Unique situation.... Where should I apply??

College Search & Lists
1

Hello everyone!
So I am currently a high school junior (female,asian) and I am in a very unique situation.
I really want to go to a top school, but I’m not so sure if I have good chances anymore…
I went to a competitive public school in my freshman and sophomore years, but then I switched schools to a private school this year.
I’m a figure skater with pretty good competition results, and I’m active in the figure skating community. however, I’m pretty sure no colleges do athletic recruits for skaters…

My GPA is screwed up, because at my public school it was easier to get an A, but I was lazy. However if I had approached my courses with the same vigor I do now then I probably would have gotten better grades…
Freshman year: all A’s, except for A-, b+, in precalc, and a b+ in health (yeah… I know)
Sophomore year: all A’s, except for a b+ in AP Calc ab and an A- in english honors
Junior year: At the new school i’m at grades are done in semesters instead of quarters, and it’s finals soon but I currently have all A’s except A-'s in Ap bio, ap chem, ap english, which are really important classes… :frowning:
I took one AP in freshman year, 4 in sophomore year, and I’m taking 5 this year.
I don’t know my PSAT score as it hasn’t come back yet.
EC’s: state science fair, science competitions (which is why I feel that getting an a- on my report card for sciences will look bad)
I’m currently doing a volunteer project thru my new school.
I don’t know what I want to major in yet but maybe premed.
The problem is, is that I feel like my GPA and my school transfer are going to look super super negative to colleges, especially Ivies, etc. where admission is already almost impossible. I know the goal of life isn’t to get into an ivy, but still… is there any hope for even getting a merit scholarship to schools like Boston college, northeastern, etc. if my grades are crap? and do you think I still have a chance for getting into duke, dartmouth, princeton, etc? My stats are quite weak if i do say so myself…

2

Your grades aren’t crap. You got a couple B’s, sure, so you don’t have a 4.0. You’ve still done fantastically well in school and will be able to go to a great college, if I do say so myself. You also have an upward trend, so that should look good.

3

Colleges with active skating clubs may in fact regard your application with extra interest. Try, “Colleges With Intercollegiate Skating Clubs / US Figure Skating.” This is a good resource in any event if you would like to continue with your sport.

4

There are many colleges with strong figure skating teams/clubs (Dartmouth, Boston College, BU, etc.) that compete nationally. Contact the coaches at the schools you are interested in from this list and see what you can find out.

http://www.usfsa.org/Programs.asp?id=86

5

Re #3, I’ve found that source to be incomplete. They seem to emphasize “registration” rather than full information.

6

@DetroitLeper If I get 5’s on my AP tests and good scores on SAT Subject tests for the subjects I got B’s in, would that make up for the not-as-good GPA?
Thanks :slight_smile:

7

Your GPA is fine. A-'s are excellent grades. You don’t have any grades below a B+, and you only have 3 of those. By no stretch of the imagination is your GPA “weak” or “crap.” It is very good.

Seriously, stop worrying about this.

8

You need to get a grip. A few B+ grades do not require remedial action at even a super-selective college. They admit many student with less than 4.0s (and reject a great many with 4.0s because that isn’t what’s important in the admissions process anywhere.) If your college essays are going to include ‘explanations’ for these ‘crap grades,’ you aren’t going to impress them with your maturity, resilience and sense of perspective.