So I’ve been really stressed about colleges lately so I will really appreciate it if someone could chance me perhaps ?
So i finished my sophomore year of high school not too long ago and it’s currently summer. My stats as of right now are worrisome.
Freshman: 3.44 UW
Sophomore: 3.43 UW (my school doesn’t let sophomores or freshmen take APs)
I go to a small private school where I would say the classes are pretty hard but even I feel like I could’ve done better. For sophomore year I had some things going on but that still doesn’t excuse it.
Extracurriculars:
-I tutor for a nonprofit organization that strives to end enducational inequity; I started during freshman year and I won a social activism award the same year; I was promoted to a leader in the program during sophomore year: hopefully i get to continue participating in this program.
-I am part of my school’s Black Student Association and I have been since freshman year but I was elected secretary sophomore year (not too good either Ik)
-I started volunteering at the library for 2 hours every week
-started a club at school that strives to help the community around us in terms of language barriers.
-attending summer law institute because I’m interested in legal studies.
-idk if this is an EC but I am a pusblished author and am currently working on my second book.
I’m currently working on ACT and SAT prep and since I’m finally allowed to take AP classes ill be taking some junior year. I plan to get a 4.0 unweighted during junior year as well as 1st semester of senior year and I know I’m capable of doing so.
School choices: Uchicago, USC, Dartmouth, Hanover, Washington University.
I know these schools are a stretch right now but my question is, are my previous grades going to keep me from these schools even if I apply to them with a 3.9+ gpa ? I know my cumulative will be low but does that mean I have no chance? Sorry but I would really like an answer.
Thank you.
There is still hope, but there is something you must consider: if you cannot get a 4.0 without AP classes how can you expect to get a 4.0 in AP classes? This is just something to consider. By all means, prove me and yourself wrong about that. Take the most challenging classes available to you and continue with extracurriculars you actually enjoy. Don’t demean your accomplishments because that will not help you in the long run. Realize your mistakes and go on from there. These schools are a reach for everyone so just do they best you can. Good luck.
Thank you for the reply ! I meant getting a 4.0 unweighted with my regular classes and although these grades are mostly due to a lack of preparation and focus, I’m still to blame. I’ll try harder. Thank you.
You have some great EC’s, and you’ll get some amount of “bump” for contributing to a school’s diversity. But what this generally means is that if you are a competitive applicant for a given school, your odds of getting in will be high as compared to other competitive applicants for whom it will still be a crapshoot. What these advantages will not do is get you into schools where your stats are not competitive.
Without test scores and junior-year grades, it is hard to say. But as of right now it seems like you are aiming for schools that are a reach even for very high-stat applicants. On what basis are you choosing these schools? (Honestly, the four schools you name don’t have a whole lot in common other than all being elite institutions, so it’s hard to infer what you are looking for, from your list, other than prestige.)
If you can boost your grades next year, that will be very helpful; but building an entire college list based on unproven good intentions isn’t a good place to start. You need to familiarize yourself with some of the wonderful colleges and universities that match your current stats. To help you build a good list, folks here would need to know:
What is your home state?
Can your family pay the Expected Family Contribution that will remain after the need-based financial aid you can expect to receive? (Run a few Net Price Calculators to get an idea - since you named WashU, theirs is a fine place to start: https://netpricecalculator.sfs.wustl.edu/survey.aspx )
What academic area(s) do you hope to study?
What else are you looking for in a college experience? (School size, location, social scene, important extracurriculars, etc.)
If your junior year turns out to be dramatically different from your first two years (in a good way) and you knock your standardized tests out of the park, then it’s possible you could have a shot at some very competitive schools; but to move forward as if that were the only acceptable outcome is a terrible setup. What you need now is a baseline plan that will be realistic even if you continue with the trends you have set so far. You need to get the perspective that this would not be the end of the world - you will still have good options under those circumstances! Then you will be able to realistically assess the gap between where you are and where you want to be, and set goals accordingly.