Yes.
No.
But I’m uncomfortable with us now dissecting OP to satisfy some debate.
If you want to play in the big leagues, you need to be big league quality. Overall. Wholly. When the admit rate is so low, they aren’t saying, “Oh, well, she seems nice, give her a spot.” It isn’t just about stats, but grades are important. They need to be able to say, “This one, above others.”
@WoWMaster, There’s ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that says legacies or donors have to be highly qualified. They usually are, but students with marginal qualifications relative to the institution’s standards get in every year and we have no idea who they were or why the school selected them. The private institutions are free to do as they choose.
Don’t take my word for it. Just Google it. Better yet, give Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Golden a bit of your hard earned cash and read his book “The Price of Admission.”
OP asked to be chanced. As the other poster said, he may be a match for 25-50 ranked schools. I don’t see why people are getting on him for not having the qualifications for absolutely the highest level. Lot’s of people have dreams of Ivies or whatever.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Once again, the OP asked for chances. S/he did not ask “if I had these hypotheticals…” so let’s not muddy the waters proposing hypothetical legacy/donor status which is not pertinent to this case.
Schools send along their grading scales with transcripts so the universities will see that there are no +/- and will take that into account. Most schools will recalculate GPA anyway with their own criteria.
Some schools will. Most schools don’t tell you if they recalculate.
It’s not really about rankings, it’s about fit. It’s certainly worth putting in a number of reach schools in your college list. What you want to do is research colleges based on affordability, major, and your future interests. College rankings are really not very reliable anyway. It’s like comparing apples and Snickers bars and calling one “better.” Colleges are HIGHLY diverse and each has their own unique strengths in certain areas.
The OP thinks they have a strong chance with a 3.6. Most posters are saying they don’t. Unless you are hooked (and you are not), top schools look first at academics (grades & test scores), then the rest (EC, LOR, essays, etc). Your GPA is going to be a problem. You need to focus your search mostly on lower ranked schools.
@DynamicAero I think I know where you are going to school. I graduated from there many years ago. It is a great high school and once all the stress of it has passed, I hope you can look on it as fondly as I do. Rest assured that all the college admissions officers know about this school and how challenging it is. But they also know how excellent it is.
If my guess about where you are is correct, geography makes a big difference. You want to look beyond the Greater Boston area and beyond New England even. There are many excellent schools in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, for example, that are thrilled to get their hands on students from top Massachusetts public schools. First figure out what kind of school you want. If you like Brown (and the odds are indeed ridiculous) then think about Rochester, which has a similar vibe, size, and open curriculum.
If you want a small LAC, give up on Amherst (it won’t happen) but think about Carleton, Grinnell, Davidson, Oberlin, etc.
You mention MIT, but you should only even consider MIT if MIT has something you can’t get anywhere else. (Also after four years of this high school, do you really want to face MIT levels of stress?) There are lots of other schools with great CS and engineering programs. What about Georgia Tech? It’s hard to get into but with 35 ACTs and some 5s on math and science APs you are certainly in the ball park. Carnegie Mellon is almost as hard as MIT, but what about Lehigh, Case Western, Pitt?
Your counselor is probably overwhelmed. I think the advice that you pick three or four reaches that you specifically love and then focus on finding at least that many targets and a few safeties where you could be happy is great advice. Also, look for schools that emphasize test scores. From my kids’ high school (just a few miles down the road from you if my guess is right) several kids have gotten into Vanderbilt with grades a bit higher than yours but with 35 ACTs because Vanderbilt places particular emphasis on test scores.
I would apply to a few schools about the level of Rice or Vanderbilt as reaches. The schools the previous poster mentioned are good possibilities to fill out the list.
I have been in Boston for the past two days, so I wasn’t able to get to all of your replies as quickly as I would like. Nevertheless, I’ll try to respond to everything as I see it (from latest to earliest).
@justpassingthru Unfortunately, I don’t live in Massachusetts, so I don’t think I’m going to the high school you’re thinking of. Even so, thanks for the alternative college tips.
