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@skyee
0 answers, 2 votes
 • 2 years ago •
Admissions Advice
[edited]

How to compensate for a low GPA?
Answered

I'm applying to Miami University, Hillsdale College, Allegheny, and Gettysburg College this fall. I have a 3.3 GPA because I was a B student freshman year. My junior year GPA is about 3.7 and I have a 1300 SAT. My extracurriculars include 2 sports, internship at top company, founder of two clubs and leader of another club, as well as writing for the school newspaper and competition in Model UN. Would it be a good idea to explain the low GPA in the additional information writing section on the common app, or something else? Thank you so much!

lowgpa
11th-grade
activities
GPA
2
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@KidusC
2 answers, 1 vote
 • 2 years ago

exactly, please do so. but please make sure to give good reasons and concrete evidence to compel the admission officers.

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1
@CameronBameron
2,281 answers, 8,542 votes
 • 2 years ago[edited]

I agree with using the add'l information section to explain your low 9th grade GPA but unless you had a prolonged illness, mental health issues, a death in the family or something other than frustration with COVID-19 remote learning, I wouldn't do that since 15 million HS students had to struggle under COVID-19. I think admissions officers deeply discount excuses for low GPAs and huge gaps in course rigor. Why? There are always better applicants to choose from especially at top schools where admit rates are sub 20%.

I think your 3.3, 1300 is sub par for University of Miami and Hillsdale College. UMiami has a avg. GPA of 3.8, Hillsdale, 3.95 And SAT ranges are 1350-1480 and 1340-1495 for the Class of 2025. This year it's most likely higher, like 1360-1500.

You don't have enough time to get your UWGPA up to 3.8 so I recommend that you use your summer wisely and take a college course to show more course rigor and that you are a serious student and improve your SAT by at least 150 points to 1450. Who knows, if you really grind and focus on your SAT prep work you might even get higher.

At the end of the summer re-take the SAT in August and see where you are at. If you haven't shown much SAT improvement, I'm not sure I'd bother applying to UMiami and Hillsdale. You make have to pick some other schools on your college list.

Good luck.

1
[🎤 AUTHOR]@skyee2 years ago

Thank you! But Miami is Miami of Ohio, not UMiami.

@CameronBameron2 years ago

For Miami University Ohio your SAT is okay but your GPA is on the low side because their middle 50% range is 3.6 to 4.2. 2 admission cycles ago on their 2020-21 common data set, it said their avg. GPA was 3.77 and that only 14.7% had GPAs under 3.25. So again, I'm not sure UMiami is a target but more of a reach school because of GPA.

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Unweighted GPA: 3.7
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SAT: 720 math
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| 800 verbal
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