgusted. I cried every time after that test as the cognitive side effects of my chemotherapy inhibited me from performing well on it. I would finish sections with barely half done when they called time. I received a low 1260ā¦ superscored and a 1910 on the new SAT. It was frustrating because I knew I could achieve better had the circumstances been better. I applied to college and was rejected from all but Loyola College in Maryland, Syracuse, University of Delaware, Northeastern, and BU. As i set out to narrow my choices down, my oncologists met with me and discussed college. Since my freshman year of college would be my first year off chemotherapy, I would have to get frequent blood tests and check ups with my oncologist in new jersey. Because of this, I was told I could not go further than 2 hours from my oncology clinic.
I matriculated into Loyola fall of last year with one thing in mindāacademic achievement to gain entrance to a more academically driven university. I worked hard when I had to but was largely unchallenged by Loyola and managed to get a 4.0 first semester with 18 credit hours. I was more active and retained more information than I ever had in high school when I was on chemotherapy. When second semester rolled around, I took on a 21 credit hour courseload (the hardest offered at loyola). I studied for the ACT in my spare time and took it for my first time, receiving a 32 cumulative. I am accelerating at my courseload now and am still retaining my 4.0 (crosses fingers, I dont want to jinx myself for finals in 3 weeks). My follow up with my cancer clinic is less stringent after this first year so I can apply where ever I want. I applied to 8 schools, 6 of which hadnt even been a possibility due to my HS grades and some due to geographic location. I have applied to Lehigh, Tufts, Johns Hopkins, Oberlin, Brandeis, BU, UPenn, and Cornell. Two days ago I received my first acceptance to Oberlin College and am elated with it. I never thought I would be admitted to a school like Oberlin and hope that the future holds more acceptances from my other schools. (I am crossing my fingers for Tufts.)</p>
<p>Keep your head up if you did poorly in high school. This past year at Loyola has been hell since I did not enjoy my time here but things are going to get better. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.</p>
<p>sfj your story is very inspiring. If anyone deserves to get in anywhere itās you.</p>
<p>Congrats on your acceptance to Oberlin, I hope you get the same from all of the other schools!</p>
<p>Yea, I hated highschool. I was so immature at the timeā¦I just decided to drop out and persue a full time job away from anything to do with learning. So, you can imagine a GED doesnāt look good on a college app.</p>
<p>After a few years my friends were going off to the best colleges in the state (uva, william and mary, georgetown) and I was stuck at home, watching late night TV and eating doritos.</p>
<p>My life caught up to me, and I just had to look at myself at what I had truly become. It ****ed me off so much I just applied to school on my own dime and worked full time for the first year. Surprisingly, I made straight As - 4.0 GPA babY! I was taking some hard courses too - name the weedout course and i probably took it. This past year I have kept up the good work and got elected as the schools Student Government president! I managed to squeeze out with a nice cumulative GPA of 3.8 to boot. </p>
<p>Now the time has come to fulfill my ultimate dream - getting accepted to one of my dream schools. I applied to UVa, William & mary, and virginia Tech (I plan to attend uva). I am just awaiting responses from the school, but Tech emailed me a ācongrats on acceptanceā. Dont know what to take of that, but I wont get my hopes up until I recieve the actual mail.</p>
<p>Seriously, if you think all hope is lost - thats what many ppl think as you can see. The hope wasnt lost, just your dreams! Whether school is included, piuck a dream and follow it. Thats my story and advice.</p>
<p>I love this thread. So inspiring. Anybody want to help me with my dilema? </p>
<p>I had a 1.98 in high school, 2 APs, no ECs, most of my teachers hated me, I donāt blame them. Iām finishing my first year at a local CC (I live in the Lehigh Valley, if that matters) with a 4.0, and, not to count my chickens, but I think Iām going to end up with a 4.0 in my second semester too. Iām a Phi Theta Kappa member, I volunteer at a homeless shelter, and work full time. Thatās pretty much it in the way of ECs. Anywho, my dream is to be a Writing/Lit major at Emerson College, or a writing major at some good LACs like Bryn Mawr, Sarah Lawrence or Bard. How much will my dreadful HS record hurt my chances at these schools? Am I reaching a lot? Is there anything I can do to improve my app? And if you think I am reaching, kindly tell me what I should be aiming at. </p>
<p>Thanks a lot. :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Holy shi-ā¦</p>
<p>Hey there, Olives. My high school GPA was ~2.1. I will be receiving admissions decisions over the next month and a half. I have about 70 units with a 4.0 GPA at a CC. If youād like, you can look at me as a test case. I aimed as high as can be, and look forward to some tasteful, embossed rejection letters from some of the nationās top institutions. Let me know if you want updates.</p>
<p>So far:</p>
<p>Accepted: UCSB, UCSD, Columbia GS</p>
<p>Rejected: Harvard (by default)</p>
<p>Pending: Yale, Amherst, Brown, Cornell, U Chicago, Stanford, UCB, UCD</p>
<p>Aneece, I am doing the same thing next fall. I cannot wait to receive all of those rejection letters! On a side note, I am also applying to Columbia GS this Spring, hope to see you there!</p>
<p>Wow, thatās amazing Aneece. Good luck with those pending. Columbia, quite the accomplishment. That really got my spirits up, I have a friend whoās been telling me I have no real chance at any school with a less than 60% admission rate.</p>
<p>You did a full two years? I guess so if you got 70 credits? Must I do two full years of coursework at my CC to be taken seriously at any good schools (Keep in mind, Iām not too interested in Yale or Harvard.)? Donāt get me wrong, Iām happy here and donāt look forward to moving away from my friends and family, but I feel like Iāll be missing out on so many oppurtunities (Like internships, honors programs, etc. etc. IDK, my friend, she who crushes dreams, told me as much) if I come in as a junior transfer, no? </p>
<p>But yeah, definitely keep me updated. 