@WoWMaster I really appreciate the information.
I’m thinking of asking my counselor if she can include that in my profile, so that the college at least understands that I was able to take the work and it was a matter of a few points here and there. Additionally, when I visited colleges in the last few days, many said they had regional admissions officers that know a lot about the schools in their area, and that may factor into how they evaluate my GPA based on the teachers that I got.
I think I have a very good chance of getting all As my first semester of senior year, as they will be hard classes. I don’t see there being a major issue there, and at least it will demonstrate that I understand the material, I can do the hard work, and at the very least it’s an improvement.
@lookingforward and @Publisher
What information do you want me to give? Should I reiterate my entire resume so that everyone can evaluate, with full understanding, my chances?
Based on your original post in this thread & on your post #23 in this thread, it is unclear as to whether or not you have an official ACT composite score of 35 or if that is just a guess on your part as an “anticipated score”. Same for SAT & for most of your AP test “projected or anticipated” scores. In short, need actual official standardized test scores–not just good faith estimates of anticipated scores.
Also, need a reason beyond US News ranking as to why you want to attend each listed college or university. Your reasons may reveal some compelling basis & motivation, or it may show a mismatch or unrealistic expectation of a school or schools.
Any career goals ?
Any relevant ECs ?
I didn’t catch that you only have 2 AP scores, a 3 and a 5, and the rest are “expected”. Yeh, I would look at the sort of schools mentioned in post #53. Top 30 schools generally want almost all AP classes with almost all As and 4s or 5s. I don’t see anything in the application that makes up for that.
Oh dear that means that the New York Times has profiled multiple intense high schools with suicides. No matter which one it is, the admissions officers will be familiar with it.
Saying and doing are two different things. Also, any school that OP is applying to ED or EA will not see first semester grades unless he is deferred.
GPA is part of the transcript. Yes, you can have a compelling story to overcome some GPA challenges but this was a chance me thread and no adult that has been through the process with their own child is going to tell you that GPA isn’t important. I am not saying that to be harsh, I’m saying that so OP focuses as much time on matches and safeties so there is no disappointed at the end of this admission process. I saw it too many times with my daughter’s friends and it was heartbreaking to see hardworking, motivated kids, be rejected at all their schools because they over-reached and didn’t have match/safeties that excited them.
It’s not this just the GPA, you have Bs in honors classes when there are APs and only two AP exams so far. It might b e NYU, but it nowhere near for the other schools mentioned.
No one is looking to be unkind. Has this High School sent other kids to elite schools with similar academics?
Unless a High School is a feeder school sending many kids to elite schools every year admissions to an elite college are not at all likely unless you are at or near the top of your class.
The exception to that would be a very significant compelling personal story. It would have to be a real Wow though.
Presently this is all speculative until this young man has actually taken his standardized tests and scored in the ranges that he is predicting.
If he does exceptionally well and has great essays and great lor’s and his EC’s are meaningful than maybe he overcomes his GPA at a top 25 college.
I wish him the best obviously and encourage him to ask every question he cares to here. There are many people here including myself that want to be helpful to him.
I don’t say gpa isn’t important. When kids only tell their GPA on CC, I point out that’s not the only consideration. They look at the transcript, for specifics. In this case, they will see half B grades.
In this case, adults citing the gpa are using shorthand, that’s ok.
WOWMaster, please don’t assume, as a rising senior, that you understand more. Some of us have been af this a long time, have watched the many kids and their results, even have seen many apps and reactions to them.
An upward trend is not a tip for the level of schools OP asked about. Nor is a compelling story.
Senior all A may show a kid can buckle down. But it still leaves the issue of prior B’s, including 3 in jr year. Its not good enough to explain a tough teacher or various assumptions. Thousand of other kids (maybe even some in her hs who also apply,) will have a stronger record.
In this case, yes, gpa matters… And the 3 in USH, for an econ major. We don’t want to blow OP’s hopes, but want OP to find the right matches and safeties. All kids should be aware to do that.
It appears that I referenced this student as a male when they are a female. My apologies.