<p>3.5-3.8 subpar!?! Dont worry about it and keep doing what you are doing now. Your grades are good enough. Considering all the academic guys who have their "priorities" right with 4.0s are getting rejected, you have the right balance. A "good" grade isnt a 4.0. Anything around a 3.6-3.7 is competitive. Also a class rank is very important as it is a basis for comparison. Be in the top 10%.</p>
<p>Thanks mahras, I'm relatively certain I'll be in the top 10%, I'm shooting for top 5% basically.</p>
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Maybe you are spending your time on your business that should be going to completing homework. I think Wharton will think that you don't have your priorities straight. I mean creating a successful business is great, but it doesn't/shouldn't replace your academics(And you're not doing it to financially support your parents.)</p>
<p>I hate to say this, but you're going to be a Sternie(or whatever your second option is).
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<p>I do think I'm spending a bit too much time on the business. However, I do have my priorities, learning always comes first for me - as unlikely as it sounds, I do take the time to learn the material in class (although using my own methods sometimes).</p>
<p>However, I don't see how doing loads of busy work will help me. I honestly would do the homework if it helped me (other than GPA-wise). But I've just gotten sick of it, all of it is busy work. I slogged through my share of it during freshmen year, and I pulled straight A's. However, when I look back, it honestly seems like time I completely wasted. If I can grasp the subjects without doing busy work, why do it?</p>
<p>Although I've decided to bite the bullet this year and do my homework and put up with the teachers, sometimes this is what I think:</p>
<p>The whole point of school is to learn right? I've done my share of learning. I have 100% mastery all of the material (as my AP scores reflect). Is it that big of a deal if I don't want to put up with a couple of lousy teachers and a ton of busy work that won't help me at all?</p>
<p>Edit: Also, Wharton is my only first choice. Its a 3 way tie right now between Wharton, CMU (Comp Sci), and Harvard (Econ). Although I'm not sure about my chances of getting into any of those (probably in the 20-30% range? for Wharton and H?). Maybe a bit higher in the 40%ile range for CMU, although CMU comp sci is cut throat...</p>
<p>Man you seem to be like me. I am going to be a junior myself and my teachers absolutely hate me. I mean my damned French teacher REFUSES to give me ANYTHING above a 85. I have a 93 test average a 94 final a bunch of top of the line project and she gives me a 85. You just have to cope with it. Spend time with your business. Busywork gets you nowhere in life. BTW my GPA happens to be in the 92-94 range roughly a 3.7-3.9. Around the same as you a little tougher school probably though. There is more to learning than school and the best adcoms know this. Otherwise everyone on CC would be getting accepted to every school they apply to.</p>
<p>Yeah, I don't get along with my teachers that well. However, I don't think thats the issue with my grades, my teachers are relatively fair. I'm the one responsible for the grades. If I went along with the teachers and did the busy work, I'm pretty sure I'd breeze through with A's, but I really don't see the use if I already understand the material :(. I really wish things were more test-based around here...</p>
<p>if you're going into business, you're going to have to learn to suck it up and deal with people whom you may not like, because in the "real" world, your job depends on it. </p>
<p>of course, if you're self-employed, i guess you don't have to worry about a boss. however, mahras (and sentient), i'm sorry, but academics still come first. you can be successful later running your own business, but your high school career should be spent doing well in school. it might not be fair, but that's how it really is. the admissions process isn't fair either... also, do you have any leadership positions? as you said yourself, you don't have much of a social life or something like that, and you and several teachers don't get along... dealing with people is really important in this day and age. colleges will want to see someone who is able to be successful all around. alright, dk if i got anywhere w/ this, but take it from someone who's gone thru the admissions process already. while grades/standardized tests alone will probably not get you into a great school, great ECs won't make up for it completely either.</p>
<p>on the other side, i could see admissions people seeing that HS is boring/"useless" for you since you ace tests, but yeah.. slacking isn't looked too highly upon.</p>
<p>heh yea thats what I am saying. But I do disagree that we are doing poorly in school. Maybe if I or the OP had a 3.0 GPA. As I said anything above a 3.6 should be competitive. In the "real world" 3.5-3.8 isnt a poor GPA ;). I dont think they want people who have perfect academics but academics should be in the ballpark range that they know that the individual wont fail all his classes at Wharton. When you have a good academics, and a profitable business (or any activity which you uniquely pursue) they will be impressed by your drive, and your time management. What will hurt however is a downwards trend in academics. For example you start off with a 4.0 freshman year and then preceed to get a 3.0 soph year to achieve a 3.5 cumulative. That looks bad. But if its say 3.4, 3.6 than that shouldnt be too bad. We still have junior year to improve. </p>
<p>My original point was the OP was stressing about his/her grades too much as were the posters. Also leadership shouldnt be a problem. Any 16 year old who has had dealings with 100 or so employees know how to lead people ;).</p>
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if you're going into business, you're going to have to learn to suck it up and deal with people whom you may not like, because in the "real" world, your job depends on it.</p>
<p>of course, if you're self-employed, i guess you don't have to worry about a boss. however, mahras (and sentient), i'm sorry, but academics still come first. you can be successful later running your own business, but your high school career should be spent doing well in school. it might not be fair, but that's how it really is. the admissions process isn't fair either... also, do you have any leadership positions? as you said yourself, you don't have much of a social life or something like that, and you and several teachers don't get along... dealing with people is really important in this day and age. colleges will want to see someone who is able to be successful all around. alright, dk if i got anywhere w/ this, but take it from someone who's gone thru the admissions process already. while grades/standardized tests alone will probably not get you into a great school, great ECs won't make up for it completely either.</p>
<p>on the other side, i could see admissions people seeing that HS is boring/"useless" for you since you ace tests, but yeah.. slacking isn't looked too highly upon.
