Hello,
If I was to have a 3.7 unweighted GPA, which for my classes is a 4.5 weighted, do I still have a good shot at ivy leagues? According to my school’s naviance statistics, this is above average, but it’s a relatively low UW GPA which makes me nervous. Yes, I realize test scores and ECs play an essential role in admissions. That being said, does having a 3.7 UW make ivy league admissions extremely difficult? Here on CC there are tons of people talking about perfect 4.0s, which I find amazing. I’m a junior at a public school that has a solid reputation for being pretty difficult.
Here are my semester 1 grades (of course, I’ll try to improve next semester but lets assume now that these grades remain constant for the year).
AP Lang: A-
AP Statistics: A-
AP Bio: A-
H Spanish: A-
H Pre-Calc: A-
Band: A
History: A
Thanks!
As a side note, I’m contemplating taking AP Macroeconomics as a semester-long online course that hopefully won’t prove too difficult, should be interesting, and also boost my GPA. Is this necessary for ivy league and top school admissions (15% and above)?
Only if you’re an athlete, a legacy or a VIP.
Hardly anybody has a “good shot” at the Ivies, which is why it is often said on CC that they are “reaches for everybody.” Ace the ACT or SAT and maybe you’ll have an outside shot.
As for EC’s, here are some of my following. Hopefully, this helps (are these considered strong EC’s?):
- Math Tutoring
- Robotics Team
- STEM Team
- Microbial Fuel Cell Research
- NHS
- Part-time job teaching STEM to K-8
- Safe Rides Captain and Board Member
- Created an online tech review website
- 3D printing company
- Local animal care business
- Mental Health first aid trained
- On school student steering committee
- Past captain of JV soccer team
- Junior year varsity lacrosse+soccer
- Spanish Tutoring
- NHS Tutoring
- Created school food drive
- Co-founder and committee member of community service organization
- Involved in local church (cleaned up basement, etc)
- President of in-school sandwich-making for homeless
- Science bowl
- Future chess team member
- Community service for local senior citizens
- Participated in fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness
- Volunteered at school open house and community service events
- School ping pong champion (kind of irrelevant, maybe displays personality?)
- Perfect GPA freshman year
- One A- sophomore year
I think there’s some other stuff too I just don’t remember atm
I suppose some of this stuff can boost ivy league possibilities? I haven’t taken the SAT or ACT yet but I did come in the 99th percentile for the PSAT.
As for EC’s, here are some of my following. Hopefully, this helps (are these considered strong EC’s?):
- Math Tutoring
- Robotics Team
- STEM Team
- Microbial Fuel Cell Research
- NHS
- Part-time job teaching STEM to K-8
- Safe Rides Captain and Board Member
- Created an online tech review website
- 3D printing company
- Local animal care business
- Mental Health first aid trained
- On school student steering committee
- Past captain of JV soccer team
- Junior year varsity lacrosse+soccer
- Spanish Tutoring
- NHS Tutoring
- Created school food drive
- Co-founder and committee member of community service organization
- Involved in local church (cleaned up basement, etc)
- President of in-school sandwich-making for homeless
- Science bowl
- Future chess team member
- Community service for local senior citizens
- Participated in fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness
- Volunteered at school open house and community service events
- School ping pong champion (kind of irrelevant, maybe displays personality?)
- Perfect GPA freshman year
- One A- sophomore year
I think there’s some other stuff too I just don’t remember atm
I suppose some of this stuff can boost ivy league possibilities? I haven’t taken the SAT or ACT yet but I did come in the 99th percentile for the PSAT.
Re: ECs: Looks like a lot of breadth, but how much depth?
Sorry about the double response
For a lot of these things I’m not really sure there could be much more depth, it’s not like I just do these things once and call it a day (exempting community service things like volunteering for open house, which is really just one day). Other stuff I put a lot of work into (200+ hours for robotics), but I see your point; it’s a wide range of topics but somehow I’m able to balance most of these at once.
How much better would a 3.8 look? A 3.85? I may be able to get a 3.81 this semester and a 3.85 next. This would bring my cumulative unweighted GPA to about a 3.91 and my weighted cumulative to either a 4.33 or 4.35. Will this work for ivys?
Also keep in mind that senior year I’ll be striving for a 4.0 which is a 4.7 weighted which would bring it up further…
Why are you so obsessed with the ivy’s?
It shouldn’t be for prestige nor bragging rights.
You were talking about a few schools that get hundreds of thousands of perfect applicants. There are only so many seats at those schools. The Ivy’s are a reach for everyone. EVERYONE.
Even if you were to get a perfect SAT or ACT score it’s still a reach. Having a bunch of EC‘s that don’t connect and are a one day, or a limited thing does not stand out. They don’t show commitment to a cause.
Some schools won’t look at your senior grades so, hoping to boost your GPA, in your senior year, is not going to count a whole lot. Once you get to these schools, you have to be able to keep up academically. You’re stretching now to try to get your GPA up. You cannot play catch-up at a very very difficult University.
These schools seek very bright students that are international Olympians or amazing athletes, celebrities, students on the verge of curing diseases, international musicians/artists, major environmentalists, etc. That leaves little room for anyone else.
Apply, but you need to find schools that will appreciate your current efforts. They may or may not be ivies, but you need to be able to get in. Then you need to be able to afford them.