I’m a junior in my second semester about to start applying to colleges and since I know I want to go into business, specifically marketing or business administration, I’m looking at Wharton and Haas as my top choices. I’ve known that I’ve wanted to be in the fashion business since I was 12 when I started my first clothing business, and I’ve tried to make that clear in my EC’s, especially because my stats are relatively low for top schools like UPenn and Berkeley.
Academics:
Unweighted GPA: 3.65
Weighted GPA: 4.2
Unweighted UC GPA: 4.0
Weighted UC GPA: 4.6
(I got straight B’s freshman year and straight A’s every year after)
SAT: 1500
ACT: 33
EC’s:
First place at nationals for DECA
I started a fashion design club at my school and put on a successful dress drive for prom in collaboration with DECA
I’ve owned a fashion company for two years
I started an annual gallery for local designers and artists in Denver
I’m attending a two-week entrepreneurship program at Berkeley this Summer
I’m going to be an officer for my DECA program next year
I do freelance fashion photography as a sort of side hustle
I’m also a part of five honors societies mainly for the community service opportunities, but I assume that won’t matter much
(I know my essays will serve me well because I’ve always been a good writer and even got a short story I wrote published, but I assume that won’t affect my chances much either since it doesn’t have anything to do with business. I also know my letters of rec will be great because the two teachers who I will have write them have been very involved in my extracurriculars and can speak to my passions very well)
Yah, I know Haas and Ross at UMich have students apply the second semester of sophomore year or something like that, but I was just going to go to Berkeley, do the prerequisites, and then apply to Haas if I got accepted to Berkeley in the first place. I’ve also already developed a list of reach, match, and safety schools but Berkeley and UPenn are at the top of it, so I was curious about how well I’d stand in the applicant pool.
You look to be a competitive applicant with academics and ECs that should get you a serious look. However, any elite college (with acceptance rates often in the single digits) should be considered a reach for any unhooked applicant. Be sure to take the time to also search out a group of match and safety schools that appear affordable (run net price calculators) and that you would be excited to attend.
Congratulations on your accomplishments. You have some impressive ECs and solid standardized test scores, but your GPA is low for Penn. According to the most recent Common Data Set, 85% of applicants had a 3.75 or higher with 3.9 being the average GPA. Of course, GPA is just one piece of the puzzle in holistic admissions.
If you have some safeties and matches you love, then go for it—take a chance on your reaches. Best of luck to you.
Princeton and the UCs don’t consider freshman year grades. At other T20’s though, yes, you will probably have a tough sell. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your shot at a couple of them, because an upward trend can be okay in a holistic review process. Just understand that you are up against competition that is going to have four consistently excellent years.
Depending on your goals, your major, and financial situation, T20’s may not even be a good fit. Look beyond the prestige and you’ll find many excellent choices.
Thank you for the response, and yeah I know I want to major in business, probably at a private university since my family is upper-middle-class, so I can’t get aid at any public school. I was looking mainly at UPenn, MIT, USC, Carnegie-Mellon, and Villanova as my top choices. I also have a good amount of safety and match schools in mind of course.
I am not sure whether Stanford considers freshman year grades, but it is of course a high reach even for students with straight A’s. The top schools in Canada do not consider freshman year grades at all as long as you passed your courses (which you did).
As noted above it is fine to apply to a few reach schools but it is important to have match and safety schools that appear affordable (run net price calculator) and that you would be excited to attend. There are tons of amazing colleges and universities out there! And IMO you should absolutely look at the public college options in your homes state as they will be cheaper than private schools with no aid.
@DadTwoGirls Stanford does not have an undergrad business school.
You have some research to do on these programs. You have received some good feedback on your other thread…your GPA will likely be an issue at highly selective colleges.
Agree that your chances among the reaches you mention would be highest at UCB due to their not taking freshman year grades into account, but that 4.6 weighted UC gpa seems high for an OOS student (assuming you are from CO?) @gumbymom?
Identifying reaches is easy. Spend relatively more time finding match schools and at least one affordable safety. What can/will your family pay per year?
As an OOS applicant, both UCB and UMich will likely be full price. UPenn fin aid will depend on your EFC as calculated on the CSS Profile.
I had a terrible freshman year because of some family issues, so I ended up with a 3.0 unweighted and 3.5 weighted for the year. However, I got everything figured out and have gotten straight A’s ever since. I’m in the second semester of my junior year and currently have a 3.65 unweighted and 4.2 weighted GPA. My SAT/ACT and my EC’s definitely work in my favor, so the only thing worrying me is my severely handicapped GPA. I’ve had a few people tell me that this would preclude me from any T20’s, but I don’t see how that could be true because my transcript is packed with AP classes, and I even skipped a year French, so wouldn’t one look at my transcript show that my freshman year isn’t very representative of my academic character. I don’t really understand the admissions process, so I’m not sure how they consider GPA’s and transcripts.