<p>I'm currently in 10th grade, and my unweighted GPA is about 3.0. I want to begin studying for the SAT, which I'll be taking in 2 years, so I can get as close to 2400 as possible. If I were to get straight 'A's from now on to the end of high school, and if I took a very rigorous courseload do you think I'd have a shot at USC, UCLA, UC BERKELEY, or Stanford? I'm currently in a few clubs at school. I'm taking 2 AP classes & 1 honors. Next year I'm going to join track, volleyball, and tennis. I also want to learn how to play the guitar or violin. Next year, I'll be taking 4 AP classes, and the next, I'll be taking 6. What do you think?</p>
<p>Stanford is wishful thinking, but you might have a shot at some of the other schools mentioned. Why do you want to take the SAT so late, in two years?? Take it a few times junior year, and maybe once senior year. Remember, none of the stats you have mentioned have actually happened yet, so keep that in mind! </p>
<p>But to answer your question - yes - I’m sure you’d have a shot at most of those schools assuming you can bring up your GPA and get a high SAT as well as some nice EC’s and Recs.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>So first a quick clarification regarding the SAT. Most people take it the spring of the junior year, the latest you can take it for schools that do not have rolling admission is fall of your senior year, so you will be taking the test in around a year.</p>
<p>Anyway it is great that you want to better yourself and improve. But your goals/aspirations are rather unlikely and are dependent on hypothetical future achievements. A 2400 is almost impossible, and a 2100+ is only achieved by about 5 percent of all test takers (CC has a disproportionate amount of high scores). Also using your GPA as indicator (which could be wrong if you have a valid reason for the grades or are actually a genius and just extremely lazy) somewhere around a 1700-1800 is more likely/realistic. If you have yet to achieved straight As or even mostly As, it will be extremely hard to do next year as you take 4 APs. Most people’s GPAs go down when they begin taking APs as the rigor has increased substantially. Finally you have to remember that the schools on your list (especially Stanford) rejects plenty of qualified people who have near perfect grades, ECs and test scores for their entire high school career.</p>
<p>On the plus side you have what are known as hooks, things that make you a more attractive applicant to colleges. Your hooks are the you are first generation and a URM. If you do improve substantially junior year you should look into the program QuestBridge, which may be willing to look past the first two years.</p>
<p>Sorry that this post is so long, I wish you the best of luck and let me know if I can help in any way.</p>
<p>My grades are definitley not a representation of my intelligence, intellectual capacity, and potential. To be honest, I didn’t do so well in school because the teaching wasn’t effective and the ambience wasn’t positive. I was also undergoing a difficult time since another extremely close relative of mine had passed away; it was emotionally overwhelming and distracting. Being in such a negative environment made me set forth less & less effort. I know that at the end of the day, it was my responsibility, but I do feel those are the reasons why I didn’t do so well. And this year, I’ve improved a lot, but it’s still a whole new experience since I’m challenging myself. So it’s safe to say 2000 is more realistic 
I do appreciate your honesty though.</p>
<p>Also, the Questbridge program looks amazing! Thank you for introducing it to me!</p>
<p>Wayyy too much speculation to chance. Come back later when you have more stuff actually accomplished. And if you’re looking for advice, this is probably the wrong subforum.</p>