College App Question: SAT scores vs. GPA

[ohioguy218]

I thought over your situation a bit, and came up with this advice:

Don't worry about the SAT writing score ... most colleges don't really care about it. That gives you like a 1560/1600 ... which is 99+ percentile. Those SATs are first rate ... good enough for any school in the United States (even HYPS etc.).

But .... In your situation (not so great GPA), Class rank is key (most top-tier schools consider class rank a better indicator of academic performance than GPA) Since your school doesn't rank ... your counselor should still be able to indicate to colleges within what percentage you fall (top 5%, 10%, 20% etc.) This is standard procedure for schools that don't rank.

Regardless, your recs. will be absolutely essential. your counselor needs to emphasize your tough course load and (hopefully) an upward trend in grades from your freshman year (colleges love that kind of stuff). your teachers need to emphasize your work ethic, classroom performance etc. (you don't want to come off looking like a slacker ... which is what your GPA and SATs might suggest to some)
If you get good recs, your GPA won't be as much of a problem.

Again ... don't worry about a 3.3/3.4 too much (especially if you come from a top high school) ... schools will overlook it if everything else is in place ... 3.0s from top prep schools get into Ivy's all the time

As far as essays go, some schools care more than others ... they don't have to be great or extra-creative ... just solid and well-written.

As for your schools:

-Have you taken SAT II subject tests?? they are required for some of the schools you have listed (stanford, cal tech). If not, I'd get around to it ASAP.

-U chicago doesn't offer engineering. It's a pretty miserable place to be as well. Geeky students, ugly girls, grade deflation, and overwhelming work. Go to Northwestern (you have a great chance of getting in), go to McCormick school of engineering, and profit.

-UCs will be very, very difficult for you OOS with mediocre GPA.

-Stanford and Cal Tech are obvious reaches ... good luck