Maybe this is something you want to think about; you are chasing after something and you can’t articulate the reasons why.
As far as McKinsey etc. the people I know that were successful in interviewing with them all had PhDs in various fields of study, from archeology to materials engineering. Not from private universities.
And lastly a 3.98 is not going to hinder your goals, but not knowing why you have these goals might. Good luck OP!
Your GPA is not relevant to your goal. There is no significant difference between 3.98 and 4.0. I will tell you that Harvard, at least, articulated a few years ago that they were trying to decrease the number of students pursuing consulting, finance etc. (at that time 40% of the student body) and also increasing opportunities in the applied arts, in an effort to diversity the interests and goals of the student body.
Also, “character” is very key to admissions. More than GPA.
I know a couple of Harvard grads who did consulting (Baine) and hated it.
Make sure you apply to a variety of schools. With perfect GPA and perfect scores, an applicant would still have a slim chance. Admissions aims to assemble an interesting class and it is about what they need, not the individual value of the applicant in many ways. So you can’t really be certain at all about your chances.
You posted here of your your own volition looking for responses. I gave my opinion, not an analysis of your personality. Disregard if you like. I have no idea what your exact chances are and neither does anyone else, but I definitely sense that you aren’t on the right track so far with your thinking. You will not get into any of those colleges if you can’t demonstrate why you they should want you there. You will not get into them if you can’t provide solid reasons as to why you need to be, for example, at Princeton as opposed to Columbia.
If you wanted a cheering section to tell you you’re amazing and will definitely be admitted, you won’t find that here. Posters will give you their honest and realistic opinion. No one can tell you if it’s attainable. You will be one of many highly qualified applicants, the majority of whom will be rejected. You maybe one of the lucky ones admitted.
If you enjoy working hard and find it fun, keep going. It will serve you well into the future. If you only enjoy it provided there’s a specific external reward, school, job, promotion etc…you may be disappointed.
I don’t think the OP is sad. I think s/he’s pragmatic.
This statistic is often on CDS. However, for most colleges, these are the weighted GPAs, even though the CDS form states that they are presenting the 4.0 scale GPA. Technically, they are on a 4.0 scale, since the grades that the students got on their courses were grades on a 4.0 scale and not all classes provided by the school are weighted.
I have already done the math a dozen times to demonstrate that many colleges do this, including Harvard.
My main point is that a student with an unweighted GPA of 3.97 is as competitive for Harvard as an applicant with an unweighted GPA of 4.0 with a similarly rigorous course set.
Of course, by “competitive”, I mean - of 100 unhooked students with similar GPAs, most likely fewer than 10 will be accepted.
PS. The 70%-with-an-unweighted-4.0 narrative feeds into the “OMG, I GOT AN A-, MY HARVARD DREAMS ARE DEAD” angst. Of course, my opposing narrative feeds into the “I have a 3.82 and I have dreamt about attending Harvard all my life, I have a good chance, right?” illusion, which is probably worse.
You also need to broaden your definition of success. If you just think it means making more money than 99.9% of the population, well, your definition is not universally agreed upon. I think most people would agree that these definitions are more accurate:
suc·cess
noun
A successful person doesn’t have to graduate from Harvard and earn six figures. Plenty of Harvard grads don’t earn six figures, and they aren’t necessarily less successful than the ones who do. And success is not determined by money. As already stated, your future success is determined by you, not the college you attend.
Keep in mind that they also report the average GPA is 4.18, so this obviously isn’t on a strict 4.0 maximum unweighted scale. I suspect a significantly smaller percentage have 100+ quarterly grades of A in every single 9-12th grade class.
OP, there are certainly thousands of students that have similarly-calculated “4.0” GPAs that didn’t get admitted. No, a single A- and a 3.98 vs. a 4.0 will not make a difference. Regardless of whether you want to believe it.
I think the OP speaks the truth. Sure, s/he doesn’t want to come across as a victim, but universities are looking for certain boxes to check—as they should to create a balanced and interesting class—and if the OP doesn’t fit into the sought after demographics, I think it’s okay to say so.
That’s different than saying a 3.98 will doom a student that would have had a realistic chance with a 4.0.
An over-represented 3.98 student has about the same very low admission chance as the same 4.0 student.
That’s really the main point.
OP, as a member of an unfavored demographic, the truth is that the accomplishments and qualities that would garner you admission at HYPMS are simply not forecastable with any degree of confidence. So, truly, do what you love, and as best you can - that is sensible advice for any student.
