<p>I'm an international student currently in Junior Year and am from the UK. In my GCSE exams I got 4 A<em>s and 10 As. This was very very good in terms of what others at my school got but unfortunately in the grand scheme of things I know there are people out there who probably got like 7A</em>s. The GCSE results were a wake up call for me and I have spent all summer studying for the SATs, averaging about 2300 each time I take the practice tests. If I were to get 2300+ in the SAT and then 800 on both the SAT IIs, coupled with excellent references, ECs, and volunteering, would this compensate for myself not doing exceptionally well in my Sophomore year? </p>
<p>You should always look at schools other than HYPSM, no matter what.</p>
<p>Awesome SATs are always good! But the majority of people who apply to HYPSM have awesome SATs.</p>
<p>Your grades are also looked at in the context of your school.</p>
<p>You can have all A*s, 2400 and still not get into HYPSM.</p>
<p>So figure out what type of school you like, what part of the country, what you want to major in, if you like rural or urban, big or small, and find some other options.</p>
<p>While there is no defined standard conversion from GCSEs to GPA, many universities will treat an A in some subjects as a 4.0 equivalent and an A* as a 4.3. In other subjects the A* may convert as a 4.0. This can be dependent on the percentile represented by the grade in the year the exam was sat.</p>
<p>So, there is a good chance that your equivalent GPA for admissions purposes is at or above a 4.0. That’s hardly a low GPA, and it is certainly high enough to be in the running for HYPSM. However, admission to those schools is highly selective, and @bopper is wise to caution you against hanging all your hopes on one of these schools. </p>
<p>Apply to them with confidence, but give due attention as well to finding match and safety schools that will fit your aspirations and provide a much higher chance of admission.</p>