What are my Chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Okay, so I'm in a bit of an odd spot, here's the deal. I'm an American student and I'd like to attend either University College London, NYU, or somewhere similar in caliber (Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, etc.). My ideal school would be Cambridge or Columbia but I don't think I have the grades even if I were to get much better grades my junior and senior years. I'm a sophomore right now, and I had a 2.5 GPA last year. That said, here's my course load and other factors:</p>

<p>International Baccalaureate Program</p>

<p>9th Grade:</p>

<p>1st Semester:
Honors Philosophy*: A-
English 9: C+
Honors Biology: C
Spanish III: C
Honors Algebra II w/ Trig: C+
World History: B</p>

<p>2nd Semester:
Intro to Art (Required class, not my choice): B-
English 9: B
Spanish III: C
Honors Algebra II w/ Trig: C+
World History: C+
Honors Biology: C</p>

<p>10th Grade</p>

<p>1st Semester (So Far):
AP US History: B
Chemistry: B+
Spanish IV: C-
Logic and Reasoning*: A
American Literature: B-
Pre-Calculus w/ Trig: C-</p>

<p>*Honors Philosophy and Logic and Reasoning are Junior and Senior level classes that I was allowed into. I am also taking Honors Debate next semester which has the same restrictions.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: Varsity Crew, Model UN (Multiple awards and extensive experience), Guitar (12 Years, played at many venues and local festivals, part of the Community Youth Ensembles at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra), Community Service every summer for 5 Hours/Day at least 2 weeks every summer. </p>

<p>I realize that my grades are notably sub-par, and I've been struggling with Chronic Depression, Anxiety, and some other issues for the last years. All of this taken into account, I score consistently in the 99-99.9th percentiles on standardized tests, have an extremely high IQ, and I plan to keep an upward trend in my grades going into my junior and senior years (taking all IB classes). Do I have any shot at the colleges I want? </p>

<p>I would like to major in either Philosophy and/or Physics.</p>

2

<p>UChicago is in the same league as columbia and Cambridge, as well as Johns Hopkins. Even UCL will be a reach. If you’re not gonna get into Columbia or Cambridge, don’t bother with UChicago. Realistically the only school you have a chance at is NYU. </p>

3

<p>That’s a bit disheartening, but I suppose it’s probably realistic. Does weighted GPA matter at all anymore anywhere?</p>

4

<p>I mean, you’re a sophomore now, so you still have a lot of time. work hard, do well, get involved, find your passion, make something of yourself, then worry about college later. The college really doesn’t matter THAT much in the grand scheme of things. So what if you did badly freshman year? You know better now, and can do better. We at CC believe in you. </p>

5

<p>Okay, thanks for the advice</p>

6

<p>Bump? I’d really appreciate some more input.</p>

7

<p>Also, how much will my SAT/ACT and IB scores be able to compensate for GPA?</p>

8

<p>Generally, I think GPA is considered number 1 then the SAT/ACT. You still have time to bring your GPA up.
Extremely high SAT/ACT will definitely help out a lot.</p>