Hi!!
Im a rising senior. I’m so scared for college applications! Please chance me! I really want to make it to the Ivy Leagues/UCB/UCSD/UCLA but idk if they’ll take me with my scores.
I currently have taken 9 APs. I will take 5 more APs senior year to total it to 14 APs.
Freshman year:
-Honors English 1 A-/B+
-Biology Honors B/B
-Algebra 2 Honors B/B
-Spanish 2 Honors B/B
-Tech/computer class A/A
-PE A/A
Sophomore year:
-AP European History C+/A+
-AP Chemistry D+/A-
- Honors English 2 B/B
-Trigonometry Honors D/A-
-Spanish 3 Honors B-/A-
-Dance A/A
Junior Year:
-AP Calculus AB A/A
-AP Environmental Science A+/A+
-AP Language and Composition A/A
-AP U.S. History A/A
-AP Spanish Language A-/A
-Marketing
Summer: AP Psychology A/A
AP Physics 1 A-/A
As you can see, I really messed up my sophomore year. It sounds so cliche, but I did deal with severe depression and anxiety, to the max where I would throw up during tests in class as well. I am better now though, and my scores do show my better mentality. I’m not getting Fs/Ds/Cs anymore. I will not tolerate my bad scores ever again!
I’m going into senior year, and my schedule looks like this:
Senior Year:
-AP Calculus BC
-AP Biology
-AP Literature
-AP Microeconomics
-AP Civics/Econ
-Business and Tech Marketing
On the stance that I do get all As my senior year as well, my UW GPA would be a 3.7 and my weighted would be a 4.5.
Here are my SAT/ACT scores:
SAT= 1540
ACT= 34
My Extracurriculars:
-Fencing (I have fenced for 5 years and I have a B rating, has multiple awards)
-Director of Marketing for a worldwide project I started
-President of Debate Club
-FBLA (won multiple awards)
-Mock Trial
-National Honor Society
-Scholarship Society
Awards and Distinctions:
-All-American Team Fencing for 2 years/multiple awards
-Multiple awards for FBLA
-Public Speaking awards
-100+ hours community service
-Mock Trial team awards
-AP Scholar
-PSAT Semi-Finalist
Honestly, if I keep this up, how good of a chance do you think I’ll have? My dream is to go to Stanford, but I don’t know if my stats/ECs are too common, and if they’ll be enough.
Be honest with me! I just want to know some honest truths/advice, so it’s okay if it will be not what I want to hear.
Thank you all!
-CNG
UC’s do not use 9th grades or Senior year grades in their GPA calculation so using the linked calculator, please calculate your UW UC GPA, Capped weighted UC GPA and Fully weighted UC GPA.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
UC’s tend to be GPA focused and with them going test optional this year and next, GPA will become even more important.
Are you looking to get recruited for Fencing?
Your EC’s are good but nothing outstanding. Stanford will be a major Reach even with an upward grade trend along with the UC’s listed.
I suggest you lower your expectations and first find 2 safety schools that you are willing to attend followed by several match schools and then fill out the rest of your list with a couple of those Reach schools.
Best of luck.
Sorry to say this, but I think Stanford is not even a reach. Your GPA is much too low, and while depression/anxiety is reason, it doesn’t prove that you would have gotten all A’s if it weren’t for that. Unless your “worldwide project” is truly worldwide and impacted hundreds/thousands, I don’t think you have a chance.
Like Gumbymom said, find safety and match schools. The case with Stanford is the same for the rest of the Ivys. Maybe apply to one or two, but expect rejection. Schools like UCB and UCLA are probably reach, high reach if you’re going into a competitive major.
Good luck.
@sammng: 3.7 UW is the best case scenario including Senior grades for OP. At time of application, OP has around a UW 3.5 GPA with 2 D’s and 1 C. Applicants with a 4.0 are often rejected. A school with an acceptance rate below 5% should be considered a Reach regardless of an applicants qualifications.
Based on OP’s posted grades and courses, I figured out that their UC UW GPA is 3.58, Capped weighted is 3.88 and Fully weighted is 4.23. Having an upward grade trend with very good rigor will help but based on the following 2019 stats below, the UC’s listed are still Reaches.
2019 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 12%
UCLA: 7%
UCSD: 33%
UCSB: 32%
UCD: 47%
UCI: 35%
UCSC: 72%
UCR: 87%
UCM: 96%
Depending upon intended major, UCI/UCD and UCSB might be options. Target schools are UCSC, UCR and UCM.
UC’s do not consider Senior year grades nor Freshman grades in their GPA calculation.
Yes, I was looking to get athletically recruited for Division 1; however, with their pull out of the fencing program, I’m not sure anymore. What do you think about UCSD?
UCSD is more reasonable for an acceptance but 33% admit rate based on your UC GPA is still not a guarantee and it could be lower depending upon intended major. Apply widely and make sure you have at least 2 safety schools on your list that you are willing to attend and are affordable.
I am concerned that if you found high school stressful, then MIT is not a good fit. At least in my experience MIT is vastly more difficult and significantly more stressful than high school. If you were the #1 top student in your high school, then you would be average at MIT. Yale and Stanford will not be much different in this regard.
I do not think that MIT, Stanford, Yale or Northwestern are likely at all. I am not sure whether they are high reaches or out of reach.