I know, I know. Nearly every student (or at least every student I’ve talked to) is wondering if they have a shot in hell at making it into an Ivy League institution: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. I’m a junior in a girls private highschool and currently I have a 4.2 GPA (but working to raise it). I got a 34 on my last ACT but I hadn’t really prepared for the science section so hopefully I can bring that up as well. I’m interested in Linguistics and Foreign Language, and have attended two summer sessions of a Middlebury immersion program for Mandarin - one in Vermont, the other in Beijing at Capital Normal University. I’ve won a couple of writing and Spanish awards, but I would say that I’m a very “average” student for my school. I don’t do any extracurriculars (used to do piano for 9 years but I stopped), nor am I very interested in mathematics or engineering (which I know is a big deal right now if you’re a female student, right?).
Anyway, I’m a girl (white, half Albanian) and I grew up in a household with a single mother and a low income… That probably won’t help really, though. Is there even a sliver of a chance that I could be a contender for an Ivy League school? Or am I simply wasting my time wondering if I can make it in?
My chances are /very/ bleak, I know. I just need confirmation that I’m truly just wasting my time dreaming.
Apply and forget about it. Your stats are fine (assuming you are taking an extremely rigorous course load), and you are low income, which means the Ivies will hopefully be affordable for you, but the lack of ECs is a problem. What do you do in your spare time? Take care of siblings? Do you have a job? Homework? Studying? Have any hobbies?
I take almost all AP’s and Honors, yes. The hard thing is that in my spare time I don’t have a specific “structured” EC, but I spend a lot of my time out of school studying Mandarin (my school doesn’t offer it). I taught myself the language and am fluent enough to have conversations and classes in only Mandarin (which is what I did at Middlebury). I just don’t know how to convey my hard work in an application because there is no specific structure to my “EC”.
There’s no harm in applying to some reaches. The harm is in attaching too much important to the prestigious “brand-name” of an Ivy League college. You are far from “average” in any context apart from elite college admissions. The story of self-studying Mandarin Chinese is interesting, but it might not be enough. I suggest initiating your college search from the bottom up. Identify some safe and match schools that offer the curricula you seek in stimulating environments. That is more challenging than idly daydreaming about colleges that reject thousands of spectacularly qualified students every year. Once you have a realistic list, by all means add a few reaches.
Your GPA is already above a 4.0…do you really need to raise it any more? And yes, engineering is a big deal no matter who you are. I would advise you to forget going to an Ivy League school, not because you couldn’t get in but because it is not worth the cost. Ivy leagues have issues with grade inflation and public perception. You’re better off going to a great public or private college. Don’t choose Sarah Lawrence though, $60k is outlandish to spend on a year of college.
But yeah your chances might even be 1-3%. That’s not enough to hold your breath for. Good luck.
Calling a 4.2 GPA and a 34 ACT “average” is both off-putting and disingenuous. If that lack of self-esteem comes across in your interviews and essays, that will tank your application before anything else you’ve listed. Otherwise, you have the same 5% chance as everybody else.
Research prospective match and safety schools as well. Good lock.
Why is everybody objecting to the wording? Sure, OP is far above average compared to many of their peers, but so is every other qualified Ivy applicant. Of which there are thousands. In that pool it’s easy to be average.
Of course these scores aren’t considered as “average” across America, but at my particular high school, these marks are the norm. Also, students I’ve known that have gone to Ivies have many of the same scores as I, which is why (contextually!) scores like a 5 on an AP exam or a 4.2 GPA are average.
genexforrester - Yes, your stats are competitive for admission to the most selective colleges, but so are most of those students whom they reject. That’s why there’s contention over your use of the term “average.” Millions of students will graduate from high school next year. Fewer than 2000 will be accepted at Harvard. Your statistics are “average” within the context of Harvard’s admissions, but not within the greater picture. There are thousands of colleges in the US, but tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of students are competing for places at only a handful. It’s sort of like describing yourself as an “average” athlete at trials to qualify for the Olympics. The average contestant there will not survive the cut, but that doesn’t mean he or she is not outstanding by any other definition.
You are under average for an Ivy applicant, and your chances are less than 1% imo. Just because an admission rate is 5% doesn’t mean everyone has a 5% chance of getting in. If I were you, I would look at top universities ranked by usnews between 15 and 50, as they are more of a match for your stats
I don’t agree that you have no shot or 5% chance. I think you have several factors besides an good GPA - Albanian, single working mother etc and linguistics. Try to impress with your essay on what are the things that make you stand out and how you will contribute to the Ivy and world with your ideas. I think you have good shot with Brown or Dartmouth. What is your class rank and what % of your school goes to Ivies?
@skieurope is right and your response just echoed it. A 5 on an AP exam is average? It’s the highest you can get. Stop being disingenuous. That is what will shut you out of every elite school.
Create a comprehensive list. Make a list based on things that actually interest you in each school. Focus on academics, social life, location, weather, student body, politics, and chances of admissions. Be honest with yourself.
The OP asked whether she has a “sliver of a chance” of being a contender at an Ivy League school. The answer is that she does have a sliver of a chance but it is less than 5% because the @ 5% of applicants who were admitted to Harvard this year includes all the legacies, recruited athletes, oboe players for the orchestra, Intel and other science competition winners, published authors, entrepreneurs who started their own businesses, etc. OP goes into the unhooked pool with the thousands of candidates who are valedictorians, 2400 on SAT, 36 ACT, editors in chief of their high school newspapers, etc.
You have a sliver, just as much a sliver as the next “average” kid in your school, I suppose. Come up with other schools you would be happy to go to that provide great financial aid. That’s where you should probably spend most of your effort.
Everyone that applies has a chance. Everyone.
Unless you have Straight F’s or under a 2.0 GPA.
People get into Harvard with 3.0’s - 3.3’s with low test scores.
I know someone who got into Duke with a 3.1.
You actually have the same ‘chance’, although that it is a bad indicator of your actual outcome, as most people, more than you actually think. You’re being completely honest that you aren’t really passionate about something, but somehow integrate that into your essays - colleges will appreciate that honesty. You have no idea how many people applying shoot out the word ‘passion’ for everything. It loses its meaning.
To have a good chance you need a legitimate strong passion. That is easier said than done. This is really rare but those are the ones who end up getting into the ‘strongly recommended pile’.
I have friends that go to Harvard and some that are TA’s. Message me if you have more questions regarding Harvard or Stanford. I can’t help you much for the others.
I’m not trying to be disingenuous. Honestly, please try to read my post and understand the context of my question before rehashing what someone has already said…
You have excellent test scores and grades. You seem to have ignored other parts of your life, reporting no extracurricular activities. If you’re interested in obtaining admission to highly-selective schools, you will need to work on that part of your life, develop some new (or old) interests, and expand your horizons. If you do so, you will be able to apply to a variety of top colleges and universities, with a reasonable expectation of being admitted to at least a few good choices.
If you get on the ball, you are not wasting your time dreaming about admission to top schools.