What are some good quality/prestigious colleges in which you don't necessarily need a 4.0 GPA?

Question

I'm a sophmore and I have a 3.3ish GPA. I do alot of extra curriculars and honors courses, and i would like to go to a good college. Alot of colleges send me into everyday that are hoping for me to apply, but i don't know how good they really are. Anyone have any suggestions of any that i can look into?

Answer 1

if you want to see how good a college is check out the us news and world rankings. these rankings will give you a general idea of where the school falls in comparison to other schools. don't choose a school by its ranking though...there are several other groups that rank these schools differently, this is just one of the most well known rankings.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php

Answer 2

When you refer to a "good" college, you probably mean a college with a high ranking. What's more important is where you can reach your goals. A 3.3 GPA will get you into many 4 year colleges that will offer you a great education. As a seasoned, professional college advisor, it's been my observation that it's not nearly as important what college you attend as it is what you do while you're attending that college. Any accredited school will offer you an education. How you choose to apply yourself to obtain your degree will have a greater impact on your success in life, than what the name on your diploma says.

If you live in California, all 23 of the CSUs and all 9 of the UCs use grades from only grades 10 & 11 for admission purposes, so if you can maintain a strong g.p.a. this year, take a solid, rigorous courseload your senior year, and provided you've taken the A-G subject requirements, you'll be eligible for all of them!

Good luck!

Answer 3

I know someone who got into Harvard with a 3.8. Not even the most presitigious colleges require perfection. Colleges don't just look at GPA of course. Your extra curriculars are good but it would be good to do community service as well.
Visiting colleges is really the best thing to do. That way you can step into one of the classrooms, ask students questions, etc. And I suggest you keep your mind open to the smaller lesser-known colleges. There are many nice, under-rated colleges that have a brilliant faculty and great student body. Don't just cross them out because they're not a big name or aren't on a top 100 list.

Answer 4

Hello,
You are a sophomore, and have another year to prepare properly and raise your GPA. Colleges look at overall and comprehensive student profiles.
E-mail me at
[e-mail]
if you have any questions, I am a college counselor with over 13 years of field experience

Answer 5

Lots of people overlook woman's colleges, many of which (Smith, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley) are quite prestigious (not Ivy League, since that's a football league). They have high-quality programs and offer a wide range of majors. You'd probably have a decent shot at attending one of them - check them out.