Alright so here’s my situation. I’m a freshman in highschool with around a 3.73 unweighted gpa. I’ve always been smart but I’ve really never done homework or studied in my life. In group projects I always let my partners do the work even if I know I could do a better job. I used to be the smartest in my class but it all changed when I started playing chess. Long story short I’m extremely addicted to it. Anyway, even though my grades are lacking I have great ECS. I’m a NM in chess at 14 (top 20 player my age in the U.S) with a grandmaster coach, have been playing cello for 10 years and am extremely good with a professional cello teacher, am treasurer on student government, am on Varsity Soccer, honors orchestra for cello, and honors band for electric Bass. Also I took the AP world and AP chem exams and got a 5 on both of them. Can you give me tips for study skills so I can get into my dream schools like Yale? I know I’m smart enough (I got a perfect score on the PSAT) but I do badly in classes because I’m bored and cant be bothered to study. I know if I don’t bring up my GPA it will be hard to get into Yale and Harvard. So pls help guys.
Forget about Harvard or Yale. You need to focus on studying - if you’re going to succeed in college.
Perhaps you should talk to a therapist or counselor. Perhaps there’s a learning disability of some sort?
Being a top player in chess could give you a boost. But in general, academics are far more important than ECs.
Don’t worry about a college name at 14. Worry about optimizing yourself.
Wdym by learning disability 
I do have ADHD tho
Unfortunately, if you want to be a serious candidate for schools like Yale (or any of the highly selective schools), it’s an AND thing, not an OR thing. You have to have great grades AND have a compelling EC or special skill, not have great grades OR have a compelling EC or special skill. The chess is awesome but the grades are the table stakes.
How could you be a freshman and have taken AP Chemistry and scored a 5? The AP Chemistry exam is literally held today and its result won’t be announced until this coming July. Also, how could you have gotten a perfect score on the PSAT when it’s not offered until the October of your junior year?
My middle school had a gifted program. U can take those exams as an 8th grader
True, I need both the grades and ECs. So am I cooked? If I really focused on my grades for the next 3 years would I still have a chance? I mean 3.73 isn’t that bad right?
Also the PSAT is for 8/9 graders not Juniors.
Is there a more rigorous high school or gifted program you could transfer to so you aren’t bored at school? For your own sake, as well as for college apps?
The PSAT is for juniors. You are speaking of the PSAT8/9. There is also a PSAT10 for sophomores.
You have a 3.73 (presumably unweighted) through the first 3/4 of your freshman year? I’d work as hard as you can to bring it up for the final year grades (the only ones that colleges care about and the only ones that go into your GPA). A 3.73 is a really good GPA and there are lots of great schools you can go to if you end up with that, but it’s not competitive for Yale.
One experience that I had many years ago as a freshman at MIT was that there were a number of us (myself included) who had pretty much coasted through high school, but who needed to learn good study skills in a hurry to keep up with the course work at MIT.
You need to start doing the homework. Start your homework the day that it is assigned. Get it done. Get it done early. Keep a list of what you still need to get done. Turn in all homework on time. Pay attention in class, and contribute to class in a constructive way. Be the best version of you that you can be.
Do not worry about universities at this point. The universities will be there when you are ready. If you don’t get into Harvard or Yale, then you go somewhere else. In university admissions your freshman year of high school will be less important than your next three years.
Regarding your various activities, let me tell you one of the most important secrets in life: In life, it is very important to find things to NOT do. There are just too many things that we could be doing. We need to focus to some extent. We each also need to figure out how much we can take on without overloading ourselves, learn to appropriately prioritize various activities, and then focus on what we actually need to get done. Some activities, such as Chess and Cello, need to be limited to some specific number of hours and you need to figure out what this limit should be for you.
For top ranked universities, ECs and letters of reference are some things that they use to decide between a long list of applicants who all have nearly perfect grades and nearly perfect test scores. ECs will not overcome lower grades.
However, there are a lot of very good universities. There are a lot of very smart people in this world who attend a very wide range of universities for a very wide range of reasons. You will find very smart students at MIT and Harvard. However, you will also find very smart students at U.Mass and UNH and Rutgers, and at a very wide range of other colleges and universities. If you look at the graduate students at top graduate programs (such as some good programs at Stanford or Harvard or MIT), they will all be very smart and they will have come from a huge range of undergraduate colleges and universities.
Which university you might attend is not something to be concerned with now. Being the best version of you and learning better study skills and prioritizing your activities are things to be concerned about now.
