Every student has to make a list of schools that they want to apply to. Those lists usually have a mix of reach schools, safety schools, and schools that they are likely to get into. But how do you figure out if a school is a safety, a reach, or in-between? We call this metric academic viability and you can figure out your academic viability by seeing if your scores and grades are in the range of what a school usually accepts. When it comes to top-tier schools, the earlier you know if you are academically viable the better. You already have your grades, but most students won’t know their scores yet, so how do you figure it out without having your scores? It is not as hard as you may think.
There is a funnel when it comes to top schools:
Every school has a valedictorian. There are about 30,000 high schools in the US, meaning about 30,000 valedictorians, most of whom are vying for a place at a top school. And then there are dozens of students who aren’t valedictorians who are also applying to top-tier schools. If you don’t have great grades and great scores, your extracurriculars and essays won’t help you that much. We don’t want to sound mean, we just want to temper your expectations. Top schools tend to funnel out anyone who doesn’t have great grades (and scores) before even diving into the rest of the application. However, before you have your scores, you have to use your extracurriculars and classes to determine if you would be viable for a highly competitive school.
How to think about your classes and clubs:
Before you get your scores take stock of what you do know. If you aren’t taking honors or AP classes and/or aren’t getting good grades in your classes, even a 36 on the ACT won’t get you into Harvard. Top schools want to see you challenging yourself by taking hard classes. High levels, APs, honors, IBs, whatever the hardest classes your school offers are should be on your transcript if you are looking at top schools. Top colleges also want to see good grades in your classes. If you aren’t getting good grades, even good scores aren’t going to be enough to make you viable at top schools.
Next, it’s time to look at extracurriculars. Top-tier schools are looking for experts or leaders in their extracurriculars. Leaders, obviously, are people who are in positions of leadership in their clubs. For example, the president of the debate team looks a lot better on an application than a member of the debate team. Being on a board is a great way to distinguish yourself as a leader. Being an expert is slightly harder to define.
Experts are students who have made it to the pinnacle of their interest. We can see this in a lot of ways when it comes to extracurriculars. Sticking with an interest for a long time is a great start on your way to being an expert. If you change extracurriculars every semester, it isn’t as impressive as working hard to be the best in a field. Being selected for a prestigious position is another way to show your expertise. Maybe you love research and got into a selective fellowship, maybe you were given an award, maybe you started your own club to fill a niche that wasn’t there and now run it yourself, there are many ways of being seen as an expert. Think of it like JV and Varisty in whatever your interest is, varsity is better, MVP on varsity is best.
If you have great grades in the hardest classes but aren’t a leader or an expert, you will probably make it through the funnel but not into the final selection.
So what does it all mean!?
Before you have your scores, really think about if your classes and extracurriculars are at the level to get into a great school. If they aren’t, it doesn’t matter how good your scores are. If they are, don’t stress over your scores. Yes, you need good scores, but you will have a lot of opportunities to take the SAT and/or ACT. Even if you don’t get your ideal score on the first try, you will be able to retake them and for the most part, every time you take them, your scores improve. If your scores are on the lower side, study and learn some tricks… there are tons of books, tutors, blogs, etc that will help you raise your score in between tries.
It’s easier to raise an SAT score than to bolster a transcript and extracurricular list that isn’t spectacular. So start with what you do know now and if you don’t have great grades and activities, set your sights a little lower.
Don’t get discouraged.
This blog was harsh. We don’t love being harsh, but sometimes being realistic is necessary. Going to a top school is great, but if you don’t have the grades, that doesn’t mean you are going to be a failure for life. There are so many mid-tier schools that are amazing. You will find schools that you will love. We promise. Just because a school isn’t super top-tier, competitive doesn’t mean they don’t have great programs and opportunities.
Looking at your classes, grades, and extracurriculars is important when you start to research schools. Crafting a list of schools to apply to doesn’t happen overnight and while academic viability is paramount, it is just one of many factors you will consider as you make your list.
We know it can be tricky, so if you need help reach out to us here!