Why a 4.0 high school GPA and 2400 SAT won’t get you into Harvard

First off, there’s no need to freak out if you’re not the valedictorian or salutatorian.

Did you know that the vast majority of admits to Harvard and Stanford aren’t?

Here’s what you need to know about your high school GPA to get into the Ivy Leagues:

1) It’s ok to have a poor freshman year GPA. What’s important is to show an UPWARD TREND - improvement over time

2) As important as your high school GPA is your transcript and the classes you take. Be sure to take the HARDEST CLASSES AVAILABLE - APs, IB, etc

3) Make your junior year count. It’s the one that Admissions Committees focus the most on - you want your best grades in this year

4) Don’t forget about the SAT. It counts as much (and sometimes more) than your high school GPA and class ranking

5) As long as you’re in the top 5 percent of your class, roughly speaking, you’ll be fine

I’m not recommending you do the BARE MINIMUM necessary. You should always aim for #1.

But, follow my 5 steps above, and you’ll be fine. Focus on your passions - whether that’s sports, science, or social studies.

I went through this process awhile back and was accepted to 6 Ivies and Stanford. I wrote a book on college admissions help called Hopeless to Harvard.

Related posts:

1. What every high school student needs to know about GPA and SAT Here
2. Low GPA? 3 tips on how to get into Ivy League schools Low GPAs a
3. Why reading lists won’t help at all - don’t listen to your high school counselor or college advisors If you

Tagged as: AP tests, college admissions advice, Harvard admissions, high school GPA, Ivy League schools, perfect SAT