Is a 1390 SAT score and a 3.85 GPA good enough academics to get into any of the top 20 Universities?
They would all be reaches, they are for everyone.
@newsattaker that is only part of the picture; many other factors go into play. Also, if you applied with, say, a 590 math score to Caltech or MIT, that may signal that you’re not quite ready yet.
Honestly, there are so many factors it’s hard to say. Your stats are definitely on the lower end of the scale for a lot of these schools, but people get in with worse scores all the time. If you have the EC’s and a damn good essay to show the adcoms your passion and ability to succeed in a competitive environment, then sure.
Also, if you don’t mind I have a couple of questions. What are your sections scores, and what is your academic focus? If you have a 600 math and plan to go on to computer science at MIT, I have bad news for you. On the other hand, if you’ve got a 770 CR and 620 math and want to be a journalism major, they might not care so much. Don’t forget that you still have time to retake them if you study over the summer. As for your GPA- is that weighted or unweighted? Have you been taking honors/AP and really challenging yourself? If not, it may be best that you don’t go to a highly competitive university.
Like others said, they are hard to get into for everyone. I think your GPA and scores may be a little low, but you can always retake in the fall.
I see those scores as being at the entrance to the ballpark but not quite in the ballpark for the most elite schools. As others have said, those schools are tough for everyone but it can happen with good SAT2 scores, a great essay, solid and interesting ECs, and terrific recommendations. This also presupposes that your GPA is unweighted and you’ve taken very rigorous classes.
Most importantly, those scores will get you into many many excellent universities. Don’t get hung up in the ratings and prestige game. Think strategically and look for schools further down the rankings that are known in industry and to grad schools as superstars for your areas of study.
A 3.85 (3.9 rounded) GPA is excellent if it’s on the 4.0 scale. Good on the 4.5 scale, and not bad on the 5.0 scale.
A 1390 is almost equivalent to a 2000 on the old SAT.
In conclusion, you have good chances on the top 20. Remember, GPA and SAT are not the main things colleges look for. They look at extra-curriculars, leadership, the classes you took, and interviews.
The OP has a chance at the 10-20 schools, not a good chance. The 1-10 schools are reach for everyone, reachier for the OP.
Since @“Future Doctor - Paul” is a rising high school junior he knows very little about elite college admission chances.
A 3.85 GPA would round to 3.85.
Don’t worry about top 20 universities…worry about universities that are a fit for YOU.
@“Future Doctor - Paul” writes: “Remember, GPA and SAT are not the main things colleges look for. They look at extra-curriculars, leadership, the classes you took, and interviews”
This is…not right. At all.
For the vast majority of schools, GPA and SAT are absolutely all they look at. Only at the top 50 highly selective schools do most of those other factors come into play at all, and even then they are often subsidiary to numeric qualifications. “Interviews,” for instance, are hardly ever a factor anywhere, even at the most selective top-20 institutions.
“A 3.85 GPA would round to 3.85.”
My son’s unweighted GPA of 3.895 rounds down to a 3.89 on his transcript. They simply drop off the third decimal place. Ughh.
Schools with 2200 students to ones with 37,000 students.
East coast / west coast and some in between.
Urban campuses to rural.
Liberal arts focused schools to STEM “factories”.
That’s the diverse range of the “top 20”.
One needs to narrow in on what works for them first…
Realize that there is no perfect string of academic stats to guarantee anyone to the top 20 universities. Kids will get in with those stats, kids will get in with lower stats and higher ones. There’s so many subjective factors in elite admissions that makes playing the raw numbers game a waste of time.