I’m a high school student, and I’m wondering if A-'s affect my changes of getting into top 25 schools. I take the hardest classes my school has to offer (the AP’s and Honors). So far, I’ve gotten pretty much gotten 50/50 A’s and A-'s. Would I be like instantly rejected? Also, I have a 33 ACT, so would that be even worse? How would colleges view a transcript with 50-50 A-'s? How much would those A-'s affect my changes of say an Ivy League school or any Ivy League caliber school (UChicago, Georgetown, Berkley)?
Dude. Write a good essay, do stuff outside of school. You’re fine.
No
hey, i’m a mom of a georgetown sophomore. she was also admitted to berkeley and ucla. she was discouraged from applying to the ivies by her h.s. college counselor, though she had a 4.3 gpa by her senior year. she attended a highly competitive h.s., so her 4.3 was hard-fought, all while juggling executive positions in key club and band, and other activities. her achilles was likely that she missed national merit by just a few points. the reality is, imo, that gpa-wise you should have at minimum a 3.8 to be even considered by a top-tier school. it’s not about getting A’s vs. A-, but showing focus and passion in a particular direction. whatever that passion is should come through in your essay, as that is what makes you special and exciting to an admissions board. if you change your perspective to having fun and growing real interests, and away from bean-counting grades, not only will you will be a better college applicant, but a happier human being. this is what i would tell you, if you were my kid. it’s so true what they say: life is a journey, not a destination!
oh, and btw, my daughter also got a 33 on her ACT and a smattering of A-. you are in fine shape. but you must stop worrying so much; it’s not good for your health!
For UCs such as Berkeley, your GPA is virtually perfect as they take off any +/- from your grades in their GPA calculations!
If you’re going to get rejected from a top tier school it won’t be because you got a few A-s. Since your GPA and ACT are pretty good you should be working on your essay and ECs.
Case in point: I received a few Bs during my high school career and now study engineering at a USNews top 10 school.
The A- shouldn’t matter. My son even had a few Bs in areas he really is not good in and was accepted to UChicago. For most schools that use a holistic approach it all balances out as long as you are close to their averages.