bad first semester senior grades? ivy league?

Applying to College
1

<p>hi i applied to several ivy leagues this year and those schools are still my top choice along with other 2nd tier schools like northwestern, swarthmore, jhu, and duke. i had a faily decent gpa so far ~3.8 and my sat is competitive too. but my biggest strength is probably my background, well-rounded activities and essays (took a risk).</p>

<p>the thing is i have almost all b's this year because of stress from 5 ap classes (my high school is really competitive), and other activities commitments as i am the leaders/captains for several demanding clubs. i also have family and school relationship/drama problems which affect my studies as well (admissions counselors probably dont care about this part though). do you think it'll affect my chance a lot that my grades went from few b's to almost all b's? i really am trying to end on a good/better note nonetheless but i just screwed up too much in the beginning that its hard to catch up. </p>

<p>if it is really hurting my chances, what else can i do? write a letter? friends/alumni/interviewers have confidently told me that im a really competitive applicant holistically</p>

<p>thank you</p>

2

<p>I’m in the same boat. I dont think as many B’s, but I definitely didn’t do as well as I normally do
a lot of my friends have been doing worse this semester so it doesnt seem uncommon… I would just roll with it and hope that your application stands for itself. I don’t know what writing a letter would do, unless you have a mitigating circumstance like an illness.
and btw i dont think schools like northwestern and swarthmore can really be considered 2nd tier</p>

3

<p>

Yes, at any competitive school.</p>

4

<p>When your grades drop senior year that certainly does affect admissions decisions. The best thing you can do is apply to at least one place you know you’ll be accepted and can afford to go and would be happy to go. Make sure there is a good safety on your list.</p>

5

<p>Applications deadlines have passed for top schools. Do your best on the mid term grades, but once those are set, your application is complete. Nothing left to do. There is no productive value in worrying about things that are beyond your control. </p>

<p>Now assume that you didn’t get in. If you don’t have safeties, this is a good time to apply to some. Otherwise, you are done until April.</p>

<p>Enjoy being a senior. It’s a special time. Figure out how to make yourself happy. Stop stressing. Fall in love. Stop trying to achieve, just be. Don’t waste this precious little time you have to cut loose and be free. Try not to get higher than a B in anything that you don’t need the AP credit for in college without risking Ds or Fs. That english paper doesn’t have to be perfect. You CAN go out on a school night. Focus on learning stuff you enjoy.</p>

1 Like
6

<p>Ok this is you below right
I know its already sent, but i just want to see my chances.</p>

<hr>

<p>-Asian male.
-3.77 gpa (my schools not on a 4.0 scale but i should be in the decile. also my school is pretty prestigious and well known to elite colleges)
-2170 sat 1 (i know its not good but i will be taking sat again in november and send it in asap. i feel more confident about taking it this time since last time i took it was beginning of junior year)
-sat 2: 790 math 2, 750 us history, 680 chemistry (didn’t send)
-ap scholar with distinction
-all ap/ honors courses throughout high school</p>

<p>extracurriculars:
-basketball (4 years) captain, numerous state and regional awards
-basketball travel team (2 years) captain, numerous state awards and national recognition
-debate team (3 years) director or finance, numerous school-wide, regional, state-wide, and national awards
-science bowl team (2 years) competition leader, 4th in state, 2nd in region
-robotics (3 years) mechanics leader, 1st in regional competition
-art club (3 years), numerous awards nationally, published in a national art book
-band (1 year, had to quit frosh year), 1st chair in section, all honor region band 2nd chair, 3rd chair all state
-School gov (2 years)- treasurer
-Coached basketball every summer for children at different summer camps for free.
-Researched monkey brain and monkeys’ maturity growth at a lab over the summer with a college school professor</p>

<p>common app essay: on my mom and how she set me up on my path to adulthood before she passed away from cancer.
short answer: on what i see in debating and how it fuels me</p>

<p>also moved 3 times in my life and moved to 3 different schools. i wrote about this in the moving essay section.</p>

<h2>1 rec from my english teacher, 1 rec from my math teacher (also my debating coach), and 1 from my research mentor. all should be pretty good.</h2>

<p>You are very competitive, being a captain for those sports will help you out a low. True, SAT scores not the best. The problem is, as an Asian, you are over-represented, and in that light your application does not look so strong. Now you got all B’s first semester and you have to send those grades in now, not good.
Those lower tier schools are NOT lower tier school, you need to seriously consider applying to real safeties. BU, BC, Tufts, Vassar, Brandeis, along that range.
Hopefully you can still turn in apps for some of those.
Rooting for you! Hope you get into the ivies, but keep in mind you would probably be happy in any of the afore mentioned schools. Think of the horros if you are rejected everywhere. The first thing you gotta do is make sure you’re going to COLLEGE, period.</p>

7

<p>If you think you’re a shoo in at Duke, NU, JHU etc. you are in for a rude awakening. These schools are more competitive than several of the lower ivies and reject tons of students who have better stats than you. I’d get off my high horse if I were you.</p>

8

<p>JHU, Swarthmore, Duke and Northwestern are not “second tier schools”. They’re all top tier, and especially Swarthmore is just as competitive as some Ivy League schools. It’s one of the top 3 LACs in the country. </p>

<p>I agree that you need to focus on other things now…there’s really no way to know, so be patient and find something to occupy your time. </p>

<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using CC</p>

9

<p>To put things in perspective here are some admissions statistics:</p>

<p>Acceptance Rates:</p>

<p>Duke 11%
Penn 12.3%
Swarthmore 14%
NU 15%
Cornell 16.2%
JHU 17.7%</p>

<p>Also keep in mind the fact that Dartmouth which had a 10% acceptance rate last year received fewer applications this year and will likely have a significantly higher acceptance rate than it did last year. </p>

<p>In short, Duke is likely to be more selective than Dartmouth and Penn, and NU and Swarthmore are likely to be more selective than Cornell.</p>