<p>Your counselor is being optimistic if he or she thinks you can get into Grinnell, Bates or Oberlin with a B average. 90% of their admits were in the top 25% of their high school class, in terms of GPA. Unless your school is well known for grade deflation, these are reach schools. That said, 9th grade GPAs tend to get discounted, especially for boys, so if you can pull up your grades, you may have a decent shot at these schools.</p>