<p>My stats:
3.2 UW/3.7 W
2250 SAT
800 math and physics SAT II
Been in the local county honor band
2 AP (3 more senior year) 4 honors
Members of a few clubs (Interact, key club etc.) for 2-3 years
1 D ( which was retaken for an A) and 3 Cs during 10th and 11th grade.</p>
<p>I am looking to major in either computer science or engineering.</p>
<p>Why is your UW GPA so low… You seem very intelligent based on your test scores… That being said, you should try to apply to local state schools that may forgive your low gpa. Maybe a couple privates explaining your situation for having a low GPA (if you have one).</p>
<p>You probably can get into second tier colleges, including some that may give you merit aid due to your scores. Depending on what state you’re in, due to your scores, you may be able to get into your state’s flagship public. This won’t be likely, though, if you live in a state like California where there are plenty of students with sky high scores – and excellent grades – who attend the state’s top public universities.</p>
<p>Maybe his school is very rigorous and the grades are deflated? It would seem so with that SAT.</p>
<p>RIT would be be a good choice. they love high scores - you’d probably get some merit aid too.</p>
<p>If you weren’t applying as an engineering major, you could have had an okay shot at NYU, BC, and a few others.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, when you mention 2nd tier, are you refering to 2nd tier as in the next 100 schools on USNWR or schools outside of the top 30?</p>
<p>Your gpa is low because of those Cs and a D. It doesn’t take much. That said, I’m curious about each year’s progress. I think schools look to see where your grades dipped per year and maybe you could even write about any special circumstances. It’s also important to understand where you struggled, certainly not in math/science. Personally, I think your GC needs to explain something as it’s holding you back somewhat, but have good recs elsewhere (especially try to balance them: math/sci and an Eng/His).</p>
<p>Schools like to see a balance between grades and scores. Try to identify schools that accept a lower SAT score, with higher 3.2 gpa.</p>
<p>Were those C’s and the D the “year end” grades? or were those “quarter grades”?</p>
<p>Do you know if your HS transcript just sends “year end” grades only (as my kids’ Catholic school did), or does it send semester grades only? (I don’t think many HS send each quarter grade, but I may be wrong about that.) 
My DS2 had a B- on one quarter grade in AP Euro, but it never showed up on his transcript because his other quarter grades for AP Euro were A+ so his “year end” grade was an A (which is all that colleges saw).</p>
<p>Do you know if your HS puts the weighted GPA on the transcript? </p>
<p>And what did your HS do about the “redo” of the D to an A? Does the D still show on the transcript?</p>
<p>If your school only sends year end grades and includes weighted GPA, your transcript may look better than you think.</p>