Currently I’m a high school sophomore and I’m not too sure what colleges I should be aiming for.
Here’s some statistics on me:
Freshman Transcript:(Course SEM1/SEM2)
Orchestra 100/100
Gifted Freshman LA 80/91
Honors World Geography 92/98
Health & PE 98/98
Honors Biology 92/94
Algebra 1 CC 85/91
Sophomore Transcript:
Orchestra 100/??
Gifted Junior American Lit 89/??
AP World History 93/?? (UW)
Honors Spanish III 100/??
Geometry CC 86/??
Gifted Chemistry 93/??
Predicted Junior and Senior Courses:
Junior:
Orchestra
AP Language Artsta
AP US History
Spanish IV or AP Spanish
Accelerated Pre-Calculus (going to take Algebra II over the summer)
AP Physics B
Senior:
Orchestra
AP English Literature or Sr. British Lit
AP US Gov and AP Econ (semester long courses)
AP Spanish or Gifted Internship
AP Calculus or Sr. Calculus or AP Statistics
AP Computer Science
Extra curriculars: (I plan to get more, including a VP position of a service club)
Beta Club
Orchestra
State: Georgia
Race: Hispanic (Mexican)
SE Status: very low, single immigrant mom works 72 hrs a week for like 400$
Interests/Passions:
I enjoy tinkering with computers or gadgets in general
I like learning from other people’s perspectives
I want to learn more languages (currently fluent in English and Spanish)
Feel free to request more information if necessary!
@NWIStudent how much effort do you think it’d take to achieve a 2150+ on my SAT? @hungryteenager I’ve looked at RPI and it doesnt seem bad. Georgia Tech is the most popular choice among my peers. Case Western? havent heard of it…
Stay out of Ohio, unless it’s Ohio State. This is the worst state, it’s seriously boring. OSU has good student life, or at least people there tell me its big and enjoyable, but you wont like Ohio. Just saying…
@Anish14 if you don’t live in Ohio them please don’t put it down, it is a good state and has great universities (OSU, Case, Denison, MiamiOH, OU, UC, Xavier), most of theses colleges are ranked high academically and socially too.
Case is in downtown Cleveland, where the Browns, Cavaliers, and Indians play. There is also the Horseshoe Casino and House of Blues, as well as playhouse square.
If anything, OSU in Columbus is boring. All Columbus has are malls. Football makes OSU interesting.
@Anish14 sorry, but you’ve been giving bad advice the last couple replies I’ve seen. There’s no need to trash Ohio.
Case Western is a very good school and is in a part of Cleveland, known as University Circle, that’s known as one of the most gorgeous places in the country. It’s got arts establishments, food, and museums, among other things.
Not seeing STEM- your math is not a strong suit. You don’t HAVE to pursue math. And whoever suggested that you take Spanish as a for-credit class in high school may have done you a disservice. I get that it may be important to “true up” your grammar and writing skills, but it will not be looked upon kindly. Maybe switch to Portuguese, or French if that is all that is offered. Take Spanish as a supplement, not as a main-line. Some schools specifically spell out that you are to learn a language at school (other than English) that is not spoken in your home. Check into this now. You may need to take a course at a community college to jump-start that and get back on track.
If you like science- and I can see that you are good at it- I would look at non-engineering schools. I think your best bet will be to look at upper-level liberal-arts colleges. I am seeing that History may be more your ‘thing’. Look through the QuestBridge website (www.questbridge.org) to get a start (either way). Each school on that site is a premiere institution- you simply cannot go wrong with any of them (except Scripps College, perhaps, and then only if you are male).
You really NEED to tweak out those final couple of percentage points in Language Arts and Math. A’s are highly prized! Also, look on the SAT study thread on CC, and start studying Critical Reading, as well as plan on taking at least 9 practice tests before March 2016 SAT. You may want to take the January SAT to avoid the Unknown nature of the “new” test that will be rolling out.
You are on the cusp, and grades, EC’s and Standardized scores all will be key. If you are not currently working as hard as you can, you have a chance to really get into an elite school. If you are pushing as hard as you can right now, you still have options to get into some very very good schools. Poor, hispanic, fist-generation to college and to this country all will help you be picked out from the pool of qualified applicants- but you have to do the work to get yourself into that pool, and you are falling just short at the moment for the super-elites (but not for the very-goods).
Good luck! And drop Spanish! I really don’t think it will work for you. Look it up or make a few phone calls or emails to Questbridge or admissions offices. I think you know better.
Apply to an inspirational summer program, like the summer program at Phillips Academy, Andover (on financial aid) or to Yale global explorers (?) to help with motivation. The window is closing soon, so do this now!
