I am planning on majoring on economics. I am very interested in the University of Michigan, University of Southern California, Cornell, Georgetown, CMU, etc. My biggest dream would be the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton). However, I am concerned with my odds of being admitted.
I’m currently a junior.
9th grade weighted GPA: 3.8
10th grade weighted GPA: 3.8
My GPA for my junior year’s first semester is not yet available due to an issue on the transcript but should be between a 3.9-4.1.
SAT score first try: 1320. However, I am studying hard and planning on retaking it and aiming for a 1500 +/-.
I have been in honors classes all of my high school years, and my junior year I am in all honors classes except for one class (which I ended with an almost perfect score in because it’s a breeze). I am planning on taking 3 or 4 AP courses for my senior year.
ECs:
150+ community service hours
NHS member
NSHSS member
Spanish National Honor Society member
English Honor Society
Discipline-oriented club member (school thing, must be vague for privacy)
Model UN member
Board member of large school club
Mensa member
Speak 4 languages (fluent in 3, will take SAT II for them if available)
Three internships
Extremely well-traveled if that makes a difference at all, also lived internationally
Created an international exchange program
Organized fund raising events for a charitable cause that I developed
Microsoft Office Specialization
Translator for large organization
Summer program
I am working on a few projects that will add significant value to my extracurriculars by the end of this year.
If it matters, there is no need for financial aid in my situation.
I am relying more on my extracurricular activities than anything else. My SAT scores once retaken to reach my goal will be also a strong point to rely on. I feel like my GPA is fairly low compared to others. I have only had A’s and B’s in my report cards, so I think my classes are weighted differently. I can only guess that the school report for my school will emphasize the level of workload that my classes carry, even being only Honors and not AP. I regret not going after APs this year, but I will for the next one.
Please let me know your thoughts. I’m working really hard to get the best grades possible to get a higher GPA this year and the next one. Attending any of those schools would be a dream come true, especially Cornell, USC, UPenn, or Mich.
Imo all of these would be reaches. You are well below the average stats for all of the schools. Your ECs are impressive but Im not sure they are enough to make up for your grades. If you are taking the hardest classes available in your school, you might have a chance.
First of all, get you test score(s) up. If you have done some preparation before taking SAT, it is unlikely to get you a 180+ boost in the next attempt. Second, you are showing your wGPA which is not in 4.0 max scale (as hinted in your junior GPA). Do recalculate your uwGPA for chancing. For UMich, you can skip the subgrades (+ or -) in the calculation. Judging from your current test score and wGPA, these schools are pretty high reach for you.
Let’s say that this second semester of 11th grade I end with all A’s. I bring my SAT score to a high 1400 - low 1500 on my next attempt, and if not I’ll do a third test after summer.
My first attempt had very little prep. I had done a little bit of practicing but I wished I had practiced more. My latest PSAT was actually a 1350, before the SAT, and my first practice test after the SAT I scored a theoretical 1380 if I recall correctly. I’m a good test taker, that’s not my concern. The math portion was what brought it down, if you get one question wrong you can have your score brought down quite a bit. I’m sure I can bring it up, I will definitely keep everyone posted about my progress.
I am in the process of converting my GPA to unweighted. @billcsho
A hook is something like being first generation in your family to go to college, URM, recruited athlete.
OP, if what you reported was your weighted GPA, and you haven’t taken any AP classes, I think all of those schools are big reaches and you should revamp your list. Maybe keep a couple but create something that’s more realistic.
I think it does, but I think you still need to think about a more realistic list of schools. As an aside, my advice is to not list Mensa on your app. Coupled with the GPA and the failure to take AP classes, that will not help you. I actually don’t think it helps either way.
I don’t mean to be harsh. You’ve done great. I just think it’s important to build a list that is populated with matches and 1-2 safeties, and then a few reaches. That’s just been the strategy at my house.
Hmm, you have lots of good stats but not stellar ones. The SAT scores definitely need to be higher. I would also suggest more depth in EC’s rather than so many. I think most students at the highest level schools do 1-4 things REALLY really well. Many are at the State or national level in something. Go for more depth and less participation. But considering you are shooting for top 30. Since you have done about 150 hour of community service maybe there’s a chance to build out one aspect of your work there. Making it interesting and not like the next person is the key. Everyone at these schools is honor society, AP’s and all the rest. Circle what is unusual that not many others do? Those are your keys.
Don’t get too excited about being a Mensa member. Pretty nearly all of the students at the very top schools would easily qualify. I definitely would not mention it at all – neither in college applications nor in normal conversation with anyone except for people that you actually meet at Mensa meetings.
Hey, I’m pretty much where you are. My last PSAT was a 1280 (beginning of this year), but I’ve had much prep.
-I’ve done 3 AP classes, all honors (that weren’t AP).
-I plan to do 5 APs next year
-In-state
-Pretty good ECs
-I hope to see you at UofM, but for now I have a question: How did you get into MENSA? Did you practice for it?
All MENSA is, is a club for people that have high IQ’s (98th percentile or higher, which translates to a 130-135 depending on what test you take). You just take an IQ test and if your scores are high enough you can submit them and you’re accepted. You don’t really practice, it’s about your reasoning and stuff, it’s stuff like how fast you can identify some object, put something together, name as many words as you can that start with the same letter, etc etc… Hope that helps. @Nakster48
Good luck to you as well! UofM is awesome, I’d love to get in. Let’s get grinding
Yeah @DadTwoGirls I see what you mean. I just threw it in the thread because why not. But I don’t know if I would even mention it, it kind of does make it look like I’m trying too hard to look good on my resume, as mentioned before all of the students should qualify regardless…
Im a junior too, and a hopeful UofM enrollee as well. I’d be concerned about the wGPA being below 4, and the SAT score should be in the range you previously identified (low-to-mid 1500s). I know UofM puts a lot of weight on the GPA, so I would maximize my grades over the rest of the year. I think your ECs are mostly generic, save for 3-4 very intriguing ones. Also, your Hispanic URM status would help you out significantly; I would fear that the GPA may be a little too low for UPenn and Cornell, but honestly, who knows these days. I’ve seen a kid at my school with a 4.73 GPA, 1600 SATs and 14 AP classes (most in history at my school) get denied from all of the Ivies and top colleges. Hope this helped; good luck, hopefully we’ll see each other in Ann Arbor in 2019!
Like what @happytimes2001 said, it’s more beneficial to be extremely good in a few categories rather than join a lot. Also, you want a lot of your EC’s to be related with your field of interest to really show your passion for the field. For example, I have an interest in biology, and I’ve applied to summer camps and internships relating to the field of biology. However, as you’re a junior, it may be a tad bit late for you. As others have mentioned, bring up your SAT and GPA, but you should also invest some time and look into safety schools. Best of luck!
You want at least a 1450 on the SAT, with multiple 700s+ on SAT subject tests. Also, get great grades first semester senior year. Your ECs are good. You want more leadership in your ECs, though. Work on your essays this summer. You are a competitive applicant