<p>Hey guys,
I am a current junior and I would really appreciate it if you could let me know whether I am on the right track/if there is anything you recommend I do to help me raise my chance of getting into an Ivy, or any other good school for that matter. Also, if I am not on Ivy level, where do you think I can get in?
Thanks,
Jason</p>
<p>GPA: 4.4 (top college prep high school)</p>
<p>AP'S (By end of junior year): 7 (on the two tests already taken, both 4's)</p>
<p>SAT: Not taken yet, but practice scores between 2170 and 2290</p>
<p>Extra-Curriculars:
Diversity Club VP
Newspaper Writer
Yearbook Section Editor
Literary Magazine Contributor
Newsletter writer/political cartoonist
Founder and President of book drive club (collected 2000+)</p>
<p>What is your unweighted GPA (on a 4.0 scale)? I think you have a pretty clearly defined passion for journalism and writing, which you could emphasize in your essays. As long as you can get a 2250+ SAT score, and your class rank isn’t shabby, you’ll be a strong candidate.</p>
<p>Sweetie, you sound like an awesome kid. Alas, there are thousands of equally awesome kids out there. Here’s the deal: there are about 4000 institutions of higher learning in the US. High school seniors (and their parents) typically have heard of about 50 of these. So the entire nation of smart teens throws applications at the 8 Ivies, Stanford, MIT, and a few more schools. </p>
<p>Sure, you are on track. Keep up the hard work. But don’t be a lemming. Pick out a couple of Ivies that sound like “you” (Urban, large Harvard is a lot different than cozy Dartmouth). Apply. But also know that it is a long shot. It really is. Look in your own back yard for opportunities at state schools. Look regionally for programs that sound super. Look across the nation for schools that do your intended field well. Look for a school that would consider you a blessing. </p>
<p>Hopefully at the end of the process, you have an array of acceptances and can sort through some lovely options. </p>
<p>I’ll never forget the 4.0 teen who posted a few years ago. He had only applied to the Ivies. April came and he had not gotten into any of them. He had no back up plans and was trying to figure out his options. At that late date, there were still schools that accepted applicants but it was “make the best of a bad situation” instead of “hey, I could do this . . . or this . . . or, hey, that’d be cool.”</p>
<p>It’s a lot like playing poker. So far you have a strong hand – but unless you are the charming 4.0 offspring of a U.S. president/international rock star or have a parent ready to buy the campus a new library, then the hand you hold is not “all Aces.” Don’t bet the farm on the hand you have. Play it shrewdly.</p>
<p>My school provides me neither my class rank nor my unweighted GPA. However, based on my own calculations, I would estimated my unweighted GPA to be about a 3.91.</p>
<p>Attending top prep schools can be a blessing and a curse, since these schools often harbor legacies, carefully pruned URMs, and athletes recruitable in traditionally preppy sports (crew, etc). Acceptances to Ivies from these schools is sometimes reserved for those kids and the true academic all stars (2350+, 3x800 on SATIIs, 4.0). At the same time, schools just under that first tier and top LACs will jump for kids like you (though your SAT score will play a big part in that). Your best bet is to talk to your guidance counselor, since she has information specific to your school and can better assess your chances.</p>
<p>That’s a good thing. Dream big! What Olymom was saying was that there’s a chance you might not get into any of them although the fault is not yours at all. I think you are a very solid candidate for Ivy League schools and I’m sure you’ll get into some, but the important thing to remember is that your success is directly proportional to your interests and your efforts - attending a “prestigious” institution will not make you successful. Only you can do that. </p>
<p>assuming your sat is in the 2200s and you stick with a hard schedule and have good recs/essays (and possible 1-2 more leadership positions) you have a chance to get into the ivy leagues but their doesn’t seem to be much that differentiates you from the thousands of other top-notch applicants</p>
<p>also depending on what fields you want to go in you should look at other schools</p>