<p>I was wondering what my chances are of getting into an Ivy League or top tier school.</p>
<p>I got a 35 on the ACT spring of sophomore year, 36 english and math, 34 science, 33 reading. That spring I also got a 2250 SAT, 800 math,750 critical reading, 700 english. It is now mid junior year and I got a 2340 on SAT, same math and reading, 790 english. PSAT scores are about to come out and it is likely that I will get some national merit thing with a score last year of 210 and I actually studied this year.</p>
<p>I play three varsity sports at my school and will have played them for four years (not on varsity all 4 years). My clubs are limited with sports but:
Mock Trial 3 years
Junior Council on World Affairs 4 years, I will probably go to nationals for the JCOWA bowl thing in DC this year
Quiz Bowl 3 years, 2 on varsity</p>
<p>I have service hours as an assistant coach for my brothers CYO volleyball team and as a service rep thing at school for 3 years.</p>
<p>My family went on a mission trip to Belize last summer on our own for a lot of volunteer hours.</p>
<p>I am not sure if these extra things are enough for admission into schools like Yale or Princeton. My second cousin plays football at Princeton. Could that give me an edge? Other than that, I do not have any family that have gone to any top schools.</p>
<p>For the Ivies and the other peer LACs and National Research Universities, the two most important admissions criteria are probably grades/GPA and curricular rigor. Your post contains not one word regarding either. With respect, how in the world could anyone even roughly estimate your acceptance probability without such information?</p>
<p>My GPA is 4.0 unweighted and 4.58 weighted. My weighted will go up because of AP and honors junior and senior year. the PLTW classes were not counted as honors so that brought me down.</p>
<p>My coursework is as follows:
freshman-5 honors, PLTW class, religion (required, no honors)
sophomore-4 honors, AP US History, PLTW class, religion
summer-honors spanish
junior-AP Psych, AP spanish, AP European history, AP chemistry, AP Calc AB, 1 honors, religion
senior-AP gov, AP stats, AP calc bc, AP english lit, AP biology, 1 honors, religion</p>
<p>I am most likely valedictorian, but they do not tell exact rank until applications are filled out.</p>
<p>You sound like a wonderful candidate, as will the vast majority of students who are rejected. Recommendations and essays will probably determine the outcome, and we are not the people reading those.</p>
<p>@whuffy: @IxnayBob 's post (#3) is “spot on.” WORK HARD, CREATIVELY, and for months to ensure your essays are memorable, insightful and eloquent. You’re a strong candidate, but they – and your recommendations – are likely to be decisive.</p>
<p>I can’t stress out enough about EC’s. Your grades and SAT’s are pretty standard for an applicant to apply to ivy leagues. Your EC’s are what differ you from those other 30,000 applicants. I visited to Harvard this summer and met the admission counselor. The first thing she asked me was ‘What can you bring to Harvard?’. Go back to your EC’s and stop stressing about your already perfect grades. Find something UNIQUE that you love and EXCEL at it. It can be a subject, a theory or anything. You have to impress the admission officer by something that you achieved than just good scores. Hope this helps. Could you chance me back to my only post? Good luck and keep up the good work! :)</p>
<p>why do people always say GPA , SAT, and course rigor are the most important? good stats will get you considered, but what ULTIMATELY decides if you’re admitted is your essays, recs, extracurriculars, awards, etc.</p>
<p>You will get into 1 ivy league. Just honestly apply to all them because each year the schools look for certain types of applicants. You have a near perfect ACT play sports and perfect GPA + (valedictorian) most likely. There is nothing really more you can do. No they don’t care you are in the chest club and that is a crazy thing to say. You are obviously a sports type of person so you need to highlight that on your admissions.</p>
<p>@RunningForLife: I believe you’ve answered your own question. GPA, curricular rigor, and standardized test results generally will not guarantee admission to the most-selective institutions; however, they (as you’ve indicated) will ensure one is a serious “reviewable” candidate. One can’t clear the “final hurdle” (receiving an acceptance) if he doesn’t clear the first ones. Further, can you imagine application evaluation with these key items? </p>
<p>I say this to other students with credentials like yours: Yes, you are qualified; yes, you CAN get in; no, you can’t be sure of admission to the most competitive schools. They will definitely give your application serious consideration. That’s the most anyone can ask for. </p>