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What's the chance of getting into a top college
I'm wondering how hard it is to get into a top college. I can do better if I try harder so that's why I wanna know. #UCLA #UCL #HARVARD
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Ethan’s Answer
Hi Raymond,
Good grades are always a plus for the college admissions process. But honestly nowadays its mostly your GPA compared to students within your school or general area. This is why standardized testing is usually one of the determining factors, that being said schools, even the top ones, take students with scores in a wide variety of ranges, and why the number of students ACT scores of 31, 32, 33 ect are pretty uniform at almost every school. Because the difference between something like a 34-35-36 is a matter of a few questions most schools will just be impressed with a high score not necessarily a perfect one. Beyond that it usually comes down to how you pitch your extracurricular and write your essays. Honestly speaking, having average grades and phenomenal extracurricular and essays can help you more than having perfect scores and none of the other things. Having great scores with those activities only serves to help that.
All of this being said, colleges are looking for certain candidates at any given time. And rejection can simply happen as a function of admissions simply looking for someone else. Admission is never guaranteed but it can be definitely helped by the factors I stated above. I hope this helped to answer your question!
Good grades are always a plus for the college admissions process. But honestly nowadays its mostly your GPA compared to students within your school or general area. This is why standardized testing is usually one of the determining factors, that being said schools, even the top ones, take students with scores in a wide variety of ranges, and why the number of students ACT scores of 31, 32, 33 ect are pretty uniform at almost every school. Because the difference between something like a 34-35-36 is a matter of a few questions most schools will just be impressed with a high score not necessarily a perfect one. Beyond that it usually comes down to how you pitch your extracurricular and write your essays. Honestly speaking, having average grades and phenomenal extracurricular and essays can help you more than having perfect scores and none of the other things. Having great scores with those activities only serves to help that.
All of this being said, colleges are looking for certain candidates at any given time. And rejection can simply happen as a function of admissions simply looking for someone else. Admission is never guaranteed but it can be definitely helped by the factors I stated above. I hope this helped to answer your question!
Updated
Amy’s Answer
Raymond,
Start with what you might be interested in for a career, look at schools that are top in that major and then research what that school is looking for from applicants. This will usually include things like good grades, the level of difficulty of classes you have taken, and the extra curricular activities you have participated in. Most colleges are looking for a "well rounded" student that is capable of doing more than just getting great grades and is active in their community. Getting into a top college might not be easy, but it is possible if you are truly committed to doing the work.
Start with what you might be interested in for a career, look at schools that are top in that major and then research what that school is looking for from applicants. This will usually include things like good grades, the level of difficulty of classes you have taken, and the extra curricular activities you have participated in. Most colleges are looking for a "well rounded" student that is capable of doing more than just getting great grades and is active in their community. Getting into a top college might not be easy, but it is possible if you are truly committed to doing the work.