r/CollegeAdmissions

Freshman and sophomore year I had 0 direction. my old counselor gave me a schedule with almost no honors and no APs. I honestly had no idea what to do so I decided to just go with it.

Junior year changed things. I taught myself to code and found something I actually cared about. I realized how much time I'd wasted.

Demographics: white, middle eastern male and low income

GPA by year:
Freshman: 3.55 unweighted, 3.87 weighted
Sophomore: 3.67 unweighted, 4.22 weighted
Junior: cumulative sits at 3.59 unweighted, 4.04 weighted. Junior year alone landed around 3.99 weighted.

Honors and APs so far:
Honors Spanish I and II, Honors World Literature, Honors Modern World History, Honors American Literature, Physics with Lab (honors), AP Macroeconomics.

Senior year:
APUSH, AP CSA, AP CSP, Honors Calculus 1 (dual enrollment for NJIT and Rutgers), Web Development I, and AP Stats online but if a spot opens up I'll get into the actual class. another thing, I'll also be asking my counselor soon if I can go take Calc BC as well instead of Calc 1 dual entrollment

I got a new counselor this year. He's actually friends with my dad, so we're close. He told me to retake Algebra 1 and Geometry through an online course this summer to replace my old 86% and 83% with 100%s. He straight up told me to use AI on it. Both courses cost $500 each. It feels like a shortcut, but the GPA math works, so I'm doing it right now.

Outside school, I taught myself Python and built a paper trading bot on Alpaca that trades leveraged ETFs using signals like moving averages and volatility filters. I'm learning C now too. I run a branded drop shipping business with a friend. I handle the store build and product side. I did an accounting internship as well. I'm also doing a Harvard CS50 course (I'll be getting the certificate for it as well).

I have about +250 hours teaching kids Quran at a mosque.

In August I'm going on a humanitarian trip to Brazil with a few friends. We're helping build schools and deliver medicine for the poor.

I'm also going to be the leader of my stock market club as well

I'm studying for an SAT retake right now. I'm targeting 1300+. My current score doesn't reflect where I'm at.

I'm eyeing Rutgers New Brunswick and NJIT as a floor and Baruch as a real target for applied math.

but my reach would be Rutgers honors college, NYU, Georgia Tech, and Cornell

Tell me where you think I stand given the freshman and sophomore dip and the junior year turnaround. tell me if I'm also able to get into better schools. Tell me what to prioritize this summer and senior year. SAT score, extracurricular depth, something else. I want a straight answer.

I'm not applying yet, but I will soon. I'm from PH and low income. I'm hoping to take up Film as I'm interested in working in film! But ofc I know schools aren't so generous with international students and their aids... But I would still like to hear some perspectives or advice on what I can do!

I'd prefer if people were to PM me and chat more about this but here are my questions for now.

-How generous would you say your schools are in terms of funding for international students?

-Is it still pretty hard out there in USA for international students to survive with or without loads of aid?

-

How to apply, being with no money, no parents, no good sat and being Foreign student?!

can i get into berkeley with 2.7 gpa?

I'm aware that my student profile is nowhere near as competitive as some others, but I'd like to see where I stand right now! Questions are welcome.

Demographics -
1st Generation Hispanic Male
Low-income background
Attend an uncompetitive Georgia High School <700 students

Intended Majors - 
Primary - Mechanical Engineering
Secondary - Industrial Engineering

Academics -
GPA: 93.4 UW/95.080W 
Class Rank: 19/166
SAT: 1260 (650 M/610 RW) School Average is 989

Coursework/Rigor -
No APs (2 offered at my school)
4 DE Classes completed and 6 more planned
Honors: 10
Notes: Planning on taking DE Pre-cal and DE Calc I

EC’s - 

Beta Club - Member
Competed in a group Engineering competition at the state level with no placement.

SkillsUSA - Member
TSA - Member

Varsity Tennis- 2 years on the varsity tennis team and a 3rd planned

Varsity Marching Band - Trumpet, Member, No leadership position although I was placed at 1st chair throughout most of my time, participated for 3 years

Concert Band - Trumpet, No leadership position, participate for 5 years, 1st chair throughout 3-4 years, Auditioned and was admitted to ~6-7 honor bands district, county, and region level

Awards & Honors - 

Falcon Elite 3rd Year Honoree - Awarded for three consecutive years for maintaining a 95 or above cumulative average while completing 10–20+ hours of community service annually.

