I just wanted to take this opportunity to remind all the gpa-SAT score obsessed students on CC that contrary to popular belief, a 4.0 and a 2400 is NOT what you need to get into college.
So many students on here panic- is my SAT score high enough? Is my gpa high enough? Will Spanish AP look better, or Economics AP?
At least, according to my theory, none of that really matters at all. Yes, you do want to get the best SAT score you can, and of course, it is expected that you work as hard as you can in high school to take the most challenging courses you can, but if you let these things consume your life, you are going to feel as if you missed out on so many better things that you could have done with your time.
The reason I say this is because as a girl who worked very hard in high school but had to face several B’s on her report card (despite the tremendous amount of effort I put into school) and a pretty mediocre SAT score, I still got into Upenn, my dream school. I got in because of my intense passion for medicine and dance, which literally dripped from my application in vigor. My love for these two things are what allowed the admissions officers to understand that I would be successful there, despite my less than perfect gpa and SAT, and I even received a personal letter from the dean about how much they loved my application. That is because I spent my time dedicating 14 or more hours a week to ballet, in addition to several science extra curriculars and such. My essays, ECs, stellar interview, and recommendations all proved this.
I hope you all take advantage of high school to learn what your passions are, rather than just revolve your life around grades. You will be much more successful in the long run, I promise!
Thank you so much for this post. It took off a lot of stress reading this (especially as a Junior, I’ve been so miserable with my course load and the fact that I am graduating with a less than perfect GPA). Is there a way you could take a look at my most recent question and see if you could college chance me? I know that it’s a massive post, so don’t feel obligated to read it at all, but it would mean so much to me, especially since UPenn is one of my top choices for college. Congrats on Penn!! 
[url=<a href=“http://l.wbx.me/l/?p=1&instId=3a02c916-1f80-43f8-9e2e-493aad2c9981&token=f51fd5e812283dd74aad76dd96bf785fd808052b0000012f43f43fa3&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftalk.collegeconfidential.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1112916]http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1112916[/url”>http://l.wbx.me/l/?p=1&instId=3a02c916-1f80-43f8-9e2e-493aad2c9981&token=f51fd5e812283dd74aad76dd96bf785fd808052b0000012f43f43fa3&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftalk.collegeconfidential.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1112916]http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1112916[/url</a>]
^ link for my post haha. if you want to that is!
Aside from that, any recommendations or tips that you want to tell us juniors who make checking college confidential a religion? (haha no, not me… at all… lol maybe.)
oops! wrong link!!
[What</a> are my chances for these schools? (High SATs and incredibly low GPA) - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1127221&referrerid=383840]What”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1127221&referrerid=383840)
that’s the right one… i hope haha
Get a high SAT score and GPA, only to get rejected!
Sorry if I’m being a sour grape…
I’m a STROOOONG proponent of this thought when it comes to admissions.
While many people may disagree with me, I really believe that after a certain score threshold, SATs don’t really matter. Yea, someone with a 2300 will be better considered than a student with a 1900, but honestly, when it comes down to it, an extra 50 or 60 points WON’T MATTER in the grand scheme of things. Especially because while improving your score may increase your chances by the tiniest little bit, getting that 2400 still isn’t going to guarantee you admission.
I personally barely broke 2000, (2060) and had an unweighted GPA of a 3.8, and still got into a few ivies and my #1 choice. (USC, but that’s not saying much, haha.) It just really makes me pity some kids who take the SAT four, five, or even six times just so they can get 20 more points on this section, or 50 more points overall. The SAT is only a piece of you application, so your time stressing over your scores could be better spent elsewhere.
^That’s not a thought, that’s true. Once you break 2100, there’s not much of a difference.
ECs, recs, and essays actually, in the Ivies, make all the difference because nearly everyone has top grades and scores.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but my mother, a bit confused that I wanted to retake a 2100+, asked the admission officer at a top college if an increase of 50-60 points or so would really make a difference. The admissions guy replied that yes, it could, and it never hurt to try to increase your score so long as you weren’t retaking for the 10th time.
I’m not saying you can’t get in with a 2000, but just that it’s worth it to retake once or twice (no more, though) to see if you can manage to bump your SAT up a bit.
higher grades + SAT are better than lower grades + SAT
You CAN get into a big school without amazing grades and SATs but you have a BETTER CHANCE of getting in with amazing grades and SATs
“big” school? What about “little” schools like Amherst/Williams/Swarthmore/Wellesley? The title makes me chuckle a bit, although I know what you mean.
Mind if I ask if you are an American born citizen with two parents, and no special application or “card”?
I am stunned at how many Americans are being rejected regardless of qualifications per National merit tests, GPA, athletics and civic service.<br>
Actually, I am staggering.
Can you get in with a lower score and a lower GPA? Sure. But your chances increase with your scores and GPA. The threshold argument–especially when the threshold is as relatively low as 2100–doesn’t hold any water in practice.
@tennis66: it’s EASIER if you’re an American citizen to get into “big” universities, not harder.
Internationals applying for financial aid are on the bottom of the totem pole.