I am a california resident, public high school, latino/asian, high income >650k, and have a 1510 sat and a 3.1 unweighted gpa for the entirety of highschool, with 13 total AP courses and maybe 6 honors. I have a very severe upwards trend that started my junior year, with 5 APs and 1 Honors course, and I performed decently with a 3.66 UW gpa and a 4.66 W gpa (for that year). This year, I am taking 5 more AP classes, including Calculus BC, Computer Science A, Statistics, Econ, Government, and AP English Literature. So far, I have a 4.0 uw and a 4.83 w for the year. I do have a few economics related extracurriculars, rowed crew for the entirety of highschool though I am not recruit material. I would love to go to Dartmouth, have researched the school intensely, however I do feel that my freshman and sophomore year grades are not going to go unnoticed any may make my ED application a shot to nowhere. Would love to hear thoughts on my situation and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
If you’d love to attend Dartmouth and it’s your #1 choice (have you been?), then why not.
Will you get in ?
I’m not an adcom but my guess is you are nowhere near admissible.
Chances of an acceptance seem slim with a 3.1 GPA and no hooks. It is fine to apply – that way you will never have to wonder “what if.”
That said, be sure to create a well balanced application list with reach, match, and safety schools that you would be excited to attend.
What do you want to study? Econ?
No lab science senior year? What sciences have you taken?
If it were just a weak freshman year, that would be one thing. But with not leveling up until junior year, I’m afraid highly-rejective schools like Dartmouth aren’t going to see a reason to choose you over students who have shown consistency over multiple years of high school. Further, while you have taken a rigorous courseload, even your junior year unweighted GPA of 3.66 isn’t going to wow AO’s at schools like Dartmouth.
What is it about Dartmouth that you like so much? There are likely less-reachy schools that have those same attributes.
How about looking for someplace that has either a good club crew program where you could participate without being recruited, or a varsity team that welcomes walk-ons, and also someplace that has strong academics while still being a fit for your stats? One example would be SUNY Geneseo: Geneseo Crew Club | SUNY Geneseo Another would be Marist College Walking on Water: The Unique Role of Walk-Ons on Men's Rowing - Center Field On the west coast, Seattle U might fit: - ConnectSU These are all beautiful places to get out on the water, and have solid academics and potentially some similarities in “vibe” to Dartmouth.
All that said, there’s no harm in taking your shot at Dartmouth in the ED cycle, if there isn’t anywhere more realistic that you’d want to submit a binding application.
Your junior year grades are not at the level for Dartmouth, and stating a senior year gpa 2 weeks into September…
It is a thrown out application. Focus on realistic options which will meet your needs.
If you want to throw a Hail Mary application to Dartmouth, you can do that but your gpa is most likely too low for you to be admissible there unless you have some kind of hook. You might be better off reserving an ED application for a school where it might give you a little bump (if there is one) - also, you will want to show first half grades given your upward trajectory and ED applications are evaluated before those are available.
Please tell us why you think an application ED to Dartmouth is a good idea. Maybe we missed something in your OP.
Are there other colleges you also considered for an ED application?
It would be so unusual for someone with your grades to get accepted to a school like Dartmouth that, if it does happen, and you come back and post about it, most people wouldn’t believe you.
The good news is that, if you like small, rural colleges in New England, there is no shortage of options for you.
Seems that for a California resident student with an upward GPA trend, the UCs and CSUs would be worth a look:
- If 9th grade was particularly poor, then note that it is not included in GPA recalculations for UCs and CSUs (except CPSLO), although UC admission readers will see all grades in holistic review.
- The CC->UC/CSU transfer path is well used, and a student who started poorly in high school but became committed later could do much better in CC than in high school and therefore could have greater choice of UC and CSU admission offers as a junior transfer than they had as a frosh applicant. High school GPA is not considered for junior transfer admission at UCs and CSUs.
Your GPA is too low and the opportunity to apply ED is too valuable to waste. Nevertheless, if you can present a strong case for your candidacy and offer a compelling explanation for the low grades during the first two years of high school AND think that you will regret not applying, then do so, but be prepared with back-up schools.
