I am a freshman who attends high school in FCPS. I got an A- in Geometry in 8th Grade and I am ao worried if it will ruin my chances at an Ivy League School. I would also like to know what clubs, sports, classes, etc. will have a strong effect and make my application stand out when I apply.
You’ll be fine, especially if your HS doesn’t list MS grades on the transcript. There’s no one formula to get into an Ivy-----but it’s common to have strong grades and test scores (look at class profiles to get an idea, and you’d want to be on the higher end if STEM,) extracurriculars that show leadership or long-term committment and are related to your intended major etc. Right now focus on building good study habits for HS, the rest’ll come later.
Alright, let me give you some advice.
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It’s very rare for colleges to see your 8th grade transcript. Like…insanely rare. You can ask your guidance counselors for more info on this.
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Even if they did, it’s an A-. I have family who have worked with college admissions…one A- is absolutely nothing. You can get into an Ivy with a 3.5 (although yes, a 3.8-4.0 would be ideal).
Just to give you a perspective- if you take 6 classes a year in high school, for 4 years, and receive straight A’s with only with A-…you’d have a 3.98. That’s plenty enough for an ivy.
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You’re two years ahead of standard grade level math. It is generally considered the “college prep” standard to take Algebra 1 as a freshman, Alg2/Geometry as a sophomore/junior, and then usually stats or pre-calc as a senior.
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At the moment, you should probably focus on extracurriculars and enjoying life. Seriously. Get off of College Confidential. Enjoy the fresh air. You’re a freshman. Ivy Leagues don’t determine self worth— or even how much money you make in life. Ignore your peers who say otherwise. Learn to love life— it takes a while, but it’s how you actually become successful.
When I first joined College Confidential, I didn’t know this. I hope you can take this advice.
Wishing you the best,
-schoolstruggles
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Hey man. I get the worry, but you need to understand what Ivy Leagues are looking for. They’re not looking for an excellent student (that definitely helps though) that does whatever grants them the best chance of success in the eyes of the Ivy League admissions. They’re looking for an individualistic student who looks like they’ll lead and innovate in their choice of profession. If one is planning on becoming a doctor, extracurriculars such as a medical internship, a biomedical club, and others would be great. You need to demonstrate an invested interest and leadership in your future profession. So what do you want to show ivy leagues you excel and will innovate in?
A. Colleges do not care about Middle School grades,
B. Nobody was ever rejected for having a A-
C. You are in 8th grade, for heaven’s sake! Focus on how you are going to get the most out of high school as you can, NOT about Ivy League Colleges. You should be focused on how you are going to change the world, not on at which college you will spend four of the 80 years that you will live.
Change the world = great life goal
Change the lives of people around you = great life goal
Test the limits of your abilities = great life goal
Be a physician, a scientists, a lawyer = great life goal
Be a carpenter, electrician, welder = great life goals
Be a performing or creative artist = great life goals
Lead a fulfilling life as a spouse, parent, and friend = great life goal
Attending an Ivy League University = not a great life goal.
The college that you should attend is one which is the best fit for you, while helping you fulfill your life goals. There are a few hundred colleges out there, and at least three dozen will fit that description, and few, if any, of them will be Ivies.
Base your college selection on what you learn about yourself in high school and what you want to do after high school. Do not base your four years of high school on some vague imagined idea of a specific college or set of colleges.
@MWolf This is your value system, and that’s fine. If this young person’s goal is to matriculate at an Ivy, it’s a personal goal. I don’t think one has to share your valuation of the merits of attending any particular University.
@hamza09082006 I think you were giving good advice to explore your passions. Continue to challenge yourself with the highest level of classes offered. A- is fine, C is the kiss of death.
Thanks all of you for all your responses.
Re post #5. It didn’t strike me so much as a value system as a warning about the fact that spending 4 years of HS single-mindedly devoted to getting into an ivy, even if you get in, can totally burn you out. We’ve seen a number of posts from both students and parents about that over the years. Here is one example.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/22847886#Comment_22847886
I feel heartbroken when I read accounts like this. It’s fine having a goal, but burning yourself out doing things you don’t want to do for four years to achieve it can be terrible mental-health wise. (OP was asking specifically about what ECs, clubs etc would look good for ivies, indicating potentially heading down this path.) My daughter had a classmate like this, got into a bunch of top schools and ended up going to a large OOS public (well “below” his capability) because he was burnt out after HS and wanted to actually enjoy studying and student life for a while. Of course, kids can and do enjoy high school and still get into ivies as well. Balance and having eyes wide open is always a good thing, regardless of goal.
I think focusing on getting into an Ivy is just not healthy. It is a crapshoot for even the best students. Linking that to your sense of self worth i has the potential to be a disaster. It is great to focus on doing your best, whatever that is. It is a long journey from 8th grade to college acceptances.
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The only value system in which “matriculating to an Ivy” is good personal goal is one which focuses entirely on status symbols, at the expense of any other social values. It’s the type of value system which breeds the admission scandals, because parents are willing cheat and lie and break the law in order to achieve the status symbol of “my kid attends an Ivy league college”
It is a value system which teaches kids that status symbols are more important than helping others, more important than making a difference in the world, more important than finding their own place in world.
Because the only thing that the Ivy League universities all have in common is that they belong to the Ivy League athletic conference, and that this conference is associated with some sort of “prestige”.
Worst of all, merely “attending an Ivy” is a terrible goal because it diminishes the student and the student’s dreams and aspirations.
What sort of mean and meagre goal is it, which ends when the student receives an admission to college in 12th grade? What sort of empty and terrible life goal is ended at 12th grade if the student is rejected from every Ivy League university? This is, in fact, much more likely than being accepted to an Ivy.
So this “value system” not only erodes a student’s value system, skews the moral compass, limits and constricts their aspirations, mars the student’s high school years, but also can leave them directionless, or despairing when they graduate high school.
So many parents and students have been here, starting posts with “my kid/I worked so hard for four years, did so much, spent so many hours on homework, extracurriculars, etc, and it was ALL FOR NOTHING, since they/I were/was rejected form every Ivy league college to which they/I applied!!”.
There are also the poor kids who are losing it, since they spent everything in getting in to an Ivy, and now they are burnt out and unhappy, and have no idea what they want, and lack the drive and energy to figure out new life goals.
And these are only the ones who find their way to CC.