I am a junior in high school of South Asian background looking to major in economics or finance, with pre med. I have a 3.58 unweighted GPA and I got a 1900 on the old SAT. I live in Texas and moved here from the Northeast after my freshman year. (Don’t know if that helps my case)
When it comes to grades, I am what is considered average or even below average for an AP level student at my school. I am however very involved in my school’s community. I am the founder and president of Investment club, the president of Political Debate Club, a Co-Founder and Co-President of Ultimate Frisbee Club (not an official team)(yet),a secretary in Key Club, a member of DECA, a member of HOSA. I am also an inductee of the Chickfila Leader Academy, National Honor Society, and Spanish National Honor Society. I run Varsity Cross Country and Track, I was a captain of the JV soccer team at my school this year that won a district championship and will be on Varsity next year.
I consider myself to be a strong writer so I hope my college essays will be compelling. I’d estimate like a 7-8 out of 10.
A parent went to Columbia so I don’t know if that would help my chances at that school.
So I guess my questions are: How likely am I to be accepted into an Ivy League School? and how can I improve my chances?
P.S. Would it be better to go to a school like TX State that would give generous scholarship of Undergrad studies or a school like UT Austin and pay in-state tuition with limited to no scholarship?
What’s your class rank? Important information for in-state students in Texas. Your chances at the ivy’s are non-existent right now. You need to retake the SAT and score significantly better, or take the ACT.
Your chances at Ivy League right now are practically zero. To begin with ivies are reaches for just about everyone even those with perfect or near perfect test grades and GPAs, so naturally the lower your score and GPA the lower your chances. Honestly if you can get into UT Austin for which you’re in state I would go there cheaper tuition and it’s a good school and you’d save money that you could use for grad school should that be of interest to you.
gpa below 3.85 = no chance
^Completely disagree with the above poster. A slightly low GPA can be compensated by stellar essays and extracurriculars or awards. However, a 1900 SAT is very low for the Ivy League. Focus on getting that score up.
If you could get a 33-34 ACT or 1450+ SAT and liked Columbia enough to ED (which comes with a slight legacy bump), I think you’d probably average chance at Columbia, which is still not great. At the moment, both the 3.58 and the 1950 are strongly working against you. Also, it sounds like you might have grade inflation, so rank would help us work out just where you stand with the 3.58.
Here’s your problem. The idea that being a leader, member, or founder of 17 clubs will get you into college is a myth, but for these things to matter at all you need to clear the academic hurdle. Usually, students accepted to these schools are in the top 10% of their class at the very least, and more often the top 2-3% (except at “feeder” schools where 25% of the class heads to elite colleges). If you’re below-average among your school’s AP students, clearing the academic hurdle will be difficult, especially when a university has its pick of 20,000 or 30,000 students with better grades and scores.
You said it yourself: you’re an average student. Ivies aren’t looking for average students. They’re looking for the above and beyond. Your SAT score is too low, as well as your GPA. If you had a higher GPA, you could get away with a ~2150 on your SATs (old one, not sure what ranges schools want with the new). But since your GPA is low, you need at least a 2250 to have a good chance. A better option for you is either a private, non-Ivy school (a Baylor type), or UT Austin. If you can’t compete with the top of your high school class, you won’t be able to handle the rigors of an Ivy, and won’t be admitted.
Would I get into schools like UCLA or NYU?
Why does CC place so much emphasis on SAT? Many from our school (I am an international) have gotten into ivies and stanford with 2000-2100 SAT. During our collegefairs (where ivies are usually present) many representatives say that in internationals, the most important thing is to get 700+ on the math section.
@t00nc0wn I’d say probably not. You need to add some safeties. There’s a decent chance you won’t get in to UT Austin with your current stats. Being outside of the top 7-8% of your high school, in combination with your SAT, might kill your chances there.
I’m not a senior member or anything like that. But based on statistics (Gpa and sat) your chances aren’t that great. However, that really isn’t all that matters. Consider taking the SAT again with a little practice (If you have it in your area and you have money for it, I would recommend Sylvan as I was able to score on the New SAT in the 700s in math and 600s in Reading. If not, try Khan Academy) but don’t focus on it. Instead, I would focus on crafting the best essays you can because I’ve seen on CC and friends from school that have similar stats write spectacular essays and get in. Ask anyone even remotely qualified to read your essays. Actually, just ask anyone. Even ask your friends to tell you if your essay SOUNDS like you. Do NOT listen to the people saying that you have no chance. Although I would include a couple safety schools, because you never know what could happen, don’t give up. Another thing I would consider looking at is “how to get into Harvard and the Ivy League by a Harvard alum” from Prep Scholar (sorry I didn’t include a link, I’m on my phone and lazy). Just look that article name up along with “prep scholar.” Although a lot of the things listed there are a little too late, I feel it could still help you.