Am I one of those "outstanding students" that top colleges are looking for?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am a Junior in a private school with a dual curriculum (NJ). Right now, my unweighted gpa is about 3.7, but it is 4.4 weighted. I am taking AP Chem, AP Psych, and AP English language, all of which I have at least an A- in. I am also taking Honors History, Accelerated Precalc, Hebrew language, and 2 other courses that are part of the dual curriculum. The school day is from 8:00 to 5:00. Assume that I get a 4 on the Psychology AP and a 3 on the others.</p>

<p>I am captain of the varsity wrestling team and will be next year as well. I have won/placed in many tournaments and have attended multiple camps/clubs for wrestling. On average, I spend 15 hours a week wrestling, which is hard to do in a school that gets out at 5:00. I am attending a one week leadership program at West Point after AP's. I received an A in a course that I took over the summer at Columbia University last year, and I plan to go this year as well.</p>

<p>I have only taken the SAT's once so far. I got a 610 on Reading, 660 on Math, and 690 on writing (10 on essay). I know that these are ****ty scores, especially Reading, but I'm giving myself a break because it was my first time. I know I can do much better, and I am taking it again in 2 weeks. I got a 210 on the PSAT's and have not yet been disqualified for to be a national merit scholar.</p>

<p>I have killer recommendation letters from my guidance counselor, teachers, and other people who have strong connections to the schools I want to go to. The teacher who taught my course at Columbia University last summer said that he would unequivocally recommend me to the College of my choice.</p>

<p>My freshman year of high school, my gpa was not as high as it is now (about 3.6 unweighted) and the courses I took were not as challenging (mostly accelerated, with 1 honors course). My sophomore year, I bumped it up to 3 honors courses with a slightly higher GPA. This year, I have shown tremendous improvement. I hope that this improvement will cause colleges to look at my junior/senior years, as long as the trend remains upwards. Next year, I will take AP Biology, AP English Literature, and AP Statistics.</p>

<p>What are my chances of getting into the following colleges:</p>

<p>NYU Stern.
Rutgers Honors Program
University of Miami (honors program if possible)
Boston University
Columbia University (probably my reach school)
Penn State
University of Pennsylvania
Brandeis University
UCLA</p>

<p>Thanks for any help you can give me.</p>

2

<p>No, you’re not one of those outstanding students that top colleges are looking for.</p>

<p>Rejection letters across the board.</p>

<p>Why? Because you live in New Jersey.</p>

<p>(You have a fair shot at most schools, bring up your SAT to the 2200 range and you’ll be in a much better spot for Columbia)</p>

3

<p>Not really outstanding…actually pretty average…No offense, but GPA and SAT’s just destroyed ur chances at some of these schools.</p>

4

<p>You’re likely fine for Rutgers, Penn State and BU, at least. The others could be a bit harder, but by all means apply. Best of luck.</p>

5

<p>Your good for all the schools except NYU, Columbia, UCLA, and UPenn.</p>

<p>You will have to work very, very hard for a chance at those schools.</p>

6

<p>I agree with most of the other posters. Add to it that you are quite behind in your math sequence compared to your competition at schools like Penn and Columbia. </p>

<p>I can’t quite get a handle on your wrestling prowess. Did you win counties? Sectionals? Regionals? Did you go to States? Do you think you have a chance of competing at that level next year? What sort of won-loss record are we talking here, and against what level of competition? If you went to States and finished in the top 4 to 6 in your weight class in a state the size of NJ, you could possibly get recruited. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

7

<p>Yeah, you’re not outstanding. If you want a case of an outstanding student, I just read about a student who got into HYPSM, who published two renowned papers in high school, won the intel thing in biology, got half a page worth of other awards, and had straight As. That is an example of an outstanding student, and there are very few of them. I’d say you could get into some of the colleges on your list. The ivies are tough no matter how good of a student you are.</p>

8

<p>I think some posters are being a bit too harsh. Sure, your SAT has room for improvement, but your GPA is quite good, especially weighted. It’s obvious that you’ve improved since 9th grade, and your courses are challenging. May I ask why you aren’t planning on taking AP Calc next year since you’re in Accelerated Precalc this year? I’m not sure what the other poster was talking about saying you’re behind on your math sequence; Precalc in 11th grade is pretty standard.</p>

9

<p>Posters here largely operate on the assumption that if you don’t have a perfect GPA, straight 5s on AP tests and near perfect SAT, SATII and ACT scores you’re consigned to community college and then the lowest admissions quality state school. </p>

<p>Really though, keep it up and improve your SATs a bit and you’ve got a fair shake at most of those.</p>

10

<p>

</p>

<p>How is taking Advanced Precalculus as a junior behind at all?</p>

11

<p>Most of the folks I’ve talked to who have been accepted to the Ivies of late have finished Calc BC, multivarable , or even a higher level of math (linear algebra, diff. equations, etc.) by HS graduation. Just my observation. If you’ve noticed otherwise, so be it.</p>

12

<p>Well in regards to the math, kids that are applying to the Ivy Leagues generally are in advanced math. And while Pre-Calc is advanced for a junior, we’re talking about Calculus junior year followed by multivariable during their senior year. A majority of those kids get rejected and their GPA & SAT scores are higher than what you currently have. </p>

<p>I think that’s what the person was referring to in regards to your math level. </p>

<p>But hey there always is hope :slight_smile: Write stellar essays and at least at NYU/UCLA you’ll have a shot. Columbia is a lower reach in comparison to U Penn.</p>

13

<p>Just a note…210 on the PSAT will surely get you commended status from NMSC. for semi-finalist status in NJ you’ll need at least a 220, so chances are slim for that. 210 is awesome though! congrats. work hard on vocab on reading and you can surely bring it in to the 700 range.</p>

14

<p>Ur pretty normal.</p>

15

<p>im pretty sure you cant go for national merit with a psat…but i could be wrong. i thought there was a special test called the nmsqt or something…</p>

16

<p>^Only the more competitive high schools in the country have math that accelerated. The majority of high schools do not. It is impossible in my school to be beyond Pre-Calculus in Junior year unless you transferred in from another school.</p>

<p>The highest math we offer is AP Calculus AB online as of next school year.</p>

17

<p>^ Yes, THANK YOU, Rixs! As a junior at my public high school, the top ten kids in our grade are all taking Honors Pre-Calc.</p>

<p>On that note, at your high school, you are probably an “outstanding” student. On CC? Not so much. This does NOT mean, however, that you cannot get into an excellent school. Most colleges do not expect the kind of credentials the student on this site have (research, published papers, international interships, 2400 SAT scores, etc.). Don’t be discouraged by the posters. Yes, your scores are low for some of the places you are interested in, but those can be brought up. In addition, if you are taking the most challenging courses offered by your school, you will not be penalized. You are not doomed just because you have not taken a full schedule of AP courses since your junior year. You are still FAR above average by national standards, just be aware that few people on CC are going to call you outstanding as there is a very skewed perspective here. Be sure to research the average stats for schools you are interested in, but even these are guidelines, not the rule.</p>

18

<p>Galib, The PSAT is also known as the NMSQT.</p>

19

<p>Galib…seriously do have any idea what your talking about?</p>

20

<p>The PSAT is the NMSQT, one and the same. My D is a finalist.</p>

<p>210 is a bit low for Semi-finalist. You have a chance. Commended is a nice line item on an app, especially if you are a jock. </p>

<p>Good luck with Columbia. Try to meet the coach there.</p>

<p>I agree with the previous poster regarding CC students. This is the roosting place of the academic uber geeks.</p>