Has anybody ever gotten into a selective school with an average-ish gpa (3.33 to 3.4)? With 2000+ on their SAT, amazing EC’s, showed an upward trend in their grades, amazing letter of recs and really good essays?
If you have to ask, then your EC isn’t amazing enough to supplant that GPA. You’d have to be the singularly top most recruited athlete in your sport in ages or Malala Yousafzai.
Top schools’ primary mission is to teach; thus top academics are a pre-requisite.
Your definition of selective and mine may be different. What schools are you talking about exactly? The best way to check your chances are to google the Common Data Set, scroll down to Section C and check that stats of the admitted students. If you are in the lower quarter of the class, than your Amazing EC will have to be pretty amazing - a recruited athlete for example.
Your list on your posting on 10/3 is filled with extreme reaches. Despite your background circumstances, every single one of them would be extremely unlikely to accept you. Please sit down w/your HS guid counselor – surely having your solid SAT will indicate to him/her that you can go after some solid programs. I’m sure he/she can suggest some very good target schools that kids of similar achievement from your HS have found success. Good luck to you.
Is the “amazing EC” Olympic level athletic talent worth recruiting?
Colleges exist to educate. EC’s do not depend on an education environment. Admissions people want applicants who are clearly capable of being successful in the classroom, not the clubs.
There are schools that are better suited for you where you can get a solid education and be in the top percentage of the class rather than struggling to keep up.
Many, many people have happy lives and good jobs without top tier diplomas.
To the school list you listed here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1816395-help-i-need-advice.html
you don’t possess “amazing ECs” in the context of those schools’ typical applicant pools. You certainly impressive, probably very impressive within your school. But you’re pursuing schools of a very high caliber – and you’re somewhat less than average.
@T26E4 By the way, Malala has great test score.