@ikooldiscovery @guineagirl96 I was born in Ohio, and I’ve lived here all my life, thank you. The only reason you should be throwing away my advice is because I’m young and honestly, I admit I’m not giving good advice. Both my parents are OSU Allumni. Just don’t consider OU a good school. It’s a party school, and I’ve heard Journalism is ranked in the top 20, but nothing else seems good. UC and the others you mentioned are great too. I apologize for my bad advice. Also, not to start an argument, but you didn’t mention that the Browns and the Indians are absolutely terrible. I agree watching the Cavs is great though!
I live in Ohio have to disagree. OU is easily the third best public university in Ohio (behind Miami and OSU). Definitely as good as U.Cincinnati unless you want engineering. Yes, it is a party school but so are OSU and Miami. Plus, OU has a much nicer campus than OSU. Actually most universities that are not STEM focused, or commuter schools, are party schools.
Ohio University has the Honors Tutorial College, which is nearly elite and by far the best academic bargain in Ohio for state residents. Its among the best honors colleges in the country. Many states have flagships which are inferior to OU.
I grew up in another state, but if I had grown up in Ohio and were choosing among its many public universities, I would choose OU over both OSU and Miami. It is a good solid, above average, state university.
SenChihiro
You live in Georgia and funds appear to be limited.
That’s where I would start. Take a look at the local schools, so traveling isn’t a prohibitive expense. Make an appointment with your guidance counselor and talk about possible careers, about scholarship potential, and about what he or she thinks.
Look at both “top” schools and lesser known, possibly less expensive schools. Looking is free. You have the luxury of lots of time, so use it well. It doesn’t sound as though mom will be able to contribute to your expenses, and you’ll want to be very, very careful about taking out so many loans that you cripple your future with hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans, particularly if there are more affordable options available.
The reality is that you’re a bright 15 year old. You don’t have to make any decisions today or tomorrow or next week that map out your entire future. Start to think about the kind of person you’re becoming, and what sort of work you might want to do as an adult. Think about the courses you’ve enjoyed the most, and the things you do with your spare time.
Keep the academics up— they’re the key to fulfilling your dreams once you decide what those dreams are. But listen to your gut, and to the people who know you. Speak to your mom, and see what she thinks… you may be amazed at the wisdom she’s acquired. And speak to her about how she feels about your going away, and what sort of distances she would be comfortable with.
And if YOU want to learn more languages, then YOU do it; your opinions matter so much more than the advice of strangers (myself included) on the internet.
@NWIStudent I’m going to start studying for for my PSAT in junior year so that hopefully I can work up my score to qualify for NHRP and NMSF
@ItsJustSchool unfortunately the only foreign language study offered at my school is French and spanish. If I take French 1over the next summer, I could take French 2 for junior year then French 3 the next summer and then either French 4 or AP French my senior year.
And yeah, unfortunately I always drop the ball on my grades due to an overwhelming laziness which most likely stems from the poor habits I practiced in Middle school.
Pursuing a computer science degree always seemed like the logical thing to do because of my fascination with computers so I’ve been looking at Georgia Tech but my weakness in math might impair both my admission and success at that school. History, Language Arts, and science definitely draw on my academic strengths more and I do enjoy expressing myself through my writing but as the science becomes more math focused it is also becoming more difficult for me to maintain my success, especially since I don’t find it particularly interesting. I’ve been getting lots of college emails after the PSAT and some that have caught my eye are Swarthmore, William and Mary, Northwestern, and U Chicago.
I’ve been thinking about what EC’s to participate in but I think I have to inform myself a bit more about what’s available. I’ve been thinking of running for vice president of Juntos (means “together” in spanish, it’s a service club) but I’m not sure how it’ll go since I’m not a member. I’ve also been looking into robotics and NHS, but my entry into NHS dependant on whether I can get my gpa up to a 94+ (currently 93.3) and on whether I get my position as vice president of Juntos (leadership in another club is a requirement).
One of my teachers signed me up for a summer engineering program from NYLF at Georgia tech but it was a bit too costly so my mom decided against it. I think there was a financial aid application for it but the deadline was over a month ago. @anish14 I appreciate the advice, but it seems like your opinion regarding Ohio is the unpopular one.
@bjkmom I’ve been looking through the available schools and I think it’s generally agreed upon that UGA, Gtech, and Emory are the “top schools”. Among the lesser known options I’ve seen Georgia Southern, Georgia Gwinnet and Perimeter mentioned the most. I’ve tried to self study Korean, Italian, Japanese, and even Nawat in my free time with recources online but the truth is I don’t have enough dedication to actually get serious into it. Learning languages is tough!
Join Juntos this week, so that you are “known” when elections come around. Drop Spanish- it really, really will not help you. Take French- a lot of similarity in roots to Spanish.
Apply to PA summer program with financial aid. Explore your love for writing and history and use the summer program to find yourself; find your voice; and explore career options to show yourself and your family that non-STEM careers are viable and result in happiness- especially out of one of the schools you mentioned. Study EVERY WEEK to improve your PSAT. If you are a National Merit Scholar (which is a possibility for you if you study up for the next PSAT) you will have a lot of options for school.
