Could I still get into Yale or Columbia?

Question

Ok, so right now I am a freshman and my average is in the 86. something range. My school has 6 marking periods and I am trying to reach the 90 or above but it's not working. Is it true that Yale or Columbia looks at the freshman transcript. What do the college board usually look at the most the freshman, sophomore. junior, or senior year. Could you please give me advice!

Answer 1

Well an 86 wont get you into Yale/Columbia, even a 90 will not suffice. But, if you are only a freshmen, you still have 3 more years to make up for it. Colleges look at the application as a whole, your freshmen grades will be there, but colleges generally put more emphasis on the Junior grades since this is when they expect you to have "grown up." A steady increase of your grades from freshmen to senior year is pretty nice, it shows colleges that you are maturing, and doing better and better every year. Also, grades aren't everything, you still have to take your SAT's and/or ACT's, the essay is very important, as well as your extracurriculars, and recommendations. Don't worry too much about college right now. Yale and Columbia may be brand named colleges, but there are many, many other colleges that can give you an equal or even better education. Bottom line, your grades right now are not IVY league material, you will have to do a lot of catching up in the next couple of years. Good Luck x)!

Answer 2

most schools look at junior and senior but yale or columbia would look at sophmore, junior, and senior year. most places dont look at freshman year.

Answer 3

Relax, you are only a freshman. You'll find that most Ivy League schools do look at your freshman year, but an 86 does not ruin your chances at getting into any good school. Top colleges (with a few exceptions, notably Stanford, which does not look at freshman grades) look at your freshman year in comparison to the rest of your high school years in order to measure how well you've grown and if you can consistently perform well. From what I've heard from college admissions officers from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, colleges typically give more weight to the latter years of high school, specifically junior year and the first semester of senior year. These are, after all, the years when you need to prove that you are ready for college courses (by taking a rigorous courseload hopefully including AP and IB classes) and the demanding lifestyle of a college student (which is why having a job in high school is a great thing to put on your college apps).

Just make sure to work your hardest. Get yourself involved in extracurricular activities that interest you, and most importantly, have fun! Get good test scores and study as hard as you can. If you can do all of these things, then you will definitely have a shot at whichever schools you eventually apply to.

Answer 4

yea im a freshman too, my average is like a 90, so im a little better off then you, you should be fine, plus you have plenty of improvement, colleges love that!!!!!!!