Highest Average in Essentials of Healthcare - Earned the number one academic rank out of all students enrolled in the healthcare course based on final cumulative grade.

Laurens County Schools Honor Band Certificate of Achievement —
Selected via competitive audition to perform with the top student musicians across the county school district.

Sound of the County Marching Band Invitational Festival — Regional 
Earned consecutive "Superior" ratings (the highest possible marks) in both the festival and competition categories as a member of the Marching Band of Gold.

Marching Band of Gold Service Award (Year 3) — School
Recognized for three years of dedicated service, leadership, and performance contributions to the high school marching band program.
Essays - Heavily family oriented, childhood, how my cousin and grandparents inspired me

School Context - 
I attend a small public high school in Middle Georgia, with a relatively small student body (<700) and limited advanced academic density. My school does not have the same level of competitive pressure or opportunity as larger magnet or suburban schools, so I’ve taken some of the most rigorous courses available to me and performed well in that context

School List -
Reach: Georgia Tech (Top), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vanderbilt

Match: University of Georgia

Safety: Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University

I'm applying to Smith College this fall and am hoping to earn a merit scholarship to offset the high tuition. I emailed my regional AO asking about what AOs look for in students whom they award merit scholarships to/other info about the scholarships, and she said that there is no baseline ACT/SAT/GPA; things like internships in your area of interest, research/literary publication, or working in a political official's office are sought out/considered; about 5% of admitted students receive merit scholarship money.

My ACT is 34 composite/35 STEM, and my GPA is 4.0 UW/4.45 W. Some things I have done that align with the example activities include:

\- co-writing an op-ed published in my local newspaper/news journal

\- teen leader of volunteer program at local hospital (position 2 yrs)

\- Scholastic Silver Key for a poem last year

\- collaborating with a small group to organize/lead and speak at a schoolwide walkout against gun violence in schools (part of a national movement), which was covered in 5+ local news sources. i was quoted/videod in i think 2.

\- am currently working on self-publishing a poetry anthology this summer/fall and donating all or most profits to a charity

I'm applying to Smith College this fall ED 1 as a recruited athlete, and plan on majoring in biochem/english lang&lit. I might major in physics instead of one of those, though, because i really enjoy physics as well. Either way, I plan to go pre-med. Most of my achievements/ECs are writing/advocacy based rather than science-based, even though I love love love physical sciences--I just haven't or haven't been able to partake in my school's STEM ECs (I did take two healthcare classes when I was able to sophomore year).

What do you think my odds are of receiving even the smallest scholarship? If you earned a merit scholarship at Smith or a similar school, what were your stats? Similar to mine? What advice do you have for me this application season? Will my lack of STEM activities hurt my application? Anything helps!!! Thank you!

TL; DR: Worried about not getting merit scholarships from Smith College; have pretty good stats but want to know what others think of my odds. Need advice, esp. from anyone with a scholarship from there/a similar school.

This is my current student profile and Im a rising senior on summer break. I wanted to ask what you guys thought on me applying EA 1 at Georgia Tech or if it’s better to wait bc or Regular decision. I have one essay draft and I’m aware that my SAT score needs to be improved. The SAT is my top priority right now. Let me know what you guys think!

