Expert: Keith Berman - 8/21/2009

Question
I am currently enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.  Not yet past 20, my plan is to earn a degree from an accredited online college, and then become an officer.  From there, I plan to serve my country with pride, and upon retiring, earn a degree from a respected college and become a Historian.  My lifelong dream is to be a lecturer of Military History at the Naval Academy.  My high school grades were less than exemplary; As I maintained a 2.7 GPA.  No clubs or activities to speak of.  My 15 college credits gleaned me an even worse GPA.  What I consider my strong points follow:

>I skipped 11'th grade in High School.

>I retook the ACT prior to my enlistment and re wrote my score from 20 to 32.

>I am a Reconnaissance Marine, considered a member of the special forces community.

>I will have been a Marine officer for most of my life when I apply to college.

My question is, do you think my experience in life, and my overwhelming leadership potential will be enough for a college of the ivy league to overlook my non traditional manner, and give me a chance over my High school and very limited college GPA?

Answer
Dear John,

Congratulations on recognizing ways to grow beyond high school.  Your story is an interesting one -- I highly recommended you read The Unforgiven Minute by Craig Mullaney, a story of a West Point grad who goes on to teach at naval history at the Naval Academy, among many other things.  It is also a wonderful account of someone who was a platoon leader on the ground in Afghanistan.  A family member met Craig and handed me that book, and I enjoyed it a great deal.

It is very hard to assess what your chances are at an Ivy without at least three SAT subject test scores and an ACT/SAT by which to judge.  If your score is above the median (very roughly, 1500 combined on the CR and M and 90th percentile or above on three subject tests, to make up for your grades), then there is a very outside chance with strong recommendations, a powerfully-worded essay that is reviewed by experts, and good interviews.  I would be careful about referring to your own experience as "overwhelming" before you are 20, as some interview advice -- it surely is more than most students, just be careful to explain, rather than summarize, your experience.  This may also be good advice for the essay.

Without scores that are at least above average, I unfortunately have to be clear in my advice (this is the worst part of my job, when I have to tell an applicant that they stand a far less than 10% chance of acceptance) in that the first line of evaluation of candidates is their respective academic index, a proxy for academic achievement.  It is made up of grades, and scores from the SAT, a way to try to have a unified process by which colleges judge ability.  Leadership on campus is important, but the primary factors in admissions are scores, grades, and challenge of your high school curriculum (e.g., did you take all honors classes and/or college-level learning, a sine qua non for Ivy League applicants); in other words, academic achievement is the most relevant factor in determining a new class of students.

If you have an attraction to an Ivy in particular, e.g., Harvard, you may want to consider the Extension School, which allows you to study with Harvard faculty and staff, get a B.A., work and live in Cambrdige, and have the resources of an undergrad.  With your background, you would easily be able to enroll and thrive in that environment, and possibly even transfer in with a very strong GPA as a junior.

More than anything, though, I would suggest considering other four-year colleges. Without knowing your academic interests, it is impossible to advise you on a particular school -- what you want to study and be, and where it is best served, is the real question you should go about answering.  I went to an Ivy League university (Yale), and can tell you that, while it was right for me, for many students, it wasn't -- my departments, music and linguistics, made it a fantastic match, as did an environment that favored very proactive students and was urban.

I hope this is helpful.  Thank you for your service, take a look at Mullaney's book, and possibly consider using the resources the Marines have to help think about what colleges make the most sense in trying to achieve your goals.