What are my chances of getting into an ivy league college?

Question

I am a sophomore in high school, and have a 3.44 GPA (3.55 weighted). I didn't really try or study for the PSAT, but I did pretty good, or above average (165). I have only taken one honors class. I played frosh and jv football, but probably not going to play next year. I also do track. I am also officer in a club. I have done about 50 community service hours. I will probably take a couple AP classes next year, and an honors. Princetonreview.com said I am a 100 % "good match" for schools like Dartmouth, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, etc. Is this information accurate? If it is not, could you please recommend a college? I am a very driven, maybe insecure, type of guy. I am also pretty friendly. But some people don't really like me. Oh, ya, I'm also Hispanic and live near Los Angeles, CA. Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

wow-- forget it. sorry to ruin your day, but it's true. A 3.44 is no way gonna cut it, and judging from your PSAT score, it looks like you're not gonna make above a 1900 tops on your SAT.

Let's put this in perspective. I applied to plenty of Ivies/Ivy Equivalents. I had a 4.0 GPA, unweighted, community service, business experience, 2100 SAT score. I was turned down from EVERY Ivy I applied to.

Now, that said, some students like you can get into Ivies, but you need to write a stellar college essay. I mean stellar. I wrote a damn good one and was turned down, so I don't know about you... Also, people who say that the SAT is not as important as you think are BS-ing. I know this for a fact because I have asked ex-college admissions officers what they think about the SAT, and they all gave me half-assed answers about how it is important, but you should still keep your hopes up if you didn't do well on it etc. Basically, they were all waffling, so it was blatant that they care a lot (unfortunately, I personally think that it is a very, very stupid test).

Also, don't trust the princeton review, I took one of their prep courses, in which they guaranteed my score would be raised-- my score fell by 100 points.

Don't be disheartened though (I subconsciously knew that despite the fact I am good enough for the Ivy League, I was lacking in certain areas statistically and I wasn't gonna get in), there are some very good schools you can go to with your high school credentials. University of Washington, Seattle is a great school-- you should get in no problem. Other places I would recommend-- Boston College, Tulane (basically, most places that are ranked outside the top 30 or 40 schools in the US according to US News and World report). You should be able to get into places with an acceptance rate of around 50%.

Finally, I just want to say that if you don't mind leaving the US, I would highly consider my current university, McGill University. They have a preference for recruiting American Students, are ranked number 21 in the world according the the London Times world ranking (and is undisputedly number one in Canada, often called the "Harvard of Canada", a McGill degree will pretty much guarantee you a job in the US), the academics are great (trust me, I was disheartened when I first came here because I was turned down from the Ivies and had to settle for a "lower" school, but this place is no joke-- the academics are tough, and unlike the Ivies, we do not have grade inflation, so we actually have to work for our grades), the social scene is awesome (there are people from all over the world here, it is practically impossible not to find a niche to fit into-- if you like partying, you'll find your folks, if you're more quiet, you'll find your folks, and if you're somewhere in between, you'll find your folks), tuition is cheap (about $15,000 for international student, or basically, 1/3 the cost of Harvard), and living in downtown Montreal rocks!

All I'm saying with respect to the Ivies is to be realistic-- don't get your hopes up on a long shot and then be really pissed off later on when rejection letters coming flying through the mail (as happened to me)! The college board website has the average GPA/SAT scores and acceptance rates of just about every US institution (and even McGill) written down, so it's a good way to gauge the probability of you getting into a particular institution. If you need any more help/info about McGill, feel free to drop me an email-- I'm really here to help. (by the way, McGill was initially an afterthought for me, but I am really glad I am here now-- also, the application process is soooo easy: no essay to write, no recommendations needed either).

Answer 2

If I were you, I would think more about USC or UCLA. That line.."But some people don't really like me." gives me a shiver about your personality for an Ivy League school.

No real bad reflection on your personality but most Ivy Leaguers have high priced prestigious prep school credentials before they seek admission to one of I L schools. From what you indicate by the remark, you would feel even more out of the main stream if you went to an I L without having had prep school experience.

Hey, Dude...The schools in California are just as good and the weather is a damn sight better than those Ivy League factories of academia.

Answer 3

I think you have a pretty good chance. You can do what my friend did. See, her parents didn't want her to go away to college to faraway too soon. So she attended a junior college for 2 years and then transferred to her top choice ivy league college. But, if you don't want to do that then maybe you could bring your GPA up a little.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Your grades are good, but your extracurricular activities will help you out a lot. Maintain those grades - I am a senior and I didn't really try very hard in my freshman and sophomore years. I regret it every day, because it brought my cumulative GPA down and now I have had to spend my upperclassmen years trying to balance it out. Good luck man, hope you get in to what ever college you want. Peace

Answer 5

Im sorry, but I think you should try to take more higher level classes and take all the AP classes you can take, colleges love that. But for an Ivy your grades seem a bit on the lower side to me.

Answer 6

Unless you have a relative who went to the Ivy League School, or you are a minority, your chances are zero to none.

You might try UCLA.

Sorry, but that is the way I see it. Good luck.

Answer 7

"Good match" on Princetonreview.com means that what they have to offer matches your preferences in a college, not actually that you match their criteria.