hi i’m a sophomore in one of the best high schools in my state, freshman year i had a 4.57 and sophomore year (hopefully) i’ll end with another 4.57 gpa. we don’t do class rank but i’ve been on honor roll both years/semesters. i got a 1470 on the psat that sophomores took in april. im trying to get a 36 on the act and 1570/1580 on the sat, and i just took the sat math 2 today (i rly hope i can get an 800). i dont do as much ec’s but i’m going to take 9 ap classes during my 4 years and hoping to get a 5 on all the math related ones and a 4 on the others. i have a job and im gonna try to get an intern next summer. pls help, thank u <3
Well, without many EC’s/awards, I’m going to be realistic and say your chances are pretty low. Good grades alone are often not good enough for Ivies, and you’ll be competing against many people who have similar or better GPA and test scores than you, along with numerous accomplishments. This is not to say you should give up though. You can still apply but just know that it’ll be a reach.
I think what’s more important is for you to find a school that fits you than to just shoot for the Ivies. Focus on finding matches, and apply to those Ivies as well if you’d like.
What’s your intended major btw?
oh and i also forgot – i do volunteering and won a youth service award 2 years ago
statistics/applied mathematics. my math teachers have all told me to join mu alpha theta / math team but i never rly wanted to so i think i’ll do one of those two next year
You need to understand better what each elite looks for. They want rounded ECs and to see challenges you took on. Not necessarily awards, certainly not just for hours or class participation. Not just titles. Of course, if you want a stem major, you need math-sci activities. Many of your competition will have both, plus other roles in hs and outside. In fact, how you choose ECs tells them a lot. An internship is nice, but not the full set of choices they’ll look for.
thank you, what ecs do you recommend?
If you want a tippy top, you do need to be the sort who sees the opportunities around you, decides what to pursue, and can make some commitment.
It’s not just what interest you or what you “really don’t” want to do. You need a sort of drive that propels you. But also willing to try some things for fun. Or stretch.
“what ecs do you recommend?”
The chances for any one student to get into Columbia or U.Penn are so small that I think it is a mistake to think “what ECs does Columbia or Penn want me to do”. Also, these schools want students who show initiative and who shine in whatever classes and whatever ECs they do.
As such, I would strongly recommend that you participate in the ECs that you are interested in. If you do what you want to do, then you are likely to do it well.
Many years ago I literally spent no time at all thinking about what schools wanted me to do. My ECs were sailing, skiing, and chess, because that is what I wanted to do. Doing very well in these ECs got me into both schools that I applied to, one of which was a “top 3” school in the US as a math major (my safety and match was McGill).
Do what you want to do. Do it well. Make sure that you are applying to a reasonable set of safety and match schools. If you also apply to reach schools such as Columbia or Penn then think of them as sort of “extra”, something that might work out but probably won’t. Then don’t worry about it. You can do very well at a very wide range of universities.
The colleges you mentioned (as well as other top tier colleges) have acceptance rates well under 10% so they must be considered to be a reach for any unhooked applicant including yourself. It is impossible to predict admissions outcomes since there are not enough spots for all of the well qualified applicants.
Having outstanding academics will only get your past the first hurdle. The rest of the application will be judged based on ECs/achievements outside of the classroom, recommendations, your essay etc.
By all means apply to Penn and Columbia and give the application your all. But:
- do not pin all your hopes and dreams on these reach schools and
- do spend the time and energy to create a well balanced application list that also includes match and safety schools that appear affordable (run net price calculators) and that you would be excited to attend. IMO people spend too much time focusing on their reach schools and not enough time on the match/safety schools – please do not make that mistake.
And in terms of recommended ECs – that is so individual. Find things YOU care about, that YOU can get excited about, that YOU want to make a meaningful contribution to in your school or in your community. The answer should come from within yourself, not from strangers on a blog who never met you.