<p>I have a decent GPA (3.6 UW, 3.9 W) and I'm top 20% of my class at a very competitive high school. I've been taking the most rigorous curriculum (10 AP classes by the time I graduate), so I feel like my class rank doesn't really do me justice. In my opinion, I have good test scores (2350 SAT, 33 ACT) and good extracurriculars (nationally ranked in chess). Will I not be a contender at schools like Stanford and MIT because of my (comparatively) low GPA?</p>
<p>Generally, how you did academically in high school matters most.</p>
<p>Keep in mind though that admissions officers judge you considering the context of your high school. If your high school truly is very competitive and you have taken the hardest courses you could have taken, you don’t have much to worry about.</p>
<p>Not being top 10% as an applicant to nearly all the top, top schools is going to hurt you.
That’s just the way it is.</p>
<p>However, if there are kids taking all regular-level classes with higher class ranks than you, your guidance counselor should note this in your rec.</p>
<p>Had roughly your stats, except <em>slightly</em> better in both test scores and gpa/class rank (also at a very competitive high school), and got into Stanford but not MIT. However, I must say this, that is going to hurt you at the tippy-top schools. At schools like Stanford and MIT people within the top 10-20% (hopefully you’re closer to the top 10%) tend to be accepted at a rate of about 4%. Now obviously those applicants probably have lower test scores and such and so deserve to be accepted at a much lower rate, but when you account for the counterbalancing effect that the athletes and other “hooked” applicants constitute a great portion of that 4%, you know you’re not doing too well whichever way you slice it. I say try to get your senior year grades up and do not be afraid to look outside of the tippy-top schools:someone interested in Stanford and MIT would probably be interested in Cornell and Northwestern (and there they’ll be far more forgiving with your rank in light of your sky-high test scores)</p>
<p>It depends just how competitive your school is. If you go to a place like Andover or Exeter, you probably shouldn’t be too worried because those schools send pertty much all of their top 20% to HYPS. It really depends on a college’s perception of/relation to your school.</p>
<p>First, you need to define very competitive high school. If were talking Andover or another school that sends over 30% to ivies an has an average SAT score around 2100, admission to very top schools could be possible if everything else was stellar.</p>
<p>If you’re using the term competitive as many here do and your school doesn’t meet the above description, it would be highly unusual without a hook.</p>
<p>Hmm, well, it’s definitely not as competitive as the schools you mentioned above. I’m not sure how to give you an indication of how competitive it is. We regularly have students admitted to HYPS. We also had a couple people accepted to Cornell and U Penn. Our class is far more competitive than the ones before and we will probably have 30+ National Merit Semifinalists. It’s had the top number of Semifinalists in our state multiple times. As for a hook, I play chess and I’m a girl…can that get me anywhere?</p>
<p>Oh, also to add onto my ‘hook’, I am in the process of obtaining my Girl Scout Gold Award and it relates to chess (started chess camp for kids). I am hoping that colleges will be able to see my dedication and passion for the things that I love? Maybe? </p>
<p>Morsmordre - did you have any exceptional ECs or ‘hooks’ that might have compensated for a lower GPA/rank? </p>
<p>Also, my school does not disclose class rank unless colleges ask for it. Do colleges request class rank from every school?</p>
<p>Thanks for all your help, everyone!</p>
<p>ok well, i looked at one of ur other threads to see what colleges ur interested in, then got this info off of collegeboard</p>
<p>Illinois- sorry, couldn’t find info on this one 
Carnegie Mellon- 27% not in top 10% (and 7% not in top quarter and 2% not in top half)
Ohio State- 47% not in top 10% (and 11% not in top quarter and 1% not in top half)
Purdue- 70% not in top 10% (and 35% not in top quarter and 7% not in top half)
Berkeley- 2% not in top 10% (all in top quarter)
Duke- 10% not in top 10% (and 3% not in top quarter, all in top half)
Stanford- 8% not in top 10% (and 1% not in top quarter, all in top half)
MIT- 3% not in top 10% (all in top quarter)</p>
<p>so as u can see, although GPA/class rank is important, it is definitely possible to get into an amazing college with a bad class rank (and SAT scores like those show that u are capable of being accepted even though you’re not in top 10%).</p>
<p>My S’s school doesn’t rank students, too. Looking at its View book, I realized that this school sends most of students to small number of schools. I remember that GC recommends only schools they are familiar with. I assume that those colleges know course rigor and meaning of GPA at this school accurately in turn.
So there will be two cases that low ranked/low GPA students are accepted to selective colleges - those with exceptional talent, legacy or other hooks OR those from truly competitive schools. You have to take a look at your school’s academic profile and colleges where many students from your HS are accepted.</p>
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<p>Sorry to ■■■■■ for a second, but Andover/Exeter’s avg. SAT are only 2100? That’s EXTREMELY weak, especially considering the caliber of the schools. </p>
<p>I got a 30 ACT (roughly 2100 SAT) the first time I took it as a sophomore with minimal preparation, later got an actual 2100 SAT midway through my junior year, and I go to a hick school with no rep whatsoever (except with our local community college and prison, along with our vocational school where we send 40% of every class). </p>
<p>Their averages should be 2250 at least, considering the exorbenant amounts of money the students’ families must pay to send their children to these “top schools”. What a joke.</p>
<p>Why are your GPA and rank so low? Were you lazy? Did you try to take too many difficult classes (not that 99% of high school classes can match what you’d take at MIT)? There are enough kids with near perfect GPAs and have test scores and ECs just as impressive as you. If there is a reason for a 3.6 unweighted GPA (meaning a good one to justify nearly getting 1/2 Bs) then it can be done. It helps if there was an upward trend or one bad semester where a tragedy occurred. If you just got 3 Bs and 4 As every semester then there isn’t too much hope.</p>
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<p>Sorry, but none of that is anywhere near a hook.</p>
<p>whateverr, I think most people have EC’s and tips that help them stand out good grades or not. So yeah, pretty good, not outstanding.</p>
<p>OHKID, 2100 is actually a high average. Remember that they need to admit some weak kids as well to these top private high schools because of cash. Even the tippy-top universities only boast a 2200 average SAT. I’d also be willing to bet the median SAT score at Andover is higher than the average SAT score (since there’s only so much room for scores higher than 2100 but a lot of room for scores lower) So yeah, you’re just smart.</p>
<p>Like top colleges, top prep schools have a large number of hooked kids in their student bodies. They work with programs that bring large numbers from underprivileged areas, there are recruited athletes, URMs, legacies and development. the average unhooked kids at these schools generally do score considerably higher.</p>
<p>To the OP, hooks are the things I mentioned above. So while you don’t appear to have one, it’s worth a few applications to uber reaches that may find a female chess player, especially if you’ve been very successful, interesting. </p>
<p>But the bottom line is that at very top schools the vast majority of those not in the top 10% are minorities, URMs, wealthy legacies/the very connected and development.</p>