What courses,SAT scores, GPA and other tests should I take to get into the top Universities?
January 22nd, 2010 | 
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Hi and welcome to my blog,
I opened this blog to help anyone who is preparing for his SAT.
I remember myself when I started - I was so lost and in such a panic.
Luckily I got this great SAT guide that helped me a lot . So study hard and good luck!
I want to know what grades I should aim for to get into a top school. It doesn’t have to be Harvard or anything.
I’m going to be a junior next year.And I am signed on for two AP Classes: US History and AP English Comp.
My average is a low 90, but I do have a 95 average in English, a 98 average in Global History, an 97 average in Italian, a 88 average in math(trigonometry) and a 88 average in Chemistry.So far (haven’t gotten final scores yet).
also, do universities look at the whole academic average or just the academics? I go to a Performing Arts School and my music classes are averaged into my grades.
any info would help. Thanks
Posted in sat scores | 
Tags: academic average, academics, ap classes, ap english, chemistry, final scores, global history, harvard, math trigonometry, music classes, performing arts school, universities
colleges often actually look at the curriculum of classes that you took rather than your grades. If they see that you’ve earned a 90 in an AP class that will mean SO MUCH MORE than a 100 in an easier class.
The reality is this. Typically you should/must show top-level course work that coincides with the type of college you are applying to. If you want to go to a Tier-1 business school, emphasize quantitative skills. If you want to go to an elite Liberal-Arts institution, emphasize the humanities. In short, taking the hardest courses to prepare yourself will pay off. Grades do matter, but do not kid yourself, the higher education community is fully aware of the pressure put on high school teachers to inflate grades. Therefore, proving your willingess to challenge yourself through difficult courses will pay off.
In reference to standardized tests, while the "industry" has been pushing to eliminate these tests from the admissions criteria, only a few elite nationally-ranked Colleges and Universities have adopted this procedure. The push is typically from smaller institutions that are not ranked in the publications we are all familar with. Various research has suggested that these tests can be coached to and are biased, but a majority of institutions will use these tests as the sole determinant for students who are academically on the bubble. Higher scores typically equate to increased probability of success at their institution.
In short, doing well on the SATs will NEVER hurt you, but if you are at the average for the standardized tests, you should distinguish yourself with course work and overall character.
Finally, be aware that the admission decision on your application may not be made solely on academic and personal achievement. Various colleges employ need-based admissions policies as well as attempts to fill various quotas.
I wish you the best of luck with the college-admissions process.
You really need to do well in the core classes for all the years you need to take them – Math (4), English (4), Science (3), History (2), etc. Music and all that is great but you need the basics. And since the top universities will have applications from kids who took all AP courses in the core classes, you’ll have to compete against them.
It sounds like you’re doing fine. Just continue to do well in the hard core classes.