-- Posted by dancetillyadrop at 9:36 am on July 5, 2009 When I first started high school, the school I came from tried to make me look stupid when I was in Elementary School by telling my parents that I had problems when in math and reading, when I had all A's. My mom knew that this was crap and argued with them, but they still put me in the group that got tutored. So, ever since that happened(Third grade) I didn't really care about school because I thought I was stupid. My Freshman year, I was in all regular classes, but I still felt whatever about school, and I proceeded to get A's, B's, C's, and 1 D. The D is what got me. I knew I was better and smarter than that, so this past year, my Sophomore year, I worked exceptionally hard to get my grades up, and I managed to get my GPA from a 2.1 to a 3.5. I am planning on working even harder this coming school year to get all A's and to get my GPA up to a 4.0 or higher. I passed the Ohio Graduation Test with flying colors and I'm planning on buying books to study for the ACT and SAT. Now to the point: If I score high on the ACT and SAT, have a 4.0+(without any AP classes - my guidance councilor wont let me even test for AP classes) is there a chance I could get into an Ivy League school? Or should I just try to get into a good private school? -- Posted by Amin mele lle at 9:37 am on July 5, 2009 Sure, there may be a chance. Why not try? -- Posted by nousakan at 9:44 am on July 5, 2009 Don't forget extra curricular activities.  They are what set you apart from the others, cuz every person that applies to an ivy has a high GPA -- Posted by greatescape at 9:45 am on July 5, 2009 Aim for a good private school -- Posted by Just Waiting Here at 9:47 am on July 5, 2009 You can get into one, it's possible.  They do look at improvement in your highschool records.  And since you suddenly turned around and improved, it can reflect nicely on you. If you get the opportunity when writing your application essay, you may be able to write about how tracking affected you (just in case, tracking is basically the process where they split students up into different levels (like how you were placed in tutoring as opposed to something like honors)).  And certain colleges like to see how you've "overcome adversity", so you can also mention something along the lines of this story. That's my opinion anyway... either way, you do have a chance.  Just remember, having the marks won't get you into IVY league necessarily.  EVERYONE applying to IVY league will have high marks.  So you really have to consider you extracurriculars as well (Sports, clubs, leadership roles, jobs, etc).  Because those are some of the things that can really help set you apart. -- Posted by dancetillyadrop at 9:49 am on July 5, 2009 Quote: from nousakan at 9:44 am on July 5, 2009 Don't forget extra curricular activities.  They are what set you apart from the others, cuz every person that applies to an ivy has a high GPA Taken care of.   Spanish Club Newspaper Danceline Faith and Reason Club and next year Future Business Leaders Of America Plus I have done some community service And I'll have a job soon -- Posted by nousakan at 9:53 am on July 5, 2009 Quote: from dancetillyadrop at 12:49 pm on July 5, 2009 Quote: from nousakan at 9:44 am on July 5, 2009 Don't forget extra curricular activities. They are what set you apart from the others, cuz every person that applies to an ivy has a high GPA   Taken care of. Spanish Club Newspaper Danceline Faith and Reason Club and next year Future Business Leaders Of America Plus I have done some community service And I'll have a job soon Wow, lol ok. No offense but where does the "me" time come in. -- Posted by Feminawesome at 9:59 am on July 5, 2009 If you don't have any APs and your weighted GPA is below a 4.5 (if you're on a 5.0 scale), the odds aren't very good, but you might as well apply because you never know, you could get really lucky! :) But don't apply only to Ivies, either. Try Cornell and Brown... Of the Ivies they are the ones that look the most at things other than grades. Also, there are the Seven Sisters. You may not be interested in women's colleges, I don't know, but they are the female version of the Ivies. They are excellent institutions but much less competitive to get into because a lot of women don't want to go to single-sex schools. The remaining Sisters are Bryn Mawr, Barnard, Wellesely, Mt Holyoke, and Smith... Vassar is still around but it's Co-ed. You could also look at schools that aren't Ivies but have really good reputations, like Haverford, Amherst, Williams, and Carleton. But many of those schools are just as competitive. Some schools that are very good but not as competitive are Reed, Oberlin, and Macalester (sp?). Good luck! -- Posted by newmie66 at 11:17 am on July 5, 2009 Quote: from nousakan at 9:44 am on July 5, 2009 Don't forget extra curricular activities. They are what set you apart from the others, cuz every person that applies to an ivy has a high GPA This is completely true. Even if you don't feel like you're that strong academically, try to emphasize the other aspects of your application.