I am a sophomore in high school right now, and I’m not sure what I need to do to get into one of these colleges. I’ve been working my butt off just to at least have a gpa of 3.89 and planning on taking the sat this fall and at least scoring a 2200, and the act next fall and getting a 35. Also want to take AP bio next year and AP chem and AP physics 1 in my senior year and having B’s in all 3 of those classes and getting 4 on the AP exams. Will Harvard or Columbia look at my senior gpa only or will they look at everything i’ve done throughout high school? Also will either of these colleges accept ap credit? Please help.
Ivy league schools are a reach for anybody because the acceptance rate is so low. There are no guarantees. Study hard, do your best on standardized tests and take your chances with the many other highly qualified candidates.
First things first, have a talk with your parents about what they are willing/able to spend. Run the financial aid calculators on the college websites with their financials and see if the number is one your folks can support.
I’m going to give you a few pointers that I wish I took into account.
- It’s not necessary to take every AP class. Take only the ones that you are really interested in that may help you with your major. If you couldn’t care less about APUSH, don’t take it. Time spent studying a subject that you don’t like and working your butt off to achieve something that ultimately doesn’t matter to you could be spent doing other things that you are passionate about. Instead, I would have taken Honors humanities classes and really moved up or advanced to dual enrollment level classes in biology or math, since that is what I love.
• adding more to this, I know people will say I’m wrong because these schools want the most challenging curriculums. This is still highly rigorous and challenging as you are exploring something you love and are good at. You’re not settling for the HS curriculum. You’re pushing yourself. You really don’t need to take EVERY AP class.
- Aim for leadership positions for junior year. These schools like to mold the future leaders. So indicate that you can lead. They want a campus filled with people who will take chargr and make a difference whether they are the lead attorney on Harvard Mock Trial or a key witness. Leadership positions won't be too challenging to obtain if you really love what you're doing.
- When you get to the actual applications, don't be afraid to be yourself. I had so much fun writing the common app essay and the supplements. I'm not saying this just to give you hope. I got to be myself and I can truly say that it was some of the best writing I have ever done.
- You're taking the new SAT. So the highest you want to aim for is 1450/1600 at least. That being said, GPA will ALWAYS be more important than test scores.
Now I want to emphasize something very important. Listen to what I’ve said, not to get into Harvard, but to be a happy person. Heck don’t listen to me if this doesn’t make you happy. Just aim to work hard, be responsible, and be happy during high school. It’s all about living your life for you, not for Harvard. I just want you to realize that Harvard and Columbia are not the end. Rather they are means to it. So don’t become discouraged by a rejection. It does not mean it’s over for you. I used to be so angry with the hand I was dealt in life because it negatively affected my GPA, thus shutting the gates to my dream schools. But I have a very simple way of thinking of things, and that has made all the difference. Not going to Harvard won’t stop me from becoming a surgeon. Not going to college and medical school will stop me from becoming a surgeon. Rejection will sting but it’s not the end. How do I know this? I was rejected from a science bowl, I lost like every essay contest I entered, I was rejected by two magnet schools, I was rejected by Phillips Exeter Academy, I was always rejected by classmates for being too “weird” (all of the coolest people are weird lol), my op-ed articles to several publications have never been accepted, a poem I wrote never made it to the school paper, I lost a student council election, my grades went down during junior year, and it always felt like my pleas to God for things to get better with my family were always rejected. According to sociologists and statistics, due to several factors in my life, I shouldn’t be at this point–a few months away from graduation. If I haven’t let these rejections get to me, and if I’m not going to let the most likely imminent rejections from top schools get to me, you will be fine. Harvard is not the end all be all.
Just use high school to discover your passions and throw yourself into them while opening your mind to leaning from your studies. Also make sure these schools are affordable for you. Just live your life to the fullest. When the time comes, take your chance like every other applicant to HYPSMIT.