I'm aware that my student profile is nowhere near as competitive as some others, but I'd like to see where I stand right now! Questions are welcome.
Demographics -
1st Generation Hispanic Male
Low-income background
Attend an uncompetitive Georgia High School <700 students
Intended Majors -
Primary - Mechanical Engineering
Secondary - Industrial Engineering
Academics -
GPA: 93.4 UW/95.080W
Class Rank: 19/166
SAT: 1260 (650 M/610 RW) School Average is 989
Coursework/Rigor -
No APs (2 offered at my school)
4 DE Classes completed and 6 more planned
Honors: 10
Notes: Planning on taking DE Pre-cal and DE Calc I
EC’s -
Beta Club - Member
Competed in a group Engineering competition at the state level with no placement.
SkillsUSA - Member
TSA - Member
Varsity Tennis- 2 years on the varsity tennis team and a 3rd planned
Varsity Marching Band - Trumpet, Member, No leadership position although I was placed at 1st chair throughout most of my time, participated for 3 years
Concert Band - Trumpet, No leadership position, participate for 5 years, 1st chair throughout 3-4 years, Auditioned and was admitted to ~6-7 honor bands district, county, and region level
Awards & Honors -
Falcon Elite 3rd Year Honoree - Awarded for three consecutive years for maintaining a 95 or above cumulative average while completing 10–20+ hours of community service annually.
Highest Average in Essentials of Healthcare - Earned the number one academic rank out of all students enrolled in the healthcare course based on final cumulative grade.
Laurens County Schools Honor Band Certificate of Achievement —
Selected via competitive audition to perform with the top student musicians across the county school district.
Sound of the County Marching Band Invitational Festival — Regional
Earned consecutive "Superior" ratings (the highest possible marks) in both the festival and competition categories as a member of the Marching Band of Gold.
Marching Band of Gold Service Award (Year 3) — School
Recognized for three years of dedicated service, leadership, and performance contributions to the high school marching band program.
Essays - Heavily family oriented, childhood, how my cousin and grandparents inspired me
School Context -
I attend a small public high school in Middle Georgia, with a relatively small student body (<700) and limited advanced academic density. My school does not have the same level of competitive pressure or opportunity as larger magnet or suburban schools, so I’ve taken some of the most rigorous courses available to me and performed well in that context
School List -
Reach: Georgia Tech (Top), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vanderbilt
Match: University of Georgia
Safety: Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University

I am currently a senior wanting to go to CC goal is get a 3.85-3.9 GPA, I already started a 6-fig business on ebay, did an independent research paper energy markets, have hours in volunteering, and completed many coursera courses on finance. Is there a chance?

Demographics/Stats:

• GPA: 3.75-3.8 (not put in yet)/4.32 Weighted (suspected) -- no class rank for my school
• Intended Major: Political Science/International Politics/Philosophy + Classic Literature and Civilizations
• Course Rigor: 7 Honors, 12 APs (took all social studies APs for seniors only my junior year and got A-)
• SAT/ACT: 34 raw, 35 superscore (2nd try)
• Demographic: Female, White, Dual Citizen (Norwegian), Medium-High Income

Extracurriculars:

• Top in my Zone (Zone 2) times 2 for both the 3'3 Equitation and the 1.10-1.15m Junior Jumpers
• 10th out of 102 in Pony Finals
• 15+ years as an Equestrian, over 450 hours per year spent on doing my sport
• 2025 Horse of the Year award winner
• National Honors society member
• USHJA outreach Hunter Champion at Finals
• Opening a Non-Profit for Veterans and their families to immersify them with horses as a therapuetic experience (have 10 interested already)
• Worked at Dog shelter for 2+ years, over 50 hours
• Published 2 meta analysis about "Groupthink" Mindsets in socio-economics and the role of resentment in Roman and Greek tragedies that mirror current events today and the importance of maintaining these pieces in order to grow as a society (sorry if it sound extremely rough, its very hard to summarize without going into extensive detail/making it to broad/ not make sense)
• Model UN member for 4+ years (our middle school and high school is combined into one)

I cant think of anything else rn, so ill update it when I can. With this day and age, I'm just extremely frightened for the future rn

trying to get as much advice as i can! feel free to be brutally honest on what else should I do

I'm helping my sister build her college list, and we're trying to be as realistic as possible.

Here are her stats:

• Texas resident
• GPA: 2.9/4.0
• SAT: 1250
• Interested in business-related majors such as MIS, Finance, Business Analytics, Economics, or similar.

Right now we're considering:

• UNT
• Texas State
• UTSA
• UTD
• Texas Tech
• University of Houston
• Sam Houston State

A few questions

1. Are there any other Texas schools we should seriously consider?
2. Would you recommend applying directly to business/MIS, or are there majors that are easier to get into with similar career outcomes?
3. Has anyone with similar stats been admitted to any of these schools recently?

