I understand that college admission is a holistic process and many factors determine a student’s spot at a top university. However, I was curious if a few poor grades would hurt my chances. I have 3 B’s (2 of which were from freshman year) and once C+. The rest of my grades have been A’s. I also have a 1400 SAT score. I can be the first to admit that my academic stats aren’t the greatest. But as college applications approach, someone please enlighten me before I completely stress out. Thank you
You will be a lot less stressed if you focus on colleges where your gardes and test scores give you a more realistic chance of admission. Without knowing your course rigor, I would say your test score isn’t high enough for tippy top schools. You can retake and try for a higher score, but even students with perfect academic records have slim odds. You have two strikes against you already. You will be stressed by having unrealistic expectations.
And you may be surprised when you learn there are many colleges with strong programs, where you can flourish. That’s not limited to Top 20 sorts of schools.
At the most competitive, it’s not that holistic overcomes issues in the academic record. It means they look at everything, it all matters. And tippy top colleges want to see you have all the strengths they want, for the four years there.
The Ivy League schools accept between 5 and 15 percent of the students that apply and tens of thousands apply. Being in the lower percentiles of those applicants certainly makes it more difficult than it already is. The thing is your grades and test scores are very good and you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished. There are hundreds of excellent schools where you can flourish and who would be glad to accept someone with your academic record. Fixating on a group of twenty or so of the most selective schools (I said fixate not apply) is a recipe for stress and disappointment. Broaden your idea of what you want and need in a college education and the process can be more fun and less agonizing. Good luck.
Boy, I think whoever coined the term “Ivy League” was like the pied piper of Hamelin. It is just myth that these eight schools are anything more than a bunch of excellent schools in a sea of excellent schools. A student can get a similarly wonderful education at scores of other universities around the country, and have just as beautiful of a campus and just as terrific classmates.
And consider this, Dartmouth could hardly have a more different environment than Penn or Columbia. Would a student who loved the former want to attend either of the latter? Or vice versa? Columbia is a subway ride to Times Square. Dartmouth is surrounded by cows.
Try this, start at some number in the 20s, say 27. Now research the school ranked that number in LACs or National Universities in U.S. News. You will find a top-notch place where great students, with your stats, are getting great educations and having fun. Now add 10, to 37. Research that school and you will find the same. Now add another 10, to 47. You will find the same. You can continue that for a while. Now research U.S. News list of regional universities for your region or the one where you want to study. You will find the same there.
Because of the mania around Ivy League schools, the odds of acceptance for a top-notch student with a nearly perfect high school record who is not also a recruited athlete, or who has not accomplished something significant at least on the state level, or who does not come from a notable family has a less than 5% chance of being accepted RD to an Ivy. It’s probably more like 1-2% at most schools.
However, the fantastic news is that there are many, many top-notch options for someone with your record. Embrace that, find a great place where you will be learning with many outstanding students, professors, and school staff. Work hard, have fun, treat everyone with respect and good will. You’ll do great. Good luck!
Short answer: yes, a few bad grades can hinder your admission. So could a less than top SAT score. So could luck.
That said, let me jump on the bandwagon here. Why concentrate on those 8 particular schools in country that has something like 3,000 colleges?
There’s a lid for every pot. Take some of the College Match quizzes (not sure whether the CC one is up yet) and find some schools that fit you and your ambitions.
Agreeing with others. With your grades and SAT it is unwise to focus your hopes and dreams on the Ivy schools. It is time to expand your horizons. There are tons of amazing colleges and universities out there that can give you a great four year experience and get you where you want to go in life. I suggest you get your hands on some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review) and start reading up on options that fit your academic stats, appear affordable (run net price calculators), and have what you want in a college.
“It is just myth that these eight schools are anything more than a bunch of excellent schools in a sea of excellent schools.”
I strongly agree.
The bad news: A few B’s and a C+ probably does seriously harm your already bleak chance of getting into an Ivy League or equivalent (MIT, Stanford, Chicago, Caltech), and a 1400 SAT, while excellent, is low for the Ivy’s.
The good news: There are a very large number of very good universities in the US, and many more outside of the US. Your very strong overall academics, even with a few B’s and a C, will get you accepted to many very good schools, and you can do very well at pretty much any “top 100” or even “top 200” university.
Thank you guys for your feedback. My question was not delivered in the best way. I have no intentions of going to any of the eight ivies. But would these academic records be suitable for other good schools such as UCLA, Georgetown, NYU, Emory, etc.?
You can do your own research on where your academic record puts you relative to the schools you mentioned.
–Google the common data set for each school
–See if you can find a class profile online
–If you HS has Naviance that is a great tool
–Look in college guide books for averages (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review etc.)
Yes, your grades and scores are strong, despite a few non-A’s. You’ll be a competitive candidate at many, many places. It’s just hard to say at any specific one because a lot depends on other factors. For example, what are your ECs and how well you present them in your application? Also, how do your essays and other answers resonate with the admission reps at a particular school?
Who you are and where you live can be a factor? Are you in-state or OSS for UCLA? For Georgia Tech? Take Georgia Tech. It has a large majority of male students. If you are a male from VA, which supplies a lot of strong applicants, the road might be pretty tough. If you are a female from OR, well, they might not see too many of those applications. On the other hand, if an OSS male is applying to William and Mary (56% female), they will have a more reasonable shot than a female OOS applicant with the same stats.
Is it a school that emphasizes “interest”? For example, Wake Forest accepted 25% of RD applicants this year. The school likes to get to know applicants personally, if it is possible, and likes them to get to know the school. Its supplemental questions are designed along these lines. If you visited, interviewed (there or by Skype), and that went well, and you were clear why you wanted to go to Wake and what you could contribute to the community, you’d probably have a significantly better chance than if you applied cold with little knowledge of the school beyond its ranking.
The financial aspect is huge. Will you need a lot of financial aid? You have to be accepted AND be able to pay all costs less financial aid. For example, if you don’t live in Georgia, GT will be very expensive and significant aid will be unlikely. At a school like Duke, which takes a much higher % of ED applicants, compared to RD, can you afford to pay if they accept you ED but don’t offer a lot of merit or need-based aid?
I think the bottom line is this: don’t worry about a few non-A’s. Just work hard and do your best this year. You’re a strong student. If you are realistic and apply to some schools that have reasonable acceptance rates, you will go to an excellent school. Trust that and look at the process as an opportunity to learn about cool places, and even the country at large. Look at it primarily as an exercise in finding a place that is a comfortable fit for YOU, not some place that some media organization’s arbitrary criteria has deemed #21 and not #43.
For example, Denison University, as a place to live and get an education, may not be the kind of place you are looking for (too small, etc.), but let’s assume it is for a moment. It’s a lovely campus, and you will get a great education there. You will find many students with similar stats to yourself. Keep in mind that the professors will have secured their positions at the school after beating out certainly 60 other applicants, and probably over a 100. So they are fully qualified. In fact, probably all of your classes will be taught by those professors, whereas at GT you would probably be taught a lot by TAs in intro classes. Many of your professors would perhaps be focused a lot more on their research than teaching. (I don’t mean to knock GT. I was very impressed by it, and the research and internship opportunities are first rate.) You would probably get significant merit aid at Denison.
Anyway, good luck (and have some fun with it)!
There’s not much you can do about your grades at this point (the past is in the past), but I would retake your SAT before admissions (maybe october)