tetrishead

Welcome to life.

Enjoy your stay.

momreads

Legendofandrey, your location is listed as Virginia, right?

Well, perhaps I can offer some help.

Go to your guidance counselor and ask about Virtual Virginia. It is on the Department of Education's website. There is a one-half credit course for SAT Prep. I cannot tell you the cost. But maybe your high school will pick up the cost. Mine did for one of my students.

Next, if your HS is limited with AP classes, consider taking one with Virtual VA. The state pays for your AP tests. My son, who is a junior, is taking two classes this year (after doing one AP as a sophomore). He signed up for two or three more next year. Our school has just 390 students, so course selection is limited.

More than 3,000 students are in the program. And it covers kids in 16 states and at at least one Central American high school.

Also, Virtual VA offers great counseling to its students. Take a look at the site and see if it can work for you.

I cannot help with advice about fancy programs, because I, as a teacher, cannot afford them. But talk to a guidance counselor. He might know of other local programs that cost nothing and are available.

Good luck.

darklordmoo

hey, did u check if the local community college expects you to pay for classes? (mine waives fees for K-12 students... otherwise there is no way I would have been able to go)
I never went to a sat prep class either, just checked out a prep book from the library three weeks before the test
AP tests were too expensive and I had no costly extracurriculars, and I worked part-time
basically same situation as you ( I even homeschooled partly because transportation to the nearest "good" public school was expensive)
I got into my dream school(MIT) on full ride and my parents didn't have to pay a (figurative) cent.
it can be done

A-Card

dude seriously in america there are so many oppurtunities even if you are poor. Sure a dude who make 200 k has more than a dude making 25k, but that 25k with hard work can still do amazing stuff.
Heck when we first moved to america my parents were making around 13-14k a year.

romanigypsyeyes

Dude I'm sick of people whining. I grew up in the ghetto and then only recently switched to a richer district. I did perfectly fine with what I was given, which wasn't... anything actually. I didn't take any expensive prep courses for SAT or ACT and did fine. My parents make NOTHING. My dad was in a bad accident so we have his bills and my mom was laid off. I tutor to help pay what things like social security and the like cannot.

I took a summer course and got a scholarship to take it out at CTD.

It doesn't matter WHAT you are GIVEN, it's what you MAKE of what you're GIVEN.

ohmadre

Success on standardized testing is in some large measure understanding how the questions work and how to budget your time . Just check a prep book out of the library or borrow one (they are not that expensive to buy). Those opportunities for leadership offer that come in the mail are coming from companies looking to make a profit - and understood by colleges for what they are.

Perhaps you attend a school where most students have access to advantages which you do not. There are many schools in this nation where few, perhaps none, of their students have access to these advantages. Even these schools send students to college - good colleges.

mattwonder

They're businesses, not application boosters. They're out to make money, just like every other business in existence.

BrandoIsCool

Money=Opportunities for the most part. Its not fun when your parents have just enough to send you to one college class.

ScottZ1980

There was a study out not long ago from NYU researches that showed that family wealth might partly explain differences in student's test scores. It was an interesting read and did convey what many already know.

Money does buy a lot of opportunities. Wealthy school districts tend to thrive and produce more graduates than their poorer peers. More money means more resources and tutoring than available to most. It's just how it is in the world.

However, "Education" is not easily summed in just a handful of popular or well-respected institutions. There are many fine colleges and junior colleges available and you'll receive an excellent education no matter where you go.

1337scrub

*Perhaps more important than getting in is that if the income is high enough (~200-250K+), a student will have parents who can legitimately afford to pay full boat at top colleges. That is the definitive most important piece - being able to go to where you can get in (Forget where colleges themselves draw this line - EFC is a joke which measures how much a family can afford to go into debt for a kid's education rather than what they can actually afford if they're saving enough for retirement and/or their kid has grad school plans and/or a lot of other factors).*

I can guarantee that there is a general association between income level and quality of the colleges that a student can get into. You can get into a top university at any income level (people do it all the time), but, there are obvious reasons why a student from an upper income family would have better statistical odds for getting in.

