I really want to get into one the top 20 schools, but I’m scared that my gpa and class rank isn’t good enough. I’m a junior btw.
UW: 3.7568
W: 4.2230
Class Rank: 69 out of 637
Does my gpa stand a chance for the top 20 schools?
You should be able to tell from accepted stats at the school you’re interested in whether you are in the appropriate range. ‘Top 20’ is a big range. There are also many, many excellent schools that are not ‘top 20’.
Highly selective schools look at applications holistically, so grades and test scores are only the first step. Unless your GPA is super-duper low (which yours isn’t) it won’t disqualify you.
Furthermore, your weighted GPA indicates that you’ve been taking some challenging classes, something schools love to see.
Also wanted to add that you should look at naviance data to get a realistic sense of where you stand. You have solid stats, but you want to make sure you create a balanced list of schools.
Average GPA at most T20s is 3.8 UW or above. If you’re an ORM (over-represented minority, like Asians) then your GPA would be harming you. If you’re a URM (under-represented minority) your GPA wouldn’t be hurting you too bad but it also couldn’t hurt to bring it up.
You are not in the top 10% of your class. Note that 95+ percent of accepted Ivy League students (this statistic should be similar for T20s as well) are in the top 10% of their class.
You also haven’t listed any extracurricular activities or awards, nor have you written you essays.
Based on grades alone, a T20 school isn’t necessarily out of the picture, but it will be quite difficult. Even more difficult if you’re an ORM, less difficult but still tough if you’re an URM.
What classes have you taken? How have you done on your AP exams? You can definitely get into a top 20, especially nearer to #15-20; ec’s do matter a lot.
Chance back?
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/2179460-advice-for-m-t-m-e-t-and-stanford-cs.html#latest
Three things stand out.
One is exactly what @gradtutor said “There are also many, many excellent schools that are not ‘top 20’”.
The second thing is that if you want a decent chance to get into a top 20 university you should be careful about the grammar in your essays.
The third thing that I wonder about is why you want to attend a “top 20” university. There is a significant range among top 20 schools. If one is a great fit for you then another might not be a good fit for you.
I think that you should think hard about what you want in a university.