<p>I am a junior with a 3.6-3.7 GPA unweighted attending a very rigorous high school. My GPA will most likely be a 3.7 or 3.8 at the end of this year. I am taking 3 AP courses (AP Language and Composition, AP United States History, and AP Chemistry) and the rest are honors, and sophomore year I took AP Biology and AP US Government scoring a 5 on Biology and 4 on US. I took the Biology subject test on which I got a 660, which I realize is quite low. I am a 2 season athlete and will most likely be captain of at least one of the sports, and I will be president of the school senior year. I am in 5 clubs and I am planning on doing more community service/volunteer work. I would need financial aid and I am a half white, half Vietnamese female who lived in Vietnam for 8 years, attending an international private school while there. My father went to MIT, although I am not sure that that is at all relevant. I realize that Princeton, Stanford, and Columbia would be reach schools to say the least, but those are where I would love to go. On the more reasonable side, I am looking at Johns Hopkins, Tufts, or Emory. But do you think I would even stand a chance applying to Princeton/Stanford/Columbia?</p>
<p>What does your own guidance counselor have to say? If you are at “a very rigorous high school” chances are that a number of students from that high school apply to top 20 institutions every year, and the guidance office will be able to tell you whether or not you are likely to be considered admissible.</p>
<p>Recommendations, essays, standardized test scores, and even interviews will all add needed information, which might be particularly pivotal for you. In sum, I believe it’s too early to speculate, but a 3.7/3.8 unweighted GPA (from a top secondary school and in its most rigorous curriculum) isn’t an absolute rejection cause.</p>
<p>The GPA is a little low for a “top 20” school. Your SATS need to be over 2200 to be competitive, and over 2300 to really stick out. Your essays, recommendations, and interviews also need to rock. Retake the bio or don’t submit it, and take Math 2 and chem and aim for 750+. Also, I know its a big goal for people to hit the top 20, but really take a moment and consider what your ideal major is and what your underlying professional goal is. Like for example if you really want to be an entrepreneur and start your own lets say restaurant you should be aiming for Babson, which is number 1 in entrepreneurship in the nation, or Johnson and Wales, which is number 1 for food and hospitality. The top 20s are great, but don’t just attend a school for its name. Good luck!</p>
<p>You might find these earlier discussions helpful.
<a href=“Under 3.6 (GPA) and Applying Top 20 Parents Thread - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767118-under-3-6-gpa-and-applying-top-20-parents-thread.html</a>
<a href=“Under 3.6 and applying to top schools ( 2010-11) - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1026754-under-3-6-and-applying-to-top-schools-2010-11.html</a></p>
<p>It is entirely possible, depends on the HS you went. My nephew’s gpa was in that range and he got in UCLA CS department and did not go, he has graduated from UCSD CS. He did not apply out of CA, otherwise, he could be admitted by lower Ivies.</p>
<p>He went to one of the most competitive HS in the Bay Area.</p>
<p>It really depends what that means at your school. At our school a 3.66 is an A- and that ugpa usually translates to about a 4.5 weighted gpa. While our school does not rank savvy admins who know our school know that this gpa puts one in about the top 5 percent. So it really depends what this means where you go. </p>
<p>Just as important is how you will pay for any school you get into. have you run the net price calculators and rec’d a number from your parents that they will contribute each year? </p>
<p>The Top 20s aren’t identical, and a prestigious school is something parents like to be able to tell their friends about but not necessarily what’s best for the student. Do what’s best for you and not you parents, hard as that is to do sometimes. If you were to get into one of these schools, would it be better for you than some other school? that’s pretty doubtful since the Top 50 or 100 schools offer high quality educations across the board. Really, if you don’t know why and cannot articulate how Cornell grads get a better education than Vandy grads, why do you want one so much more than another?</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins would be an extreme reach for you right now as would Stanford, Columbia, and Princeton.</p>
<p>For the recent enrolled freshman class, the average GPA was a 3.88 (admitted students had higher). Middle 50% of enrolled freshman SATs: 2120-2310.</p>
<p><a href=“A quick look at the Johns Hopkins University Class of 2018 | Hub”>http://hub.jhu.edu/2014/08/21/class-of-2018-facts</a></p>
<p>Acceptance rate was 15%.</p>
<p>It’s a little low. Admission has been getting harder even for UCs let alone top 20.</p>
<p>What is your rank? If it’s not within the top 10% (probably needs to be top 5% without a hook), admission isn’t likely</p>