Do I have a shot at attending a good University(maybe an Ivy) ?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello Everyone

I would like to apologies if this thread is in the wrong section and I would like to know if I have a shot at attending a University( maybe an Ivy).

My Info:

School:

I have around a 2.7-3.1–I think, since I’m still trying to find out what it is–weighted GPA. I only took 1 AP class which was AP World History–out of 3 because those classes were always full and my school was a small public school, so It didn’t offer that many activities.

Extracurricular Activities and Others Things:

At the beginning of my senior year of middle school till the end of my sophomore year in high school, I was part of the New York Police Department Explorers program (NYPDE) for a little over 3 years–of those 3 years, I was the Caption of my precinct . During those years, I’ve done tons of community services–we won “Most community service earned” twice under my command, and also lead and placed in military ceremonial drill competition with my precinct–we placed 3rd twice and 1st once, while under my command as well.

During my Junior year, I joined a program called “Future and Options” where they taught me some skills that would help me survive in a corporate business. I’ve had hands-on-trying in numerous workshops as well.

After I graduated from high school, I joined another program called “Year Up”. Year Up is a nonprofit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts. Year Up was founded in 2000 by Bowdoin College and Harvard Business School graduate Gerald Chertavian, and currently has sites in Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, New York, Providence, Puget Sound (Seattle), and Washington, D.C… This program is just like the Future and Options, but is way more advance.

Right now, I am currently interning at the largest asset manager in the world called BlackRock. I started in August and my internship will end at the end of January. Now, from what I’ve heard, people are impress that I got a long internship at this place BEFORE I even applied to a college, since this firm recruits from top colleges and Ivy leagues.

Future Plan:

I planning on taking the ACT again–I scored a 21 first try with no study–so I can make up for that bad GPA.
I’m going to try and get my internship extended for a few more months.
Have my colleagues at BlackRock look over my essays
Get my recommendation letters: 1 from my high school, 1 from Year Up, and 1 from BlackRock

Conclusion:

I truly love helping people, which is why I did over 3 years of community service with the police force and I want to change the lives of millions around the world. Also, my dream job is to become a hedge fund manager some day and thanks to Future and Options, Year Up, and my internship at BlackRock, I think college admins will see that I am very determined to reach my goals even with a low/bad GPA and may overlook it–I hope.

I have:
Application Essay–working on it
Character/Personal Qualities–I’m a great person to be around
Extracurricular Activities-stated above
First generation college student–none of my parents or stepdad went to college
Geographical Residence
Interview–I m great at these
Racial/Ethnic Status_-I don’t want to play the race card, but I’m black teen, male, and come from a low income family
Recommendations-stated above
Talent/Ability-- I’m a great public speaker, keep my work concise, always ready to take initiative, always willing to help and I’m a great leader.
Volunteer Work–3+ years
Work Experience–Auguest - Present

So my question to you all is: Do I have a shot at attending a good University (maybe an Ivy) ?

P.S. sorry for the long post.

2

The extremely selective universities (e.g. Ivies) seem unlikely to me simply due to the low GPA and ACT score. But you seem to have a passion for helping others, and you should definitely convey that when you apply.

3

Chances are extremely low given your grades & test scores. But there are literally thousands of colleges in the country, and many that are very good. Don’t focus your attention on schools you realistically aren’t going to get into. Take the ACT and see what you can do, then use the college search function on this site to see what you are in range for.

4

@MITer94 Thank you for your honest answer. I just ordered the “Cracking the ACT” book today to help me study for it.

5

Look up the Common Data Set, section C, for any schools in which you are interested. That’ll show you how you stack up.

(Hint: A C+ average and a 21 ACT wouldn’t get you into my state flagship.)

6

@intparent Thank you for the advice. Also, I had no idea this website had a function like that.

7

@bodangles Thank you for the advice. Also I really don’t know when my real GPA is, because my school grading system is different. It take my classes and adds them up, then it divides the number with the number of classes I took.

8

You can also get a lot of advice out here on colleges to consider once you have an updated ACT score. See if you can get a transcript from your high school, too, as the GPA question will matter.

9

@intparent I have my official transcript, but it doesn’t tell me my GPA and all of my grades are in number form. Also I didn’t think my ACT was from off the mark looking at the website.

Site:https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/harvard-college

If you go to “Apply” and then click on “SAT and ACT Scores”, it shows that I was somewhat close.

10

The 25% - 50% range for ACTs for Harvard is 32 - 35. Unless you mistyped and meant 31 instead of 21, you are nowhere close. Average unweighted GPA for accepted students at Harvard is 3.84 unweighted, and almost all of those students took the most rigorous courses possible at their high school. A 3.84 is about a 93 average on a 100 point scale if that is what your school uses. Unless your test scores and grades are a lot higher than you have indicated, it is just a distraction to look at schools like that instead of looking at many other schools that could work for you and give you a great education.

11

You’re an awesome person. I just want to say that. You’ve done good work for others.

Ivies? Slim to none, sorry - no need to sugarcoat
but you may get into a good state college! Also, DEFINITELY look into transfer opportunities - if you work very hard for one or two years, with your service record, you could transfer to an excellent school!

best of luck :slight_smile:

12

Intparent is right. The most competitive colleges are looking for kids with a proven record of taking on academic challenges and succeeding. The competition in the admissions pool will have course rigor, higher stats, and their ECs will be both academic and other.

Remember, college starts with academics. You have to seriously ask yourself if you are prepared for that level of academic work, for four years. Yes, drives are good, but you have to show you can manage the coursework,

Far better to find the colleges where you can thrive, not just look for status names.

13

Alright then. I’ll forget about the ivies. What about my extracurricular activities? Are they good or is it just not eye-opening ?

Also, the Year Up program gives me 19 college credits.

14

One thing you will need to find out from colleges is if those credits make you a transfer student. Usually that is the case if you earn any college credits after HS graduation. Admission is usually harder and scholarships/aid sometimes not as good for transfer students.

15

So are you on a gap year?

16

@iamjack Yes, I’m on a gap year. To be honest I’m happy I did, because I now have an 6 month (maybe longer) internship at BlackRock. My GPA and ACT score maybe low, but to have an internship at a firm that recruits from Ivies is a huge plus to me.

17

You need to find a counselor or mentor who can help you chart a course through these applications and decisions.

18

An Ivy or so called “good university” isn’t everything, OP. It sounds like you are on the right path, doing what you love, gaining experience, working to improve your test scores. You won’t get into an Ivy, but you will be accepted to a school where you will work hard, get a good education, and come out primed for success.

19

I’ve pretty much gave up on Ivy schools. Besides me re-taking the ACT test, will me attending a community college for a year help over look my high school GPA ?

Also, I would like to know if my extracurricular activities are good enough.

20

That is a possibility. Make sure you know the realities of transferring, though (lower acceptance rates and financial aid). Might be worthwhile to see if your local CC has guaranteed transfer agreements with any colleges.