Hi! I’m a junior and I need to know if my grades are competitive enough for Ivies, Rice, UT Austin, Northeastern, Stanford, and MIT. I already have some alright extracurriculars. I co-started a nonprofit about teaching kids science and we’ve raised over $1500 and I’m building 2 apps + sourcing funding. I have some other pretty ok extracurriculars including being vp of my class and I am submitting a research project in bioengineering.
I have studied very hard but my grades are lacking very much in my opinion. I’ve received 2 Bs so far and I’m so done with everything. My school doesn’t account for A-minuses and I just feel mediocre because I’ve been getting A-minuses every year. With that said, here are my grades:
The first grade is the first semester. The second grade is the second semester. And my school doesn’t let freshmen take any APs and sophomores are only allowed one AP (WHAP) except if you are in a higher language. Also, theology classes are required.
11
AP US History: 90
Theology 3: 100
AP Chemistry: 84 (I was sick a lot during first semester and missed 5 classes including having to take a much harder version of a quiz that dropped by grade from an a to a flat B. My teacher told me she would drop our lowest quiz grade but ended deciding against that. We had only a few quiz grades this semester which are weighted 40%).
Honors Precalculus: 95
AP English Language: 96
AP Physics 1: 95
Advanced Spanish: 96
10
Honors Chemistry: 90 91
AP World History: 90 97 5
Spanish 2: 98 96
Visual Arts: 100
Theology 2: 98 99
Honors Algebra 2: 85 90
Into to Computer Science: 99
Honors English 2: 97 98
09
Honors Biology: 92 91
Freshman World History: 96
Spanish 1: 99 98
Art History 9: 96
Theology 1: 100 100
Geometry 9: 91 93
Honors English 1: 94 96
Speech Communications: 100
My plan is to get a 96 in AP Chemistry this semester so my GPA Numeric average (Based on numerical grades / determines class rank & top 6%) will be a 90. Honestly I don’t think it’ll be really impossible because AP Chem wasn’t hard for me exactly it was just my circumstances.
GPA: 4.4+
UWGPA: My school doesn’t do this but it would probably be around a 3.9 at the end of this semester.
PSAT: 1440
SAT: 1410 (Paper/first try & retaking in March) - Aiming for a 1500+
ACT: Taking in April
I’ve been really stressed out and worried because I’m really uncompetitive compared to my friends. With everything in mind, am I done for?
Don't panic; you are not done for. Keep doing your very best- you should not expect more than that from yourself. There are many factors considered on the application- not just GPA. All are important.
I wrote several posts you may appreciate, the first is simply encouragement, the 2nd tips for writing a killer essay, the 3rd about the DSAT!
collegevine.com/questions/49823/to-the-embarrassed-or-guilt-worn-student
collegevine.com/c/junior/49537/make-your-essay-stand-out
collegevine.com/c/junior/50784/first-usa-dsat-upcoming-plus-incredible-free-study-resources-i-love
You can do this! Also, please don't beat yourself up. Hold your head high and know that you are unique and will find YOUR best fit college. Just because prestigious schools work for others does not mean you will be happy there. Consider what will best prep/train you for your career, not the rank. There is so much more than being a perfect student!
Hope this helps and lmk if there is anything else I can do for you :)
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