discouraged

Again, you can’t compare your GPA with a student from another school – often very apples-to-oranges.

There is no simple answer to what makes great EC’s. It could be as simple as being exceptional in one thing that they see took a massive amount of commitment that paid off – being nationally ranked, having performed in some recognized event, etc.; it could be having done something unusual or above-and-beyond signing up and being a member in a bunch of EC’s (which they can usually sniff out and is of no value). Perhaps starting your own charity, having created a small business. Or if could be demonstrated leadership in one or more activities. Again, that doesn’t just mean a title (being president of a club if you can’t say what you did to improve the club doesn’t mean much). Don’t focus on the size of your list or the impressiveness of your titles. Focus on telling a story, not just with your essays but with the list of your activities and sprinkling into your supplemental questions and your recs. That story needs to show you didn’t just check the boxes of EC’s but made a difference, had a greater pattern or method to the diversity of things you did, etc.

“I’m assuming that everyone at [Middlebury, Bowdoin, et al] has a 3.9 or above” (#5)

Students recently profiled by USNWR who would be currently attending these schools had HS GPAs of 3.2 and 3.3, respectively. Though the circumstances for these students may not apply directly to your own application, they would indicate that a 3.5 GPA would not automatically eliminate you from consideration.

@T26E4: I still call BS on it…because one thing I also heard from many of the selective schools was that they aren’t looking for “perfect” kids (in terms of scores, transcripts, ECs, etc.); but IMO, if they are going to hold a B in BC (taken during Junior year) against an applicant, then they sort of are looking for “perfect” kids, despite what they might tell you in an info session.

I mean, when did a B become a “bad” grade? (FWIW, daughter in question was NMF, etc, etc.)

@SevenDad, I would pose to you that a single B in an AP BC calc class would never affect the yes/no outcome of a student at a very selective college if the transcript were otherwise strong. Many non-4.0s get admitted. They aren’t looking for “perfect” kids but kids with great academic potential (and yes, some of them are 4.0s, 1600s or 36ACT) but those alone don’t get one in. Is that your daughter? The single B in AP Calc? I’m sorry but that didn’t keep her out of her reach schools. It was other factors, to be blunt.

I would say a 3.5GPA student (you know, half the grades being a B) is going to be swamped in the applicant pool of the very low admit rate schools. They are transparent that they want academic superstars. They don’t apologize for that. And when the call goes out, you get lots of 3.9s and 4.0s. And among them, and they’re plenty in surfeit, they’ll use other soft factors to sort them through again and again until the reach the target admit number.

Can I invite you to listen to this?
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134916924/Amherst-Admissions-Process

Yes, even as a thoroughly biased parent, I’d say she had/has great academic potential. Arguably among the most genuinely curious people I’ve ever met and will most likely pursue PhD in Chemical Engineering. Currently thriving at the state flagship she chose to attend (over CMU) and not looking back/regretting anything.

Thanks for the invite/link, but TBH, I’m very over the “elite” college admissions thing (said as a class of 1991 Penn Quaker…and no, she did not apply to my alma mater). As part of the process with my older daughter, I consumed a lot of information about it all, including reading “The Gatekeepers” (which chronicles an admissions season at Wesleyan) by Jacque Steinberg. I have one more kid to help shepherd through the process, but a very different app profile (possible Div1 recruit).

I rarely post anything in the main college section, but saw this thread title and was intrigued. Best of luck to the OP. As you were.