Hi,
I’m a rising senior in high school. I’m predicted to get a 27 on the ACT in September. My current unweighted gpa is 2.91. I’ve taken only one AP class which was Govt. and got a C in that course. But I do have many honor courses. I’m predicting that by February of senior year my gpa will go up to 3.0, but I will already have applied. I have one sport and 3 clubs.
Also, a life changing event happened to me in 11th grade, and that event was my Mom suffered a stroke. She was paralyzed from one side of her entire body and spent months at rehab. She’s back home now but still is not able to walk, though she is in much better condition than when the stroke first happened.
I know when it comes to my grades, they’re not ivy material. But I will get a 27 on the ACT. I’m also thinking that I can write a strong essay highlighting the life changing event that happened to me. Hopefully it will appeal to the admission folks.
Do you think with a strong essay, 27 ACT score, 2.91 uw gpa, one sport, and 3 clubs, I would be able to get into elite schools such as Yale or Columbia? Which one of the two do I have a higher chance?
Thank you so much, and please keep in mind I’ve been through a lot during my academic career in high school. I’m a hardworking student, and will do whatever it takes.
Even if you were a recruitable athlete, you would still get rejected. A 27 on the ACT? Get real, please.
Honestly, I am very sorry for what happened to your mom. However, did it affect you? Did you have to take care of her? Were you crippled of one income? If not, the most you can do is put it on the additional info section of your app. The fact that your GPA is 2.91 shows that you were absolutely not ready for those advanced courses. Sorry for being blunt, but that’s life.
Hey there, so sorry about what happened to your mom. I understand you’ve been through a lot and that you have been trying really hard throughout high school. I think if you wanted even a shot at one of these schools, you should try Yale SCEA or Columbia ED. Applying early to these schools will boost your chances at least a little, and I think you need all the help you can get in this situation.
If I’m being truthful, these stats just aren’t up to par on ivy league standards under nearly any circumstances. If you want a shot, you need to really highlight your strengths – essay and ECs – and your situation and how that changed you/motivated you. Also, I’d recommend aiming for a higher ACT, like 30+, so try to study hard for that.
Best of luck to you!! Remember to always keep a handful of safeties, Ivy Leagues are a complete crapshoot. Let us know how everything goes!
@shadyconcepts and OP. Please please please realize that the admit rates for SCEA, EA, and ED are only higher because they compose of higher performing applicants. Let’s look at reality here: if OP was to apply to the Ivy Leagues, much less SCEA and ED, he will be absolutely stomped. I’m sure colleges like Millersville and other colleges will want you, but don’t aim so high. Please.
@michelle426 I do agree that it’s probably better for OP to aim lower, but if he/she really wants at least a shot, I feel like applying ED is the only way to even be looked at for a second. Applying RD for these schools is like throwing a penny into the ocean and expecting it to come back to you. At least ED will show interest and commitment to the school. Most likely he/she will be rejected, but hey, who knows? The worst that can happen is rejection. It’s like playing the lottery in this case. Apply ED or RD, it’s up to you. Apply ED/SCEA if you want perhaps a slightly better chance AND if you actually like the school.
OP, definitely DO have a back-up plan though. These schools just aren’t in a reasonable range. If you do want an Ivy, go to a different college and maintain a near-perfect GPA and transfer. Good luck.
@shadyconcepts I personally don’t think he has a chance at all. I know it sounds cruel, but I was raised in a realistic household (no sugarcoating) and a competitive school. I’ve seen perfect kids get rejected from these schools and they are so absolutely dejected. ED is left to the high performing dreamers. He doesn’t even have the subject tests required for the Ivies, so his chances are technically 0%. Also, as I said before, Earlies don’t offer better chances. Read my previous comment about why admit rates for earlies are higher.
And OP. This is not offensive: go to either a lower college (safety) or a community college, maintain an awesome GPA, and try to transfer into an Ivy. If you think going to a community college is a bad idea (and to answer your previous question on your thread, I did not go to CC. I am still in HS, and I went to CC to take a supplemental course), please try to look at the positives. You could go to a so much better college starting from a solid platform like a CC instead of trying to hitch it off with a college right out of high school. If you do get into your safety, then great. Go there if you want. But then again, these are suggestions. You don’t have to take them.
