<p>I'm planning on applying to some rather selective schools next year (JHU, WashU, Penn, Stanford, Harvard), and i am coming from UCI. Because my high school record was weak (3.2) and a 2170 SAT I and an 800/730/630 SAT II scores, what can i do to maximize my chances? I realize a lot of applicants to these schools have fairly decent hs records, and i'm wondering what can i do to boost my chances? do these schools place lots of importance on the essay? or letters of recommendation? need i retake my SATs? I know getting the best GPA in college is pretty much needed, but anything else you guys could think up would be great. thanks!</p>
<p>Your SATs are pretty high and no need to retake those. And yes, its pretty obvious that you should aim for a 4.0 or close it.</p>
<p>I guess that leaves Essays/Recs/ECs. For more information on this, I'll give you this link about people who've successfully transferred to the Ivies: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=68138%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=68138</a></p>
<p>Good luck!</p>