*Please take the time to read the entire letter!*
Yes, you read the title correctly. I have a 2.8 GPA. And yes, that number is unweighted. Scoff at me if you will, I am here to tell you that I got into college. Where? Let’s just say I exceeded society’s expectations for me. Now, before I get to the point, and before I tell you where I am attending this fall, I want to tell you a story – a story about how I ended up with my 2.8 UW GPA. It all started in the 8th grade. I had started to look at colleges and was in awe of how many schools there were in the country. I fondly remember going on a website where there was a list of schools organized by state. I would read them off one by one and my dad would sit beside me telling me whether the school was “good” or not. I recall getting attached to Brandeis because of its pretty campus, Penn State because of its meteorology program, and University of Alaska- Fairbanks because it was far away from my home in Northern Virginia. Yes, I go to school in the notorious and well known Fairfax County (for those of you from the DC area, you know what I am talking about).
As I moved on to my freshman year of high school, my goals and visions started to come into view. I knew that I wanted to major in meteorology and I knew that I wanted to go to school as far away from home as possible! My grades freshman year were…OK. My grades included 2 A’s, 1 B, 3 B-‘s, and 1 C+. Aside from my “eh” grades, I was heavily involved in after school activities. I ran on cross country in the Fall and worked on tech crew for the school play in the Spring. I loved working on tech crew so much, that I decided to let go of cross country in the Fall of my sophomore year. My parents weren’t too pleased that I had dropped my sport for drama, but they saw that I was happy doing tech crew for the school shows.
During the Fall and Spring of my Sophomore year, I continued to get heavily involved in my school’s drama department. School was going okay for me. I understood the material, I got good marks on the quizzes and tests, but I was horrible at prioritizing. My grades suffered greatly because I would never turn in any work. If I did turn in work, it was almost always late. This was the year I started to get C’s in my core classes.
My Junior year of high school was almost a repeat with the grades. A couple A’s, a couple B’s, but then 4 Cs. My parents blamed the poor grades on my involvement in the drama department. I did however, manage to get a 30 on the ACT (34 English, 28 Math, 31 Reading, 26 Science). See, I’m a smart kid, I just never properly set my priorities…or maybe I did properly set my priorities. Maybe my brain was trying to tell me that theatre was my priority. Perhaps it was because my involvement in theatre was the only thing that was making me happy in life. After our production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas I had an epiphany: I didn’t want to major in meteorology, I wanted to major in tech theatre! It’s hands on, requires critical thinking skills, and it makes me happy! Halfway through Junior year, I started to figure out where I was going to apply to school. I knew that I wanted to major in tech theatre, so I was looking at several theatre programs across the country.
Fast forward to my Senior Year. It’s September, and I am putting my portfolio together. I put my portfolio together knowing that I am applying to schools with a 2.8 GPA. But I also knew that I was applying to schools with talent and experience (including work experience). Here is the list of schools I applied to: Pace, Penn State, Michigan State, Montclair University, VCU, SUNY Purchase, Rutgers, and Ithaca College. All 8 schools had the BFA program I was looking for. Fun Fact, when applying to a BFA program, you always need to perform at an audition or attend a portfolio interview. So, on top of my poor grades, I needed to really impress the professors with my work. I was applying to a major where the programs are small and where an average of 5-10 kids get accepted into the program at each school.
Well, I can tell you this. I was accepted on the spot at VCU during my interview. I received an offer of admission from Penn State University Park (Main Campus) just 4 days after my interview there, and I ultimately received an acceptance letter from Montclair State University including a $16,000 scholarship. I will be attending Penn State University Park this fall and will be getting a BFA in Theatre Design/Technology! After getting accepted into Penn State, I withdrew my applications from all of the other schools. What can I do with this degree? Broadway, Disney, Broadway Tours, Cruise ship entertainment, regional theatre, television… I think you get my point.
So you see, your child's GPA is NOT everything. Colleges look for well-rounded people. Maybe those well-rounded people didn’t do well in high school because high school was too structured for them, or they just had bad luck with their teachers. So, the next time your kid comes home with a C on a test, a C in a class, or a 2.8 GPA, know that there is a school waiting for them out there. Feel free to message me! I love to talk to others, answer questions, and my goal is to help others as well!
Sincerely,
Ethan
“All the odds are in my favor
Something's bound to begin.
It's got to happen, happen sometime
Maybe this time I'll win”
-Cabaret
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