Would anyone say there’s a general rule of thumb for choosing a certain selectivity based on grades? I know grades aren’t the only factor, but let’s just say for this they are. In a hypothetical situation one would assume if someone has all A’s, they can go for 8% selectivity with confidence.
Now for me, freshman year, I had all A’s. I’m going into my junior year, but sophomore year I had 4 A, 2 B+, and 2 B. As far as right now, what level of selectivity should i choose (percentage).
Lee!
There is so much more to it. My D has yet to get anything less than an A- and she’ll graduate from college in May. She also graduated #2 from a very good high school. That did not make her qualified for IVY or even top 20 . Her match schools were in the 30-40% acceptance rate range. By grades alone, I would say the average A/B student (your profile) would look at the 50-70% acceptance rate range schools. But again, there is so much more to it.
At schools with < 10% admit rates, or even < 20% admit rates, nearly-perfect grades are a necessary but not sufficient condition in most cases. Exceptions might include significant hooks or attendance at a very competitive HS where perfect grades are rare. Schools with rates that low are reaches for nearly everyone (even if top grades are combined with high scores and impressive ECs.)
You can find average entering GPAs in the Common Data Set files (section C12) posted by many colleges.
No, there is no rule of thumb, especially based on grades alone. They are so subjective and grade inflation is rampant at so many schools. You really need to look at standardized test scores, rank, and course rigor before you can make any kind of list of reach/match/safety schools.
Schools with 5-10% acceptance rates select students with much the same academic criteria as schools with 20-25% acceptance rates. If, hypothetically, you apply to colleges as a B+ student, your realistic options will generally begin somewhere above these levels.
Hello!
Might I suggest you have a conversation with yourself and ask what you are actually looking for in your university/college experience. Do not let the selectivity level distract you from this important work. Your concept of a best fit for you may or may not be Harvard or Stanford.
The best selection for you could well be a college you, your parents and your friends may never have heard about before. A very large selection of universities and small colleges with almost straight “A” students is out there and you need to find them.
What do you think you want to study?
Imagine that major did not interest you as well as you thought, what are your backup majors?
How many hours a day do you spend on homework?
Find out what your projected fields of study involve in a student body where everyone had A’s in secondary school.
OK, break time… what are you going to do to balance your world?
Is the student body competitive or just competitive?
Don’t forget costs after having adjusted for FA.
Do you want to study abroad?
General rule: most colleges of this caliber do very well placing students in graduate schools and/or rewarding career placement… find out, do the research.
These are just seeds, you need to compile your own list.
PS: CC is here to help.
Don’t rule out the higher acceptance schools. Look at the degree, the financial aid available, honors colleges, travel abroad options, internships, research possibilities, scholarships, special programs, fit, etc. We never even looked at the acceptance rates but found a school that fit perfectly. The school he chose had a high acceptance rate but the program he was accepted into had a low acceptance rate. Grades alone don’t equal what acceptance rate school you should look at.
FWIW, getting all As is reasonably common among top achievers in a high school, but it definitely doesn’t mean one can apply to very selective colleges with confidence.
In your situation, see how you do junior year. What classes are your strengths and loves? What are your weaknesses? What are you looking to do for your future? What type of school do you like (several variables)? What can you and your parents afford? After these questions are answered, then start looking at schools to find matches.
You could start visiting local colleges now to get a feel for those variables.
Some places do show historical admission rates by GPA band:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1903428-faq-uc-historical-frosh-admit-rates-by-hs-gpa-p1.html
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/21182988/#Comment_21182988
Note: the GPA calculator for the GPAs used above can be found at https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/ .