<p>Hi everyone! I'm going to be a junior next year (class of 2016), and I feel like as a student, I don't appear special to the colleges I'd like to apply to (ideally Harvard or UPenn). I'm an Asian girl, so I'm already at a disadvantage when it comes to college admissions. What can I do to be more outstanding?</p>
<p>Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted GPA: 7.0
Junior year courses: English 3AP(I think AP Lit - my school doesn't specify), Econ AP, Pre-Calculus H, Biology H (my school is weird, so freshmen aren't able to take bio), Spanish 4AP, Symphonic Band (attempting to switch from this to AP Euro - good idea or no?), Marketing 1, </p>
<p>One major problem for me is that I decided not to take APUSH 2 so that I could take Econ. Was that a bad decision? I'm worried colleges might not like my lack of continuity.</p>
<p>ECs: leader of volunteer group for local Chinese school, treasurer of JSA, DECA, Multicultural Day Planning Committee, member of Chinese Student Association, MUN, regional band, and plan to start Girl Up club at my school</p>
<p>So, if any of you could help me, I'd really appreciate it!</p>
<p>Can you explain how a weighted 7.0 grade point average works? You’re saying a non-honors/AP course A is a 4.0 but some how your courses are averaging 3 full points above the others?</p>
<p>But as for advice:
do you have a true hunger for learning (not necessarily grades)?
are you a person who influences others?
are you valued, trustworthy, admired & emulated, a solid friend to others?</p>
<p>Do you know upperclassmen like this? Compare yourself to them. Are you truly like them? Does your principal consider you one of the handful of best students in your entire school this moment? Top schools are looking for these diamonds in the rough.</p>
<p>Here’s a burden to lift off your shoulders: you’ve already been this or you haven’t and you can’t change it or will another outcome or ferret out some formula or strategy. The die has already been cast. Good luck</p>
<p>A perfect example of why weighted GPAs are irrelevant to those outside of your high school (or the context that the weighted GPA is used).</p>
<p>For super-selective schools, continue getting A grades in hard courses, get top-end test scores, and reach state or national level achievement, award, or recognition in an extracurricular. Then you may have a chance.</p>
<p>It looks like your schedule is already quite rigorous, and assuming that your GC would say it is the most rigorous, then you shouldn’t switch out band.</p>
<p>For schools like Harvard, these grades and ECs won’t get you rejected, but they probably aren’t enough for an acceptance by themselves. It’s key at this point to make sure that your testing scores are within range and then to pour your heart into your essays (not just effort, but I mean your authenticity), then hope for the best.</p>
<p>So, I should stay in band then? I’m just worried that I won’t be taking enough AP classes that impress colleges.
In regards to testing, I’ll be taking the SATs this October. My practice test scores are consistently high 2200s - mid 2300s, but I’m striving for as close to a 2400 as possible.
I just have a few more questions about tests. Should I take the ACT? If so, when? Also, I plan to take SAT IIs for Math, English, and Spanish. Should I self-study for APUSH or World History? <:-P </p>
<p>What I was always told with band is colleges like to see you can finish something. Band is a very time consuming EC where I live and I’ve poured my heart and soul into it to try and finish it this year. Stay in band. It’s nice to have a class that can distract you from stress like that.
I’m taking 7 APs and band for my senior year.</p>
<p>Spamming your schedule with more and more AP classes is not the answer. Your application won’t be decided by one or two more APs. There are people applying with over twenty AP tests and their chances are not much better because of it. As long as you have a rigorous schedule for your school, that should be fine.</p>
<p>I would recommend taking the ACT the month after if you are unhappy with your SAT score and think that it doesn’t represent you accurately as a student.</p>
<p>Self-studying APs is also somewhat fruitless, for the reasons I gave above. And I would also recommend against emailing the admissions office just to say hi. They have a lot to deal with, and you want to demonstrate your interest in your “Why (Harvard or UPenn)” essay to the committee, not in a random email to whoever happens to be responding at the time.</p>