Can i get into BU

Applying to College
1

Well I’ve done my HW; that is asked friends, college students, college guidance in my school, etc… but am still left with a lot of ambivalence. I’ve looked into Boston and I think it’s a great city with a large student community. The best colleges are located there, some of which have caught my eye. I live in NYC but the prospect of dorming is appealing. As for the colleges I’m focusing on, Boston University and Brandeis seem the most appetizing. Although neither is Ivy League, their stats are quiet impressive. In both, students are averaging in the 1300s and have fairly high class rankings. Based on my stats, what are my chances of getting into either of the two, or maybe even some recommendations as to other schools I can attend.

I go to a very competitive private high school, and I would appreciate some comments on whether or not this is even taken into consideration in the application process. Just to give you an idea of what I meant by competitive, school starts for me at 7:00 A.M. and ends at 5:30 P.M, and with AP Biology this year, it ends twice a week at 6:15 P.M. I go to a yeshiva; that is a private religious school which is why im in school so long. In addition to all my regular English subjects I have to take almost the same number of classes in religious subjects. Because of this I get home late and yet have a lot of HW due to all the extra classes. The reason im saying all of this is because it has hurt my grades. I’ve been unable to spend the necessary time to focus on each class.

• Im averaging somewhere in the low 80s, which as unappetizing as it sounds is higher than the usual 80 because the school I go to is anything but lenient and does not inflate grades.

• Class ranks are not given out in my school

• I took the SAT in may and am expecting to get anywhere from a 1350-1400 in October.

• I got a 760 in SAT II Biology and might take SAT II Hebrew which would translate to a 700 something as well.

Due to the tight schedule at school, students can only take APs in their junior and senior year in the last three periods of the day which are the elective time slots.
This year I took

• AP Biology
• AP Jewish History
Next year ill be taking
• AP Economics
• AP Political Science
• Possibly AP Jewish History (a different version testing knowledge of a different period of Jewish history)

My extra curriculars are:
• Chess team for the last 3 years.
• Debate team sophomore year.
• I periodically contribute to the school newspaper.
• I was on the choices commission which discusses drug abuse and such.
• I’ve done 200 hours of community service which the school mandates.
• And for the last 5 years, I’ve worked in my uncle’s store for the summer–if that counts for anything.

• I can get good recommendations from teachers because my school is small and I’ve established some relationships with some teachers.

• I have a good college essay in mind and I write fairly well so I think I can do well on that aspect of the admissions process.

• I don’t have any ethnic advantages… Im just your usual middle class white male.

So with all of this taken into consideration, what are my chances of getting into Boston University for example or maybe even Brandeis—and take into consideration that I am willing to apply early admission to either of the two.

2

<p>If a low 80s GPA is strong at your school, it’s important to emphasize that fact, and the only way to do it would be to convince your school to give out class rank. Your school’s administrators are, frankly, idiots if they pursue a policy of massive grade deflation but then refuse to rank their classes. Nothing could put students at a greater disadvantage.</p>

3

<p>AP Jewish History?</p>

4

<p>There is no such thing as AP Jewish History</p>

<p>In fact it is illegal for schools to just call hard classes AP, so you better tell your school to stop doing that because it only makes you look weird on your application, especially when an Adcom looks at AP Jewish History and looks at the list of the 34 real AP classes, what happens?</p>

<p>I mean its okay, its not bad, its just not technically right. You could though lobby the Collegeboard to introduce Jewish History, but they probably wont because Im guessing that a lot of high schools probably wouldnt get a lot of enrollment unless there is a sizable Jewish population. But otherwise your chances for BU are okay, pull up your grades get a lil higher sat and do some EC.</p>

5

<p>Hmm I always thought that there was an AP Jewish History, the collegeboard doesn’t list it, but UPenn says they accept it for credit so… I don’t know. My school used to offer it but people stopped taking it when they saw that very few schools accept it (Yeshiva University does! yay! j/k) </p>

<p>Seanlvn what school do you go to?<br>
You should also look into the University of Maryland, good school; academics, huge jewish life.</p>

6

<p>University of Maryland is great. They have a lot of diversity and have a life for any group</p>

<p>Regarding AP jewish. I am 100% positive that Upenn doesnt list it. Maybe your talking about an Ib perhaps a GCE or something or ABitur class. But there is no AP jewish. But i mean maybe the class you take is so rigourous that some schools give credit to it. But ya whatever, as long as an adcom doesnt investigate you or something you will be okay. Have a great time, and choose a great school.</p>

7

<p>Hey, im from Brooklyn too. Do you go to the Yeshiva on East 16th and Ave J? lol :)</p>

8

<p><a href=“http://www.history.upenn.edu/ug_trans2.html[/url]”>http://www.history.upenn.edu/ug_trans2.html&lt;/a&gt;
umm take a look at the third paragraph, then talk to me about being 100% positive.</p>

