Expert: Susie Watts - 12/16/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi Susie Watts,
  I’m a junior in high school right now.  Throughout high school, I’ve set myself up to get into selective colleges, but my grades don’t really qualify as ‘selective’.  I’m taking AP and honors classes (and I wouldn’t have it any other way), but my weighted GPA average so far is only 3.9.  I wouldn’t be too worried if I had Bs in a few classes, but on my transcript, a couple Cs lurk and they really bother me.  I’m in three clubs: Literature Magazine (all three years so far and I will be a senior editor next year), Interact service club (three years so far and I hold the International position right now), and Art Club (two years so far and I’m the vice president right now).  Through Interact, I’ve done lots of volunteer hours (about 100 so far, I’d need to check the records for sure) and I’ve held a part time job last summer, as well as babysitting jobs in the past.  I’ve also done some miscellaneous things: won novelling contests, participated in the French national exam, etc.  I hope I’m not overloading you with information!  I just hope I can get anything you need down.
  I’m looking into a degree in Architecture.  I want to get into a good program, but I was wondering if my grades might raise some eyebrows in the admissions office.  My grades have no pattern, no upwards slope, no downwards slope, they’re like an up and down sine curve, to be honest.  Senior year, I plan to focus more on art, so my GPA is probably going to shoot up.  Is looking into universities such as Syracuse U (51% admission) a stretch, or do I have a good chance?  My mother believes me doomed and is planning to shove me into a community college.


ANSWER: First of all, you are far from doomed.  There is nothing wrong with a 3.9 and I think a lot of schools would be interested in having you as a student.  Your test scores will be important and I would suggest you take both the SAT and ACT with writing this spring.  Most students take these tests at least two or three times.  Continue to make the best grades possible and keep up your activities.  A few schools in addition to Syracuse that you might take a look at are:
University of Arizona
Virginia Tech
University of Oregon
Tulane
University of Colorado at Boulder

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the reply!  
   However much I would like to be comforted by your reply, I'm not sure if colleges would "overlook" several Cs on my transcript.  They're actually in my math courses.  In both my freshman and junior year, my second semester grades slid because I burned out.  This year already had a rough start and now my junior year, the year which every one places so much emphasis on, is also ruined.  I’m not a poor student in math: I have the capability, I just always seem to get into trouble with burning out.  I don’t mean to sounds whiny, it’s just how it is.  I’m worried that admissions won’t see my potential as a student behind the curtain of my grades.
   I’ve already planned to take the SAT in January and the ACT in April.  I’m decent at these kinds of tests (I took the SAT before), but I don’t plan to have them save me.  Is there anything else I can/have to do, or is everything okay as is?  If it would be worthwhile, I can find a way to retake this year’s semester of calculus that I didn’t do well on, although I’d rather not.
   (I looked over the list of colleges you gave me and put some in my spreadsheet.)

Thanks,
Karina

Answer
A C or two is not going to keep you out of college, but burning out is not a great quality so you need to get past that.  If you can take the calculus again and improve you grade, it's probably not a bad idea.  You also need to make the best grades possible this year and next.  Colleges want to see a sustained effort through the senior year.  You should try and show as much interest as possible in the colleges you choose.  Schools want to accept students who really want to attend.  You should also make your applications, essays, and recommendations as strong as possible.