Hey yall, this is my first post on CC, so don’t be too rough…
Anyway, i’m a sophomore in high school, and i got a 3.6 unweight gpa in freshman year, which was pretty bad. But I got a 4.0 weighted, so ehh. ( I took Ap bio and got a B+, and i screwed up english real bad and got a B.)
My goal for my entire high school career is to be the president and vice-president of two clubs me and my one of my friend are planning. I am also planning to do major research with a couple of college professors in a biological field. Finally, I am also setting up a non-profit charity with the same friend.
Assuming I get a unweighted gpa of 3.8 after my junior year, what are my chances for Stanford?
As a sophomore, it is impossible to tell your chances. Your GPA is very low, but you’ve only been in high school for one year- no one can say what is going to happen the next two years. You also have not taken any standardized testing.
As to your ECs- Stanford wants uniqueness and depth of involvement. They don’t care if it’s one EC with a ton of commitment, but they don’t want to see 10 random or barely-involved in ECs. Don’t start a club just to become president (I of course don’t know that that is what you are doing, I am just giving you the advice I heard in a Stanford info session.)
It’s good to get an early start on knowledge for college admissions, so you don’t waste your time away. Stanford does ask for a full transcript 9-12, BUT they explicitly say they focus on your grades from 10-12th grade in core classes for admission. So, try to get as many As as possible for the next 3 years.
I would never do an extracurricular for a college, but if you love those three things you listed, then by all means do them. I will say that Stanford seems to look for uniqueness and personality. People at my school who are academically very strong with several awards and accomplishments often get into the Ivies, but not Stanford. I only know of one girl who recently did get into Stanford. She was obviously very intelligent and took a rigorous courseload. But, more importantly everyone knew her and everyone loved her. She was the kind of confident girl that wears basketball shorts and t-shirts every day. I don’t know the extent of her extracurriculars, but what stood out to me was her segment on our weekly school TV announcements. It was called “Teatime with Lexi” in which she interviewed different teachers and staff for each episode (while pretending to drink tea, obviously). It was very memorable, enjoyable, and funny. And I’m sure that stuck out to admissions. For example, in one episode she interviewed one of our AP Euro teachers and her little daughter. Lexi asked her daughter the name of her favorite person in history. The girl promptly responded, “Hitler!”
So, find something that intrigues colleges and that suits you. Be true to yourself. Good luck!