am i on the right track to UVA

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

So I was wondering if i have a fair a chance at UVA. I’m currently a sophomore but im thinking about my chances at UVA. I hope to achieve a 3.7 or 3.8 unweighted GPA by senior year. I received a 3.9 gpa freshman year and a 3.6 - 3.7 GPA so far in sophomore year, but i plan to raise that. I took 2 honors in freshman year and im also in two honors currently. Im planning to take 3 ap and one honor course junior year. and four to five AP courses in senior year. Also im in one club now (same club as in freshman year). But plan to join two more clubs next year and do more volunteer/community service. Other than my SAT which i don’t know how will i will preform on, do u think everything else might get me into UVA. I might even apply early.

Also if anyone can give me some suggestions for schools around the same level as UVA just so i can know what other colleges to look out for, that would be awesome.

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First, you’re a sophomore. You have one year of grades on the books, and two to go before you submit your applications. It’s good to start thinking about being prepared for college early, but it’s not really possible to say what colleges you’re well placed to get into a few years down the road.

Second, UVA is a public school and as such is limited by law how many in state and out of state students enter each year. Are you a Virginia resident? If you are, that almost doubles your chances of getting in, right off the bat. (Or to put it another way, if you’re not a resident, that cuts your chances almost in half.)

Third, take advantage of what your HS has to offer. Take the most challenging curriculum you can handle. I assure you it will be harder when you actually do get to college.

Fourth, UVA is a bit unusual in that they seem to place significantly heavier emphasis on grades than on test scores. Nevertheless, you still need good test scores. Take a few SAT and ACT practice tests under timed conditions, see which test (if either) you consistently score in a higher percentile range on. Then concentrate on prepping for, and getting the best scores you can, on that test.

An unweighted 3.75+, with plenty of Honors/AP/IB courses, and with 2050+ on the SAT, should be enough to get you in to UVA if you are a Virginia resident, with normal ECs. If you are out of state, increase those to 2150 and 3.9uw.

To answer your final question: if you want to know some of the most respected public schools in the US, consider UVA, UNC-CH, UMich, Berkeley, UCLA, W&M. But remember that your chances of getting in (and your tuition costs!) will depend on your state residency, at all of them. The peer schools would be different if you were interested in private research universities or LACs.

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Thanks so much for the reply. I am instate so that will definitely boost my chances. I am also going to try to practice for the SAT to get a score around the 2000 range. Thanks again.