First off, im asian.
Secondly, i basically failed my sats.
Like failed.
Theres this one ivy im dying to get into (not gonna say which for certain purposes…its one of the “lower” ones) and ive visited the school, im going to go to the summer program, my dad went there, ive been visiting since elementary school, and i know one head leader really well.
Im going to apply early this year as i am currently a junior and i feel like ive shown my dedication tremendously.
My extra curriculars are good, but MY STATS.
My gpa sucks, its a 3.85
My only sat score up is a 2010 (ouch x583939391) and i havent taken the acts yet but im a 34 ish (ive only taken one practice test cold so thats where i am roughly with no practice)
What can i do to raise my score to get into a top school? Ive done countless sat practice exams and i do well but bomb the actual because i get so f ing nervous and idk what to do to stop it. All my practice tests are 2250-2350 and i FREEZE when i take the actual.
How do i overall improve my application??
My dads been really on my case recently and told me i have to go to sat prep again this summer but it seems like it doesnt help.
How can i make it into a top school?
My family would shred me if i dont.
Thanks to anyone who answers, i really appreciate it!
@ohwowwoohoo Yes, you can make it into quite a few colleges with those stats; a 2010 is nowhere near “failing”, although it’s probably too low for Ivies. I don’t know enough about your classes to suggest how you can raise your GPA–feel free to PM me about those–but as for SATs, it seems like you’re dealing with performance anxiety here. It’s definitely a tough thing to overcome, but make sure you 1) Think positively–if you let the “What if insert bad thing happens?” thoughts intrude, it’s not going to be fun, 2) Be prepared, which it sounds like you are, 3) Accept that you will make mistakes and that everyone else is in the same boat as you are, 4) Get enough rest, and 5) Breathe deeply. You’ll do fine. I have faith.
You haven’t failed, and your scores are good enough to get you into 99%+ of the schools in the US.
@Marisa58 offers you some great advice. To that I would add this: There are hundreds of thousands of students every year who do not go to a “top 20” school and thrive. Schools like RIT, Macalester, Case Western, Purdue, Univ of Wisconsin, Union, Penn State, Lehigh, SUNY Albany, etc turn out top graduates in their fields all the time.
Focus on matches/high matches with programs that you really admire, visit them, speak with the professors and other students. Attend an upper level class. It is not at all hard to find three of these that you would really like. Make THAT your priority.
Then, if you get into your dream school, great. If you don’t, you’ve got three really solid backups.
Well I don’t know where you got the idea that you failed your SATs, thats an above average score. Don’t listen to your parents in that sense if they think that thats a failed score… You can get into numerous schools, almost any except some ivies. If the 3.8 is out of 4, you’re golden. Ivies are your only downfall, because they want absolute perfection. Stop worrying, honestly! Good luck!
