Low GPA, do I still have a chance?

paubin

5-Year Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2011
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3
Well I'm applying to the academy and my status is applicant, I was moved here due to my ACT scores. I get the feeling that even with somewhat high ACT and SAT scores, lots of volunteering, and being captain of three varsity sports that my low GPA of 3.0 (unweighted) and 3.8 (weighted) and class rank of 25 out of 40 will keep me out. Am I wrong to be worried or is this pretty bad?
 
That's a spitting image of my own application stats. I had a 31 ACT, 3.5 GPA, captain of 3 varsity sports, etc... And I'm currently a doolie here at USAFA. So know that they look at you as a person more than just you as a set of statistics on a piece of paper. Go in and rock your ALO interview, rock your Congressman/Senator interview, and just hope for the best. Also do well on your CFA, everything helps!
 
They also look at the school profile, from what you are implying you were moved to a magnet school, thus the profile of the school will look differently than the traditional HS.

I.E. it is okay to be at the 50% if 50% of the kids go Ivy, 25% go Private and 25% go Public. It is not going to be good if 20% go Ivy, 25 % go public, 25% go 2 yr/tech and 25% enter the workforce straight out of hs.

They will also look at the rigor of your course curriculum. Top 50% and you have taken every AP offered, is different than top 50% and you took 0 APs.

It is the WHOLE picture.

PS...many times the AFA will re-weight your gpa to their scale, so just because your school has you at 3.0/3.8 it may actually change up or down.
 
It also depends which area you are from. Some districts are more competitive, some are not.

On the hand, getting into AFA is a first step. you MAY have to work harder than others if you get in with a low GPA.
 
Very good point lga. Getting in is 1 thing, graduating is another. One reason they want you to take the most rigorous course load, and have ECs up the ying yang is because that 1st yr you will have a rigorous course load and very little down time. First yr at every school, even traditional ones is the hardest because you will be adjusting to life by yourself for the 1st time. You need that academic foundation to help ease into this new life. If you are academically behind it will cause issues. If you thought you were timed warped changing schools in HS, just wait because it moves much faster than HS.

The one thing the SA's and traditional colleges don't like to see on a whole is a low gpa, high SAT. It raises questions to them about the work ethic of the student. In their eyes you have the ability, so they need to understand why it didn't translate over to your gpa.

As I stated, they can get over it if it's a Magnet school, but harder to get over if the school profile is not seen as competitive.
 
Thanks for replying you guys, you've given me a lot of help. I should let you all know that my school is a magnet school that recieved a blue ribbon with a rather tough curriculum and I've also been taking college classes since my junior year with a dual-enrollment program at the university of new orleans. Not necessarily the most difficult school in Louisiana but definitely a challenging curriculum.
 
When does the Academy reweight the grades? My son was in the IB Program until 2nd Semester 11th grade. Now he has 5 out of his 6 classes that are AP but at a high school that is not as competitive. The counselor said she did not need the profile of his first school. I was surprised since he was there the majority of the time. Almost every one of his classes have been either IB or AP but there has been no grade point adjustment. Has anyone had a similiar experience?
 
Depends on a lot of things. But my son did the IB program for all 4 years of high school. He finished with a 4.0 gpa. Ranked #1 in his class of 450. The academy left his gpa as a 4.0. Honestly; with 12 years of helping kids get into college, and almost 6 years helping kids go enlisted, Rotc, and the academy; I can honestly say that I have no idea what the academy uses for weighting gpa. When they weight lower, I tell them to call their admissions counselor. When they don't weight higher, I don't know what to say. Sorry. Mike. Maybe flieger can help answer that.
 
Depends on a lot of things. But my son did the IB program for all 4 years of high school. He finished with a 4.0 gpa. Ranked #1 in his class of 450. The academy left his gpa as a 4.0. Honestly; with 12 years of helping kids get into college, and almost 6 years helping kids go enlisted, Rotc, and the academy; I can honestly say that I have no idea what the academy uses for weighting gpa. When they weight lower, I tell them to call their admissions counselor. When they don't weight higher, I don't know what to say. Sorry. Mike. Maybe flieger can help answer that.

You can only do the International Baccalaureate program in your 11th and 12th grade years....
 
You can only do the International Baccalaureate program in your 11th and 12th grade years....

That is not true. They have a pre-IB in 9th and 10th. Matter of fact; in some schools, they even have an elementary school program in place. What you're talking about is the IB degree diploma. To be able to test for the diploma, that's based on 11th and 12th grade. But trust me, you can be in the IB program much earlier. All my kids have gone through it.
 
That is not true. They have a pre-IB in 9th and 10th. Matter of fact; in some schools, they even have an elementary school program in place. What you're talking about is the IB degree diploma. To be able to test for the diploma, that's based on 11th and 12th grade. But trust me, you can be in the IB program much earlier. All my kids have gone through it.

Did your kids go to school in the US? If so, that is probably why the schools I have gone to never have offered pre-IB
 
It's not a "Stateside" thing. It's a school thing. It depends on the school. The IB program offer 3 programs.

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) for pupils aged 3 to 12 focuses on the development of the whole child in the classroom and in the world outside.
The Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students aged 11 to 16 provides a framework of academic challenge and life skills through embracing and transcending traditional school subjects.
The Diploma Programme for students aged 16 to 19 is a demanding two-year curriculum that meets the needs of highly motivated students, and leads to a qualification that is recognized by leading universities around the world.

Many schools, even overseas, if they don't offer the middle years program, will offer a Pre-IB program for 9th-10th grade. The middle years program started in the early-mid 90's. If a school offers that, they definitely don't offer the Pre-IB. My son was born overseas; (Spain). But he did all his schooling in the USA. My daughter did some schooling overseas.

Anyway; I've been involved with our high school since the beginning of offering the IB program. It's definitely a Per-school things and what they are authorized and accredited to teach as approved by the IB organization.

We're definitely getting way off track. The question was if the academy might adjust their son's grades being he was in the IB program. It totally depends. As with my son, he had the highest gpa imaginable, and they didn't weight or adjust his gpa at all. It was still a 4.0. Could we have called and questioned it? Probably. But they also look highly at class rank, profile, and other things. When they see #1 in the class, that probably pulls more than enough weight. Considering he was offered an appointment in the first rounds of boards in October "physically received the package the 1st week of November"; I assume they though he did ok. So if after another month, if you don't think your GPA is accurately reflected, have your son give his counselor a call.
 
We're in a small rural town, but it has a decent school system and an honors / AP curriculum available you wouldn't expect to find here. My son's GPA remained the same as well. Which was a relief because I was thinking that compared to the Wayzata Schools we came from in MN, they may not think too much of us down here... :eek3:
 
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