@michelle426 I guess I do have to agree with you too. I also grew up in a competitive environment (I mean NJ is no cakewalk for education, and I go to a large public HS) and saw a lot of my senior friends who worked so hard get rejected from schools like these. OP, take michelle426’s advice about the transfer thing (as I also suggested) or safety school and go from there. You’ll be absolutely fine, with or without an Ivy title.
@shadyconcepts I am from Northern CA (Cross-Country Education equivalents!) education in public schools is not a cakewalk either.
@michelle426 oof! I have friends in that area. I know how tough it can be. I’m in northern NJ so yep lots of competition. I think it’s a similar environment lol
GL to all of us in this admissions season!!
@DragonFire16 do you have a guidance counselor?? You are not getting into any Ivy or near Ivy, period. You need to be realistic about your college options. Look up data about these schools on your own. Look at the Results threads on this forum. You need a 3.8+ / 33+ to begin to be competitive.
@michelle426 and @shadyconcepts I appreciate both of your advices, I’ll just keep on looking at other colleges.
One of my other college choices is NJIT.
@DragonFire16 NJIT would still be a reach for you.
While I agree that you should find school within your reach, there is nothing wrong in trying for one or two major reach schools. None of us on this thread are adcoms at Yale or Columbia. Just this year, there was a stellar recruit but with a 1700 on her SAT that got into Stanford. There’s nothing wrong in trying, but just don’t go in expecting too much
If you are actually being recruited actively for a sport, many coaches will assist you in placing you in a 5th year prep academy. If that is not happening, well, it may signal that you are not a serious recruit. I will say, I have seen recruited athletes, who have the same test scores as you, go this route and improve by 4-5 points (31-32), and be subsequently admitted.
What I have not seen is a GPA as low as the one you are presenting…that in itself, may make it prohibitive.
@PartyNextDoor @boolaHI The student who got into Stanford with a 1700 was one of the best tennis players in the country. Not to mention she raised about $200,000 for a nonprofit and had great ECs in general along with strong grades.
Anyone who’s suggesting that OP apply ED or SCEA to an Ivy is doing him/her a disservice. By applying ED or SCEA, OP would lose the opportunity to go from 10% to 30% (or 30% to 50%) at some more realistic schools, in exchange for a bump from 0.1% to 0.3% at (insert Ivy here). Most single-minded athletes accepted at these schools have better stats. Sorry, but that’s the cold hard truth.
@Notverysmart So, what is you point to me? I merely mentioned that seriously recruited athletes, sometimes, are encouraged to take a 5th year at a prep school. Further, I prefaced in any event, the person would need to raise their ACT to the low 30s…
And I am not sure what your reference to the Stanford player was about, as that is starkly different…Stanford provides D1 athletic scholarships, and all the schools in the Ivy league do not…
@Notverysmart And why am I such a smarty-pants about such things…my middle D is a recruited athlete at Y.
@boolaHI I responded to your post chiefly in the reference to athletes. Not disputing what you said-just pointing out that the standards remain high (although you acknowledged that-I mostly disagreed with PartyNextDoor’s point about the Stanford 1700).
The bulk of my post was concerned not with the Stanford player (I noted that chiefly because it’s unfair to tell kids “XYZ got into Stanford with a 1700, so you can too”) but with the posts above suggesting OP should apply SCEA or ED to Yale or Columbia, respectively. There are few things that make me angrier than seeing a kid-there have been a few at my school who did this-apply SCEA to a school that’s out of reach because of the school’s name, or the junk mail they’ve sent him/her, or friends who say “It ispossible to get in with a 1600.”
Again, Stanford is a little different creature than the Ivies when it comes to athletics. There is a current post on the board, that actually says that the average SAT for the Stanford football team (a little under 100 on the roster) is a little over 1800…so, it does show the flex they make for athletes relative to the rest of the student body (although some schools would love to have an average admitted score of 1800+ for their mean…