<p>I received 3 B+'s my first semester freshman year. Every grade since then has been an A. I received a 2350 on my SAT and a 36 on my ACT. I maintain a GPA of 4.2 and my extra curriculars include NHS, Mock Trial, Model UN (which I founded at my school), JSA (which I founded at my school), interning for a state senator, spending the summer in Jordan learning Arabic through the NSLI-Y, a summer program at Georgetown and one at Princeton, being a page in the House of Representatives, and Karate. </p>
<p>I also took 3 APs last year (the only ones I could) and received 5's on all 3 exams.</p>
<p>I am an incoming Senior, will that fiasco Freshman year seriously damage my chances at HYP, etc. I'm not asking you to chance me, I just need to know if that portion in particular is a huge barrier to
Thank you!</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that a number of schools don’t even look at your freshman grades (including Stanford). And even if they do look at your grades from freshman year, they definitely don’t matter nearly as much as the rest of your years of high school. Considering that you got 3 Bs freshman year and then all As throughout the rest of high school, I think that you ought to be fine.</p>
<p>You can apply and have a chance if that is what you are asking. You should note however that alot of those who apply have similar stats as you but no B’s in freshman year. What does it mean? That they possibly have a 18% chance of being admitted to HYP and you a 17%. Not much of a difference but chances are low because they are low for everyone (and yours are actually higher than many who apply).</p>
<p>Even if you did manage to get in do you honestly think that you could survive the rigor of the HYP, especially considering you couldn’t manage straight A’s starting freshman year?</p>
<p>^Incapability of scoring high is certainly NOT why the OP did not receive perfect grades in freshman year. Perhaps his work ethic was different, or an event occurred that affected his life.</p>
<p>The ability to handle a HYP courseload is largely determined not by grades (as long as they are considerably strong), nor by SAT scores (as long as it is well within standards), but rather by the rigor of the student’s high school. A student already well-accustomed to a heavy workload will usually be able to cope with the rigor at HYP better than the valedictorian from a poor public school. It is the unfortunate truth; it is why top schools send dozens and dozens of each graduating class to Ivies despite many of them not being within the top 10%. The students at these schools are generally well-adjusted to a stressful workload and thus will encounter less problems in college.</p>
<p>During a lecture, I heard that colleges like to see an upward trend in grades, rather than a downward one. Just go for it! If you don’t get in, you don’t get it. There have been plenty of people with BETTER profiles than you that STILL got rejected, and there have also been plenty of people with WORSE profiles than you that got ACCEPTED.</p>
<p>All in all, it always comes down that whether or not the college thinks that you can bring something to the table. Sometimes, colleges need a certain TYPE of person, and will accept and reject accordingly. </p>
<p>It kind of comes down to luck, basically. </p>
<p>I think you have a really good chance at any of the schools you want to apply to. Don’t worry, just because your Freshman year grades were bad, doesn’t mean that you won’t get it. In fact, the upward trend might just help you.</p>
<p>In response to the person that said that I couldn’t even manage all A’s freshman year, well, you’ve semi-hit the nail on the head, I’m worried that college admissions officers will think that. In reality, my uncle (who I was very close to) was in and out of the hospital all semester, and it was just a rather stressful time for my family–making it hard to study/concentrate, especially while at home. </p>
<p>Is this something I need to mention on my college application, or is it so trivial that it is not necessary?</p>
<p>I know that you’re trying to do your best in high school, but if you dont go to HYPSM…etc your life will go on, especially not for undergraduate, as you can attend as a graduate, but honestly there are a lot of people who are quite well off in life that didnt go to ivy league. Yes i understand its something to strive for, but youll live your life if you dont make it, dont be concerned so much with your freshman grades, your a good candidate, stop worrying.</p>
<p>Being a Page in the House of Representatives–They pay you</p>
<p>spending the summer in Jordan learning Arabic through the NSLI-Y–It’s a merit based scholarship through the state department, that covers airfare and everything else.</p>
<p>Political Internships–Definitely not paid for</p>
<p>Yeah, I did summer programs at a few schools, but I know those won’t help much on their own, but they let me see the schools for a week, live in the dorm, meet some of the professors, and generally get the feel of the school. I know that everyone on here loves to bash summer programs that you pay for, but these let me see the schools and figure out where I really want to go. It also let me talk to current students about how they got in, and also let me stay in contact with a few professors at these different schools. And, despite all of the bashing done on here, don’t you think that a college would rather see you doing that, showing interest in their particular college, rather than spending your summer doing nothing?</p>
<p>I stand corrected if you got a scholarship to any of these programs. Paid for summer programs or anything that smacks of affluence or connections are a huge minus today at top colleges. They would much rather see a job at McDonalds.</p>