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I need help. I am a rising senior i want to go into engineering, mechanical or aerospace. My dream school right now is CU Boulder. But i feel like im just the average application and wont get in. I have a 32 ACT, 3.9 GPA, Muliple AP and Honors Courses, French student of soon to be 4 years. I am a varsity starter on my schools mens lacrosse team, i got top 50 in nationals for our schools rockety club, am apart of the aviation club. Taken mulitple engineering courses and done a MIT and Nat Geo summer robotics camp, a aerospace summer camp at CU Boulder. I have a job. Im out of state for colorado, im indian. I just feel like im so average and i wont get in. Mainly because my sister got in for ennvironmental engineering with a 4.0 GPA 1340 SAT she wrote 2 books, a summer internship related to environmental engineering and honestly she just smarter than me and way better at writing so i know her essays were really good too. idk im just scared. What can i do to boost my application. Im studing for the july act to improve my superscore. but what else. what schools would be better for me or smth. idk i just need some advice.

Hi everyone! I'm starting to build my college list and would really appreciate some advice on my college application and essays.

Here are my stats (they are not great):

* 3.348 unweighted GPA
* 22 ACT (will be retaking soon and taking the SAT soon aswell)
* Took several AP classes in high school and now attend a local private college full-time through dual enrollment (PSEO), taking all college courses.

My extracurriculars are probably the strongest part of my application:

* Captain of a highly competitive Congressional Debate team for the past two years. Qualified for and competed at the National Speech & Debate Tournament.
* Varsity US and International Extemporaneous Speaking
* 2x HOSA ILC qualifier
* Selected as a delegate to the Minnesota Youth Institute after conducting independent research on food insecurity in Somalia. Presented my research through the Borlaug Foundation and the University of Minnesota, defended it before researchers, and was chosen to represent my state at the Global Youth Institute.
* Marketing intern for a congressional campaign during the 2024 election cycle, helping with outreach, communications, and events.
* Current marketing intern for a nonprofit's government relations committee where I create voter education content, organize community outreach, emcee networking events with state legislators, and started/ran voter registration booths.
* Academic tutor at a learning center.
* Hospital volunteer in Guest Services and the Birth Center.
* Volunteer teaching assistant at a weekend language school.

I plan to major in Public Health (or something closely related) and eventually want to work in healthcare research/epidemiology.

One complication is that my family situation has changed recently. We were previously an upper-middle-income household, but my dad recently lost his job. Right now our financial situation is pretty uncertain, so affordability is going to be a huge factor in where I apply.

Given my profile, what colleges in the U.S. should I be looking at that are known for:

* Strong need-based financial aid and/or generous merit scholarships
* Good Public Health or related programs
* Holistic admissions that value leadership, research, and community service

I'm open to schools anywhere in the country. I'd also appreciate hearing from anyone who had similar stats but strong extracurriculars and was able to receive significant financial aid.

Thanks in advance!

My young adult is not diagnosed with anything- but does struggle with social cues and doesn’t like or when other don’t follow the rules. 3.96 GPA UW, 1530 SAT, honors and AP classes. Same sport since 3rd grade, varsity level as a sophomore. Treasurer of drone club at HS, member of state rocketry club, participating in Washington aerospace scholars (UofWash/museum of flight), Rice university “pre college” aerospace space exploration- the road to Mars. 100+ hours volunteering in the elementary school helping teachers prep their classrooms and teaching materials.

Cost is always a factor, but the right environment is more important. How do you figure out if a student is going to be able to be successful at a large stage school with large lectures for the first few years? Is a small classroom always better? Freshman retention and 5 year graduation rates are important to me as we the parents are funding this.

Schools on the list-
CU Boulder
Alabama Huntsville
CalPoly
Georgia Tech
UofWashington
Case Western
Rice
Embry Riddle
Purdue

Maybe RPI, WPI, Stevens - but he might not be a fan of the weather

This isn’t a guy who wants to be in defense or work on planes. He wants to go to outer space.

Hi please help. I just received an email from MSU today regarding my admission being possibly withdrawn due to a major decline in grades. I was just hoping someone could review my response and let me know if there is any hope for me or not. I know there isn't much I can do in situations like these but I'm desperate.

