Ivy Leagues?

Hi!


I'm a high school sophomore at a public school who regularly dreams of going to an Ivy League school. However, I'm really afraid I don't have what it takes to get to the top. Care to give me some input?





These are my grades for this semester:





0- AP Calc- B


1-PE- A


2-English II Honors-A


3-Chem Honors- A


4-AP Euro- A


5-Journalism 1-A


6- Spanish II Honors- A





current gpa: 4.1





I KNOW that math is an important subject but it's just so hard!


In addition,


I am on Mock Trial, MUN, and Poetry Club.


I don't play any sports and my community service is


pathetically low.


Despite this, do you think I have some teeny tiny, laughable chance of making it to an Ivy?





If it helps, I want to study either law or journalism.


Thanks! :)

Ivy Leagues?
You have a wonderful list of achievements there. You're also a top caliber student. Most sophomores I know don't take AP Calculus. Your grades are excellent. Your low level of community services wouldn't hold you back too much as long as your grades and level of school involvement remain high. keep up the good work and study hard for the SAT or ACT. You'll need a score of 2200/2400 and 32/36 respectively to be competitive. Otherwise, you're doing great! Keep it up and good luck
Reply:You might make pre law, especiall if you score over 2000 on the SAT.





USC only expects a 4.07, but they do expect 1900-2100 on the SAT





Harvard rejected 1200 students with perfect (2400) SAT scores last year.
Reply:I know this isn't the answer you want, and I actually have no idea of your chances, but I think it's worth thinking about schools other than the Ivies. Most high-level colleges/universities have programs equal to those at the Ivy Leagues, and Ivy league schools are very competitive, socially--grades-wise and such.





Also, in the case that you *aren't* at the same level as the kind of crazy overachievers who go to Ivy leagues, it's much better to go to a school that's matched with you academically and socially, than to finally get into your top-level "reach" school after being waitlisted, only to suffer academically. NOT that that would happen, just bringing it up.





You can check out the schools' profiles on collegeboard.com and see the average gpa, sat scores, etc. of students who attend, which might give you some idea of your chances, though it might be kind of early to tell.





Anyway, personally I decided to apply to schools with a focus on learning, a community atmosphere, personal attention and professors who care. I want to go to college to learn, grow, enhance my life, but everyone has a different idea of what college should be, so go ahead and do what you want.





You're on the right track to get into many many good schools, though, I'd guess.
Reply:Everyone who applies to the ivy league has great grades and decent SAT's. What it really comes down to is you extracurriculars. Get really involved in a few clubs, become an officer and dedicate some serious time to them. Also, community service is a very easy thing to get involved in that they like to see.
Reply:I honestly think you have it made. If you're a sophmore and you're taking Calc and Chem Honors, IM SO JEALOUS OF YOU! but what's really important is the MONEY. Ivy Leagues are really expensive. Good luck. SAT scores really count too.
Reply:Your grades look fine to me this semester, and your GPA looks OK too, but what is the curve or GPA distribution like at your school? Are you in the top 10%? Top 25%? etc.. Because high schools' grading scales vary a lot, colleges look at class rank.





Colleges don't care about your PE grade generally.





But you're taking a lot of honors and AP classes, which is great. And you're taking APs as a sophomore, which is fantastic!





Colleges like to see you challenge yourself by taking hard courses; one of the downsides of taking hard courses is that you may get a B sometimes. But as long as you're not getting tons of Bs, and you're not getting Cs, it's still good to take the hardest classes you can handle (and get mostly As in).





I think it's fine to get a B once in a while. I got a few B's in high school. I hated math, too! And got several B's in it. But I worked hard and did the best I could. I got A's in English and history and most of the other subjects. And I still got into almost all of the Ivies that I applied to for college.





Does your school have A+ grades? Or is A the top grade? Because your grades this semester look great to me. What were your grades in previous years like?





If you have good recommendations, a good essay, and an SAT score in the top 10%-20%, I would say that you have a good shot at the less selective Ivies (Penn, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth) and a chance, though less of a chance, at the more selective Ivies (Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia).





As a side note, remember that in the U.S., we don't actually study law in college. Instead, you have to first get a bachelor's degree, and then go to law school.





So you should first decide what you want to major in in college, for your bachelor's degree. The most popular majors for students planning to go to law school are political science, economics, and history. But you can major in whatever you want, even mathematics, or chemistry, or music! Unlike medical school, law schools don't really care what you majored in. (But I don't recommend majoring in "pre-law" or "criminal justice" if you go to a school that has these programs, as they are usually gimmicks and are not well respected by law schools. The Ivies, and other top colleges, do not have these majors.)





NOTE 1: The guy below who says "the B is going to keep you out" is talking out of his ***. He claims to be "the only Ivy League guy answering this question," but he is not. He is just trying to diss the other respondents.





NOTE 2: I'm afraid I also disagree a little with the Penn student below. Extracurriculars and leadership are important--definitely. But I don't think they are more important than grades and SATs. Not everyone who applies to Ivies has high grades AND SATs (e.g. some have just one or the other), and even among the high grades/scores, there is still a range of "how high," which colleges do care about.
Reply:That B is going to keep you out. I am sorry to burst your bubble. There is always a good community college to attend





You know..I am probably the ONLY IVY LEAGUE guy answering this dumb question and people hate my answer!!!!! This kid has great grades and is worried? I'm not sure he could handle the pressure of an IVY!!!!