<p>Hi. I am currently a sophomore and I finished off my freshman year with a 3.7 uw and sophomore year with a 3.8 uw. However, I'm scoring a 2100 right now and plan to score mid 2200s by next year and I have strong ECs (500+ volunteer hours, president of school's two largest school clubs, student council, and state level speaker). I feel that part of the reason why my grades were so low is because I attend a high competitive college prep school (Top 10 in country) Would I still have a chance at any Ivy league school and what should I work on to improve my chances?</p>
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<p>yes.</p>
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<p>I’ve been in education 20+ years and I haven’t seen much evidence that kids can “improve” chances to get into the perceived “best” universities, i.e. those with name-brand recognition and low acceptance rates. The kids who get into those schools get in because of what they are, not because of steps that they have taken to get in.</p>
<p>Please consider: “Ivy League” and other big-name schools may not deliver the best classroom experience. You may end up mostly sitting through discussion sections with disdainful TAs rather than getting close attention from professors. Perceived advantages of those schools may be associated with the kind of kids that get in, not what kids get from the school. (Google Alan Krueger and Stacy Berg Dale’s research)</p>
<p>My best advice is to enjoy your high school years and to figure out what you’re interested in and what you’re good at, not just aim at brand names. Good luck!</p>
<p>yes you do. my friend had a 94 avg in his freshman year and ended up going to princeton! dont lose hope! chance me back? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1502527-chances-uva-oos-duke.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1502527-chances-uva-oos-duke.html</a></p>