Low GPA? Get Into Harvard And Stanford Anyway
If you are like a lot of students, you may be struggling with your grade point average (GPA). This can come as a surprise to students who did well all through middle school and then hit tough times in high school.
New teachers combined with tough classes hit you hard, and all of a sudden you see B’s and even C’s on your report card.
I had a hard time with the fact that my GPA was low when I was going through the process of applying at Ivy League schools. Here are some of the ideas that helped me. I hope they will help you, too.
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These three things helped me:
1. Take some college classes and be sure to do your very best work.
Use your summertime wisely. Sign up for some college classes and do well at them. Choose something that dovetails with your natural and/or your academic interests. One example would be, if you are consumed with medieval history, you should take a course in Renaissance Philosophy. Because it is already your interest, you should do well at it. If it supports your major, that is time doubly well spent.
Clearly, taking these classes will benefit you when it comes to submitting your Common Application. The fact that you have taken some courses at the university level and done well will show that you have what it takes academically. This is known as demonstrated academic depth.
This is helpful because, your high school GPA represents your ability to perform successfully at the college level. If you take actual college classes and do well, it will counteract your low GPA and help convince the admissions committee that you have what it takes.
2. In your final semester(s), take lots of AP/Honors courses.
It goes without saying, you will need to do very well in your courses. You want your college transcript to give an accurate record of your school attendance, work ethic, and study skills.
During the fall semester of Common Applications, I took seven AP classes. It was a really hard semester. However, those seven AP classes really looked good on my transcript! It didn’t matter that the grades did not show yet. The important thing was that my effort showed my serious academic intent.
When we have an admissions committee discussion, we say a great deal about trends.
One trend that looks good is taking lots of AP courses. This shows that a student is serious and has the potential to excel. When we see a student working in increments to improve his GPA, we sit up and take notice. Keep this in mind, too: It is impressive to see a student with low junior high grades gradually raise them. To see it happen the other way around, however, is not impressive.
3. Play up your summer activities and your extracurricular accomplishments.
Obviously, you want to draw attention away from your GPA if it is low. You can do this effectively by giving a generous estimate of the amount of time you have spent on your extracurricular activities and talking about them in great detail in your essays.
Doing this will make it clear that the reason your GPA is low is that you were really busy with your varsity teams and clubs.
One thing you should be aware of is that, participation in clubs and varsity teams is essential for admittance to Harvard. Your grades alone will not gain entrance for you no matter how good they are.
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