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@MicahMays700
0 answers, 2 votes
 • 4 years ago •
Admissions Advice
[edited]

Is it too late to turn my 2.69 GPA around senior year? (Do CSU colleges consider it at all?)
Answered

My cumulative state weighted GPA equals out to about 2.69 right now (2.9 unweighted) and my junior year in high school is over. But, I really want to improve my GPA to look better for college admissions come senior year. Due to Covid-19 I didn't have much time to do any major GPA improvement, plus my 1050 SAT score isn't counted for admissions in my state which doesn't really help my application. And I don't really know the first thing about college admissions or which GPA score they consider (Weighted/Unweighted). I've always wanted to go to a CSU but it's starting to seem like there isn't much hope beyond community college. I really need some guidance on this issue because college has always been a huge dream of mine and I'm just a little confused on how to get there. Is there nothing I can do senior year to raise my GPA or make myself more competitive for colleges at all?

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@DebaterMAX4 years ago

Also most schools will accept the higher GPA whether unweighted or weighted but unweighted is generally the standard

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@DebaterMAX
899 answers, 740 votes
 • 4 years ago

So to be competitive at CSU schools I’m assuming that’s Cal St and not Colorado st. The best thing to do is to try and get a very high ACT and SAT score most of the CSU schools hover at around 20 ACT and 1100 SAT so if you get a 26 ACT that will likely be enough to compensate for your GPA. And also if manage to get a low 3.0 gpa you can likely get into the schools that have a 19-23 ACT admit average even if you only have a 19 ACT.

You should likely apply after winter break/ you know first semester GPA and you can show to colleges that you are taking it seriously and will succeed at their college.

Also if you have anything to explain the lower grades such as death in family home situation etc you might be able to have that year thrown out.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/cal-state-schools

Also consider taking a gap year so your full senior year will count.

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[🎤 AUTHOR]@MicahMays7004 years ago

Thank you for the information! It really clears things up. But will taking a gap year hurt my admission chances? (Heard that from a friend)

@DebaterMAX4 years ago

Maybe I honestly can’t say as I haven’t looked into that for myself as I know I want to directly go to college. Try googling gap year affects admissions chance. Also you can go to a community college for 1-2 years than transfer but that’s a “day”/commuter school and it seems to me you want campus life so it really comes down to preference. Hope I helped you enough!

@ShaquilleOatmeal
expert
4 years ago

@MicahMays700 the affect a gap year has on your admissions chances will depend on how you spend that gap year. If you decide to take a gap year and don't do anything productive during it your admission chances will most certainly be lower. However, if you have a plan and are productive (job, internship, building out ECs, etc) then a gap year can be a positive aspect for your application. Gap years have been slowly increasing in popularity....(answer continued in next comment)

@ShaquilleOatmeal
expert
4 years ago

and many schools not only look favorably on productive gap years but will actively encourage and fund them through grants/programs/scholarships. I would encourage you to look into gap years more and if it looks like something that would work for you, develop a plan. I recommend NOT taking any college courses during the gap because it may force you to apply as a transfer student which lowers your odds of acceptance. Hope this helps!

2
@arielUC25
100 answers, 217 votes
 • 4 years ago

To add on... CSU uses eligibility index. Your 2.69 GPA would get you minimum eligibility if paired with a 16 ACT or a 800 SAT. Also, CSU is test-optional, not test blind, so still submit your score.

Here is more resources: https://www2.calstate.edu/apply/eligibility-index

Also if you're applying for Nursing, the eligibility index is usually higher.

I don't think senior year counts for CSU campuses (they use 10th and 11th only).

Some CSUs I'd suggest looking at are CSU Stanislaus (very underrated school in Turlock), CSU Monterey, CSU East Bay, CSU Los Angeles, CSU San Francisco, CSU Fresno.

Best of luck!

2
@arielUC254 years ago

Also if you go to community college and get a decent GPA, you can participate in something called TAG with a University of California campus...here is a link: https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/transfer-requirements/transfer-admission-guarantee-tag.html... very useful option. Note that Cal, UCLA, and UCSD don't do TAG.

@DebaterMAX4 years ago

Is CSU eligiblity index the same score needed for all schools or is SJ St the same as Stainlus

@arielUC254 years ago

SJSU and Cal Poly have higher indexes. You can check impacted majors on the campus website... those have higher requirements.

@arielUC254 years ago

Long Beach and SDSU also are pretty impacted

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