I’m currently in grade 11 and interested in getting into an Ivy League, especially uPenn, and would like to hear your opinions about whether or not I stand a good chance or if you have any other advice!
I don’t take AP courses or anything like that since my school unfortunately doesn’t offer it, but my average right now is around 96% and I think I can maintain that for grade 12 as well.
I haven’t taken the SAT yet, but I will in June and probably again next fall. Do you think that’s enough time? Let me know how long it took you guys to study for it, and other tips would be greatly appreciated. Also, are the subject tests required or recommended?
My extracurriculars are pretty good though, I’m a part of a bunch of clubs and assume leadership roles at school and in the community, where I volunteer a lot at different places. I’m not worried about that part of the application, and I’ll make sure to write really good essays, haha.
You will need to be superior in all aspects of your high school career: grades, test scores, EC’s recs etc. And even then it is unlikely for most applicants.
Here’s a very general answer: no one can provide an even roughly authoritative response; we know NOTHING about your curricular rigor, your standardized test results, your EC, or anything else of substance. You might as well ask, “I play a little hockey, can I make the NHL?”
However, wouldn’t your GC – who knows you, your secondary school, and probably has sent other students on to first-tier universities – have some insights?
My extracurriculars are pretty good though, I’m a part of a bunch of clubs and assume leadership roles at school and in the community, where I volunteer a lot at different places. I’m not worried about that part of the application, and I’ll make sure to write really good essays, haha.
I can almost guarantee you your ECs are subpar. “Not being worried” would mean having national/international awards/recognition/jobs/etc. in a field and “volunteering” is not enough anymore. Guessing not good chances due to the fact you do not seem to understand the extreme difficulty in earning acceptance to a top school.