University of Rochester has some school scholarships for high school students (high schools nominate students, UR chooses winners). That could be an option.
@hungryteenager I’m not sure if my highschool participates in that. I’ll have to ask
@ItsJustSchool I’m not sure if I’m allowed to enter at random points of the schoolyear, but regardless they may be willing to make an exception if I show interest in participating. Would Spanish Honor Society be a good club to join? Also, I’ve thought about it after reading your post and I think I’m going to look into taking a language (or more than one…?) class at Georgia Gwinnet college through dual enrollment since I don’t much care for the limited options available at my school. The only real concerns I have are money and transportation. This really hinders me when it comes to participating in clubs too.
Any high school can nominate students. This is a different model than the Rensselaer Medal, where high schools need to contact RPI, and nominees are guaranteed the scholarship if they attend.
Even if your high school nominates you, URochester may not award you with a scholarship, but it’s better than not trying.
Edit: Also, URochester and RPI nominees get application fee waivers for the respective schools and (presumably in URochester’s case, and definitely in RPI’s case) a much higher chance of acceptance.
I would emphasize that you should double-check with someone (Maybe quest bridge would be the best place, since they understand the requirements of their member schools, all of which are elite) before you act. I believe taking 3 years of the language you speak at home and already know fluently is not looked well upon. It may be OK. Check with someone who knows for sure. Also see what they think of taking the SAT II or AP test in Spanish.
Joint the junto of Juntos. High school and college are such fluid times that joining and leaving clubs is part of that fluidity. That said, being a member of NHS is not a huge advantage. Really look into your heart and follow a passion deeply- preferably beyond the bounds of the school walls and into something that is city-, state-, or nation-wide.
I really think participating in a summer program with academic high-achievers from across the state or across the Nation will help you to more fully understand this and help you to put it into action.
Why do you want to join Spanish Honor Society? If you have a specific reason that you can articulate, you should join. Otherwise, either start a club that meets your goals (e.g. “Suenos”, your new school literary journal that you are the founder of, publishing the best poetry and art from your high school every spring, with bi-weekly meetings to work on your craft, refine submittals, and promote & curate submittals school-wide), or use your time to be involved in a city-wide project that feeds into national competition. A large number of ECs is not important. What is important is to grow (in leadership, thought, organization, self-agency, self-insight, etc.) by following up on something you are passionate about.
Everything you do takes time and energy away from something else that you are not doing. Now society is focused on you with free education and no expectation to contribute to the economy. Use this time wisely to focus and direct your skills and practice towards how you will eventually want to participate in society. That is what schools are looking for- helping people accelerate their contributions to society.
^Seconding everything ItsJustSchool said above.
Take the Spanish SAT Subject test (check it out first so that there’s no surprise), then focus on French. Taking your heritage language as a “foreign” language is seen as a lazy way out by top schools. Your plan for French sounds good though.
Start practicing for your PSAT by registering with Question of the Day and
Look into the Questbridge Summer program for juniors - application is likely due soon, but all costs are covered.
It’s super important, because the schools that work with Questbridge guarantee you a full ride for 4 years. They’ll cover tuition, room&board, NO LOAN, only scholarships, and even throw in money for your transportation to go home and buy books, and even with a little work study (typically 6 hours a week) you’ll have pocket money to buy yourself clothes, pizza, supplies, etc. In short… it’ll be cheaper than attending a public university in Georgia and for your mother it’d be cheaper than having you at home! BUT Questbridge is very selective - look into the Questbridge forum on this website. All the colleges they work with are elite so getting into one, even with the Questbridge help, is a challenge.
Look primarily into colleges that cover 100% need (your EFC is likely zero so even Hope and Zell Miller will force you to get into debt.)This website has good information for first gen students: http://blog.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/blog/colleges-that-meet-100-of-student-financial-need/
In addition, look at the thread about competitive full rides on the “financial aid forum”.
You may also want to look at the website (and/or book) Colleges that Change Lives, as well as one (or all) from Insider’s Guide, Princeton Review’s Best Colleges, Fiske Guide.
Finally, look for good ECs where you can impact your school or community. Working is a good EC, especially if you work a lot to help your mother and show (vs. working a couple hours a week to buy yourself ITunes stuff.)
Doing research is impressive, too, but not easy to get. If you live near GAPerimeter, is there a professor there with whom you could “apprentice”? At first you’d do boring work but if you show you’re responsible, you should be able to get into good stuff by the time you’re a senior.
In your essays, show grit - check out “escape essay hell”, the website (and the book), for ideas of what that means in terms of college essays.
I would emphasize that you should double-check with someone (Maybe quest bridge would be the best place, since they understand the requirements of their member schools, all of which are elite) before you act. I believe taking 3 years of the language you speak at home and already know fluently is not looked well upon. It may be OK. Check with someone who knows for sure. Also see what they think of taking the SAT II or AP test in Spanish.