Totally clueless...I need help!

[jacknjill]

<p>I don't know what to do. Here are my stats:</p>

<p>GPA:
9th: 2.07
10th:2.56
11th:3.14 (I stated IB)</p>

<p>SAT: Math: 720 Verbal: 600</p>

<p>I worked in 10/11th grade
I have an internship at the Eurpeon Union General Secretary in Turkey
Jazz band since 8th grade
3 Model United Nations
Soccer team
School Rock band
I have a video of me playing Winter- 4 seasons by vivaldi infront of my school
100 community service hours</p>

<p>Now I'm in 12th grade. We just moved to New York from Europe. My intened major is economics or business...The problem is that my GPA is horrible...it increases a lot but its just horrible...and when I search for universities using my SAT scores, I end up finding colleges that usually admit people with GPA's above 3.7 , so right now i have no idea what i should do...these are a couple of universities I'm thinking of but I think theyre all reaches, please help, i have no idea what Im doing....</p>

<p>NYU
Umich
UNC
UV
Purdue
UC Berkeley
CUNY-baruch
UChichago</p>

<p>like i said...all reaches I think, but I dont know...</p>

<p>please help me</p>

[taxguy]

<p>Of all on the list, your only real chance is Baruch, in my humble opinion.</p>

[bettina]

<p>I can be a problem when your SAT scores are so out of whack with your GPA. The kind of schools on your list will want to be sure you can do the work, and will do the work. Do you have any extenuating circumstances why the GPA is so low in 9th and 10th. </p>

<p>I don't know any more about chances in than what everyone knows from looking at SAT and GPA range. But Berkeley is a definite no. They are very numbers driven at UC's in admissions, and you are out of state, so few slots open and they will be filled by the very best applicants.</p>

<p>You need to expand your search.</p>

[carolyn]

<p>Berkeley and any of the UC's are a no for the simple reason that out of state applicants need a minimum GPA of 3.4 to be eligible for consideration. You're out of the ball park there.</p>

<p>Of the other schools on your list, only Purdue and Baruch strike me as possibilities.</p>

<p>I'd say some of the SUNY schools might be a good bet - try Oneonta, Oswego, Purchase for starters.</p>

[jacknjill]

<p>Well, in 8th grade I moved from NY to Turkey, Im not sure what its called in english, but I think its a brain tumor...my grandmother was paralyzed because of it and she lived with us. When I was in 10th grade she passed away. Would that make a difference?
BTW I took the SATs 3 times
1rst: 720 Math 570 Verbal
2nd: 660 Math 540 Verbal
3rd: 710 Math 600 Verbal</p>

[bettina]

<p>I don't think that will be considered extenuating, but who knows. Was that the reason you didn't do your work? Maybe if you had the brain tumor....</p>

[carolyn]

<p>Wouldn't make a difference at the UC's or most of the selective public schools on your list.</p>

[Alexandre]

<p>Jacknjill, did you attend an American high school in Europe or was it a European igh school?</p>

[jacknjill]

<p>well, I guess you would call it european. In 9-10th grade we did the IGCSE program which no one in the US knows about, but in 11th I started the IB program, but my new school doesnt have it, so I cant continue it...but I have my teachers predicted IB grades according to my 11th grade performance:
Highers:
Economics: 7
History: 6
Physics: 6</p>

<p>Standards:
English A1: 4
Math Methods: 7
French B: 6</p>

<p>Will this make a difference? are there any colleges you guys reccomend?</p>

[Alexandre]

<p>Exactly as I thought. Be careful J&J...BE VERY CAREFUL NOT to translate your grade average into an American GPA. 7s on the IB are the equivalent of 5s on the AP and 6s are the equivalent of 4s. You are a 3.5 student, taking an advanced and challenging courseload. You are making the classical error that many people; converting your European average into an American GPA. Do not do it and make sure your high school does not do it either. Let the American universities you are applying to figure it out on their own. You just send them an official transcript with your IB scores and your school's comments.</p>

<p>And do not assume that American universities do not understand IGCSEs. They most certainly do. How did you do on your IGCSEs? Any "A*"?</p>

<p>Your SAT scores are decent. Maybe a little low for Chicago, but just fine for the rest. </p>

<p>One factor that could make a big difference is the issue of your mother tongue. Are you a native English speaker? I see that you got a 4 on your IB English and a 600 on your SAT verbal...in both cases, significantly lower than your other marks. If you are a non-native English speaker, your chances may even go up a little.</p>

<p>At any rate, given your 7s and 6s on your IBs, I think you have a good mix of schools, from the safeties (like Purdue), to the reaches, like Chicago and Michigan. Cal may be a little to mechanical, but what the hoo!</p>

[jacknjill]

<p>Thanks a lot for your encouragement. Well I'm not sure if English should be considered my mother tongue. I'm Turkish. This is my life (lol):
from when i was born till age 3= Turkey
3-7: California
7-9: Turkey
9-13: New York
13-17: Turkey
17-present: New York</p>

<p>It's a little bit messed up because my fathers a diplomat. </p>

<p>As for IGCSE's, my only A was maths, the others were not as great.
The problem about my last school in Turkey was that we had a lot of classes and the school’s GPA system was horrible. They had no A+ or -, an A was an A even if you got a 90 or a 100. This was horrible after I found out that in most HS's they do it out of 100, I calculated my GPA out of 100, and divided into 25 to see what the difference would be, and my GPA was actually a 3.42! This is because I had a lot of classes where i had 87-89, and you had to get a 90 for an A. So yeah, its messed up. Right now I'm taking two AP's out of the three that is offered in my new school; Calculus and Chemistry, and the other that I didn't take is English.</p>

<p>Does it matter that I worked in 10-11th grade for 15 hours a week?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for your help and enlightenment. Are there any colleges that you would recommend?</p>

[jacknjill]

<p>Oh and sorry, but is there a specific way to convert Euro GPA to US GPA?</p>

[midwesterner]

<p>You might want to take a look at midwestern schools, which are usually not as diverse aas the east coast schools. Your European experience and bilingual talent would be a plus factor. Several of my friends graduated from Denison, years ago, and remain active in the school's fundraising efforts. I know the school is strong in economics and looking for more diversity. It also offers good finanicial aid. Denison is about 45 minutes from Columbus, Ohio.</p>

[icemaker]

<p>out of your list, I think that you have a really good shot at Baruch and Purdue. All others I would humbly consider reaches, with UVA, Chicago and UC-B way out there.</p>

<p>Consider expanding your list with the like Virgina Tech, Michigan State, and the University of Illinois. Just a suggestion.</p>

[bettina]

<p>In your case, because of the confusion over international grades and how they translate in the US, you might consider a professional guidance counselor with specific experience in this area.</p>

[davidrune]

<p>Holy, those are really good predicted IB scores. You have an excellent chance at all your schools.</p>

<p>I think that's a 36/42,. I've known people who have gotten into ivies with those predicted score, but they were athletes. You'll havea chance at the schools you listed.</p>

[jacknjill]

<p>See thats the thing. I too believe that my predicted IB's are great...but my GPA brings me down...And its bad that my old school didnt rank students, so I dont have an advantage like that...BTW, as far as I know, the highest GPA for last year was a 3.8. </p>

<p>How does one go about getting a professional guidance counselor for me? I'll go to my guidence counselor at school tomorrow, but do you guys recommend a company or something?
Thanks a lot for your time</p>

[jacknjill]

<p>BUMP please</p>

[jacknjill]

<p>Sorry but...bump :)</p>