An upper income student has more options open to them. They can afford to take community college classes if they're capable enough. They can go on all of the international school trips held during spring break. They can travel with their random extracirricular academic team when it advances to the nationals. They're more likely to have high-speed internet, a computer in their bedroom, a car for their personal use, plenty of space and a desk to do homework, and basically any other material items that enhance their efficiency at doing things.

More importantly, they're likely to come from a family environment that will aid them incredibly. They typically have parents who are successful and feel strongly about their kids' education (not as helicopter parents, though that is probably more likely as well). As there is some association with intelligence and wealth, their parents (or breadwinner parent) are likely to be more intelligent than those of middle or lower income students. Almost certainly, they'll have parents with better connections, which can lead to all sorts of opportunities ranging from internship opportunities to an actual connection at a top university.


Ultimately, students with money have an edge over those who don't have money. This is true of basically everything in life, be it that you can buy better things or probably have better connections. College admissions are one of the places in life where this edge can actually be most easily overcome, but it's still plenty strong enough that there is a clear advantage to being wealthy.

ScottZ1980

This is particularly true in my district. The downside is that it makes it very competitive. I've included my local high school's demos-

Highland Park, TX
Median Family Income- $373,327
Poverty- 1.6%

Highland Park High School
2007 National Blue Ribbon School
Newsweek National Rank- 14th

Aprox. 2000 students Grades 9-12
Students:
White- 93%
Hispanic- 4%
Asian- 2%
African American- <1%

Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Lunch- 0%
Limited English Proficient- <1%

TEA Acknowledgements/Awards-
Rated: Exemplary
*Commended Performance- Reading/English Language Arts
*Commended Performance- Mathematics
*Commended Performance- Science
*Commended Performance- Social Studies
*Texas Success Initiative- Higher Education Readiness Component: Math
*Texas Success Initiative- Higher Education Readiness Component: English/Language Arts
*Advanced Course/Dual Enrollment Completion
*Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Results
*Attendance Rate
*Recommended High School Program
*SAT/ACT Results


TAKS Testing Results:

Grade 9-
Subject- % meeting or exceeding standards (state average)

Reading- 99% (state average- 86%)
Math- 96% (state average- 60%)

Grade 10-

Social Studies- 100% (state average- 86%)
Science- 93% (state average- 58%)
English/Language Arts- 96% (state average- 84%)
Math- 95% (state average- 63%)

Grade 11-

Social Studies- 100% (state average- 94%)
Science- 99% (state average- 77%)
English/Language Arts- 99% (state average- 90%)
Math- 98% (state average- 80%)

pugfug90

Sounds like you think you're entitled to Yale...

There's nothing wrong with a state school.

speedo

your basic premise is right - the system is stacked against you,
and as an immigrant that is especially true and will be until some
point when you gain some sense of security and someplace to call
home. You need to accept that and move from there.

Set some reasonable, attainable goals and stick with them. Yes,
you may have to stay home for a year or two and attend the local cc,
but if you can focus on the grades and stay away from distractions,
too much working or partying, problems with the parents etc
you can go from there. You don't have the same resources as
many wealthier Americans, so it's going to take you longer 0-
but you're probably going to learn more along the way and be
a stronger person.

Again, your basic premise is correct, but you can't let that
tie you up in resentment and lose track of your goals. Develop
short and long term goals and stick to the plan. Good Luck

southeasttitan

I have to agree. My family makes <50k, and I go to a mediocre public high school. Good colleges like the Ivies aren't off-limits for me, because schools like diversity and don't want all private school kids, but when I compare the education that I'm getting with my friends who go to private schools, it's ridiculous. It's very very hard to get a good education from a public school wher I'm from. I know some places there are a few select public schools that shine, but for the vast majority of the country, this isn't true. Most public schoolers have to deal with poor resources, underpaid teachers, and crumbling buildings. And don't tell me you can get a good education anywhere if you try--trust me, you can't. There is a huge discrepancy between public and private schools, and even city and suburban schools, and it's not fair. As far as I'm concerned, we're getting left behind every day.

piccolojunior

If it's such a problem, make AA based on financial status and not ethnicity...