Ivy League?

I want to go to either Columbia or Cornell but I really blew it in middle school but have been getting good grades this past year but I blew freshman year as well. My grades are phenomenal this year. I want to set my goals high and go to one of these schools but I am so afraid I am too dumb, because I am not an honors student. I will be next year though (hence my good grades). I know I can do very well. There was this kid who went to my school a few years ago and applied to an ivy league and got denied. He went to the best community college in the state and got straight A's, then applied again and got accepted with flying colors. I do not think he had a perfect GPA or a lot of extracurriculars either, he just busted his butt which is what I am doing. do you think I have a chance or should I aim lower? I want to push myself to the limit and get the best grades I can.

Ivy League?
So there are a lot of factors involved in being admitted to an ivy league school...





Grades aren't everything. That said, they should be decent. 3.5+ at the least. Taking harder classes and getting lower grades trumps taking easier classes and getting higher grades. So take the hardest class you can get at least a "B" in.





Test scores are big--start preparing now if you think you need to prepare.





But the biggest things are extracurricular involvement (esp community service), interviews, recommendation letters, and your essays. These things need to be stellar for you to have a chance to be admitted. Start working on the extracurriculars now--schools won't mind if you wait until sophomore year, but waiting until you're a senior looks bad. Make sure your teachers notice and like you. VOLUNTEER. Especially during the summer. Worry about everything else later.
Reply:why should top schools like Columbia and Cornell pick you over thousands of other perfect students who take AP/IB classes and do so many EC activities?





if you don't have a good reason,


you don't have a chance


sorry =/
Reply:yes you can do it.