My GPA and ACT score is nowhere near the requirements but I’d like to know if I wrote a great essay, expressed my passion, and told them about my extracurriculars, if I could get accepted into an Ivy League since I’ve been told it’s not all about the GPA and the ACT.
It doesn’t matter which college.
No, essays and ECs do not make up for subpar academics. In another post you say your GPA is 3.43 and your ACT is 22 which is not the level needed for top tier colleges. While applications are reviewed on a holistic basis, academics are very important aspect of the process. The top tier schools have acceptance rates between 4% - 10% and don’t have enough room to take all of the applicants that excel in every aspect of the application.
In addition your comment that you don’t care which Ivy League school makes me feel like you are caught up in prestige and are not looking at the schools carefully. The Ivy schools run a gamut from the more rural Dartmouth to the urban Columbia/Penn, from no required classes at Brown to a large core at Columbia. Although the Ivy’s seem out of reach I implore you to look behind the name/prestige of each school you look at and consider if it truly is a good fit for you.
I’d recommend that you honestly review your academic stats (including GPA, standardized tests, course rigor) as well as your financial needs and research a wide range of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that you would be happy to attend. You need to expand your horizons and recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.
There are over 2,000 four year colleges & universities in the US. The Ivy League schools and a few dozen other colleges & universities are packed with academic powerhouses competing against one another. Elite college students tend to have very high GPAs, standardized test scores & exhibit a very robust work ethic.
An ACT score of 22 suggests that you would be uncomfortable academically at an Ivy League school. So, no, in your case an Ivy League school would not be worth it.
Nevertheless there are hundreds of colleges & universities at which you could thrive & succeed. It is all about finding a match school, not about prestige.
While Ivy admission is not all about stats, your stats would make the Ivies out of reach.
An ivy league amounts to a $250,000 bachelors degree. You can do better.
Even if you were a recruited athlete, I don’t think an Ivy would admit you with those statistics because it is likely that you are not prepared to successfully complete the level of coursework required. You would need to improve that test score.
In general, students who are more accomplished are going to be able to both maintain their grades and take advantage of more of the extracurricular opportunities that are an important part of the experience there.
I suggest that you consider putting some time and effort into improving your English and Math scores to a 24 or better. Improving those fundamental skills a bit will improve your odds of success in college.
For any extremely selective schools EC, essays, etc are used to differentiate the qualified candidates from one another.
They will not make you a qualified candidate. There are schools you could be quite competitive at. Look for schools you would be qualified for. Good luck.
Think of it this way, most of the students in the Ivys as well as other elite schools will be kids who had perfect or near perfect GPA and test scores. They all have impressive ECs and LoRs. Most likely have some kind of passion that makes them standout. In your case with an ACT of 22 and average GPA, it is questionable if you will be able to keep up with the other students. In classes where the grades are curved, you might be on the lower end of the curve. If by some chance if you did end up in an elite school, it will be questionable if you will be able to handle the work, not to excel but just barely getting by. You need to research other great schools that may not be academically on par with the top schools, but still will provide a great college and educational experience and ultimately a great career.
In addition to applying to your in-state school, consider doing the following:
Choice 1: Study for the SAT (because Khan Academy offers free well-organized SAT practice). With a good SAT score plus your 3.4 GPA you have several options for schools that will cost about what you would pay at most in-state public schools. (See list below)
Choice 2: Apply to only test-optional schools on the list below.
Here are a list of schools that take GPA of about 3.2-3.5. Some even give merit money. Before deciding on a school, get accepted and see what the financial aid offer is. If you would like to narrow down the list of schools by what you can afford, use the website called College Navigator, find your school, hit “net price” tab and it will show you the cost on AVERAGE for your income bracket.
List of schools–
Simmons–consortium of several colleges in Boston area
Goucher–cross reg with Johns Hopkins
Earlham–lovely school with 800 acre campus and lots of heart
Beloit
Union in NY
Bard
The Sage Colleges
Hollins
Agnes Scott
Sweet Briar (has ABET engineering)
Mills
Dickinson
Drew University–theater and all-around nice school. Lovely campus
Clark University
U of Maine at Orono – offers in-state tuition matching program–ABET engineering, theater, marine sciences, etc
Marlboro
Unity in Maine for environmental studies
Green Mountain for sustainability (offering a full scholarship currently)
Hampshire
St. Olaf
Wooster
University of the Pacific
Willamette
Wells
Susquehanna
Juniata
Muhlenberg–happy school with many fine programs
Hendrix
Southwestern University in Tx
Centre College in Kentucky
Coe
Knox – lovely school
Lake Forest near Chicago
Wheaton in Massachusetts
Drake
There are more.