9

<p>interesting</p>

10

<p>what the hell</p>

<p>thats amazing i thought that the 34 exams on Collegeboard were it</p>

<p>im sorry, i guess i was wrong, but i will examine further to find out why my school or any others in my county never had a class</p>

<p>dang that hurts</p>

11

<p>i found something that kinda goes against the Upenn statement. I think that the AP Jewish program is for private schools only or not officially recognized by the Collegeboard. Im not trying to hound you guys or something about it, but i just want to know is there really a AP Jewish History class because i would’ve loved to take it. </p>

<p>Use of the “AP” Designation </p>

<p>by Lee Jones
The College Board
New York, New York</p>

<pre><code>Following is the text of a letter and AP course list sent to state-level curriculum instruction directors, AP Coordinators, superintendents, principals, and guidance counselors. It is provided here for your information, along with answers to commonly asked questions about the letter.
</code></pre>

<p>January 17, 2003</p>

<p>Dear Educator:</p>

<p>Because the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) has an established reputation for high-quality, rigorous academic courses, a reputation that is recognized and respected by U.S. colleges and universities, some secondary schools have begun to attach the “AP” label to subjects (such as sociology or accounting) that are not part of the official portfolio of 34 Advanced Placement Program courses.</p>

<p>Courses receive their AP designation by following the content and curricular goals outlined in the AP Course Description booklets. A course that fails to follow the AP Course Description in a particular subject is not, and should not be designated, an AP course. Such a designation is an improper use of a College Board registered trademark.</p>

<p>Affixing the AP trademark to courses that are not part of the AP suite or do not follow the AP Course Description not only violates trademark requirements but also misleads colleges and universities, who have come to trust the AP label as an indicator of high-quality standards as delineated in AP Course Descriptions and assessed via the annual AP Examinations.</p>

<p>We ask that you review course titles and content, comparing the titles to the enclosed list, AP Courses and Exams. If a course is not on this list, it is not part of the AP portfolio and should not be listed on transcripts with an AP designation. Additionally, please ask AP teachers to compare current course matter to the curricular goals outlined in the AP Course Descriptions. The AP Course Descriptions are available as free downloads on AP CentralTM (apcentral.collegeboard.com). Regarding AP science courses (Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics) in particular, note that all AP science courses are required to incorporate a laboratory component.</p>

<p>The College Board will soon be sending to all colleges, information addressing this issue and listing the official courses for which the AP designation is valid. Please note that many colleges and universities continue to tell the AP Program that they often will not attach value to a course labeled AP that was taken during a student’s sophomore or junior year, unless an official AP Exam grade is also presented for that course.</p>

<p>Thank you for your support of the AP Program. We appreciate your cooperative efforts in this attempt to ensure that the validity and integrity of the Program are maintained.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>Lee Jones
Vice President, K-12 Operations</p>

<p>AP Courses and Exams
Art History
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Chemistry
Computer Science A
Computer Science AB
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
English Language and Composition
English Literature and Composition
Environmental Science
French Language
French Literature
German Language
Comparative Government and Politics
United States Government and Politics
European History
United States History
World History
Human Geography
Latin Literature
Latin: Vergil
Music Theory
Physics B
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
Physics C: Mechanics
Psychology
Spanish Language
Spanish Literature
Statistics
Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio)
Studio Art (2-D Design Portfolio)
Studio Art (3-D Design Portfolio)</p>

<p><a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board;

12

<p>Yeah I mean I don’t know what to tell you, I’m certainly not advocating for it or anything, I actually know very little about it, they haven’t offered it in my school for the past two years because of the low interest in it. If anyone knows anything about it I’d be interested to know, just for my own personal edification! Thanks</p>

13

<p>lol…I know what your thinking and it does sound like its not even a real AP but it is offered…actually in three formats 1) modern JH 2) Classic JH 3) Medievil</p>

<p>In my school juniors and seniors have to take the class and its marked in YU (a college in manhattan–Yeshiva University) Feel free to look it up.</p>

14

<p>thats real cool. I wish my high school had those specialized history courses. We were stuck with American, Government, World, Euro, and African American. I wish we had South American, or islamic, or far eastern. Jewish hist sounds pretty cool.</p>

15

<p>^ Heh, we don’t even have that!</p>

<p>Our school only “officially” offers:</p>

<p>AP US History
AP Euro
AP US Government</p>

<p>I’m taking AP World for independent study next year. :&lt;/p>

16

<p>Its really a shame, especially right now when our world really needs people who understand the cultural and history of other places.</p>

17

<p>“especially right now when our world really needs people who understand the cultural and history of other places.”</p>

<p>We’ve ALWAYS needed that.</p>

18

<p>Yeah, I crave history, I love it, but I’m doing my best to get all that I can.</p>

19

<p>haha my schools only history AP is AP US!</p>

20

<p>Well all this about AP Jewish history is interesting…but can someone please post up additional insite on my getting into Boston…Thanx</p>