Chances after a bad IGCSE year and good A Levels

Chance Me / Match Me
1

So basically, I did not get good IGCSE results, (2Bs, 4Cs) and am about to start my A Levels. So two questions,

  • will taking business subjects decrease my chances of getting in a good college? (Are science subjects more worth it?)
  • let’s say I take 3 or 4 subjects and get 2As, 1B or 3As and a B, will this overshadow my poor IGCSE year? Along with SAT of 1400+ and good scores in Subject Tests as well as many extracurriculars. (Main emphasis on the bad grades, help me with that)

I’m aiming for mid-range to slightly high range colleges like NYU, Columbia, UCLA and etc. Will I have any luck?

2

Hi there! First of all, I’d like to state that colleges like Columbia are not ‘mid-range to slightly high range’, these colleges are some of the absolute best, most elite and most selective colleges in the US and world.

Subjects:
Yes, business subjects could decrease your chances. If you decide to apply to universities like Caltech, you’ll need to take SAT Subject Tests in the sciences. Not taking science subjects for your A-levels will therefore hurt you, as you’ll most likely get lower scores, which decrease your chances. However, if the colleges do not demand you take science SAT Subject Tests, it probably won’t matter, as long as you do well in the SAT Subject Tests that you do take.

Scores:
Your IGCSE scores, if you have to submit them, will hurt you extremely much, to be honest. Anything below A/A* will hurt, actually. About your A-levels: honestly, 3As and 1B or 2As and 1B will also hurt, a lot, especially because of your poor IGCSE results. These colleges expect AAA-like scores. An SAT score of 1400+… That depends on the +. Usually, it’s good to have a score of >1500, but students also get accepted with scores of 1300-1450 if they have great honors/awards, letters of recommendation etc. For more information about scores:

Moreover, scores alone won’t get you admitted: you need extracurriculars. Lots of people with perfect grades, GPAs, SAT scores, SAT Subject Test scores etc. get rejected, every year. If your extracurriculars are absolutely flabbergasting you may have a shot, but your IGCSE grades will hurt a lot, and so will your A levels, if you get Bs. However, it’s not absolutely chanceless.

Good luck with your application!

PS Tip: ‘as well as many extracurriculars’, #neverforget: quality over quantity. Try to do extremely well in some, instead of doing just a little bit in every :wink:

3

This basically means that I should stop dreaming about the mentioned colleges or at least not have high expectations.
Can you guide me what to do next? Because I am broken down and need motivation to get back up after this awful result, which I was not expecting one bit. I did too good in my opinion but I don’t know what went wrong. Please suggest me what I should do. Thank you very much for your help!

4

@anonymousbros99 No, it doesn’t mean you should stop dreaming about the mentioned colleges, but it does mean you need to work hard. Admissions Officers love to see upward trends, meaning your scores improve over the years. Therefore, I’d recommend studying hard and trying to find the stuff you’re studying interesting. Many people study for something (a test, a quiz w/e), and forget everything he or she has learned immediately after… This should not be you (in the future), if you hope to attend an elite college. Try to think of subjects in another way, if you do not find them interesting. For example, for mathematics, you could watch Numberphile on Youtube, which I think has some very cool videos, and you could perhaps think of mathematics like it’s a puzzle for which you need to use a lot of logic.

What I’d suggest doing:

  • Trying to think of the subjects you’ll be taking as interesting subjects. If you choose to take physics, try to see physics everywhere around you. If you look up to the sky, ask yourself: “Why is the sky blue, while the clouds are white?” And try to answer it, too. If you do not know the answer, google it, etc etc. Be inquisitive and try to love learning new things. If you’ve covered that, you’ve done already almost all of the work. Thinking of these subjects as something very interesting makes you forget a LOT less and keep learning, while also honing your problem-solving skills.
  • Practise for the ACT/SAT/SAT Subject Tests. Aim for perfect scores. Also, take them multiple times. Usually, scores improve significantly when someone takes such an exam again. Remember: some people take these tests 4 or more times. Start early with taking the tests, but not too early. Make sure you've practised a lot and are 100% familiar with the test and types of questions before you actually the test. Strategies for approaching problems on the exam and how to deal with the time pressure and online. The higher your test scores, the greater your chances are at top universities/colleges.
  • Put your focus on just a few ECs. Honestly, no one cares if you were a member of an irrelevant club in grade 8 and did nothing spectacular. Give the admissions officers a reason to vouche for you: what is your hook? What will they absolutely remember about you after reading your application? Once again: give them something to help them vouche for you in the committee.

However, the very best tip I could ever give someone about admissions: imagine you’re an admissions officer. What would you like to see? What would you care about? (And be honest with yourself when thinking about these kinds of things.)

5

Where are you at school at the moment? What citizenship?

6

@Tomas1355 this was beautifully motivating, thank you so much! I will start working towards these right away and hopefully end up where I dream of. Thank you so much for your help, I am very grateful!

@Sybylla, I’m a Pakistani and am currently enrolled here as well