Even if you do have great ECs, essays, and recommendation letters… admissions will not be able to overlook your weaker academics. Yes, academics do not define a person, but at top tier schools, you are competing with thousands of others that have stellar scores and gpas ALONG WITH amazing accomplishments. That being said, if it is still possible, retake the ACT and aim for 32+. For the most part to be even considered, admissions want to see scores of 31+.
Ivy leagues rely heavily from wealthy people and rich alumni to pay their outrageous tuition. The rich kids and kids of alumni get admitted first through different channels. This basically means that most of the kids that go there aren’t even the smart ones. The’re the rich kids. After that, the school allows a small handful of smart kids into the school, and that’s where you come in. The prestige is really just a big lie. There are higher concentrations of academically gifted students at flagship schools than anywhere else. For smart kids, a scholarship is a smarter decision.
This is incredibly insulting and baseless.
@coolguy40 I respectfully disagree. While there are a handful of legacy students that may be there bc their parents are able to pay, many students there are very intelligent and are highly capable.
@coolguy40 “… most of the kids that go there aren’t even the smart ones.”
What is your source? That isn’t true.
@Coolguy40 “There are higher concentrations of academically gifted students at flagship schools than anywhere else.”
What is your source? This is just not true either.
@Coolguy40 “The prestige is really just a big lie.”
Prestige is what people believe it is. Like respect, it is something that people may confer on you, not something you can really give yourself.
@coolguy40 The only non-smart kids who may get into elite schools are the ones whose parents donate $50,000,000 or more to the school.
70% of legacy applicants at Harvard are denied admission.
Your post shows that you need to rethink a number of things.
First, the way top schools look at students is to select first for academics (grades/SATs/etc) to make sure you can do the work after you are admitted.
They now have a group of kids probably 10x the size of the class they will admit.
Only after selecting for high grades/scores are they going to start looking at ECs and essays to help them differentiate between all the high scoring students.
So, a great essay will not overcome dismal grades…but if you have the grades it can help you stand out from the other kids with the grades.
Finally, when you say “any Ivy it doesn’t matter which” it simply shows you haven’t done your homework. The schools in that athletic conference are very different. And there are hundreds and hundreds of other schools that offer excellent (some say better) educational opportunities for undergrads. You need to start researching (I don’t mean reading top 20 lists) and take this more seriously.
The reason I said that is because it doesn’t matter. Looking at the comments and the recent posts you could understand that I won’t get accepted. It’s simply not going to happen.
If I’m being honest this was more of a study. I wanted to see if others agreed or disagreed with the topic of “you’re more than just numbers…you have a story…”. Doesn’t look like anyone is the story.
Anyone could go to any college and become the best whatever they want but a lot of people these days don’t see that. Most of the comments say I can get in to pretty unique schools that will teach me just about the same as any Ivy league school. The only bad thing about not attending a well-known school is the lack of recognition to your name(others see it as another hill to climb over).
No, I don’t know much about the Ivy League schools but I know they want a lot which I don’t have to offer. Maybe coolguy40 is somewhat correct seeming that it’s the topic in all high schools today, or it’s a silly rumor for the jealous people who didn’t get in. That we will never know but what we will know is that we become ranked in a ‘higher’ college rather than a person in a ‘regular’ college-if that makes any sense.
The evidence to back up my “work-in-progress” is what everyone in the comments focused on, the numbers. No one cares who you are, where you came from, what challenges you faced until you meet someone else’s expectations. No one brought up swimming and asked if I’m in varsity(which I am).
Maybe this was a pointless vague study done poorly(I’ll have to admit. I’ve got no unbiased questions; evidence for my theory or more for the point I’m reaching for = poor but somewhat okay study). I just wanted to see if ME, MYSELF, and I, as a person with an unspoken story meant more than my GPA and ACT/SAT Score.
@dandraug Grades and test scores will initially screen applicants of their ability to do the work. No matter what story you may have that will impress the AO, if they are not convinced you can handle the workload of their school and keep up with your peers and contribute significantly to the college experience, then you will not get admitted.
You say noone asked about your sport, however you never mentioned sports. With an ACT of 22, sorry but no matter how good of a swimmer you may be, no Ivy coach will be recruiting you.
You said it perfectly that “they want a lot which I don’t have to offer”. If you have nothing to offer, then they have nothing to offer you.
When people say that you are more than just your numbers they are telling the truth. Its like saying that an Olympic athlete is more than just physically fit. fitness is a threshold to be met. fitness alone won’t get you to the Olympics. On top of that you need the training, talent, dedication, and all the rest.
You are more than your numbers. But for certain schools the numbers act as a threshold. Once you meet that, THEN you are more then your numbers.