I am a sophomore with dreams of going to a top school. My reach schools are Berkeley, Stanford, and UChicago. These are long shots but I will apply to them anyway because I love all three of them. My mid tier schools are U of Illinois and Purdue. I have a huge interest in one day working in finance or software(haven't made up my mind yet).
Let's start off with my grades. I have a 3.9 weighted GPA and a 3.7 unweighted. I plan on raising my GPA(at least the weighted one) my junior year since I'll be taking Honors, Duel Credit, and AP classes. I consider myself pretty intelligent, and I think that my slightly disappointing grades are just from a lack of effort. I have full confidence I could handle the course material at a top school like Stanford or UChicago.
Next is ECs. I am on the football team, a member of the Business Professionals of America(BPA), and have put in a few hours of community service(7 to be exact, but that will be at least 40 by the time I graduate since it is required at my school). I've also thought about starting a club or two like a computer programming club or a finance club.
Last is my story. I consider myself to be pretty lucky. I live with my dad(parents divorced) and he works in the car factory at Ford. Colleges always look for something that you can spin, so here's mine. My father worked in a car factory, my grand father worked in a car factory, as did my great grand father. You'd be right to guess that I don't want to work in a car factory. My father has pretty bad back problems as well as arthritis in his hands from working in the factory for 20+ years. I really just want to become successful so that I can one day buy him his dream house on the Lake of the Ozarks.
Help me gauge my chances please. I know I'm not the most impressive person in the world, but any measurement would be helpful. Some tips as to what I could do to improve would also be helpful. Thanks!
Here’s what you need to do: 1) Be ranked in the top 10%, preferably in the top 5%, at your high school; 2) win national awards, or at least state level awards; 3) volunteer over 100 hours, and go beyond what your school requires; 4) build up credentials related to finance and software (clubs, competitions, classes and certifications outside of school); 5) make your summers count by doing something related to your long-term goals, such as internships; and 6) score in the 95th percentile or higher on the standardized tests (ACT or SAT), which could require a lot of practice and study in the meantime depending on how well you have done on PSAT. Good luck!
You sound sincere, thoughtful, and diligent. Focus on your current studies and testing, then ask for chances to the top schools. Have you taken the PSAT yet? Will you be recruited for football?
Yes, an essay about your family connection to auto manufacturing and what you’ve learned from that history will be amazing.
Applying to Cal (Berkeley) as an out of state student is difficult and pricey if you get in. Does Ford offer scholarships to its employee families?