<p>Just wondering if anyone could tell me... with a 4.0 (unweighted) GPA and a few extracurriculars (track, cross country, martial arts, piano), any idea what kind of SAT score I would need to get accepted to Stanford and/or UC Berkeley?</p>
<p>And right now I'm a sophomore... is there anything else I should do right now to help my chances? Thank you :)</p>
<p>For Berkeley, get a weighted GPA over 4.2, and SATs over 2050 and you're in. </p>
<p>For Stanford ... well. Stanford is a reach for anyone. They reject 2400, 4.5 GPA kids routinuely. You need more than just numbers, you need to be accomplished and interesting. Track, martial arts, and piano are very common, so I hope you're either a. really good at them or b. have some other quality/activity about you that makes you shine from the rest of the pack.</p>
<p>Good luck! Study hard!</p>
<p>well, Stanford puts heavy emphasis on EC...so even if you got 2400, it'd still be a reach.</p>
<p>UC Berkeley...I'd say 2050+ would do. But try n get some more EC. Good job with the 4.0 unweighted. </p>
<p>But of course...if you lived in California, your chances of getting in would go up.</p>
<p>^ Yes, I do live in CA.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input... what other ECs exactly do I need? I've got the athletics covered, and also piano for the "arts"...</p>
<p>I'm not amazingly good I don't think, although I will probably be varsity cross country/track for junior and senior years. And I'll probably be getting my black belt in martial arts in about a year. But I am not counting on an athletic scholarship. I mostly do those activities because I really enjoy them, and I want to have a well-rounded life, not just academics.</p>
<p>I'm not sure how my weighted GPA is going to turn out. I had no honors/APs freshman year, I have 3 honors as a sophomore, I'll probably have 3 APs as a junior, and probably 2 APs and an honors as a senior. Is that enough? I don't see how much more I could be doing...</p>
<p>What kinds of things set you apart from everyone else?</p>
<p>Thanks again :)</p>
<p>Being able to do something unique sets you apart. National science fairs, music competitions, running businesses, the list goes on. Of course, these don't guarantee a spot for admissions - they just make your application look a little more interesting.</p>
<p>5 APs don't seem bad to me. Maintain good academic performance and you'll do just as well as anyone else.</p>
<p>Yeah, but I have to be different from everyone else, don't I??</p>
<p>You don't have to be different. It's not a requirement to get in. You seem like a well-rounded student to me.</p>
<p>You don't have to be freakishly different, but just think...how many times has the office seen someone who's excelled in sports? the piano? violin? band/orchestra?</p>
<p>I have friends who, since they thought of the same thing, tried something new. One of em decided to try taiko and is now part of a taiko team, and I'm a Ba-dook teacher for kids at my church. Just stuff you don't see often.</p>
<p>Give em something new and refreshing.</p>
<p>Don't worry kid......you'll be successful in life regardless of what college u get into. be happy. and u're still a sophomore...</p>
<p>Oh you're only a sophomore? Don't worry!! Keep getting good grades, and perhaps do some extracurricular stuff. That means, for example...taking up 1 major volunteering activity, perhaps starting it up in your school, and accumulating 100+ hours in it by graduation, and that'll be enough. Since you're only a sophomore it's totally up in the air right now. </p>
<p>I'd say, get an SAT score above 2250 and that's enough. What was your PSAT score? That doesn't actually matter too much...scores can and do go up 30 points; that's not unheard of at all. Stupid PSATS :)</p>
<p>Aw, thanks. Yeah, I'm only a sophomore, but I can't stop thinking of all this. And it would be sooo awesome to get into Stanford. I wouldn't be able to help being disappointed if I only got into Berkeley (even though I know that's an excellent school).</p>
<p>I was thinking of doing some volunteer work, but I'm not sure what. The problem is, I have very little free time. After school, I have track or cross country, and then martial arts in the evening, and I have to practice piano. All that as well as do homework. But I'm pretty free on the weekends. I guess I just need to find out what I can do around here.</p>
<p>My PSAT score was 218 (CR68 :( M77 W73). I think those scores are decent, but I'd really like to improve them.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and I forgot, freshman year I won the "Red, White & Blue" award that my school gives out. Teachers submit one person from each course (e.g. all the Geometry classes, etc.). And my Drafting/CAD teacher gave me the award for his class. Is that worth anything?</p>
