Low GPA/High ACT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:31 is not a high score in DMV area. only if you are looking at national percentile.

You are off. In our experience with DS, high ACT like 31 trumps GPA. Anywhere outside of top 40 nationals plus top slacs in play.

This year, my DC with similar stats (but a higher ACT) has not had any luck with schools in the 50-100 range. All defers and outright rejections. A few admits in the USNWR 150-175 range. SLACs are not of interest.

I don't even get this. My kid with 3.4 GPA and 1270 SAT last year was admitted to Penn state, Indiana, Delaware, Miami Ohio, Rutgers, JMU, Pitt. From moco public, couple of AP and all honors (not in a school that has “honors for all.”) Those are all 50-100, right?
Friends kid this year got an 820 (on sat, yes, abysmal) who was admitted to Penn state and Delaware. Product of mcps grade inflation. All honors, no APs, Algebra II senior year. (“honors for all” is at their school.)

URMs? First generation? Otherwise hooked?

Literally nothing for my kid, and nothing for my friend's kid. I was pleasantly surprised by my own kids results. Only UMD and UVM did not get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on ACT:
College of Wooster
Denison
Dickinson
Gettysburg
Lawrence
Muhlenberg
Oberlin
St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Olaf

Her ACT would be on the higher side for:
Agnes Scott
Allegheny
Goucher
Juniata
Kalamazoo
Salisbury
University of the South (Sewanee)

GPA would be more typical and ACT would be very high for:
McDaniel
Hood
Susquehanna

I'd focus on choices in several tiers (e.g like those above) and really show them some love with demonstrated interest. And also put in some higher shots, because you never know!

What's her weighted GPA like?

Thanks for the suggestions. She has a 3.5ish weighted this year - she's taking two APs, will be sitting for the tests at the end of year. She's a better test taker than everyday student so hopefully gets 4 or 5.

She can do better than all of these schools, in case you didn't know. And by "better" I mean those "'A' schools for 'B' students" like Indiana, Rutgers, Delaware, Syracuse, Temple, South Carolina. These are large state schools - and I think most of those I mentioned give some money, except Rutgers. I know of kids with worse stats, including my own, who were accepted at those schools (except they did not apply to Syracuse or USC).

But should she?

I can't say why her GPA is low, but those core reasons aren't going to change much when she goes to college, and now she's going to have less home support. She's going to have to burn relative IQ points to keep up her grades, so to be successful she's likely better off going to an institution where she is significantly brighter than the average student, and this is particularly the case with a major like chemistry, which is both legit harder and more apt to draw stronger students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on ACT:
College of Wooster
Denison
Dickinson
Gettysburg
Lawrence
Muhlenberg
Oberlin
St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Olaf

Her ACT would be on the higher side for:
Agnes Scott
Allegheny
Goucher
Juniata
Kalamazoo
Salisbury
University of the South (Sewanee)

GPA would be more typical and ACT would be very high for:
McDaniel
Hood
Susquehanna

I'd focus on choices in several tiers (e.g like those above) and really show them some love with demonstrated interest. And also put in some higher shots, because you never know!

What's her weighted GPA like?

Thanks for the suggestions. She has a 3.5ish weighted this year - she's taking two APs, will be sitting for the tests at the end of year. She's a better test taker than everyday student so hopefully gets 4 or 5.

She can do better than all of these schools, in case you didn't know. And by "better" I mean those "'A' schools for 'B' students" like Indiana, Rutgers, Delaware, Syracuse, Temple, South Carolina. These are large state schools - and I think most of those I mentioned give some money, except Rutgers. I know of kids with worse stats, including my own, who were accepted at those schools (except they did not apply to Syracuse or USC).

DP. Thanks for this list. Are there any other schools you'd recommend including Privates? DS (Junior) will likely end up in the same ballpark (3.2-3.3 UW and 3.8-3.9 W) and 1500-1540 SAT (based on practice tests and PSAT). FCPS and no hooks. Our budget would be about $50K/yr all in. DS is interested in non-engineering STEM/Arts combo. BC Calc planned for sr. year.

