So im about to be a Junior soon. I really screwed up my Freshman year taking all CP classes with not so great grades. I picked up my slack during my Sophomore year and now for my Junior year im taking AP Chem, AP Bio, AP US, AP Comprog, and Precalc Honors. Will colleges take into account that I picked up my slack? And if I do really well during my Junior year do I have a shot at a great college?
Colleges love seeing an upward trend with grades and course rigor. GPA and SAT/ACT are very important. Also, supplements and writing are extremely important for the schools that value them ie: Wake Forest, Emory, other competitive schools. Never overlook the writing for any school though, they ask you to write for a reason, they want to see how you think. Colleges will like that you have challenged yourself more as you moved up in the grades. Also, what do you mean by a “great college”?
Stanford is great for intellectual and techy/entrepreneurial people. UMD and Ohio State are great for academics, school spirit, big sporting events, and a variety of majors. Small schools are great for those who enjoy a more intimate environment.
By great I mean schools like MIT and etc. Basically schools with low acceptance rates.
Google Common Data Set and look at section C. Here is MIT’s
http://ir.mit.edu/cds-2019/#C
You’ll see what weight each attribute gets for admission. Grades and Rigor are important. Class Rank is Considered but you’ll also see that 97% of admits are in the top 10% of their class.
Reexamine your assumptions.
Why do you think “low acceptance rate”= “great”?