Dear Michigan State University Office of Admissions,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to explain the circumstances that affected my senior year academic performance.
Throughout my senior year, I experienced significant personal and mental health challenges that had a major impact on my ability to maintain the same academic performance I demonstrated when I applied to Michigan State University. During this time, I was struggling with my mental health, as well as difficult situations involving relationships with family and friends. These challenges affected my ability to focus, attend school consistently, and keep up with my coursework.
As my mental health declined, I required a higher level of support and began attending St. Joseph Mercy’s Partial Hospitalization Program. Because of the intensity and scheduling requirements of this treatment, I was absent from school for extended periods of time and missed several weeks throughout the year. My first documented visit during the 2025–2026 school year, as reported to Washtenew International High School, was from 9/25/25 to 10/8/25. After that, I had three additional visits, each lasting approximately 2–3 weeks. If further documentation is needed, I am able to reach out to St. Joseph Mercy and my psychiatrist to provide additional verification of my treatment and circumstances.

(picture of documentation inserted here)

These absences, combined with the personal challenges I was experiencing outside of school, contributed significantly to my decline in grades. During this period, I was working through serious struggles while also receiving professional support to address them. Although my senior-year grades do not reflect my academic abilities or my commitment to my education, they reflect a difficult period when I was struggling to manage circumstances that greatly affected my daily life.
Since then, I have taken important steps to improve my mental health and overall stability. I have participated in both DBT family and individual therapy sessions for over six months and have received consistent professional support. Through this process, I have developed healthier coping strategies, learned how to better manage challenges, and built stronger systems of support. I feel more prepared to transition into college and handle the responsibilities and independence that come with being a university student.
I remain very excited about the opportunity to attend Michigan State University and am committed to being a successful student. I believe my past academic record, my dedication, and my ability to overcome this difficult period better represent my potential than my senior year grades alone.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my circumstances and my continued admission to MSU.
Sincerely,

Unfortunately I have already submitted this response so I cannot make any changes to it in the MSU portal. I am just looking any possible reassurance. Apologies if this post is not clear this is my first time actually using reddit lol

Stats: 3.8 UW 4.1 UW , I took medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, principles of health science , dual credit psychology, dual credit US history, dual credit gov, AP bio , AP world history (got a 4 on AP exam) for EC -> I attended rice tapia camp for engineering and PVAMU premed summer school camp. I was in HOSA for two years, and volunteered with assisting with preforming ECG’s under the supervision of nurses. I’m top 10% of my class

I want to go to Texas A&M or Florida A&M (maybe Texas tech) but I don’t know if I’ll get in or the major I want. I heard Alabama gives pretty good scholarships. I want to major in nursing.

Hi! Rising senior here.

I’m genuinely curious whether an applicant’s faith has any impact on admissions outcomes at schools like BC and Villanova.

I have two close friends who are best friends. One is Catholic and the other is Muslim. They do pretty much everything together—they work together, participate in many of the same extracurriculars, and have very similar EC lists overall. None of their extracurriculars are religion related either. I also believe they’re both applying for the same major (either biology or biochemistry).

They’re both planning to apply to BC and Villanova, and since I don’t know much about admissions at religious universities (and don’t personally plan on applying), I was wondering: does a student’s religion play any role in admissions decisions at schools like these? Or is it essentially treated the same as any other part of an application?

So I have been asking around Reddit , looking for advice and all I’ve found is negativity and no hope I might as well just give up.
So my rough stats
My_qualifications-
1350 sat
83% in 9th
91% in 10th
60% in 11th
From my mocks , 7.5-8 ielts
Can afford 60k per year total cost of living and college

I can get 3-4 LORs from my teachers

Rough ecs- 5 years orchestra , 2 years lead guitar in the orchestra , I’ve played in small schools assemblies n such around 50 times idek , hosted a school tech event with 400 participants, hosted 2 muns with combined 1000-2000 delegates , currently working in an online organisation pretty much a non profit and almost a ngo atp , event coordinator of my schools first student run club (ai club) linked with an organisation with clubs around many countries and 100s of clubs , did a mentorship program where I pitched and attracted students for a 2 day workshop won 1-2 district music competitions.

I’ve only been told I’m a failure and I should go to cc as I’m from India and trying to apply abroad or just stay in a bad Indian university but I want to go to USA or other counties from my undergrad , all I’ve been told is to give up.

I intent to do business or finance in my undergrad but I’ve heard that I’m not worthy of any of those , no good university is going to take me

Questions/Comments: 

1. Is my school list realistic, what schools should I add to it?
2. What would you rate my ECs on a scale of 1-10? I honestly don't know what they should be rated compared to others.
3. Should I even have some of those ECs listed?

I do understand that I will need to shorten my EC's character count.