Now, if you want to try grinding away in order to convince HYPMS that you are among the 5-15% (roughly, depending on the institution) who are admitted primarily for their academic ability, win some contests, get some level of national recognition. That will help a little - that’s forecastable. High risk strategy in view of the effort usually required, and if you do not have the innate ability and love for the endeavor, you will not be successful anyway.
Really, HYPMS is a good goal if it motivates you to be the best you can be, but do not be wedded to it. You might find in the end that a binding early decision application to a different highly selective university will be your highest percentage strategy.
Do you have a source for this statement? AFAIK there are no studies that support this, on the whole.
The only group (again AFAIK) that may uniquely benefit (in job placement, salary outcomes, move to middle/upper class) from attending a highly selective school is low income students.
Your statement is true. It has been well studied and is true for a very specific reason. The percentage of high achieving high school students is much higher at HYPSM schools than at state schools. If you control for high school achievement, there is no difference, with the small exception of first generation, low income students. Essentially, the success cake is baked in high school. If you slack, because you think you might not get into a HYPSM, which we all know is statistically unlikely for even the top un-hooked students due to the sheer number of highly qualified students applying, you will directly reduce your chance of future success, no matter where you go.
I read what you posted about your ECs here. What is so “unique” about them?
I’ll bite - this year, acceptance rates at these schools were roughly 5% or less. Your chances of admission are likely to be no greater than that and probably less. You don’t say anything about standardized tests but some of these schools are likely to remain TO for the upcoming admissions cycle.
My kid attended a highly ranked private high school. Most of the kids in the top cohort (NSFs, 99% standardized test scores, 4.0 UW GPA or close to it, good rigor, varied ECs with state and national-level recognition) did well, with most getting into at least one T-20 school, including HYPS, Duke, MIT, Chicago, etc. Most were unhooked. And then there were a few of these very impressive students that got shut out. Why? Nobody knows, except that it’s a numbers game and there is not enough space to accommodate all qualified applicants.
If HYPS is the dream, then give it a try, but keep expectations low and apply to a balanced list so you have choices in the Spring.
Taking on $110K debt is a very bad idea, IMO. And if your folks are covering 2/3 tuition (roughly 40K/year at today’s prices), that four years’ worth of debt is likely to be 160K+, not $110K, unless by “tuition,” you mean total cost of attendance including room and board. Run that figure through an online debt repayment calculator to find out what those payments would be over a 10 year period. It is likely to be eye opening.
Who will be cosigning the $100,000 loans you plan to take…because you can’t get college loans in that amount in your name only?
Yeah man I’m not revealing them here. Rest assured, they’re unique. This is something I know, and unlike my opinions on college and life, this opinion will not change.
Just so you understand- the point is NOT unique EC’s. The point is to show a level of exceptional skills, achievement, or a deep intellectual engagement that is not evident in your academics.
And will your teachers be commenting on your love for learning for its own sake, your deep level of understanding of literature, your astute observations in class-- or are you the kid who is plugging away to get the A’s to get the ticket punched?
OP, reach for the sky. But do adjust your expectations. I did, however, want to point out the fallacy in your thinking re consulting. My DD will be working at an MBB. So will some of her classmates. None of them attend a top school. They are all in an honors program at a very good flagship. They were the cream of the crop there. What many don’t understand is that McKinsey and the other two of the big three accept a very small percentage from even the top schools like HYPSM and the competition is fierce. In fact, according to many at Harvard, only around 1-2% of applicants get offers. Think you’ll be at the top of the class at HYPSM? Everyone does and most are wrong. So adjust your expectations. There is so much more out there besides consulting anyway. Going to another school besides HYPSM may just open your mind to the vast possibilities.
This is from the common data set, which is based on enrolled states, not admitted. I believe Harvard is converting to a scale with maximum of >4.0 since the average GPA is listed as 4.18, so it is not 70% with 4.0. It is 70% with 4.0 or higher, and a large portion are higher. Specific numbers are below.
Average GPA of enrolled students = 4.18
70.55% have 4.00 or higher
22.26% have 3.75 to 3.99
4.84% have 3.50 to 3.79
1.67% have 3.25 to 3.49
0.42% have 3.00 to 3.24
0.08% have 2.50 to 2.99
0.08% have 2.00 to 2.49
0.00% have less than 2.0