The non-Engineering STEM/Arts combo kids I know (lots of DS's friends with a range of grades/scores) really liked: USC, Brown/RISD, CMU, Georgia Tech, Santa Clara, WPI, RIT, RPI, GMU, Ithaca, U. Denver, Drexel, Pitt, Case Western, Miami of Ohio, DePaul, U. Wisconsin, UC Santa Cruz, U MD, American, Lehigh, Boston College, NYU. Some of those are out of range for the GPA, but none for the SAT, so it can't hurt to try if there is a great art portfolio. Nonetheless, I see merit aid for you at a lot of the lower ranked schools, so don't let the price tag of the privates scare you off. You will be interested to see that all of the tech schools really care about the fine arts too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on ACT:
College of Wooster
Denison
Dickinson
Gettysburg
Lawrence
Muhlenberg
Oberlin
St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Olaf

Her ACT would be on the higher side for:
Agnes Scott
Allegheny
Goucher
Juniata
Kalamazoo
Salisbury
University of the South (Sewanee)

GPA would be more typical and ACT would be very high for:
McDaniel
Hood
Susquehanna

I'd focus on choices in several tiers (e.g like those above) and really show them some love with demonstrated interest. And also put in some higher shots, because you never know!

What's her weighted GPA like?

Thanks for the suggestions. She has a 3.5ish weighted this year - she's taking two APs, will be sitting for the tests at the end of year. She's a better test taker than everyday student so hopefully gets 4 or 5.

She can do better than all of these schools, in case you didn't know. And by "better" I mean those "'A' schools for 'B' students" like Indiana, Rutgers, Delaware, Syracuse, Temple, South Carolina. These are large state schools - and I think most of those I mentioned give some money, except Rutgers. I know of kids with worse stats, including my own, who were accepted at those schools (except they did not apply to Syracuse or USC).

DP. Thanks for this list. Are there any other schools you'd recommend including Privates? DS (Junior) will likely end up in the same ballpark (3.2-3.3 UW and 3.8-3.9 W) and 1500-1540 SAT (based on practice tests and PSAT). FCPS and no hooks. Our budget would be about $50K/yr all in. DS is interested in non-engineering STEM/Arts combo. BC Calc planned for sr. year.

The non-Engineering STEM/Arts combo kids I know (lots of DS's friends with a range of grades/scores) really liked: USC, Brown/RISD, CMU, Georgia Tech, Santa Clara, WPI, RIT, RPI, GMU, Ithaca, U. Denver, Drexel, Pitt, Case Western, Miami of Ohio, DePaul, U. Wisconsin, UC Santa Cruz, U MD, American, Lehigh, Boston College, NYU. Some of those are out of range for the GPA, but none for the SAT, so it can't hurt to try if there is a great art portfolio. Nonetheless, I see merit aid for you at a lot of the lower ranked schools, so don't let the price tag of the privates scare you off. You will be interested to see that all of the tech schools really care about the fine arts too.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD has a 3.2 UW GPA and 31 ACT score as a junior. Does go to a private, so GPA is not abysmal, but probably at the 20th-25th percentile. She wants to go to a small or mid sized school. Interested in studying Chemistry, and if that doesn’t work out, Economics. She’s pretty quiet and interested in visual arts (painting) and outdoor activities (skiing, backpacking, & climbing) - wants to continue in college. I have no idea what schools would be targets for her. I feel like UVM, Denver, and St. Lawrence might be good ones? It’s hard because her GPA and ACT don’t align. We can contribute 50k a year to college but may not get aid, so schools that give merit would be appreciated.

Likely can do better on SAT/ACT by next fall so you're probably jumping the gun.

31 = 1400 roughly. That's decent but not getting in anywhere special. It will get in plenty of places though even if she does not improve. I'd guess she would be competitive-to-lock at those 3 schools though I don't know them well. But she will improve her stats probably and if so, those may be safeties at the end of the day. 1400 does show she is not *over achieving* which is good.

I'd also say her gpa and scores may well align if this is a reasonably challenging private (or she is lazy). I would submit a 31/1400 at a test optional school with a 3.2.

Take the test(s) in the early fall and then decide.