<p>I’m a freshmen at a pretty large high school of 3,500. My first semester GPA was 3.79 and I took all of the honors classes that a freshman could take (I’m taking an AP class sophomore year) I’m involved in clubs and in student government, as well as the arts and the school’s yearbook publication. My dream school are Duke, USC, and possibly Princeton, if I get really good SAT and ACT scores would I have a chance? What are the admissions to these schools looking for?</p>
<p>You haven’t been looking around at CC too long have you? You are a freshman so you should just relax and do the best you can on the SAT, participate in what you like, and get good grades in class. Here is the sad truth about an Ivy and I will only discourage you to snoop around CC early and be discouraged from pursuing your dreams:
-There are almost 30k apps along to Harvard each year
-Almost everyone who has a shot at Harvard(a good majority of those apps) has a high GPA, top 10% of class, 2100+ SAT
-So many people have so many EC’s and Leadership positions they are to enumerate
-Competition is stiff and it is hard to get into one, so continue on a good path and let the chips fall where they may. Don’t let anyone put you down and do the best you can to improve your chances.</p>
<p>If you maintain a 3.79 you’ll face an uphill battle. That’s just the competition – frankly you should feel proud of your accomplishment. Your goal is to boost your GPA as much as possible – that’s one good thing about being a freshman at this moment. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>HeyItsMo, the above posters aren’t trying to be mean, they are trying to give you a hard dose of reality. The fact is, even if you had a 3.9 or 4.0 GPA while taking the most rigorous classes your high school offered, you may still not get into an Ivy or Princeton. Your SATs would need to be 2100 or 2200 at least, or your ACT would have to be 33 or higher. This is not for the mere mortal. In addition to that, you need to have leadership that stands out in everything you do: captain of the athletic team or lead in the school musical, director of the school service trip to Honduras, etc. Don’t just focus on one college at this point, focus on making yourself the best you can be. When you get to the summer before your junior year, reflect back on what you’ve done so far, look at your grades and early PSAT or PLAN scores, and then determine what kind of college makes sense for you.</p>
<p>On CC, you will see tons of forums on the Ivies and other highly selective schools. Some kids are meant for them, others are meant for something else. Figure out where you FIT, and then go from there. For 99% of the high school population, the Ivies (and Princeton) are a high reach school, so focus more on all the other colleges you could attend and be successful.</p>
<p>You’re just a freshman, so don’t stress yourself out yet. Think about why you really want to go to top Ivies. Is it because of the prestige and the name, or is it because it has a really good program that you are really interested in? You have to be close to superhuman for top tier Ivies, and 99% of people don’t have a chance.</p>
<p>Pretty much what’s been said. That GPA’s low for those schools, but you are just a freshman, so if you increase your GPA colleges will be impressed by an upward trend. Honors/AP are good, but a great number of applicants get rejected with full course loads of APs. Even if you get your GPA up, you have to also develop strong ECs. The schools you listed are extremely competitive and hopefully they aren’t your top choices just because of prestige of the name. 4.0 2400s get rejected all the time from schools like Princeton. </p>
<p>That being said, you’re just a freshman. You have plenty of time to explore high school classes and discover new interests and what type of college best fits you.</p>