College Admission Help

N_s_Mom
Wed, 30 Sep 2015 13:20:35 +0000

So these are my questions:

1. Was quitting debate team a mistake? NO

2. What colleges are in my range? What should be my safety and reach schools? I prefer UC’s and schools in southern CA : Can’t answer without more information. What can you afford? What’s your state of residency? What is your test score?

3. Should I take harder classes like more AP’s? Hard enough is relative. What’s the norm at your school? That’s who you are going to be compared to. As long as the guidance counselor at your school checks the box on the recommendation that says ‘most rigorous’ schedule available, you are fine and plus or minus an AP shouldn’t matter.

4. Should I increase my extracurricular activities? No. It’s not the number of hours. It’s what you’ve done with them. Do what you like and make an impact somewhere. It will be more satisfying to you, you may learn something, and hey, it might even matter to admissions. Comm service hours are unimportant.

5. What else should I do? Besides studying for your ACT or SAT, have a talk with your parents about 1) what your family can afford and 2) what constraints they have for your college search (distance from home is a common one.) No point in doing an open-ended search if there are constraints in place. Get it on the table now.