Great response man, I really appreciate the time you put into this thoughtful response. I know that there are a lot of good university’s, but frankly I’m not settling for anything less than an ivy league school. So this is why I really should focus on my GPA right now, like you said. I think it’s possible for me to end the year off on a 3.8-3.9 depending on how well I do on the finals. I’m going to try to get help from my school counselor on how to manage my time and work. As a professional chess player who has to constantly practice for tournaments in Europe and New York City, it’s really hard to balance this with homework. But I can’t blame it all on my busy schedule. I admit that I am lazy, and scroll on Youtube and TikTok when I should be doing homework. Which is why after reading your response I deleted all social media (besides YouTube since its basically a necessity). I hope that after I fix my bad study habits the rest of highschool will be smooth sailing.
In the end, you don’t get to decide - but if you set yourself up well, you’ll have great schools to attend.
Unless your family has $100K a year or qualifies for need, Ivy wouldn’t happen anyway - in other words, unless your family is willing to pay that much. I, as a parent, was not willing.
But you are premature in everything - except knowing you need to step up.
So let’s go.
Honestly, this is something I would expect to hear from a ninth grader – someone who does not yet have the knowledge or experience to really understand what paths lie ahead. And that’s fine! One day, you’ll understand how limited your perspective was in 9th grade. For now, you just need to concentrate on being the best student you can be – develop the reading skills, the study skills, the resilience, and the determination to do hard things. Be inquisitive and curious. Seek out new experiences. Come back here in two years, and then you can ask informed questions and get meaningful and useful advice. By that point, you’ll know that “how can I get into Yale?” is the wrong question.
Are you being treated for your ADHD? Do you have a 504 plan with accommodations that allow you to submit homework late? (Actually that can backfire: deadlines are helpful for some!)
You have accomplished a lot with chess. Those achievements are significant positives for college. You can also submit a music supplement with recording/video, music resume and music letters of recommendation- if appropriate. (In school music activities don’t add as much as, say, summer programs, conservatory prep, youth orchestra etc.)
It is always hard to read about a young person who is settled on dream schools like Harvard and Yale. Ivy League schools are very different from each other, so learn about them. When you get closer, try to learn about other schools too. Google “little Ivies” and also Colleges that Change Lives ctcl.org One thing to think about is large lectures with TA’s (at Harvard TF’s) vs LAC’s with smaller classes taught by professors with discussion in terms of your learning needs.
Your boredom won’t necessarily stop at Harvard or Yale. Depending on finances, a coach can help a lot- regardless of where you end up. Landmark School can provide referrals. Nothing is going to change magically.
Your combination of giftedness and ADHD is key to finding a good fit (assuming some accommodations at college too). Find a school that fits you, vs trying to fit yourself to a certain set of schools.
I really hope you don’t spend the rest of high school trying to get into Yale or Harvard. Be yourself. Play chess, play cello, try new things, make friends. You will end up where you should end up- give Ivies a shot but there are many many other great schools to include in your list. ps You are far from a slacker!
Yes I am being “treated” with medication. However, even though they change the dose to help all the time I don’t really see it helping me at all. And yes I do have a 504 plan, but my school has never offered additional time for deadlines and taking tests. Part of the reason for that is my pride stopped me from asking for these benefits when I first got a 504 plan in 8th grade.
Thanks for the great response! Part of the reason Yale and Harvard are on my list are for the big names, but also because i’ve attended a lot of chess tournaments at these campuses and had a lot of fun. I still have my prize money and trophies from the tournaments i’ve won at Yale and Princeton (i’ve never won a tournament at Harvard yet, I got close though!).
It’s not unusual for smart kids to coast through school – until they can’t. And then, you lack the skills that kids who struggled more have had years to develop. They know how to organize their work, how to break things down when they don’t understand, etc.
You are smart, so you can learn, but it will take discipline and organization. Personally, I’m a fan of an old-fashioned paper planner that allows me to block out time (and see how much I really have) for everything. In your case, seeing how much time you have for chess, cello, homework after school, lessons, commuting, sleep, etc. Then you need to figure out how to optimize it. You may need to keep tinkering to fit your brain, figuring out when you need to take breaks or switch tasks.
There’s an older book out there called “That crumpled paper was due yesterday.” It’s got some great strategies in it for self-management. My guess is something in it will help you. Also, fwiw, this is a life skill. You will need to manage your time effectively to have room for what matters now, in college, at work, forever. Good luck.
Making the varsity soccer team as a 9th grader is impressive. Are you a starter? Do you play club soccer? I realize probably not given your other activities. However if you are really talented you could be an athletic recruit which would be a path to selective college admissions.