GPA Boost?Answered
I really want to get into a T10 school (Northwestern). I think my extracurriculars will be pretty good by the end of Junior Year (Set up a fundraiser, President + Founder of 3 clubs, set up own free tutoring service for lower-income areas, have almost 50 hrs of medical shadowing, internship with NU, doing research, etc). But I'm worried about my GPA. For reference, I just completed my sophomore year. My GPA is almost a 3.6, and that's nowhere close to what NU wants. I've always gotten A's and B's. What can I do to get my GPA up? I want at least a 3.75, but I'm not sure if that's even possible. Any advice on how I can boost it up? (I know I have to get A's) Thanks!
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1 answer
Hi! First of all, wow! You have a lot of ECs, so congratulations.
a 3.6 GPA is not bad at all and given your extracurriculars, you shouldn't be worrying about not getting into NU because you already have pretty amazing qualifications.
But the best thing to do to increase your GPA is to practice. Practice questions and tests for topics you are going to learn about in the following year, read ahead of the class just to understand the topics better so you can ace tests and stuff. And never be afraid to ask! Ask your teachers, your school counselor, and people who are already in university for advice and tips, because they actually have long-term experience with these things!
But remember, your GPA is not the only determinant for getting accepted into college. You also have to focus on your SATs, and if you want to get into NU, I would recommend going on websites like Khan Academy, Varsity Tutors, Princeton Review, and PrepScholar Blog for practice questions and material so you can score well on the SATs as well.
Also, not getting your ideal GPA shouldn't stress you out so much. Sure, you have a goal and you want to meet it, but if you don't, it isn't the end of the world. You have to find out what else you can do (like writing an amazing essay) that will boost your chances of admission.
Hope this helps, good luck with everything.
PS. You can just add a comment to this if you have any follow-up questions.
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