Hi. I am only a junior so none of these scores are final but I am wondering what my chances would be to get in to BYU Provo. I am scheduled to take the SAT 2 more times and also take the ACT but I got a 1280 on my first SAT and my GPA is around an unweighted 3.8 or higher (not quite sure). I am also taking as many AP and Honors classes as I can and have several good extracurriculars including Debate, being my school’s Leo Club President, Junior Class Secretary (student council), concert choir, library volunteer and Young Republicans CoChairwoman. I also am interning for my congresswoman this summer.
I know that my SAT is a little low but I plan to take it and the ACT more so hopefully it gets better. My GPA is average but it should be an unweighted 3.9 by the end of my Junior year. (I will also be a seminary graduate.)
If I stay on track and get my test scores up a little, what are my chances of getting in? It has been my dream school since I can remember.
Oh also I finished Personal Progress (and that 1280 is the new SAT)
Hi! All your stats sound awesome - even better than a lot of the awesome accomplished peers I know who got into BYU Provo! But yes, I would recommend improving the test scores just to be sure.
One thing that’s changed about the BYU application is that it no longer asks for a full list of activities. You just pick two and write an essay for each on what you’ve done in it and why it’s been so meaningful to you. So it would be helpful to consider which ones would be the most impactful in light of your goals and circumstances. (My essay on service was already about my most important activity, the math tutoring club of which I serve as co-president, so I chose choir and family history for the activity essays. Surely neither of those stand out in themselves, but I knew I had something powerful to say about each.)
I also believe letters of rec, both from teachers and from seminary, are what tip the scales when there are so many worthy BYU applicants with great grades and extracurriculars.
Thanks so much for the advice!