I am very worried for my gpa and rank before applying to colleges, especially ivies.
I have a 96% gpa, what is that translated to a 4.0 scale? and is that gpa good for a school like yale?
My rank is in the top 10% (49/449) but is exactly at 10% which i think sucks but I don’t know how to higher it up.
I still have junior year, should i risk my lunch and replace it with another class to higher up my rank?
by the end of highschool, i would have taken 11 AP’s, and 8 honors classes.
If you want my ec’s i’ll respond with them so you can have a full idea.
Will my rank and/or gpa tank my chances at the ivies?
As posted, this would place you at the 89th percentile (top 11%).
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Absolutely not. It is not worth it, in my opinion. Even if your GPA were 100% and your class rank were #1, your chances for Yale would be low - because EVERYONE’S chances are low. Yale rejects valedictorians every year.
Work hard, do your best, develop your interests and hobbies and enjoy your high school years. By all means, apply to Yale when the time comes, but have some good back ups you’d be just as happy with. You sound like a great student and you will certainly end up a great college, whether Ivy or not.
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I think that you should read the “applying sideways” blog on the MIT admissions website. While MIT is not Yale and MIT is not in the Ivy League, what is takes to get admitted is very similar. As I understand this blog, the point is to do what is right for you, and do it very well. This includes taking the classes that make sense for you without worrying about university admissions. That is exactly what I did to get accepted to MIT. That is what some people I know did to get accepted to either Ivy League or other “top 10” programs. What they did was very different from what I did (particularly with regard to extracurricular activities and selection of individual classes), but we each did what was right for us.
Also, you of course need to also apply to safeties, and think carefully about what you want in a university.
You might also want to try to be a bit more precise regarding grammar, punctuation, percentiles, and so on. While a post to CC is quite different from an essay on a university application, it is nonetheless a good idea to get into the habit of trying to use correct grammar.
Universities will be making admissions decisions before your final rank is known. I would not worry about it. They will look at your actual grades and at what courses you took (and at multiple other things).
And Yale is a high reach for nearly every very strong student.
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Yale rejects valedictorians for fun. Straight As won’t get you into Yale. Not having straight As won’t eliminate you from Yale.
97% of the admits are in the top 10% of their class.
Why the fixation on Yale ?
Don’t get fixated on any school, especially one with a 4.5% acceptance rate.
You’re a 10th grader - lighten up. You needn’t make this so stressful on yourself and absolutely do not skip lunch. One needs a break in the day, energy to fuel the day and socialization.
Good luck.
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I hope you can learn more about other schools. Google “little Ivies” (also selective) and the website for Colleges that Change Lives, for examples. There are countless great schools out there, including state universities.
Grades and rigorous classes can help you meet a benchmark for admission, but after that it is really about other things. Don’t cram your day or your life. Try to enjoy high school and not focus on college admissions, especially Ivy admissions.
What are your interests outside of the classroom?
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@tipgssdgb are you currently completing your sophomore year of high school…or your junior year of high school?
This reply was meant for the whole thread…not just Tsbna44.
Additional questions for you @tipgssdgb:
- Are you an international student?
- Do you have demonstrated financial need? If not, can your family comfortably afford to pay $82k per year?
- What is your intended major?
That’s a strange statement. I don’t think Yale AOs look at applications and think, “Goody, let’s reject this kid because she’s a valedictorian! Bwahaha!!!”
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I am currently completing my sophomore year.
Ok…you are completing your sophomore year of high school. I would strongly urge you to do your personal best in high school. Please don’t put Yale up on a pedestal. Once you have your junior year grades, and a SAT or ACT score…you can start crafting a college list based on the strength of your stats.
Right now is too early for this.
Make a list of characteristics you want in a college…then start looking for schools with those characteristics. I would strongly suggest you leave rankings out of this.
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No I live in America.
My family does need Financial support cause we earn less than average (low-in come)
I want to major in psych/cognitive science
yea i placed my number wrong it actually 49/479. so what is that?
How low income? Would Questbridge be worth looking into?
yes i’ve been looking there but they want the best of best and i feel like i can’t provide them that because of my rank.
Well, it’s early anyway - keep it in your back pocket and see how junior year plays out. It may be worth a shot by then.
Once more. Just take a step back for now. You will be applying for college admissions to start in fall 2025, so…just wait and see. Do the very best you can…and then come back with some questions once you have all the info that will actually help folks help you.
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I was being tongue in cheek - my point was in response to OPs statement worrying about having one non A or mostly about being out of the top 10%.
I was simply noting - with humor in my warped mind - that even valedictorians (and I’ll assume many…I know my daughter’s was) are rejected by Yale and similar schools. So even if the current rank rose to top of class there’s little assurance.
As for questbridge - once you take your test and have your overall package, if you meet the financial goals - give it a look.
If you are 11% or 20% of your class - you are being waaaay too hard on yourself. Slow down. Focus on school. You’ll be fine. But not if you burn yourself out from the self induced pressure.
Thx
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