<p>I'm a sophomore at a highly competitive school in New Jersey. I took the SAT II Math IC and IIC in middle school, and got a 770 and an 800 on them, respectively. I also took the
SAT I test in the 8th grade an got a 2200. Freshman year, I had one of the heaviest course-loads in my grade, taking Honors Precalculus, Honors Biology, and Honors Chemistry, while taking Honors wherever I could. However, I ended freshman year miserably, with a 3.51 UW/ 4.11 W. Being a glutton for punishment, I skipped AP Calculus BC over the summer, taking Honors Multivariable Calculus sophomore year, as well as AP Biology, Honors Physics, and a bunch of other Honors classes. I am probably going to get a B in AP Biology, and I might also get one in Honors Physics.
I am a tournament-level chess player, with a USCF rating of about 1520. I have been playing chess all my life. I received a gold medal at the NJ Science Olympiad state tournament. I was also part of the team that placed 1st there. I am an avid participant in my science and math clubs, having done well in Mandelbrot, AMC and PUMAC (Princeton University Math Competition). Is there anything at all that can be done? I project my GPA will be at around a 3.7 by the start of junior year. My weighted GPA will be much higher, though not outstanding. Do I need a reality check? Is there anything I can do to improve my chances?</p>
<p>I got in with a 3.4 UW GPA, I’m sure you can do it with a 3.7. You’re doing plenty of things to show your interests and show who you are; as long as you can show that in your essays/in your app, you’ve got a great shot at Penn.</p>
<p>it doesnt matter what the gpa is… it matters what your class rank is… if your 3.5 gpa puts you in the top ten percent… thats all that matters… they want to see how you did compared to the rest of your class… on their site it says around 95 percent of accepted kids were in the top 10 percent of their class… so if your not… it wont matter that your taking a strong course load… take simpler classes and boost ur gpa if thats what you need… and if you really want penn… then apply ed because penn loves ed and really wants kids who want to be there…</p>
<p>I disagree with that. In order to get into schools like Penn, you need to be taking the most challenging course load offered at your school and excel in that context. You shouldn’t take easier classes to try to boost your class rank, they want to see that you’ve challenged yourself to the fullest extent. My high school, however, did unofficially rank based on the weighted GPA. Most of the kids who went to Ivies from my high school (a pretty significant number) had taken all of the highest level classes and were in the top 10%.</p>
<p>@ Poeme… yes you have to challenge yourself… but if you take the heaviest course load and end up being in the top 30 percent… there is no way your getting in… unless you have some hook or you go to a feeder school…</p>
<p>transfer9858, you have to both a high class rank and the most challenging curriculum; that’s why it’s so competitive. My two other high school classmates and I who are now at Penn only took classes that were equivalent to honors or AP (my school has a different system) during high school and were ranked somewhere above the top 10% (unofficially). It seemed to be similar with the other ivies.</p>
<p>If you keep doing what your doing outside of school, you should be set, my only fear would be that college admissions reps think that I am one of those very smart people who just don’t do any work. Now I am not saying that’s who you are, but getting an 800 on the Math IIC and a 2200 on your SAT in 8th grade, then getting a 3.51 freshman year kind of makes it look like that, of course I don’t know your situation exactly, but if you GPA doesn’t improve, stress that you do work hard in school.</p>
<p>You’d be a definite admit for ED though it depends on whether or not you want better financial aid or not. Applying RD will give you more options to possibly cheaper schools. But if money’s not an issue, ED’s the way to go.</p>
<p>It totally depends on the context of your school. I know at my high school that kids who had weaker freshmen years (probably about 3.5 as well) went on to get accepted to great schools, including Ivies (Brown and Penn being examples). For another school that might be very unlikely. But honestly your grades and test scores are not the only thing that matter. There’s no specific number that will guarantee you admission on the low end or the high end. It’s about being able to stand out for your achievements. Colleges want someone who will contribute to the campus and the way they can measure that is mainly your recommendations and your essays, not just your grades.</p>