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4 years ago
Admissions Advice
[edited]

Will Chapman overlook a lower GPA if I have already had some success in film outside of college?

I am from Massachusetts, to elaborate more my test scores are good but my gpa is not fully up to par with Chapman’s average. College vine gave me about a 20-30% chance. But something that may set me apart is I already have profesional and extensive experience working in production throughout high school, I had an internship and later on actually lead a team of video editors that created videos, these videos ended up bringing in over a million dollars in revenue to my client, and this client ended up hiring me as his Lead Video Producer at 16, (I have the contracts and taxes to prove it). I’ve also filmed professionally, at events and privately. Basically, I wanna know how important gpa comes into play at Chapman, my goal is to major in CS and minor in video production. Thanks in advance! (Sorry if I came off self absorbed, not my intention I am just trying to convey how deeply involved I already am :)

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@OFHanson4 years ago

Brief note: No school overlooks GPAs or Test Scores because it is a direct “statistic” that plays on the university’s averages. However, in your case, you have what is called a “WOW Factor” that can definitely boost your application status—this was referenced from the following video (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3_7gC3g_EEQ). I believe you’ll be fine if it’s not too drastic of a difference from standard

@OFHanson4 years ago [edited]

Additionally, Your essays can really help along with your stated extracurriculars if you just elaborate on it and “make it shine”! I believe you’ll get in if this is all true; in fact maybe even Ivy League if I knew the other factors of your app.

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4 years ago

Internships and work experience such as yours will definitely be helpful in your admission evaluation as the university will have enough evidence to measure your capabilities and thus it will only positively affect your admissions chances. When it comes to GPA, having a slightly lower than the average GPA for the school that you are applying to is perfectly alright since there is sufficient evidence that your extracurricular activities are much above those of a regular applicant. In my opinion you can compare this situation with the same scenario when top universities recruit the top athletes for their sports teams who may have GPA below the average for their institution. Your current achievements are fantastic and if you are able to extend it even further then I don’t see a slightly below average GPA hurting your chances of admission. Good luck for your application!

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Your chancing factors
Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
200
800
| 800 verbal
200
800

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