Edward Said:

Scholarships, where do i find them?

We Answered:

The best idea is to join several free membership scholarship search websites. You enter a profile, and it will search for scholarships matching them. In addition, the college's financial aid office might have a list of non need based scholarships. I recommend applying for every scholarship you qualify for no matter the amount. I will include several free resources below to locate them. Good luck!

Sara Said:

Low SAT causes a shattered dream. Good GPA, still have a shot?

We Answered:

Is that out of 2400?? If so, that might really hurt you. Some of the big colleges look at your SAT and GPA and if they don't meet their requirements, they just toss your application.
However, you have a lot of redeeming features, so I think you still have a chance. Of the schools on your list, Yale is the hardest to get in to, with a 9.9% acceptance rate, so I do think that is a long-shot. Wash U had a 17.3% acceptance rate. Cornell has a much higher acceptance rate--20.8%--than Yale, as does Rice (25.1%) and JHU (24.3%)
Why don't you try some schools that don't require standardized tests? Good schools that don't: Wake Forest, Bowdoin, Bennington, CT College, Hamilton College (NY)...
Whatever the case, I strongly recommend you have some backup colleges. And if you can, retake the SAT--or take the ACT.

Alfredo Said:

I have a low gpa. What are my options?

We Answered:

Couple things. If possible, go to a community college for the first 2 years. You'll get in, even with your GPA. Next, buckle down. You say you're smart, I'm sure your mom and dad believe it, but the truth is you haven't shown it. You have to convince the application committees that you're smart. Won't happen with a 2.25.

So take your senior year seriously and don't settle for Bs, get the As. When you go to community college, study enough to get As. And when you have an excellent GPA for your senior and community college years, apply to your dream schools. In the application essays, explain how you lost your way in junior year but that you made a commitment to succeed in school and that you've now met your commitment and that you are "now ready to take the additional challenges of *Name* University". Application committees eat that stuff up.

Community colleges are cheap - you can afford to go there (with some sacrifices). Worry about scholarships as an incoming Junior.

Fact is it's a long road. Odds are you won't be able to do that well and that you'll drop out of community college. But if you really mean what you say, and you're willing to invest the time, energy, and effort to learn and do well, you'll certainly realize your dream. 100% certainty.

It's all up to you - no one else. Good luck.

Teresa Said:

low gpa.. any chance of going to college?

We Answered:

Yes, you can get in. If you had gotten excellent grades, colleges would be rolling out the red carpet for you, but that does not mean you cannot get in. There are so many "holes in the net". I hope this text box does not run out of room as I try to cover them!

The most likely way for you to get into the schools that you have listed is to get in on some type of scholarship. Many athletes get into schools this way with low GPAs. Even if you are not terribly athletic, there may be a sports team eager to recruit you. So ask!

You said that you are creative. Maybe they have arts scholarships or fellowships. Dancers and musicians often get in under special admission, the same way that athletes do.

Plus, you may get in with regular admission anyway, especially if you at least PASSED some of the basic classes like math and English.

Additionally, the university may calculate your GPA differently anyway. For instance, some schools only look at the classes that they require and may disregard classes like PE or the facts of life class, (which could be in your favor if you failed it!).

I know you do not want to go to community college. But, many schools will not even look at your high school GPA once you have so many college units. Thus you could just attend a community college, take some easy classes until you have enough credits to be considered a transfer student, then reapply with your higher GPA. WARNING: don't be tempted to overload to get out of there quicker.

To find out about the types of special admission that a school may offer, you should contact three people: 1) The recruitment officer, 2) the athletic director, and 3) the director of development for the college of the major you want.
Those three people will have all the inside scoops on any types of special programs.

Are you near the coast of Georgia or panhandle Florida? If your area has been declared a federal disaster zone due to a hurricane, there may be special admission. Many schools around the country, including mine in California, openly accepted students from areas stricken by any of the various big hurricanes from a few years ago.

Finally, the closest thing to getting your GPA up is to get your test scores up. Most universities place a great deal of weight on both GPA and test scores. Some like mine, have created a third type of score based on a formula that inputs your GPA as well as you score on the SAT or ACT. My point is that you have time to buckle down and study, study, study for this test. This will take some diligence and careful time planning on your part. There are books that can help you.

So remember, go to the university's website and find the staff directory. Call and write the people I mentioned and tell them what you have asked in your question. Then, study for the SAT and ACT (you only need one, but you never know which one you might score higher on). For a few hundred bucks you can even take a private class. Look into it, and I hope you get in!

Monica Said:

Help: Med school students, Grad school students, or MDs?

We Answered:

I am a full-time student at a university in the nation's top 5, but this summer I am taking courses at a state university ranked around #25 in the nation. So, I will give you my insight about schools with such different rankings.

The quality of education I received at the state school is not nearly what the top-ranked university provides. Firstly, the state university takes a much slower pace and does not go in depth into concepts. Secondly, class participation and interaction is great and enriching at the top school, but nearly non-existent in the state school. Thirdly, the people at a top-ranked school come from very diverse backgrounds, from all ethnic and economic groups, and from different countries as well. They all have unique passions and love for learning; at the state university, however, people are mostly local and not as driven to learn. Instead, it's like high school all over again.

While it's partially true that college is what you make of it, I think it DOES matter where you go. You'll still get a good education at a state school, but you'll get a GREAT education at a prestigious school. Thus, it's up to you (and perhaps your parents) to decide what the best course of action is - I don't have an answer for that. I know money is a big issue, so don't fret if you don't think it'll be possible to go to the prestigious school. However, if you can manage it, I think it's definitely worthwhile to take out those loans and go for the prestigious school. When you're making lots of money after you graduate, then you can pay them back =]

To address the pre-med portion, I would not recommend majoring in pre-med (I know that some schools, not all, offer this option). I believe someone else already said it well; just like getting into undergrad, med schools want to see passion and love for learning. Therefore, it would be better to major in something that you really enjoy and do the pre-med requirements. For example, I'm a biology major/neurobiology honors/psychology minor. A lot of biology majors at my school are pre-med, but I am very excited about what I study. Psychology throws in a neat twist, but I'm not doing it to impress the med schools; I truly enjoy it. I have actually heard that med schools like to see different majors, like English, because it offers diversity and different perspectives. However, I believe English majors (and other non-science majors) have a weaker science background (because they only took the required pre-med classes, nothing extra) and have a bit of trouble in med school.

The doctor I work with in my research lab is on the medical school admissions committee. He says that a person who went to a prestigious school but got a lower GPA (as long as it's like 3.3+) is preferred over someone at a state school with a 4.0. It sounds harsh, but my college's medical school is one of the top in the nation. Other medical schools do not have the same standard, so please don't think that you won't be able to get in anywhere.

I hope this was helpful and encouraging rather than discouraging! Good luck!

Jessica Said:

3.7 GPA as a sophomore, can i get into a combined BA/MD medical school?

We Answered:

i sincerely doubt that you will be able to get into a BA/MD program, as these are reserved for the best of the best. i don't see stanford, rice, brown, or berkeley (unless you're in-state) happening either. BU looks very likely, as would schools around that ranking. for any selective college, you should aim to get a 2100+ on your SAT (even when it's not for a combined degree). don't be scared of the MCAT. major in psychology and take all the medical school prerequisites and then just take the test and apply to med schools.