I intend to apply as a Quantitative Social Science major, as most of my extracurriculars are quantitively based and my essay ties philosophy into behavioral economics. I have taken Chemistry H (A both semesters), Biology, (A both semesters), and AP Enviormental Science (A 1S, B+ 2S). I believe that I may have a shot at Dartmouth because I do have reasoning behind my poor grades in my earlier years of highschool, which was an extreme existential depression that I really did not know how to get out of. I mention this existential depression and how I got out of it in my essay, not in any sob story format but more in a way that demonstrates my growth intellectually. In addition, there is grade deflation at my school, for example in my AP Lang class during my junior year, nearly every single student, if not all, received a B both semesters. I was one of them, though I scored a 5 on the AP exam which has been regarded as one of the harder AP exams to score a 5 on. I am not trying to sound pretentious when I say this, but I did not study for that exam at all. I intend to go into a finance role, and that is what has drawn me to the slim possiblity of attending Dartmouth. An Ivy education would simply open many doors into the industry that a non-Ivy school could not. In addition, I have hated my years during highschool and the rural, close-knit vibe matched with the emphasis with outdoor physical activity seems extremely appealing to me.
Thank you for your insight. I have a pretty balanced list, though I would like to use my ED shot to maximize my chances at the best school I can possiblty get into. Of course, schools like HYPSM are out of reach, though I thought that certain schools may appreciate the upwards trend, extracurriculars, sat, essays, and LOR that I have all put a lot of time and effort into. Prior to my SAT, I was considering Boston College for early decision, though now with this SAT, I do wonder what is the highest I can realistically shoot for and not have my shot be a complete and utter waste.
My opinion…your 1510 SAT is not your problem. Your 3.1 unweighted GPA is.
Is your school counselor addressing your reason for lower grades your first two years of high school?
I think you should try elsewhere. A strong Sat can give you some honors college options, that may springboard you to where you want to go next.
I think the 3.1-3.5 would be a roadblock to Dartmouth. Don’t waste the early option.
If you want to go into finance, are schools like SMU and Fordham on your list? They would be worth looking into.
Here is my suggestion. If you apply anywhere ED, please also have get all of your RD and EA applications done as well. If you get accepted ED, you can withdraw any pending applications and acceptances.
I personally think this is a better plan than doing all the other applications after an ED rejection, should that be the case.
The CC to UC/CSU option seems perfect for your stats, since the SAT score is your biggest asset, and the California schools are test blind.
There are some east coast private schools that might like to have your 1510 in their stat bank, and since you are full pay they might overlook the low fr/soph GPA. You need to find a school and find a hook, so someone will overlook your GPA.
You say you want to do finance. Could you be a little more specific? What exactly do you want to do?
I rarely advocate for people to engage pricey private elite-college-oriented admissions counselors. Most often, I feel like students can do fine with the advice they can get on platforms like this, and perhaps an affordable coach/support person to help keep them on track.
You might be the exception. You can’t know what weight to give the advice you get here, because we’re anonymous people with no “skin in the game.” A professional counselor will not want to jeopardize their track record if they don’t think you’re a viable Ivy applicant; but if they see a path, they will give you all the guidance you need to make it happen. You can afford their services, and you’re the kind of student they are in the business of helping.
For one thing, they may tell you that your “existential depression” narrative could do more harm than good, potentially flagging you as a student at high risk of another mental health crisis; and they’ll guide you in how to frame what you have to say in a way that will avoid having it backfire.
They might also guide you toward a transitional year to make your application stronger. That could be either a well-planned gap year, so that you can apply with a strong senior year on the books, or an additional academic year, such as a PG year at a prep school or abroad. This would allow you to add more course rigor, like AP levels of core sciences, and higher levels of foreign language (which you haven’t mentioned at all). Either way, you’d have more time to “package” your application, more opportunity to show consistency, and simply more time to put your weaker start to high school behind you.
Regardless of the approach, a specialist in making elite admissions happen might really be worth the investment in your situation. Find someone whose advice you fully trust and let them guide you.
Would you consider a PG year? Admittedly I don’t know much about them but I have heard of people using a PG year to raise their GPA. Maybe someone who knows more about this option can weigh in.