I have eight B’s and one C over my freshman, sophomore, and junior year. They are in advanced math classes (I took Algebra 2/Trig in 9th Grade, Pre-Calculus in 10th grade, and Calculus Honors in 11th grade. I’ll be taking AP Stats and AP Calclus BC next year) AP Biology, AP Language and Composition, and AP French. The B’s are in Algebra 2/Trig, Precalculs, Semester 2 AP Biology, AP Language and Composition, AP French, and Marketing Honors. I’ve been to three different high schools in 4 years and have A’s in the rest of my classes. I will be taking a total of 9 AP and the rest honors. I have done good EC’s and am a DECA officer. I also went to states in DECA. I have a 2150 SAT ( I recently took new one and ACT but scores haven’t come in yet).
What are my chances for getting into Cornell and other top schools?
In order to chance you, you have to share more about yourself to accurately chance you because when applying to top tear schools like the Ivies, everyone is highly qualified. It’s really good that you’ve been challenging yourself through AP courses since your freshman year.
A few questions I have are:
What makes you stand out? What’s your GPA weighted/unweighted overall on the scale that your school(s) have provided? Have you shown leadership in any of your ECs? What ECs have you done besides DECA? What do you plan on majoring in? Why Cornell and the other schools?
I hope that I can help!
Well, I’ve moved every year of high school and managed to have decent grades. Unweighted my GPA is 3.8, weighted it’s 4.2. I’m an officer for DECA. In 9th grade I did Chip Camp (which was a science camp with my dad’s company) I did Orchestra for a year but had to quit because my new school didn’t offer it. I also sang opera for 2 years. I was in French Honor Society and French Club (didn’t have it at new school when I moved, so couldn’t continue) I volunteered at the Historical Society of my new town, acted in the play, got a book award. This summer I’m volunteering with the local organization that helps teenage parents take care of their children. I’ll be volunteering in a classroom-like place and be mentoring one kid by myself. These are my EC’s. Next year, I’ll also be the TA for my Physics class. I want to major in Applied Physics and Finance at Cornell. The reason I want to go there is that it is a really good school for both of these things and it will let me do what I want later on in life. The Applied Physics at the schools I want to apply at is very good and the professors are doing great work.
@enjolras1832
- Are you sure your unweighted GPA is a 3.8? It seems really high for getting 8 Bs and a C over 3 years.
For reference, you can probably use this scale:
A+ = 4.0
A = 4.0
A- = 3.7
B+ = 3.3
B = 3.0
B- = 2.7
C+ = 2.3
C = 2.0
C- = 1.7
D+ = 1.3
D = 1.0
D- = 0.7
E/F= 0.0
-
Do you have any hooks?
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When you say “sang opera” - at what level? I am not a opera expert, but it is a relatively unique extracurricular, and if you were competitive, it might help (but your post seems to indicate that you dropped it).
Yeah I have 10 B’s/B+s maybe 8 or 9 depending on how AP tests work out and my UW is really bad, a 3.4. Maybe 3.44 or 3.49 if I did well on certain AP tests. It does seem unusually high for 8 B’s and one C to have a 3.8. I calculate it A/A+ is a 4 etc. our school doesn’t have minuses so a B or B+ is a 3. My school doesn’t calculate it that way, only weighted but that’s how I’ve been told colleges might do it.
Your extracurriculars look good, but to give it your best shot at getting in I’d recommend bringing up your SAT score and focusing on more leadership roles. If you have those, then you definitely have a fair shot, but there’s no telling with these schools. Focus on making good essays and getting good recs. Good luck!
Hi everyone,
Yeah, I calculated my GPA by extrapolating what grades I could get next year. If I just leave it with the grades that I’ve gotten so far, its a 3.72 (unweighted). @yikesyikesyikes, I sang opera for 2 years with recitals and things, but I trained with an actual classical music professor from the university in my town. It was going to become a thing where I performed at local venues, but I moved before anything could happen. I’m not sure what you mean by “hooks.”
I’ve also hired a college counselor, and she says that she can help me get a good chance. The teachers that I’ve asked are renowned for giving good recommendations, so I’m pretty sure that will work out fine.
Also, what are my chances at schools like Boston University, the Honors College at UMASS Amherst, Illinois-Urbana Champaign? Schools that aren’t Ivy League but still ranked really high?