How do I improve for collegesAnswered
Hi! This may be a dumb question but how do I improve for college. I have a 3.98 GPA and most of the time, my GPA and extra-curriculars are labeled "Above average" when I compare them, but my chances are still low. How do I make my chances better and how can I improve my GPA and extracurricular activities to move up the strength pyramid?
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2 answers
Hi Bee192! No dumb questions here! I'm a senior and a ton of my peers are wondering the same thing.
In my opinion, there's no need to stress about improving your GPA and extracurriculars—a 3.98 rounds to a 4.0 on some applications, so you're already in the highest echelon of students who will be applying Just make sure you're getting the best grades you can so your GPA stays at this level and that your class rank doesn't drop (if your school does it/your intended schools consider it). Not to mention, if your extracurriculars are already "above average" for College Vine, there's really no need to work on them more—you've already solidified this part of your resume.
If you're looking at highly selective schools such as Ivy Leagues, then your visible chances will always be low, but this is because they haven't read your application yet. While academics and extracurriculars are extremely important, so is who you are as a person, and College Vine doesn't know that—only what you've done.
To work on solidifying your academic character, I'd work hard on scoring really high on your ACT and SAT so you have good scores to submit when the time comes, and when you're writing your Common App Essay and your supplementals for the colleges you'll be applying to, make sure that they reflect you as a person to the best of your ability. Don't forget to use the peer review section here on College Vine for your essay and supplementals.
I hope this helps! >:)
I 100% agree with the previous response on this thread (I am also a senior)! Most schools use a holistic process that focuses very highly on essays and extracurriculars. Use your essay as a space to really let your personality shine - who are you behind the grades & the resume? Schools want to know what you can add to the campus community.
The chancing is just that-chancing. In the end, it won't evaluate everything exactly like admissions officers will, because different schools weight things differently. Little things like what major you are applying for will influence the decision, and those aren't always things that CollegeVine can take into account (based on the statistical nature of the tool).
Overall, my biggest advice is don't stress too much. Enjoy life, do things you are passionate about, and the rest will fall into place. You are in a great spot with your GPA, and if your test scores are similar, you will be just fine on the academic side. Utilize free editing for your essay (my school has a student-led writing center, CollegeVine also has a free peer review function.) You've got this!
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Thank you so much! Not only does this help academically but this also helps me emotionally. Thank you for being so supportive towards me :)