Heyo! I am someone who has been interested in making it into prestigious universities as a biomedical engineering major. My grades during my freshman year of high school were pretty good, but after sophomore and through a little bit of junior year, I struggled a little in subjects such as history and English. However, my extracurriculars are very strong and I'm hoping to get at least a 1500 score on my SAT (also, for some reason, I find the SAT English and reading much more straightforward than actual classes). How much would this hurt my chances, considering that my school does not report 4.0 GPA to colleges on my transcript and other factors in mind? My grades are very strong in my sciences and maths and again, my extracurriculars and (hopefully!) my SAT score. I just was interested to see if I should strengthen my college list and apply to more target schools. Thanks!!
Your strong extracurriculars and projected SAT score will make up for your GPA. With that said, strengthening your college list is always a good idea.
To create a balanced school list, I recommend applying to 8-12 schools in total. 2-3 schools should be safeties, 4-6 schools should be targets, and 2-3 schools should be reaches. Hope this helps!
Hi, there are a lot of schools that look at the applicant holistically e.g. Stanford and UMich while others not so much e.g. MIT, so you have a good chance at the former! However, I recommend applying to a few more target schools. Keep essays in mind, too! Amazing essays can make up for some low grades!
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