<p>As I was looking at the stats for some schools, I noticed that some students who get into these great schools have very low GPA's and ACT/SAT scores? They can't all me the child of an alumni...
I dream about going to one of these top schools, how do I make myself competitive?
So, who gets into these schools? </p>
<p>From what I have seen it’s students who are writing touching sob stories with a lot of involvement in student government, volunteering, clubs, etc. AND help meet diversity requirements so hispanic, black or native american ethnicity.</p>
<p>Luck. And really those people are outliers because based on average scores, most people would probably have high scores. There’s no set formula and the best thing to do is be the best you can be. But ask yourself why you want to go to an ivy or top school? Because all those schools are vastly different and cater to different interests. And truthfully, getting an ivy acceptance isn’t as mind blowing as you’d think. I was more excited about getting a full ride at my state school than getting accepted to an ivy because I had never idolized ivies and my state school had a wonderful program for my major. Eventually I did commit to the ivy, but that was due to an amazing campus visit. Choose schools based on your desires because if you can be successful at an ivy, you can be successful at a state or any other school. Your education is what you make of it.</p>
<p>That ability to communicate and present themselves well (in face-to-face interviews and/or written word) is the one thing that sets the students I know who have been admitted Ivies apart from their equally-accomplished and intelligent counterparts who were not accepted. </p>
<p>" very low GPA’s and ACT/SAT scores"? Define ‘very low’.</p>
<p>@JanAnna As far as choosing a college goes, I have a few in mind and 1 of them is an ivy and the rest are top schools. I was just asking in a general sense.
@sschickens I mean a GPA of a 3.5 and SAT of 1800 or ACT of 29</p>
<p>3.5 GPA isn’t low depending on the rigor of your courses. That’s a 90% according the the Princeton Review</p>
<p>Not even people with national/international awards can get into the top ivies.</p>
<p><a href=“Rejected-- but why? - #16 by Bay - Harvard University - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1129383-rejected-but-why-p2.html</a>
</p>
<p>Call me pessimistic, but I have already been through this process; the fact of the matter is that more likely than not (statistically speaking) get into the top school you want to get into. Lower your expectations and push yourself to become the very best you can be, so that you don’t get hurt when that inevitable rejection comes from that big name school. By lowering your expectations and trying to achieve your highest potential, you can also surprise yourself when you see the word “congratulations” in that portal. Some things are just not in our control; we can’t control how these schools select their students. Princeton may accept a top cellist because its orchestra needs a new one, or Harvard may accept URMs because it needs to maintain its diversity. These things are just not in our control; we cannot become amazing musicians in a single night, nor can we change the colors of our skins (these are just two examples and there are countless other cases of these hooks). As one person said above, your education is what you make of it. </p>