Bad grades, good test scores, good ECs -please chance me for tiers HYPSM through George Washington!

Chance Me / Match Me!
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General

Race: White and African-American
Gender: Female
Financial Need: No/minimal financial need
State: New York
Intended major: Biology/Biomedicine

**Transcript:/b

Freshman Year:
English I: A
History: A-
Physics: A-
Algebra II/Trig: B+
French I: B+

Sophomore Year:
History: A
English II: A
French II: A
PreCalculus: A-
Chemistry: A-

Junior Year:
AP Biology: A
English III: A
US History: A-
French III: B+
AP Calculus: A-

Senior Year: (Classes only)
AP Calculus BC (Semester 1) | Multivariable Calculus (Semester 2)
AP Physics C
AP Government
Shakespearean Tragedy (Semester 1) | AP English (Semester 2)
French IV

This warrants a ‘most rigorous’ check on my app by my counselor

Total UW GPA: 3.84

SAT/Subject Tests

SAT: 790 CR, 740 M, 780 W (10 Essay, 77 MC). Total: 2310.

This is not a super scored value, and I only sat the test once.

Literature SAT II: 770

Math SAT II, Level I: 730 (re-taking this)

Biology (E) SAT II: [Have not taken yet]

My sophomore and junior PSATs were 204 and 206, respectively, if this matters. Enough to get commendation, but not enough for Semi-Finalist (225 cutoff for NE boarding schools applies)

List of Requested Chances:

  • HYPSM
  • Cornell / Brown / UPenn / Columbia / Dartmouth
  • Georgetown
  • George Washington

Anyone interested in giving advice for framing my app, too?

My main things: STEM stuff + being multicultural (FabLab in Arabic + Middle East, languages, MUN)

Was hoping a better title would draw more responses, tbh. I know other threads have gotten a ton of comments.

Thank you very much in advance!

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Bump

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3.84 UW GPA is not bad. It may not give the admissions officer goosebumps, but it certainly isn’t going to be detrimental to your application. HYPSM schools are a reach for everyone, but you’re in the running just like a lot of people. You can’t ask people to chance you for every school from Harvard to George Washington, though. Thats a lot of schools.

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@falcon97 - I figured they could just do ‘tiers’

EX:

HYPSM - high reach
“lower” ivies - reach
George Washington tier - match

Or whatever

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HYPSM - high reach, as it is for any applicant
Lower Ivies/higher privates (CalTech and the like) - Mid Attainable reach
Public Ivies - Match
GWU tier - Match

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But all of those schools look for different things, so

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Let me tell you, I know that a bunch of people on CC go around saying schools like HYPMS and Ivies are super reach and reach for everyone. That is very true (unless you are connected to some incredibly influential world figures), however there’s going to be a point where you see an impressive student that you’re confident will at least get into one Ivy. your SAT is in the 99+ percentile. Your ECs are pretty significant and impressive, and your GPA is not too shabby (definitely now terrible, only bit below the average). I think you have a good shot at any of these schools, and if you are rejected to any of these schools, it will likely come down to something very trivial. I definitely would not be surprised if you were accepted to HYPSM, and I would be downright shocked if you weren’t accepted to any of the lower ivies. I’ve never heard of a student like you getting rejected from all ivies. There was one student here on CC who had GREAT scores, ecs, and essays, but was still somehow rejected by Princeton, but was still admitted to Dartmouth. Based on the schools your siblings are attending/attended (implying similar or even better stats and backgrounds since you’re presumably younger and had time to learn from your siblings’ mistakes), I don’t think you have much to worry about. You seem like the type of person who will do well at any school regardless. Just try your best to present your true character in your essays, and explain how your experiences and scientific or cultural background will contribute to incredibly talented and multifaceted student body of any of your listed schools. I’d say good luck but you really don’t need it!

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Thank you for the reassurance, @JoseAMendez!

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Bump!

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What type of unweighted gpa scaling does your school use? For my schools GPA system, your GPA would be a 3.72…

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@conceitedrain7:

I am using the standard GPA calculation out of 4.0. My school does not calculate GPA; I did it myself.

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Conceitedrain7 is correct if all your classes have the same credits and you include Freshman year (as you should)

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Ah OK, thanks @wayneandgarth! I must’ve done something wrong, then.

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3.72 GPA does not put you out of the running for HYPSM, but Math 2 score for STEM would put you out of the running.

That and your 740 math section score.

I’d say perhaps concentrate on one or two of HYPSM, but focus more on non-HYP Ivies. Probably target MIT and get a recommendation from one of the professors there based on your experience as a camp counselor.

Where your siblings went won’t be considered for other colleges, unless you target them (Cornell for example), and then it depends on the school. But it should give you an idea, if you know their stats and ECs, what your chances are. Inasmuch that your background and racial makeup should get the same bump or non-bump as they did…

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GPA depends on the scale. If any A is 4.0 and any B is 3.0, she has 3.8.

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@HRSMom Isn’t that always how it’s done? A or A+ is 4.0 and A- is 3.7 and a B+ is a 3.3?

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@rhandco Yeah, my sister had that same stats as I do minus the FabLab and the Chinese, with a lower SAT score (2290), and maybe 1-2 extra As during Junior year instead of a B+ and an A-. She got in everywhere she applied, including P, Y, Columbia, etc.

Math is not my strong suit (and biology doesn’t even really require math other than Algebra and Statistics, both of which I’m perfectly good at) but I feel like it makes the most sense for me to apply bio given my CV.

I’m retaking Math for 750+ and I figured 740 is quite close to 750…

I’m not sure if it’s gotten harder in the last 10 years, though.

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No. Some schools (high schools) consider anything over a 4. 80-89 is a 3. etc.

Some do the + and minus variations. Each college will look at it in their own way. For instance U of M does the full 4 or 3, 2, 1 with no + or minuses.

Bottom line, your grades are pretty good:)

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The colleges will recalculate on their own system, from what I understand. Penn for example values academic GPA over overall GPA, and also will discount freshman year (one of the reasons my son didn’t apply, his freshman year brought his GPA up due to issues later).

If you apply for biology, I’m not sure if the math SAT score will hurt you that much, but keep up on the things that you are strong in. Penn tends to look for well-rounded students, and you have a variety of quality ECs which is good.

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“Penn tends to look for well-rounded students” I feel like you could say that about any school. Or that any school wants decently well rounded students who are really really good at at least one thing.