im a current sophomore
i had two accelarated classes and 3 honors classes in freshmen year and got Bs and one C (honors class)
i currently have three accelerated classes and 2 honors classes
junior year i will have 3 ap classes and the rest are honors
senior year ill have all ap classes
do i have a chance for ivy league or any top university or not
Any patents? Nobel prizes? Olympic medals? If not, it’s going to be a long shot. But maybe you do have stellar ECs and personal qualities that will help you stand out?
What are your grades this year? Do you have an upward trajectory from freshman year? If so, some colleges are more forgiving of freshman year slip-ups if you regain your balance and excel the following three years.
Those Bs and that C won’t sink your chances. Nor will straight As guarantee you a seat.
The Ivy League schools all have very low acceptance rates because they get far more applicants than they can accept. So don’t focus on just these schools.
And “top university” depends on what you’re interested in studying.
You are just finishing your sophomore year in high school. When you get that end of year GPA, it will be helpful. Your junior year end of year GPA will be even more helpful. If you take the ACT or SAT, that will help too.
Right now…you have very insufficient information to even guess…but I will say…even with perfect stats, the schools in the Ivy League reject more students than they accept. No guarantees.
What is an “accelerated class”? Does this just mean that you are taking courses that are usually for students a grade ahead of you? If so…not sure that matters at all. But your grades will.
For some context, at Brown - which isn’t the most selective Ivy - the SAT range for admitted students who submitted SAT scores last year was 1500 (25th percentile) to 1560 (75th percentile) and 93% of those accepted were in the top 10% of their HS graduating class.
Take a look at where you stand in another year, and then consider what your options are.
Keep in mind that there are over 3,000 colleges and universities in the US, and only about 100 have acceptance rates under 50%. Most of the rest have acceptance rates over 75%
There is a great school out there for you! Fixating on the top 10 or 20 schools with single digit acceptance rates is not a good way to start your college search.
There is no good reason to apply to all the Ivies, except maybe a few for financial aid. They are so different. I suggest you get acquainted with a wide variety of schools- next year (this is still early)- and think about size, location, academics, “vibe” and of course cost.
Google the list of “little Ivies” and check out the site for Colleges that Change Lives.
Don’t spend the next two years trying to fit a mold for a certain set of schools. Explore your interests, work reasonably hard, and apply to a variety of schools that are good fits.
ps@tdy123 I wouldn’t say Brown isn’t the most selective: rather admissions is quirky. I know at least one kid who got into Harvard but not Brown.
Try not to look at it as, “Do I have a chance at the Ivies?” Instead, continue to do the best that you can in school, try to take classes that interest you, and get involved in extracurricular activities that you like, that give you joy. Think about college applications a year from now.
Agreed. I just used “selective” as a rough proxy for lowest admit rate. Even at Brown, there is considerable variance with the admit rate for females being significantly lower than that for males. ~19K males applied, ~32K females. 1275 males accepted. 1287 females accepted.
Do you have a chance - sure?
Could you be perfect and it still be unlikely - sure?
Frankly, you need to be the best you - grade wise, EC wise, test wise, essay writing wise.
And your future educational plans will take care of themselves.
There are no guarantees - except if you work hard, stay persistent, show determination, and get a little luck.
Then you’ll have a good chance in life whether you attend Harvard or Hofstra.
You’re a bit early in asking the question…
Why do you want an Ivy league school? What do you consider a “top university?”
Freshman year, did you get all B’s except for the one C? How are you doing this year?
I am concerned that you might be taking advanced classes just for the sake of taking advanced classes, rather than taking classes that are a good fit for you.
Admissions to Ivy League and other top ranked universities is difficult for the strongest students, and is also difficult to predict. However, generally speaking getting B’s in tough classes is not the way to get accepted to an Ivy League university.
As a former math major, I also have a concern that in general what you are going to take in math next year is going to depend upon what you are learning now. Then what you will be learning in two years will depend upon what you are learning now and what you will learn next year. You want to learn each part well so that you will be well set up to do well not just now but also next year and the year after.
My recommendation would be to take classes that make sense for you, and make a strong effort to pay attention and stay ahead in your work. Then look for a university that is a good fit for you.
i have awards from model un hosa fccla have been pursuing dance for 9 years and singing for 11 years and have been to medical summer programs in yale and boston
ive gotten 1420 on the psat
my grades were not great this year. there was an increase in grades in some classes compared to last year but not much
however im on track to get all aps and honors in the next two years
in our school there r four levels of classes
ap & honors (highest credit) accelerated (mid) and academic (lowest credit)
Why the Ivy League? There are 3000 or so colleges in this country, many terrific schools. Only 8 are in the Ivy League. Hoping you are looking at the characteristics you want in a college…and not this one athletic league which has 8 highly competitive schools for admission.
There are plenty of other excellent colleges out there that could meet your characteristics…and some are far less competitive for admissions.
ETA…it sounds like “accelerated” courses are not the most challenging in your school. Most successful applicants to the Ivies and similar schools are taking the most challenging courseload at their high schools.
yea freshmen year all Bs one A and one C
this year wasn’t that great either but there was a slight improvement compared to last year
That’s nice…but the PSAT score that matters for National Merit consideration is the one you will take fall of your junior year.
I would very strongly suggest that you start thinking about characteristics of the colleges you might be interested in attending.
yea im looking to pursue a medical career and accelerated courses are not the most challenging here
its honors and ap that r the most challenging and so far i have a few in freshmen year and now and ill be in honors and ap for the next junior and senior year
Medical like what? Medical school…or something else?
Also…another thing you need is your parent annual budget for college costs. How much will they pay annually. Are you going to be eligible for need based aid? Have you considered the public universities in your own state?
medical school
they’ll pay around 50K per year
i have not considered the public universities in my own state