How to Level Up Your Transcript—And Prepare for College Academics: Q&A with Kyle

Kyle: At the most basic level, admissions officers want to see that you have the academic ability to excel at their institution. Ivy League schools aren’t just looking for students who can handle the coursework—they’re looking for students who will thrive in an academically rigorous environment that presents intellectual challenges.

In light of this, a transcript should demonstrate a compelling and consistent track record of academic success. This doesn’t necessarily mean perfection, but it does mean showing that you challenge yourself and perform well across a range of subjects. Admissions officers will also look for a clear “tilt” toward a specific area of interest, whether physics, literature, linguistics, or languages. While showcasing intellectual curiosity and multidisciplinary interests, students should articulate their preparedness for study in their particular field through their academic profile.

Finally, students should keep in mind that while a 4.0 GPA and challenging coursework won’t guarantee you a spot at a top school, low grades and base-level coursework could count you out at such an institution. Your academic performance shouldn’t solely be geared towards your college prospects, but it is important to remember that top grades and test scores are indeed important for the admissions process, particularly if you dream of attending a top-ranked university.

Kyle: A student can get into an Ivy League school without a 4.0—and every admissions cycle, students who fall below that threshold do! For instance, about a quarter of Harvard’s admitted class in the 2023–24 admissions cycle had GPAs below a perfect 4.0. While they are not in the majority, students who do not have perfect grades can get into top schools—but what matters more is the extent to which students fall below that perfect score. The key is to ensure that your grades are strong enough that they don’t become a barrier to admission. Ivy League schools receive such a high volume of applications that they typically start by filtering out students whose academic records aren’t competitive. If your GPA is significantly below the average admitted students, you’ll need to illustrate a compelling reason why you would still be a strong candidate for the institution or consider another school that would be better aligned to your academic skill set.

Kyle: Ideally, a student will take challenging courses and earn top grades. If a student has to choose between one or the other, it comes down to their particular circumstances. For instance, if a student is approaching the add/drop period at their school with a C in one of their AP courses, the grade will have a decidedly negative impact on their transcript, even though the high-level coursework is generally a positive thing. In that case, it would be advisable to drop the class and take a lower level course in the subject. However, if a student is asking themselves this question, it typically indicates the need for further self-reflection: Why is the student struggling through advanced coursework? What support networks can they seek out? If the class is in a subject related to their intended major, they should likely reflect on whether this academic path is right for them, as admissions officers will be particularly interested in seeing that an applicant succeeded in advanced classes in topics related to their intended area of study.

In the application process, admissions officers pay attention to both the quantitative and the qualitative aspects of a student’s academic profile. Because of the high volume of applications, they typically start with numerical values—GPA, test scores, and class rank—before taking a closer look at the courses behind those numbers. They will consider questions such as: Did this student take rigorous courses? Are there clear patterns in their academic performance? Is there an upward trajectory of academic growth? Given this, students should also consider the story their transcript tells. If they find themselves struggling with high-level coursework during sophomore year, they may still be able to present a compelling academic profile to admissions officers if they boost their grades in more challenging courses during their junior year.

Kyle: Ideally, a student will take challenging courses and earn top grades. If a student has to choose between one or the other, it comes down to their particular circumstances. For instance, if a student is approaching the add/drop period at their school with a C in one of their AP courses, the grade will have a decidedly negative impact on their transcript, even though the high-level coursework is generally a positive thing. In that case, it would be advisable to drop the class and take a lower level course in the subject. However, if a student is asking themselves this question, it typically indicates the need for further self-reflection: Why is the student struggling through advanced coursework? What support networks can they seek out? If the class is in a subject related to their intended major, they should likely reflect on whether this academic path is right for them, as admissions officers will be particularly interested in seeing that an applicant succeeded in advanced classes in topics related to their intended area of study.

In the application process, admissions officers pay attention to both the quantitative and the qualitative aspects of a student’s academic profile. Because of the high volume of applications, they typically start with numerical values—GPA, test scores, and class rank—before taking a closer look at the courses behind those numbers. They will consider questions such as: Did this student take rigorous courses? Are there clear patterns in their academic performance? Is there an upward trajectory of academic growth? Given this, students should also consider the story their transcript tells. If they find themselves struggling with high-level coursework during sophomore year, they may still be able to present a compelling academic profile to admissions officers if they boost their grades in more challenging courses during their junior year.

Kyle: In my experience, there are three major factors that contribute to sharpening students’ academic performance. First, students need to cultivate a long-term mindset when it comes to academics and study habits. One of the most common reasons that students don’t like a particular subject is because they struggle with it—no one likes to study and practice a skill that feels taxing and difficult. Even in classes that students do enjoy, they tend to study by reviewing the material that is most interesting or accessible to them, trying to cram the more inaccessible material into their memory the night before an important assessment. But this is not only an ineffective study method, it also does nothing to help you improve your understanding of the subject in the long-term. Students should aim for depth of knowledge and start studying and practicing in advance so that difficult concepts can be worked out and exercised over time. Odds are, if you put in the work, you will end up liking the subject more than you expected.

Second, students should work on their focus and intentionality. Rather than just going through the motions when completing a homework assignment or practice set, or reviewing for a test, they should use their time wisely to address knowledge gaps, deepen their skill set, and optimize their understanding. Be specific and self-reflective: What are your weak points? What foundational concepts are you struggling with? Or, even more simply, which study methods are working for you and which are not enhancing your knowledge acquisition and retention? Ultimately, it’s not about the amount of time you spend studying; it’s about the quality of that time.

Students’ brains are still developing when they are in high school. Building these skills can be daunting, but students should keep in mind that something is better than nothing. You don’t have to study everything in one five hour block; break it down and do what you can. If 20 minutes is all you have in you on a given day, then study for 20 minutes—but make the 20 minutes strategic, focused, and intentional!

This leads to a final point—improving academic performance requires a process, rather than results-based mindset. This can be challenging for high school students—after all, the admissions process is almost entirely outcomes focused (extracurriculars, awards, grades, class rank, standardized test scores). While it’s not necessarily wrong to think about the potential outcome of an assignment or test, true mastery and improvement come from thinking about how you can use the subject to understand the world around you and build long-term foundational knowledge in a new topic. When you focus too much on a numerical goal, you forget about the process which should be inherently rewarding in itself. Rather than obsessing over scoring a 95 on a test in order to boost your grade to an A minus, consider what interests you about the topic, what skills you want to develop as a result of the class, and how you will use that knowledge in your academic and professional future.

Kyle: Because of the volume of work they must complete, many students fall into the habit of passively reviewing material or resorting to rote memorization. Without developing the skills they need to meaningfully improve, academic performance plateaus for many. Command Education Senior Tutors help students attain true understanding and mastery of their material, rather than simply regurgitating the material. Tutors work with students to identify their unique learning styles, whether auditory, visual, or discussion-based, and tailor study techniques to help them develop retention and comprehension skills. We help students foster critical thinking, acquire strong conceptual understanding, and approach subjects with curiosity and creativity to find interconnected webs of knowledge in everything they’re learning.

Ultimately, we help students build the long-term skills that will make them more sophisticated critical thinkers, so that they won’t just become standout Ivy League applicants, but standout Ivy League students.