What are my chances of getting into Columbia or Stanford?

Question

I am a sophomore in a private catholic high school. I take all honors courses and am going to take AP and college courses junior year. My GPA is 3.7. I am 58 out of 446 in my class. My PSAT score was 1470. I am in advanced orchestra and have competed in NYSSMA since the fifth grade and have gotten a perfect score every year i went. I am also running for vp or secretary. I am in the spanish club, science club, student council, volunteer club, and spring track. Plus I am hispanic. Does that help?

I know it might be to early to tell.

Answer 1

You are on the right track. If you continue to perform as you have, your AP classes will bring your GPA up above 4.0. Your PSAT scores put you on a 2200/2400 target -- or better. All of this makes you average for the incoming classes at the very best schools.

I suspect that you will get into some top schools. However, many qualified students get turned down at these schools, too. There was an article in yesterday's paper about how tough it is to get into the top schools this year. Harvard turned down over 1100 people who had perfect Math SAT scores -- and hundreds who were valedictorians.

Your chances are probably better at Columbia than Stanford. You should apply to several other top schools as well. You will get into some of them.

Answer 2

It's *definitely* too early to tell --
hispanic actually helps a bit because schools are always looking for ways to "diversify" their student body.

You probably can't get into a school like those you mentioned if you're not in the top 10% of your class - so keep pushin... but anything you might think you want in a college will probably change over the next two years anyways --- (reputation isn't everything, for sure, you have to decide based on where you'll be comfortable)...

But also, a good general rule is that colleges' acceptance methods are wierd -- they're unpredictable for the most part -- and chances are you'll be surprised when you start getting into that process.
I've known many admissions officers and I always hear about the typical 4.0 student with 12 extracarriculars and great letters who just isn't admitted because they're looking to round out their student body with students of other sorts...


just keep working hard and keep an open mind, and good luck!

Answer 3

You're on the right track, but keep in mind that these schools, which are among the elite in the world, reject perfectly qualified candidates. They get so many applications from students with great grades, great SATs, lots of extracurriculars, that they end up rejecting highly promising students.

So, what makes them accept one good student, and not another? Often, it's down to the uniqueness of the student. What about you is special? It can be as simple as the fact that you're really devoted to working with an AIDS charity, or very good at science, or you work with Latino immigrants in your area (with your knowledge of Spanish, that'd be a great one), or do work with your church - it doesn't have to mean that you are super talented in any one area, but that you have a strong interest in something, which you have proven via your volunteer work, or the clubs that you've joined, or whatever.

In your first years of high school, experiment a lot. Join clubs, try sports, etc. But when you start your junior year, see if there isn't a special interest that you've developed. You don't have to be great at it, but see if there isn't something that you can put the focus of your activities on. You don't have to drop your other activities, if you still like them - but just see if you can find something that you really like, and that you can do some extra work in. It can be anything - I leave that to you. But keep this idea in the back of your mind, and it will make you a stronger candidate at a lot of these schools.

Also, when you start looking into schools, do look at the elite schools that you like, but also pick a couple of... you could call them "back up" schools, but make sure that they are great schools that you really like. Because again, Harvard only admits about 8% of the students who apply. That means that they reject thousands of highly qualified students. You may get in. But if you don't, you want to have options that will also make you happy.

Answer 4

You are certainty on the right track. Good job! Just take as many Aps as you can and try to maintain 3.9 GPA for the 10th and 11th grade. I also recommend starting to write your application essays. I know it is a early, but the earlier you start, the better they will be; you will have more time to revise them. Good luck in everything! I hope you get in!

Answer 5

I don't think your GPA is high enough and you are in the 86% of your class. Top schools look for top 10%.

Answer 6

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