I think, though I’m not sure just yet, that I’ll end this semester with one or two Bs. I’m a freshman, and I ended the first semester with all As, but that doesn’t appear to be a feat I can replicate. I’ll keep trying, and probably post an update, but I would rather face the weight of what the outcome may be.
There is a girl who will be valedictorian of my grade unless she transfers (I know this isn’t set in stone, but it’s almost a surety). I’m competing, as far as I know, with one boy for the spot of salutatorian. Yes, this is excessive planning. I plan. My plans fail, but it’s is what I do.
My question is this: How much does a 4.0 boost your chances of getting accepted in comparison to a 3.8, or 3.9?
Agreed with the two posters above me, it’s best to be in the top 10% of your class for “top” schools. Being valedictorian or salutatorian is no guarantee of getting into “top” schools and plenty of valedictorians get rejected from these schools. Think of it this way, there are ~36,000 high schools just in the US, meaning 36,000 valedictorians, so it’s really not going to be a huge boost. Focus on having a 3.8+ unweighted GPA, good test scores, and doing extracurriculars that you enjoy.
When I say focus, I mean more of a ‘There’s so much I want to do, but not enough money and/or time to do all of it.’ I also tend to… overreact to stress, so I try to be careful.
For what I have planned out for next year, I’ll be president of Japanese Club, participating in Speech and Debate, possibly Key Club if I can’t get our schools Model UN up and running, Golf later in the spring, I volunteer at a nursing home once a week and will continue to do that, I’ll be playing violin with a quartet, and hopefully get some writing done. If possible I would love to work with foreign exchange students again, but that requires an audition so it’s not guaranteed. It’s not a super packed schedule, and that’s because I need time to procrastinate or I would never get anything done.
As long as you’re in the top 10% of your class, your specific rank won’t matter much. At that point, it’s your test scores and other academic areas that are looked into.
My kids attend a very highly ranked high school and they don’t name a val/sal. If you want to speak at graduation you have to try out in front of the speech teacher. Also, in the time period you are applying, fall of senior year, who knows who will be val?
@nac7890 sure, a 3.7 is great! I just say 3.8-4.0 UW because that is what I see most most posters on this website who get in to “top” schools have. I don’t think the .1 point is going to be the difference between reject/admit, that’s the purpose of holistic admissions (and what makes it so difficult to predict).
I like that you say you aren’t sure what to focus on for your ECs. It sounds like you have plenty, so I would avoid adding more. It’s great to be involved in lots of things, but you have a bit of a laundry list of activities. Colleges prefer to see a few activities rather than lots. I would certainly not drop your volunteer work, and in fact, maybe expand that if you can. Keep up the good work and you will do fine.
If you’re doing ECs just to get the leadership position and have it look good on college applications, you’re doing them for the wrong reasons. Do things you’re actually passionate about. Many kids that think they have well-rounded and strong ECs are surprised when they get rejected. But the truth is, being an officer in a bunch of clubs looks superficial. Just my opinion, but I’m sure many people will agree with me.