And what were the rest of your stats and stuff?</p>
<p>So glad I found this thread!</p>
<p>Been enjoying everyoneās stories, hereās mine:</p>
<p>Was drafted into a talented and gifted program in 6th grade. Did very well. Contacted by Johns Hopkins for their Mathematics and Verbal talent search. Took my college SATās in seventh grade as part of the program. Scored 1050/1600, and was invited to go to Hopkins for free during summer before 8th. My parents wanted me to go therefor I did not. Lots of problems in my house, and sadly still not resolved. </p>
<p>Spent most of my middle school and HS time very depressed and distracted, graduated HS with a 2.7 GPA.</p>
<p>By senior year had a ācareerā as a DJ when the rave scene was big. Remember eating extasy the night before I took the SATs again. Spent alot of time flattening the pages which were curling from sweaty hands, but still managed a 1270.</p>
<p>Spent three years in the rave scene having a blast - then things got bad. Two of my best friends had fatal overdosed. One the winter of 04, the other in 05. Found myself alone - and severly addicted to cocaine. </p>
<p>Got a DUI/probation. Failed my first drug test - which sucked - but got clean in the perscribed outpatient rehab.</p>
<p>Went to CC part time where I completed 54 credits at 3.86. Got involved. VP of scholarship - PTK honor society, senator in Student Governance, and elected to a student leadership project.</p>
<p>Thought I was going to try to crack an ivy, but then decieded on art/design. I think I had a negative association bc of where my DJ career took me - which is why I switched majors just this Jan and had to rush the app process to transfer. </p>
<p>So far been accepted to industrial design programs at The University of the Arts and the Rochester Institute of Technology - which awarded me $11,000 in renewable grants/scholarships. Still waiting to hear from the Rhode Island School of Design. RISD is my first choice, but if I donāt get in Iāll most likely reapply - and apply to Pratt - next year</p>
<p>amazing story that more closely resembles a few things I have gone through, more so than alot of other CCers. I love when a turn around means a turn around like it does in this case. I wish you all the luck and hope it all works out. RISD seems like a great place for a ādifferently mindedā student and Rhode Island seems to be home to alot of great artists and thinkers.</p>
<p>
Iām sure your open-minded view about not having any strong interests is shared by all UChicago applicants.</p>
<p>what do strong interests have to do with anything logos? I donāt understand what you mean.</p>
<p>can anyone please tell me how to transfer into these big schools and prestigeous universities? My h.s. gpa is a 2.4 with all honors and ap classes and i have a 1700 sat. I am a seniot in h.s. going to Clarkson university. I want to know what it takes to transfer into an ivy league or a really prestigeous school (like top 25). Please help me so I can start planning now and not screw up like I did in h.s.</p>
<p>Everyoneās success stories are really great, but I want to know how you made it into a sucess w/ a crappy h.s. record?</p>
<p>
When did I ever say āall UChicago applicantsā? Please point that out for me.</p>
<p>I had a 2.5 GPA in high school in lower leveled classes at a very competitive high school. My SAT/ACT scores were abysmal too. However, I got a 3.679 GPA first semester and became active in the community at my college. I just got accepted into Northeastern University today.</p>
<p>congrats bostonbene!</p>
<p>I graduated HS with a 2.1 GPA and a lot of Dās and Fās on my transcript. Never took any college prep courses either.</p>
<p>This is my last semester at CC and I have a 3.7 GPA overall and was just accepted to UCSD. Itās weird because I think CC was a crapload easier than high school was. I think that waking up at 5am for high school every day just ruined my brain. That, and I was extremely lazy back then.</p>
<p>Congrats to bostonbene and kevinc.</p>
<p>supindy, I think it would be great if individuals posted the āhowā of the turnaround. Probably a lot is just growing up, gaining motivation.</p>
<p>Read the Transfer Admissions 101 sticky thread for some nuts and bolts. At any rate, Clarkson is a well-respected school and there might not be any need for you to think about transfer at all. Go there with the intention of making the most of the experience and you may not feel any need to transfer.</p>