<p>218 is an excellent score for your PSATs! I'm sure if you study sometime between now and junior year, you'll be able to raise them.</p>
<p>If you're taking three AP's this year and next year, you will be in good academic standing for Stanford and Berkeley. </p>
<p>"I was thinking of doing some volunteer work, but I'm not sure what. The problem is, I have very little free time. After school, I have track or cross country, and then martial arts in the evening, and I have to practice piano. All that as well as do homework. But I'm pretty free on the weekends. I guess I just need to find out what I can do around here."</p>
<p>Volunteer work/other activities are good, but it would be even better to try and think of a way you can volunteer somehow in the activities you are already involved in. (track, martial arts, piano.) Be creative! How about finding out a way to get inner city kids involved in karate? Or starting your own little business with piano books/supplies?</p>
<p>If it helps, someone I know who got into Stanford last year had similar/exact numbers as you did. And, like you, he was very active outside of school in sports. What we think made him stand out was that not only was he playing competitive table tennis, but he was a co-editor (which really meant he wrote a small column once and a while) of a small table tennis magazine and made some extra pocket change by selling table tennis supplies to players out of an old violin case at meets.</p>
<p>While these activities didn't take all that much time, they all had a central "theme". A lot of it is also how you present yourself in your application.</p>
<p>But seriously .. don't freak too much! You're still a sophmore. Keep breathing! ;) These are just ideas. Remember, the most important thing is your grades and test scores. Like Kchen said, being "interesting" isn't a requirement. As it stands, I think that if you just continued what you were doing/kept up the grades and raised your SAT scores a little (wouldn't be hard), and wrote some interesting essays ... you would stand a shot at Stanford. However, nothing is certain. Continue working hard like you have been, and I'm sure you will be accepted to an excellent school.</p>
<p>Hm, that sounds more promising... yeah, the essays are definitely something to work on.</p>
<p>what are you track/xc times thecomisar?</p>
<p>you guys on this thread seemed to emphasize the importance of being different a lot</p>
<p>i'm a skateboarder w/ a 2400/4.0UW does this make me "different"...i have been a skatepark volunteer and skatecamp counselor also...am i unique or just another joke who thinks he/she is something special...sorry to hijack this thread...to the op, i wish you luck...also win some nat'l math/science awards (take the AMC10 this year!!!)...that's always a plus</p>
<p>cory123 - my XC and track times are nothing special-- I'm definitely not counting on them to get me into college. For track I've gotten 6:32 for the 1600 and 14:34 for the 3200. And for XC I've gotten 23:25 for 2.95 miles on a hilly course, and 14:51 on 2.1 miles on a flat course.</p>
<p>And treewannabe-- I do think you sound unique! That GPA and those SAT scores are amazing alone, and the fact that you've been a volunteer and camp counselor is awesome. Good luck :)</p>
<p>And I've signed up for the AMC 10 this year... it's at the end of this month. But I doubt I'll do very well, as I didn't last year. Which is kind of odd, since I did very well on the PSAT math (only 1 error).</p>
<p>thecomisar--</p>
<p>thanks for the feedback...i also ran xc 11-12 grade and this summer I ran in some half marathons...it's surprisingly not very hard to run 13.1 miles once you can do the standard 3-4 a day...i also placed top ten in my age division for one so you could put them on apps (i did)...i think it shows greater dedication to the sport and it takes a certain type of person to run a half marathon (i also think it's somewhat uncommon but i could be wrong)...if you really do enjoy running i highly recommend it</p>
<p>Oh, that's a really good idea! I wouldn't have thought of that... wow, I don't know if I'm that ambitious! Good for you :) have you ever thought of doing a whole marathon?</p>
<p>haha no i'm not even legally old enough to register...frankly i wouldn't really try anyway...my xc coach said she tried once and it was the worst experience of her life</p>
<p>maybe if i get into stanford in april i will celebrate w/ a marathon (actually...no)</p>