The EDUFAX Educational FAQ

Question #179:

My SATs=1,510, I have all the leadership, extracurriculars and community service possible without dying of exhaustion, took the highest AP/honors courses, my essays were a killer and my recommendations put the cherry on top. However, the sour spot in the sundae is my GPA=3.46. I really want to go to Stanford. I heard that being from Maryland will help me get in because they need people from all 50 states - is this true? Also, do colleges even bother to look at the rest of the application if they see bad transcripts/grades?

Answer #179:

Some colleges do struggle to find viable candidates from all states, but Stanford does not have that problem. There are hundreds of students in every state in the Union clamoring for the limited spots in each of Stanford's incoming classes. Sometimes, mere location offers a student a geographical advantage. For example, Stanford might be more inclined to take a student from Arkansas who looked academically similar to a California student, simply for reasons of diversity. Maryland, however, is not one of those states which might have trouble rounding up numbers of reasonable applicants for Stanford, so you will still have to compete with students who have not only the ice cream, the hot fudge, and the toasted almonds, and the cherry, but the marshmallow fluff as well. Numbers, however, don't always tell the whole story, and a GPA of almost 3.5 is far from "bad". If you earned your grades with adventurous course choices, your transcript may be regarded as superior to another student's 3.9. Similarly, if you can show serious,consistent commitment of time to productive activity, the university might recognize that you made the right decision in sacrificing a few inconsequential points for some really important contributions to your school or your community. Letters of recommendation are also critical. Some float to the top, while others... Well, if you are applying to Stanford, I'm sure you can finish the analogy. Anyway, your GPA will not disqualify you instantly, and I'm sure your application will be given thorough consideration. If you spent as much time on your essays as you have spent worrying about this, I'm sure the admissions committee will have some lively deliberations on their hands. EDUFAX provides services for the Collegebound High School Student.

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