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<p>Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting a free ride based on one EC. However, I'm expecting them to help a bit. My stats are a bit below the norm for Wharton (I'm expecting to end up with a ~3.8 and 2200 SAT by graduation), so will the ECs make up for that small gap?</p>
<p>Yeah, I don't have much of a social life outside of school (partying, etc.), but I do have lots of friends at school, and I like to think of myself as being relatively well-liked by other students. I'm the president of chess club and vice president of orchestra. I'll probably be going for track/xc captain as well next year. I may make varsity in track/xc next/senior year. </p>
<p>Anyways, I'm fully capable of working with people. I think I'll just have to just bite down and keep my mouth shut this year.</p>
<p>Edit: I may also run for NHS president senior year.</p>
<p>Sorry if I came off as harsh in the previous post. IMO there is just too much competition at Wharton for someone with your GPA/SATs/ECs to get in. But feel free to prove me wrong! And by all means apply, and I wish you the best of luck.</p>
<p>-confidential.</p>
<p>I'm going to have to agree with Afaforce here. The admissions process looks at academics first. To me, it sounds like excuses to say that 'i understand the material so why should i do the busywork' or 'if i did the work, i'd surely get straight-A's.' It doesn't matter if you don't think the assignments are important, they are the criteria for getting A's and thus maintaining a high GPA and class rank. If you would rather disagree with your teachers and protest the assignments, then you will be jeopardizing your chances at lots of top colleges.</p>
<p>To those who think that having over a 3.6 is enough to make you competitive. In real life, when dealing with regular people, most would say if you have a 3.6+ in HS and run a really successful business, you're really smart and will do great in life. Unfortunately, if you apply to Wharton, you aren't dealing with regular people. A 3.6/4.0 even with a successful business may not be enough, and I think you do understand that. I'm not saying this to be critical of you--you have plenty of time to pull off straight As, get great recs and make yourself more competitive for Wharton. But realize that many people start perfecting their Wharton applications as freshmen--taking the perfect curriculum, staying at the top of the class, while having really interesting ECs, including successful businesses like yours. Thus, having grades that are out of line soph year could ultimately hurt you despite a grade improvement, a business etc.</p>
<p>As others have said, you're going to have to do lots of stuff in college, at work, and in life that is/seems worthless. You can either deal with it or refuse to do it and possibly jeopardize future opportunities and possibly cement a reputation of being a complainer--no matter how valid your criticisms are.</p>
<p>Ah well. I know now my chances are probably rather slim. I guess I'll have make do with whatever I have.</p>
<p>I suppose I'll just have to bite down and work harder (and keep my big mouth shut :(). I'm confident I'll be able to raise my GPA - even if I have to take night/summer school to get my GPA up. I did some calculations, and I figured if I made straight A's up junior year with summer school/night school, I could pull my GPA up to a semi-respectable 3.8 or so. Then senior year should push me up to a 3.9 or so (although it won't show up if I apply early). At the end of Junior year, I'll probably be in the top ~5% rank-wise, depending on how many people in my class screw up this year :-/. Anyways, I think I'm starting to count my chickens before they hatch.</p>
<p>So, for the time being assuming I keep my grades up this year (Thats alot of assumings :D), I've got my GPA and rank under control, basically. By senior year I hope to be back up in the ranks. HOWEVER, what really bothers/bites at me now is the B's and C I got. Those look REALLY horrible on my grade card. So even if I have a respectable GPA and class rank, will those still come back to haunt me?</p>
<p>I don't know about the SATs though. I've got no idea how to study for them really, other than take practice tests. But again, spending so much time prepping for a test that really won't mean anything to me in 10 years seems like a pretty big waste of time :(.</p>
<p>Edit: I just remembered that Amherst video, where they threw out a poor girl's app because of 1 C :(. oh boy, I think I'm done for :(.</p>
<p>were they final grade C's?</p>
<p>as for SATs, yes, just take a lot of practice tests (resembling the real test as much as possible) and improve the areas in which you tend to do worse.</p>
<p>Yes, a final grade. Actually, I got a C 1 semester and a B the other... :-/.</p>
<p>well if they look at your straight A's next year.. they might think you matured and learned about time management. something all wharton kids should have :)</p>
<p>I suppose that's all I can hope for at the moment.</p>
<p>On a side note, I checked with my counselor today. I was pretty much on the dot for my GPA, I have a 3.7 unweighted. However, despite my poor performance sophomore year, I had some padding for my weighted score (I took several high school classes in junior high). Anyways, my rank was 23/498. Perhaps I was a bit too cynical with my estimates. </p>
<p>None the less, I understand the importance of academics now. Reading CC so much gave me the idea that ECs are the main factors in the admissions game. I think I understand now that they are more of a "deciding factor" between 2 evenly matched applicants. I'll be sure to keep my mouth shut and work harder this year :). Who knows, maybe I'll make top 10 (wishful thinking :P).</p>
<p>Anyways, thanks everyone for the advice - especially the criticism/ideas for improvement :).</p>
<p>don't be too disappointed if you don't get into your top choice (that may change from now till even after you apply, believe it or not), just give it your best shot. </p>
<p>and definitely, good luck! everyone needs some luck for the top tier schools X)
and if u have any more questions u think i would be able to answer, feel free to PM or w/e. =)</p>