<p>I'm now a sophomore at a competitive private school that had a middle school in which I did not come from. When I started as a freshman my 1st semester GPA was a 3.0 but my last was a 3.7 with another 3.0 and 3.7 in between those two. Now I am a sophomore and my first card marking GPA was a 3.5.....so I talked to my guidance counselor and we worked out a plan for the rest of highschool with my grades and I could finish HS with a 3.9 if I keep a 4.0 until senior year. But I am not sure if that will happen. YALE IS MY DREAM SCHOOL, and I wondered a lower GPA (3.6-3.8) would hurt my chances. Also, I play the viola and throw discus and shot put for track, maybe I can get recruited if I am good enough....I just need input from current Yalies</p>
<p>If you’re able to keep a 4.0 GPA until senior year, you’re in an OK position for Yale, since even Ivies forgive frosh year mistakes for an upward curve. However, if you allow your GPA to go below a 3.9, Yale is unfortunately out of reach for you, unless you have an amazing athletic or musical talent, in which case you might even get a likely letter. You can’t get anymore B’s (and absolutely no C’s) if you want a decent chance for Yale.</p>
<p>Yale looks at the whole package. So a slightly less than perfect GPA can be counterbalanced by other things, like good test scores, impressive EC achievements, and certainly, recruitable athletic ability. All that being said, it’s a big hurdle to expect a 4.o every semester from now on, when in the past three you haven’t exceeded 3.7. Just do your best, and, really, don’t have a single “dream school.”</p>
<p>At every college, an upward trajectory in grades is a good thing, and the grades you earn freshman year are less important than the grades you earn later in high school. Still, Yale is not going to ignore your grades from freshman year or your cumulative GPA. And schools like Yale receive many applications from students who have earned top grades throughout high school. So apply to Yale if you love it, but look for a range of less selective schools that share some of the qualities you love about Yale.</p>
<p>to OP: well, it doesn’t help…and I’m not sure if your GPA includes c’s or just a lot of b’s
but…I will tell you that I had the “lower” GPA in the range you mentioned and I am unhooked, Asian, nonathletic, not legacy, etc. Maybe it was my essays, maybe the interview, maybe my utter dedication to a SINGLE (not laundry list) EC, maybe it was my family background, maybe the adcom was just feeling generous that day, whatever.
If Yale is your dream school, do the very best you can until Senior year and then send them the best app you possibly can. And then it’s out of your hands. I never considered getting accepted, I was thrilled to get into NYU. But hey, miracles happen Good luck for the rest of hs and don’t kill yourself over that gpa, what’s done is done, move on and move forward.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot to all of the advice…and to ECazndb8r I am hooked (URM), but I don’t think that will help that much (maybe it will but we’ll see) BUT I THANK ALL OF YOU SO MUCH!!!</p>
Good luck for the rest of hs and don’t kill yourself over that gpa, what’s done is done, move on and move forward.</p>