3.7 Freshman GPA good for Ivy-League Universities?

Hello All,

       After the end of my first semester, I had received a 92.12, which is roughly a 3.7 average. I have been working very hard this second semester, and my average is intended to be a 95. My question is, are you grades for each semester looked at by the colleges, or does your average by the end of the year determine this. I am asking this because although I have a 3.7 GPA, my average by the end of my freshman year will be a 95 (4.0) ? Will they look at the overall 95, at the end of my freshman year, giving me a 4.0 GPA. Or, will they look at the two separately. Also, can you please comment if my average is valid enough to get into these prestigious schools? What can I do to improve? Once again, I am a freshman in High School. Thank you so much for your time and patience. Your feedback is greatly valued!

It varies by HS. Some high schools do semester grades and some do full year. At my son’s HS, they did semester. Do the best you can, and come back in two years and people will help you pick an appropriate list.

Do you believe that a 3.7 GPA is good enough for these prestigious universities, if not, what do you think I can do to improve? Do I still have time? Thank you for your response.

a 3.7 your freshman year as very little impact on what these “prestigious” universities think of you. Take the advice already given… continue to do the best you can and come back when you’re a junior when it’s a more relevant conversation.

And of course Ivy admissions look at a lot more than GPA.

You have nothing to worry about as a freshman,. It is okay to slip up, but what matters is getting back up and working to raise that as a 3.7 GPA. Admissions isn’t a one ring show. Your extracurriculars, academic, rigor of your courses (such as AP, Honors, IB, ect.), and test scores (ACT and SAT). So for now, just keep working hard and try not to worry too much.

My two cents…
Since still you’re in freshmen, you have a scope to improve upon your grades. please note that no GPA or test scores guarantee any applicant an admission to Ivys or top colleges. Its all about building your character and how did you make use of your time after school? what did you learn from the community? what did you give back to the community? there are many areas where one can show his/her unique strength that college admission can appriciate. My tips for the improvement…

  • Hold the grades and don't let them go down. Try improve upon it. I guess, colleges look at your unweighted GPA up untill first semister of senior year. They also look at your course rigor such as how you challenge yourself with Honor/AP courses that are offered at your school. Your current 3.7 GPA is not all that bad for ivys or other top schools. However, you need to prove your excellence in other areas.
  • Try to take SAT/ACT early (probably at the end of sophomore) . Prepare well and try to get good score (>1500 SAT or >35 ACT) in the first attempt. taking test multiple times requires lot of effort and time and I feel its not worth.
  • In addition to having regular ECs such as community service, joining some clubs sports at school, you need to spike of excellence in at least one of the areas of your passion. Admission personnel should realize the uniquness in your application to move forward. Otherwise, thousand of applicants will have stronger academic records with excellent ECs. and will be competing for a very limited numbers of spots. No one need to be scared with all these discussion , but it is possible to achieve your goal with focused effort and dedication.

Good luck for your all your college search endeavors

You have plenty of time. Start researching a good mix of colleges (reach, match and safeties) and find out which ones are a good fit for YOU and then most importantly find out what THEY are looking for in a student to add to their institutional needs.

Frankly, all the ivies are different (Cornell is different from Harvard; UPenn is not like Brown, etc). Find out the culture and best programs at each college and see if they are a good fit for you? Don’t just apply to all the ivies and pray. Not a good strategy.

My D who is a very good student (co-Val) didn’t even apply to any ivies as they were not a good fit for her. She wanted a collaborative environment, big time D1 sports in a warm weather state. My point is have an open mind, do your research on each college, and make sure you get the most out of the high school experience. And of course kick ass in your grades sophomore, junior, and first quarter and first semester senior year (yes they look at senior year grades especially if applying regular decision).

Good luck.