Hi,
I don’t have a very low GPA (3.8), but I’m around top 20% of my class, rather than being in the 10%. The thing is, I’m planning to apply to Ivy leagues and other top colleges in the fall, and I feel so discouraged since the people who got into good schools in CC were top 10% of their class…
Would this affect my chances anyhow? If so, how big?
Yeah it kinda does hurt your chances for top schools… considering that they like to brag that X% of their admitted students were in the top 10% of their high school class. However, I wouldn’t let that discourage you from applying, especially if your school is a competitive one. A lot of students who aren’t in the top decile do get admitted, just at a lower rate.
It’s not major. That is just a metric used more in describing their admitted class and less something used in actual selection. You are still the same person regardless of whether people around you make you fall into the top 9% or the top 11%.
That has nothing to do with this forum. It is simply the admission statistics of Ivies that show >>90% of admitted students are within the top 10% in high school. Nevertheless, it does not means you have zero chance. The real question is how do you stand out from the highly qualified applicants.
The 3.8 weighted GPA doesn’t help much. Schools tend to look at the unweighted GPA. Schools do look at course rigor and the reputation of the high school, so that would factor in. That being said, having a 4.0 would not guarantee acceptance, so don’t beat yourself up over your grades. If you’ve done the best that you can do, then your grades are something to be proud of, not discouraged over.
Being an international student doesn’t help, either.
You state in other threads that you do not know what you want to do for a career, and that you are applying to top schools because of family/culture pressures. If you have struggled all through high school (kudos to you because you have improved your GPA over the years), why are you so determined to go to a school where you would most likely struggle as well? Look at schools where you could be expected to be at the top of the class instead of struggling. For some careers, you would be better off going to schools that are outside of the top name recognition schools. For many careers, you can get great educations and have a better shot at research opportunities and relationships with faculty (needed for grad school applications) at smaller schools.
@KKmama I don’t know…as an international student in Asia, I would have to work here after I graduate college. That being said, a lot of people are very judgmental here when it comes to the prestigiousness and the brand name of the school I attended. My decisions changed over time and now I honestly want to have a shot at literal arts college more than Ivy Leagues, since i like the close-knit community atmosphere, but the fact that liberal arts colleges are not very known here just…discourages me a little.
Also, people keep telling me that, when i’m competitive and aggressive in high school, I can go to a good college as a result of my hard work, and be less aggressive there. I hate myself to stressing out too much about this…how can I not?
All the Ivies use holistic admission but it really does depend on the school as to whether they consider class rank. At Yale it’s very important. http://oir.yale.edu/sites/default/files/CDS2014_2015_3.pdf At Harvard it’s not considered. http://oir.harvard.edu/files/huoir/files/harvard_cds_2013-14.pdf Google the Common Data Set of each and look at section C7.
IMO does not matter very much. I go to a VERY competitve public school and their and dozens of kids not in the top ten that still get into amazing schools.
A 3.8 is plenty to get into a great school. Probably not an Ivy League though.
Depends on how competitive your school is.