Is it worth it for me to apply to Ivies? Be brutally honest please I need it

Your GPA may be too low

@sanjanagupta1 really?? Or are you joking haha

Are you junior or senior? If senior, it is too late to ask this question. If junior, you may still improve your score. Your application would not be thrown out with 4.0/33. So it is possible for admission but the chance is low for anyone and yours is probably a bit lower than average applicants.

While your school doesn not officially rank, you must have some idea of how you stack up against the other top students in your class. Would you put yourself in the top 5%?

The Ivies and most selective schools will require or “recommend” at least 2 SAT2 scores.

Just about anyone is a long shot for the schools we are talking about. Based purely on the stats and list of EC’s you laid out, I think it is worth taking a shot, but choose a school that fits you. Your chances are 0 if you don’t apply.

@BKSquared top 5% I would assume at least. Thoughts on applying to Yale?

^stats put you in ball game. If you were my kid, I’d encourage you to give the ACT another go to see if you can get to 34+. Is there a subsection that pulled you down? If so, I’d focus on that part. You are also looking for 700+ in your SAT2’s.

After the stat’s, it will come down to your LoR’s, essays and how you present your EC’s. They need to tell a consistent story of who you are, how you will make best use of Yale’s resources and how you will contribute to the Yale community. I wouldn’t be too worried about an eclectic list of EC’s as long as your involvement in the ones you highlight are substantive and tie together in terms of a story of who you are.

@BKSquared I was elected, by people in my district, to be the precinct chair of my area in the state Democratic party. My focus over the years in high school has become more politically focused and I think my internships show this, GREAT essay and recommendations I think, but what do you think about me including the elected position, will they understand or?

I’d definitely include that. Ties in to your political narrative. Also elected positions (especially for large groups) show leadership and commitment that is corroborated by third party action.

So what IS the possible major and is that an unweighted gpa you state?
If it’s govt related, ok, you have that work, plus Mock. If it’s STEM, again, the 3, 4, 4 can affect chances. And they won’t just look at ACT composite, but the actual subscores. Want to share what those are?

Again, you need a good way to assess your match, beyond stats and some highlights in ECs. (How do you know it’s a great essay, do you know what they look for?)

@lookingforward it would be government related. My sub scores were 33 across the board so even. As far as Gpa, at my school an A+ is 4.333 so MY SCHOOL gpa is like a 4.1 but I don’t know if that’s weighted or unweighted.

My essays I believe are really good because it shows my passion without saying passion if you know what I mean. It shows WHY I do my passion and why I CONTINUE to do it and how I want to continue to do it. If that’s not good tell me too lol

An A+ is generally a 4.3x, in conventional unweighted. (IF the hs grants more than 4 points for a plus.) So you’re saying you have all A grades, nothing lower?

The essay isn’t meant to show passion, per se. They’re looking for certain qualities, attributes, a level of thinking; helps to get an idea what those are.

Adding: you want a nice narrative that shows those attributes, etc. Show, not just tell. And what you show should be relevant to their review.

@lookingforward that makes a lot of sense!! Thanks!

Yes, you should definitely apply to Ivies. Your stats and ECs make you competitive for all of them. If you like one of the Ivies, apply early to the school and focus on writing amazing essays for the university. But make sure you complete, or at least start many of your other applications in case you don’t get accepted in the early round of admissions

@doorrealthe would it be worth it to apply ED to an ivy that is harder to get in, but I like it more, or apply ED to a school i have a better chance of getting in? thanks

Apply ED to whatever school you love. You are competitive.

Yes apply. Write an awesome reflective essay. Apply to some other good schools too. you never know what will happen—it’s a crap shoot.

Apply to an ED school only if it is absolutely your top choice and it is affordable without comparing financial aids from other school. DO NOT apply ED if you just want to increase your admission chance.

Know what they look for. Or you’re the one making it a crapshoot. Encouragement is nice. But you do the work to figure out if you match what they want.

Without understanding that, you won’t know how to present- or what a good essay really is. It’s not hs writing.

Apply to all of them.
You look really smart, Harvard is a definite reach, but atleast Cornell is a safety.

@lookingforward how do I find out what they are looking for? Look at people who have graduated? Look at the material they put out? im having a hard time finding it