Freshman Year Course Load
1.) Honors English
2.) AP Human Geography
3.) Honors Biology
4.) Chamber Orchestra
5.) Honors Algebra 2
6.) Honors Environmental Science
7.) Honors Geometry
8.) My School only offers 7 classes, but I take Spanish 1-2 online… My GPA still divides by 8 even though I have seven school classes. Kinds sucks B/C I can’t be class ranked number one because some people are only taking 6 or 7 classes.
Have not taken SAT… Plan to take first subject test early (math 1) early next year @ the start of the school year in 10th grade.
ACT Score (8th grade): 33, but I am not happy with it and I’m practicing everyday to improve.
Extra-Curriculars:
Orchestra
(Concermaster for Violin at My School)
(Second Violin Principal for my Youth Symphony which won second place in the American Prize Orchestra Competition this year).
Indian Classical Dance
Writing is my golden pathway to fruition!!! I feel that words have an nonpareil and having command over language is very important to me.
Bilingual: I can speak, read, and write Tamil, an Indian language fluently.
Accomplishments since Middle School
Middle School
2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee Qualifier
14th in National Patriots Pen Essay Competition
3rd Place in State Math Counts Competition
2nd Place in State MLK Essay Contest
15 Publications in Various National Magazines (Creative Kids, Highlights, Magic Dragon, etc.)
Monthly Features Writer in Local Newspaper
State KidWind Challenge Champions (Team Event)
International Publication in Hindu Young World (India)
USCHS Making Democracy National Level Essay Contest Honorable Mention
Letters About Literature – Honorable Mention in State
High School
Youth Symphony (Principal Violin 2)
Published in Chicago Tribune as Young Book Critic
Creative Kids Magazine (National Voice for Kids) Reviewer
State Reading Council Poetry Contest - 2nd place at state
Please let me know what I can do to be a better candidate for Ivy League. Time is short. I want to put my heart, mind, and soul into everything I do… Any help, advice, or further direction is truly appreciated…
4.125 is kinda low for weighted gpa… What is you class rank? Also, don’t mean to burst your bubble, but middle school achievements don’t go very far in college apps bc they aren’t in high school. If you mean to show those as what you can accomplish in the future, then my apologies.
So far you have a good direction for ec, but you definitely need to start volunteering at some local areas and join some clubs you are passionate about to make yourself stand out. Many Ivy leagues look for outstanding achievements, but volunteering goes a long way.
You gpa is low for ivy league schools, so I would suggest looking into ways where you can raise it. Mine is 4.327, and I basically take the same classes as you, so it may be different where you live. So far you seem like the type of person who is willing to go above and beyond to succeed, so I feel if you keep your grades up and raise that gpa, you are in good hands.
I really dislike this website. Work on getting good grades and don’t worry about college until at least the end of your sophomore year. Also, like @anan16 said, middle school achievements don’t count for anything. Also, take your subject tests at the end of your junior year, that way you will have a better background in the other subjects you will take them in. Math I is a joke, it’s basically SAT math. And you won’t need more than 3, the only school I know that requires that number is Georgetown which you won’t go to because it isn’t Ivy.
yea, I would recommend asking real people at your school or local sat prep center for advice, not random strangers who have their own biases EX: didn’t get into an ivy so they are putting you down
just calm down a little and worry about the present. i know from experience worrying about these things dont really do you any good. get the best grades you can, join clubs you love, and enjoy high school.
Hi. Thanks for your advice. Last semester, I got A’s in all my classes… All above 96. My school doesn’t give out A+. I took five honors classes, spanish, 1 AP Class, and Orchestra. Everything gets a 4.0 if it is an A grade in a non-AP. Everything gets at 5.0 if it is an A grade in an AP class. So, since I got all A’s, they calculated my GPA the following way. (4.07 + 5.01)/8. The reason my GPA is low is because, so some people only took five honors and one AP and got all A’s. So even though I took more classes, and got more A’s than other kids, my GPA comes down. My class rank is 6th.
You’re a freshman. Stop worrying about going to college and being the best in your school. Get involved outside of school and find something that makes you stand out from every other kid applying to an Ivy League. Time is not “short”. You’re a freshman. You have 2.5 more years until you start applying, so stop worrying about what you can do to get into these schools and have fun.
And regarding your last line: you should want to put your heart, mind and soul into everything because that’s what’s expected, not because you want to go to an Ivy League. If you give less than 100% on something, you’re only hurting yourself.