I would also really appreciate any general advice as I think I'm kinda lost.

Demographics: 

- Pennsylvania, somewhat competitive private school, no hooks.

- My school offers 20+ AP/DE courses as well as 20+ honors courses

Intended major(s): Accounting

Academics:

• SAT: 1390: 730RW 660M. Retaking in August- really gonna try to fix my math score

(School average SAT is 1110 if that matters)

• Class rank: ?

• UW/W GPA: 3.42/3.52

I was NOT locked in at all with school stuff for Freshman and half of Sophomore year which really set me back not only in the courses I'd be able to take junior year but also the obvious one- my gpa.

Freshman: 2.96 (both UW and W)

Sophomore Semester 1: 2.75 (both UW and W)

Sophomore Semester 2: 3.9 (both UW and W)

Junior: 4.0UW /4.29W

Coursework: 

No APs until senior year. No honors courses except for honors algebra 2 and honors U.S. history in Junior year.

Senior year course load: AP Calc AB, AP Micro, AP Macro, Dual Enrollment Stats (No AP Stats), Honors Theology, Honors U.S. Government.

Summer Dual Enrollment:

- PreCalc (does this help prove rigor at all going from alg2->summer PreCalc ->AP Calc?)

- Financial Accounting

Awards: (like nothing)

- Academic Excellence in History Award (11th grade)

- Highest Honor Roll (11th Grade)

- High Honor Roll (10th Grade)

- Top 5 out of 79 teams at a Stock Market Challenge (Do I even list this here?)

Extracurriculars:

• Captain of competitive club ice hockey team (voted by teammates): Led team from almost being relegated to a lower division to making the championship.
• Competitive club hockey for 11 years: Competed at a high level including AAA and AA.
• Level 3 USA Ice Hockey Official: Advanced to level 3 through rules testing (exams), modules, and on-ice seminars. Manage games, safety, conflict, and player conduct. I have been an official for about 5 years. (Planning on going for level 4 before I have to send applications tho.)
• Stock Market Club member (10, 11). Attended a competition which my group placed top 5 overall, and 1st among [my school]'s teams. I will likely be president/co president next year and we'll probably do more competitions.
• 75+ volunteer hours (likely 100 by the time I apply): Service in a range of areas including mentoring hockey players with special needs, assisting at my school's elementary hockey program, as well as giving back to my former school's annual fish fry.
• Member of student ministry in both school and local church: Taking part in faith based retreats/trips. (I will likely have a leadership role next year.)
• Forex/Futures Market Research & Simulated Trading. Analyzed markets, executed trades, tested strategies, developed risk management strategies, and tracked performance across 3.5 years of forex/futures.
• Bentley University summer stock market challenge (online competition, individual).
• eBay Seller: Accumulated $800 in sales with 20+ items sold, while maintaining 100% positive seller feedback. Fulfilled orders, managed buyer communication and shipping.

Letters of Recommendation:

Honors History teacher

Honors Algebra 2 teacher

and maybe a hockey coach idk yet

Schools:

Reach:

UIUC {EA}

Purdue University {EA}

Penn State University (In-State, honestly my dream school as well) {EA}

Virginia Tech {EA}

Bentley University {RD or if all EA fails, ED2}

Target:

Miami University of Ohio {EA}

University of Delaware {EA}

Michigan State University {EA}

University of Dayton {EA}

Seton Hall University {EA}

Safety:

University of Scranton {EA}

St. Bonaventure University {RD}

Indiana University of Pennsylvania {RD}

I got into Columbia Early Decision, but I think a big hurdle for me when I was applying last year was proving academic readiness.

I had a 3.6 u/w GPA with many Bs in high school. I did take maximum rigor and took the most APs in my class, granted. There were semesters where I had a 3.2 😭 (granted I was still in the top 10% of my class)

However, I did score very well on my AP Exams and got all 5s on the 7 I took.

I feel like this could be an interesting context for those applying this year. I think perhaps the AP scores did help my lower GPA (especially since my activities were not all that (no research, national awards, etc.)

Does anyone with more insight into T20 admissions want to chime in if the AP scores meaningfully address a student's lower GPA or if it was the performance relative to my class that mattered more? Or perhaps a combination of the two?

I'll ask for my admissions file, perhaps and see any comments they wrote on this matter.