PLEASEEEE GIVE ME ADVICE FOR NYU (or just in general!!!)

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

You guys I need your advice and wisdom. Please be honest with me I have tough skin lol

I’m going to be a junior in the next month and I’ll be honest with you- my GPA is TERRIBLE. It’s somewhere around a 3.2.

I took two AP’s last year (4 on AP Enviro Science and 3 in AP Bio) and my schedule for next year is Honors Chemistry, EESD (Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Design) AP US History, AP Psychology, AP AB Calc, and AP English.
Senior year schedule is going to be AP Language, Biomedical engineering, AP BC Calculus, AP Chemistry, and a different AP history but I forgot which one.
I did three years of Spanish, on the PSAT i got a 1800, I know for sure I’m going to take the SAT Biology subject test (but not sure about others yet), and I’m planning on taking the ACT.
I don’t play any sports (my school doesn’t have sports), I was in HOSA (health occupation blah blah) and Debate club last year.
I volunteer at an art museum every summer, volunteered at a crisis center for half a year, and i do random volunteer work here and there and kind of consistently at a local elementary school but I’m planning on volunteering regularly at a local hospital once school starts.

I tried to give as much info and sorry if it’s too vague but anyways, I’ve been looking at colleges really heavily lately and I really like NYU. I live in Washington and I’m also interested in UW, and to be honest I feel like both of these colleges are now a far reach to me. Even though I know I’ll probably only get into much lower colleges I’d still like to aim higher because I tend to perform better that way.

Soooo, I’d like to hear some advice from you guys. Even if you think I have a -45% change of getting into NYU, at least let me try to reach lol because I really need more motivation. Honestly just give me random advice.
A few specific questions I have are:

  • If I improve TREMENDOUSLY from sophomore year to junior year (my first semester on 10th grade was insanely good compared to all of freshman year, but 2nd semester I dropped again because I suck), how will that look to colleges?
  • How do awards look and how much will they help me? (My clubs/classes- HOSA, EESD, FBLA etc.- require to enter many competitions and I've gotten very close in winning in sophomore year, determined to win a lot junior year)
  • What ACT score should I aim for?
  • Any match colleges?
  • Does NYU / UW even look at senior year?

Thank you in advance!

2

Colleges like what we call “upward trends” as it shows you are trying to improve. ECs are very important to colleges, especially selective ones, as they are what distinguish you as just another person who has X ACT/SAT score and X GPA. I would aim for a 32 on the ACT to give you a solid shot at NYU and UW as that is around their 75%. For us to give you some matches we will need a bit more information. Location? Prospective major? Size? Most colleges want to see your schedule and 1st semester grades for senior year, but I have no clue about those specific schools.

3

Oh sorry haha. I live in Washington!