Let's Talk About College

[Aisling]

Originally Posted by carrie721

for someone looking to get into super competitive schools, yes. unless you're a minority, you shouldn't even bother applying to a brand-name school with a GPA lower than 4.0.

hmm, i don't know if this is necessarily true. GPA is important, but it's definitely not the only factor, especially since these days so many kids have private tutours, not just for school but for SATs and ACTs and whatnot. more colleges and universities are realising that applicants have various methods to pump up their grades and test scores. what they're ultimately looking for is someone who can prove their uniqueness in a field where the majority of applicants all look the same.

i can't remember what my GPA was when i was applying, but due to the fact that i was a complete delinquent, i know it wasn't 4.0! yet i managed to get into an extremely competitive school and i have to believe that's because i had done so many other things outside of just core academics. this process may have changed a bit since i was an applicant, but i think the basic tenants remain the same.

you should always have your reach schools, your sure bets, and the ones in between. but you sell yourself short if you think you can't achieve something. if you want it bad enough, you can work towards it!

so many of my cousins are going through this now and i tell them all the same thing: work as hard as you can at being the best individual you can be. when it comes time to apply, admissions are looking at the total package, not just part of it.