<p>I read so many threads on this website that are somewhere between laughable and frightening (not actual threads, just generalizations of common examples):</p>
<p>"My GPA is 3.8! I'll never get in to college!"</p>
<p>"I got a 2390 on the SAT/ 35 on the ACT! Now HYPSM [etc.] will reject me!"</p>
<p>"My teacher rec is horrible- the teacher marked me as only in the top 5% [not top 1%]! What should I do about this horrible recommendation?"</p>
<p>"I have 800 hours of CS, 3 varsity sports (played on varsity all 4 years) and captain of all 3, 16 club sports, founder and president of 6 clubs, work 100 hours/week at a job [...]. Are these good ECs?"</p>
<p>"I got a B+ in AP Physics freshman year! What should I do?"</p>
<p>"I got a 4 on the AP Biology exam."</p>
<p>And the replies are sometimes disheartening:</p>
<p>"Well, a 3.8 GPA is kind of low. Consider community college."</p>
<p>"A 2390/35 is definitely not acceptable for HYPSM. Retake the SAT/ACT- try harder next time."</p>
<p>"Yeah, 5% isn't that impressive. You should definitely confront the teacher about it."</p>
<p>"Those ECs sound weak. Adcoms won't be impressed."</p>
<p>"That B+ will definitely hurt you. You won't get in to ANY college."</p>
<p>"A 4 is not impressive at all. Colleges won't care about a 4."</p>
<p>Seriously? Here's my advice to all who post threads like I stated above:</p>
<p>1st- A 3.8 GPA is not "kind of low". It is not, in fact, "low" at call. That's an average between A- and A. Even a 3.7 (A-), or 3.5 (B+) is not low. Plenty of people get in to college with a 3.8 (in fact, people get in to college with a GPA of 3.0! Can you believe it? I can.) </p>
<p>2nd- A 2390/35 is absolutely an amazing score. Even if you're shooting for HYPSM, why retake a 2390/35? If you retake it, you're MUCH more likely to do worse than better. A 2390/35 is already at the top of the range for HYPSM.</p>
<p>3rd- Being in the top 5% of students that a teacher has ever had IS impressive. Many teachers have probably taught a few thousand students over the course of their career. If they decide you're in the top 5% of students they've taught, that's impressive. "Top 5%", or even "Top 10%" doesn't make for a bad rec.</p>
<p>4th- Those ECs are not weak in ANY sense. </p>
<p>5th- A B+ in an AP Class (or ANY class) freshman year (or ANY year) WILL NOT KILL YOU. It is definitely possible to get in to HYPSM with a B+.</p>
<p>6th- Most colleges actually do give credits for a 4 or 5 (it's rare for a college to only give credit for a 5). Colleges definitely do care about a 4.</p>
<p>A lot of CC-ers get too worked up about admissions. If any of those threads sound like something you would post: CALM DOWN! It'll all be okay.</p>
<p>Work hard in school, and do your best. Push yourself hard, but if you're not sleeping, then you're working too hard (and yes, there IS such a thing as working too hard). </p>
<p>Same goes for the SAT/ACT. Study for the test, and get a tutor or take a class if you think that would help you, but spending thousands on test prep is absolutely not necessary (I spent $25 for an ACT book- I didn't take a class, I didn't have a tutor- and I scored in the top 1%). If you spend a lot of time and money prepping, and still don't get a perfect score, that's okay. </p>
<p>For ECs, do what interests you. If you have many different interests, then try to pursue them all. But don't do things just to impress colleges. Don't play varsity soccer (for example) if you'd rather be in the school musical. It's okay if you don't have 1000 hours of CS, really.</p>
<p>It's okay to have fun in high school. Obviously, school work, SAT/ACT, and ECs are important if you want to get in to a good college. But let yourself have fun, too. So many people on here seem to care SO much about getting in to college, that they let it consume their entire lives. Don't let that be you. It's possible to get in to a great college (even HYPSM) and still enjoy high school.</p>