Low Acceptance Universities

As of now, I am 17 years old, completed high school, and now in my second semester of undergrad school. My overall college and high school GPA is 3.0. I am part of clubs, but nothing really stands out about me.

If I get all A’s in my next 6 semesters of undergrad school, is it possible to get accepted in a good graduate university? My top choices for graduate school include UCLA, University of PN, Cornell, etc. All of these schools are super competitive, and I just want to know what they look for in graduate applicants.

If you are capable of getting a 4.0 for the next 6 semesters, why did you do so poorly freshman year?

First start getting the 4.0’s then do great on the standardized tests for the program you wantl, and get excellent recommendations and only then you can you get a sense of where you end up for grad school.

A 4.0 is nice but not always necessary.What kind of graduate school are you aiming for, depending on what type of grad school they look for different things. And it isn’t wise to pick grad schools without some experience and idea of what you are going to specialize in.

And yes, how is it you are going to get a 4.0 now but you couldn’t before? Ever heard not to let your mouth write checks your tail can’t cash?

First, acceptance rate doesn’t necessarily signal the quality of the program. It’s really more of a measure of tr number of applicants vs. the size of the department.

Second, how can you know which graduate schools you want to attend already? Do you even have an idea of what sort of research you hope to do? That’s the first question you need to answer and then select prospective graduate programs based on their strength in that research area.

^ What @boneh3ad said.

First of all, don’t set unrealistic goals for yourself. Your goal shouldn’t be to get straight As for the next 6 semesters; it should be something more attainable - like pull your GPA up to a 3.5 by application time or something. An unattainable goal will just put undue stress on you.

Secondly, your GPA is only part of the package. You don’t say what field you are in, but if you are in the sciences or social sciences you also need to get research experience. You need good GRE scores, recommendation letters, and an excellent personal statement. (Clubs don’t matter that much, actually.) Most professors would rather take a student with a 3.5 who has done excellent research and shows a great fit with his lab and department than a 3.9 who has no research experience and cannot articulate why he wants a graduate degree.