Hey guys, so unlike other people (usually freshman year is the bad one), I had a great freshman year will straight A’s but then decided to load up on APs in sophomore year and ended up getting a lot of B’s (took AP Calculus AB, BC, World History, and Chem-- our school’s schedule is weird so you can take year long courses in a semester). I’m now a junior and managed to get nearly straight A’s this year (got a B in APUSH sadly) and I think I’ll be able to raise my GPA to at least a 3.78 or 3.8. I know that’s still pretty low for top school, but do you think I missed my chances at places like Stanford, Brown, Columbia, and Duke?
SAT: 1530 (760 R; 770 Math)
Research for 2 years and won 1st place at regional competition
other volunteer things and many extracurriculars
etc.
I think your school has usual scheduling and it’s rare to see sophomores taking those types of courses. If your 3.8 is an unweighted gpa for rigorous courses, I think you still have a shot.
Remember it’s a long reach for everyone though so be sure to have a well balanced list of schools with safeties and reaches that excite you!
You may still have a shot, but keep in mind, unless you have a major hook, those schools are going to be reaches no matter what your stats. Also, are you saying that you took AB and BC Calc in a single year? That’s crazy.
@TheBigChef I did take it in a single year! It’s quite normal at my school and I got B’s in both courses which makes me at a disadvantage, but I got 5’s on the BC test and AB subscore. Would that improve my chance?
Interesting, at my son’s school (public HS), you opt for either AB or BC calc. BC is a notoriously difficult class but you pretty much have to take it if you are applying to highly selective schools, especially in a STEM area. As far as you AP exam score goes, I don’t know know if your 5 will help to make up for the B’s, but I guess it couldn’t hurt. I would just reiterate that when you are talking about schools like Stanford, Brown, and Columbia, its very difficult to get in without a hook no matter how good your stats. In any event, good luck going forward. I’m sure you will get into some very good schools when all is said and done.