I’m only a sophomore but college is coming sooner than i think. My dream school is duke or columbia. My current gpa is a 3.4 (i know its really low, but my grades have been going up since freshman year). I haven’t taken the SAT or ACT, but I plan on taking both. I’m also in these extra - curricular activities (key club, student government, DECA, lacrosse, golf, FCCLA, play piano, take art classes). I’m also thinking about doing indoor track next year, and trying to be on national honors society. I will be getting some conducting lab research over the summer as well. What standardized test scores would i need to make Duke possible?
No chance at all. You want your GPA to be at least 3.8, 2250+SAT, 33+ACT. Your ECs are very typical as well, nothing that stands out. I would have to aim lower if I were you.
If you get a 4.0 for your remaining 4 semesters before the application (including the one you’re currently in), you will apply with a 3.7; that’s still a bit low for Duke and Columbia, but it gives you a decent chance. You’d still have a chance if it’s slightly below that, but the odds would be very much stacked against you (and even if you have a 4.0, the odds are still stacked against you).
Try your hardest, study or the SAT and ACT, and don’t get attached to any dream school; you will be able to thrive at many other places.
Duke alum here. You still have a chance. Continue to show upward trend. Score high on the standardized tests and have a meaningful story. Good luck
First off, shame on the people who tell you that you have ZERO chance of getting into a school that reviews every application holistically. If Duke took every kid with a 3.8 GPA and 2250+ SAT then it would be the most bland and homogeneous school in the country.
Now, your GPA may be low, but you can get it up. Colleges love the upward trend. Because you’re a Sophomore, you can make a impact on it if you start now. In the meantime, study for that SAT and, this is the important part, stay in the clubs that YOU gain personal empowerment in. Duke doesn’t want someone who joined 12 different clubs and was the president of half of them.
They want a real person. Someone with passion, a past, and a goal. Show Duke who you are in those essays. Write the BEST essays you can, and you’ll have an upper-hand on much of the competition. Get to know your teachers and GC and get them to write awesome recs for you.
Of course, you shouldn’t be worrying about the essays and recs at the moment. For now, enjoy high school. Pursue your goals. Water and prune your soul. Don’t spend high school making yourself the student you think Duke wants. Be the type of student that you want to be.