<p>So I'm guessing that lots of students are super stressed this time of year, and as I'm growing closer and closer to applying for colleges (next year), I'm starting to feel the pressure as well.</p>
<p>I really want to get into an ivy school or top school, my choices being Columbia, Cornell, Brown and NYU.</p>
<p>But the more i seem to read on the forums, the more it seems that only super talented, 'genius' students are able to get into those kinds of schools, and students like me, who get good grades based on a mixture of solid hard work and luck, have very little chance in getting in.</p>
<p>As of now, i have a 4.0 GPA, actually it's 4.4 if you add in the weighted classes.
I scored somewhere around 1900 on the first PSAT i took.
I'm in 2 clubs, one competitive, one volunteering.
I have a very minor position in student council.
I've been in IB(MYP) the last two years and I'm planning to take 3 AP classes and 2 honors classes next year.
I don't play any sports but I'm planning to join tennis next year just for fun.
I don't play any instruments but i have won art contests.
I'm interested in Economics (business in General), law and international affairs/relations.</p>
<p>So is it possible for someone like me, who isn't especially talented at anything to still get into a very selective/ivy league school?</p>
<p>Yes, it is absolutely possible. Word of advice, college confidential, although a very useful site, can be very discouraging and often inaccurate on college admissions. This site puts an overly heavy emphasis on test scores and things like than because they most often can’t evaluate on a personal level. The process is much bigger than that, and often people on this site forget that just as many regular-good kids get accepted as super good kids. The most important part of college acceptances is the essays and reccomendations as those are what tell school who you are and set you apart. As long as you take rigorous classes, don’t bomb the standardized tests, and show that you are well rounded by having extracurricular involvement (you don’t have to be captain, just be really passionate about something, and let them know what your really passionate about, not what you think would impress them) then your good as long as you wrote good. Grades and scores are just used to weed out the obviously unprepared, not to accept you, and contrary to what appears to be popular belief on this site, you don’t need a 2340 to be prepared for an ivy league school. A 28 ACT score is good enough, as long as the rest of your application is good.</p>
<p>Just keep working hard and apply it is definitely possible. Everyone has something interesting about them. Just let those school know what it is. From how you appear now, you have a good a shot as anyone :)</p>
<p>I don’t know if this will make you feel any better, but know that you are not alone. I bet you there are hundreds of students (myself included) who are feeling discouraged waiting for decisions after scouring these boards for any sort of evidence that they have a shot and finding mostly “model students.” tipa said it perfectly; just keep doing what you feel is best for you/what you can handle, and make sure to emphasize what you are absolutely passionate about in your essays and your general application, when you have the chance to do so, as well.</p>
it is definitely possible. Everyone has something interesting about them. Just let those school know what it is. From how you appear now, you have a good a shot as anyone :)</p>