@lookingforward: That’s exactly why I’m here. I want to figure out how to rebuild my academic achievement to what it was since after high school I’m now back at square one. That way I’ll at least be somewhat competitive when it’s time to apply for research positions/grad school. I already plan on doing some work during the summer, but I likely won’t get good opportunities until the following year when the faculty know me a little better (for recommendation purposes). One thing that should be noted is that even in my first semester of college I’m not restricted to only freshman and sophomore level courses. At the very least my junior-level physics course is supposed to be difficult, but that hasn’t been the case in practice.
@Publisher: I simply have no idea what I did wrong, if at all. I imagine anything major would have been cause for rejection immediately from MIT, so I understand why it may seem odd to you. However, it must also be noted that perhaps the interest I demonstrated in the case of Virginia Tech wasn’t sufficient, so they waitlisted me to protect their yield. I did point out specific things I liked about each school and payed close attention to their own suggestions about the application process, but I understand that it is still very difficult to get into college in general. I was expecting a waitlist or rejection at GMU too, so acceptance to the honors college was an (initially) pleasant surprise.
I get the sense that OP is only interested in theoretical pursuit of a few subjects that he’s deeply interested in. That narrow focus may have doomed his chances of admission at those schools that he applied to, especially in the absence of actual accomplishments in those subjects other than having taken courses in or read some relatively advanced materials for a HS student on the subjects. MIT defers most early applicants and rejects most of them in the regular round, so his result there is fairly common. Additionally, none of us knows what was in his application. If an applicant doesn’t come across as likable, no AO at any selective college will take a chance.
Clearly, GWU is a very poor fit for OP. He’d probably be much better off at a large public U with broader offerings that would ensure at least some of them will coincide with his interests.
Thanks for the correction, @Publisher. OP’s part of VA is still highly competitive, though not like TJ and its neighbors, and technically “Northern VA.”
Defers and WL can be explained any number of ways. Being deferred leaves hope, imo. But then the RD apps come in. And geo diversity plays a role.
And 1480 isn’t high MIT level. They explain in myriad ways how they need rounded strengths, academic and in ECs. Target would have been 750/750 and their freshman stats are higher.
But what IS good about the defer from MIT is they liked you well enough. Maybe you made some small but crucial error. Maybe some other strong candidates showed up from your local or wider area. Who knows?
But it suggests that, despite the 'tude earlyin this thread, you may be very viable for a transfer.
Now, how can you make yourself an obviously very viable transfer candidate? No, GMU is not rigorous in all areas. It serves better for students with other interests. That’s why you need to get top grades, even if it means grin and bear it. A ref from the prof you research for (maybe, depends.) The right balance of ECs. Do build prof relationships, even if you have to make up some interesting conversations.
I find it incredibly hard to believe that an entire research university, which may not be MIT level, but is still a good school, cannot provide any challenge to the OP. And if his attitude shown in this thread is any indication, he came off as not likable in his apps last year. The OP is happier complaining that he is seemingly smarter than all the profs at GMU - extremely doubtful - than getting an appropriate education, which is possible at GMU, even for incredibly bright students, even though it may take some effort. Lots of great suggestions have been offered, but the OP has rejected them all. So he can drop out. I don’t see him faring any better as a transfer applicant. He hasn’t said anything in this thread to make me think he’s maximizing his opportunities and will be able to show that in a transfer app. Then there is the likability factor. So, this thread/OP gets a big fat yawn!
Although I agree with the above comment, I like OP. I think that he is highly intelligent & motivated, but having difficulty adjusting to college life.
This is not uncommon other than that OP sees his discomfort, rightly or wrongly, as a result of lack of academic challenge.
OP: Consider the possibility of taking a few graduate courses at your current university for additional academic rigor & more serious classmates.
@syntacticalbeing wrote (in an earlier thread) “I scored a 1480 in the SAT recently (710 reading, 770 math)… I’m homeschooled…”
So, aside from good, but not great (for top tier programs) SAT scores, you had a transcript of limited value to an admissions committee. For home schooled students, it is unclear what an A from Mom means. Even a recommendation letter saying “My son was my favorite student ever, even compared to his one sibling…” won’t add much. What does add credibility and context for a home schooled student who wants to get into top programs is lots and lots of outstanding standardized test scores and for STEM, outside activities where your achievements can be viewed relative to others - USAPHO, USAMO, Intel, Regeneron, Siemens, etc.
Now you are in college. Knock out a 4.0 GPA in the most rigorous classes they will let you enroll in. If the resistance to enrollment is administrative, and they won’t let you formally enroll in the classes you want, talk to the professors actually teaching the courses about enrolling or auditing the classes. Professors are usually very open to enthusiastic students. Talk to professors, get involved in research, enter the Putnam if that’s your kind of thing.
Then, after you’ve earned some credentials that will be respected at other institutions, you can apply for transfer, or you may just find that there are more opportunities at your current institution then you were aware of.
@tdy123: I had extracurriculars outside of school that I was heavily involved in. Also, most of my work the last two years of high school was done through joint enrollment rather than mere parental oversight. You only see the SAT score because it’s difficult to adequately describe the other factors through an online medium. Also, all my letters of recommendation came either from faculty at the community college where I was taking classes or from (adult) leaders involved in my extracurriculars. My parents were too busy for me to be able to participate in anything like what you mentioned and I didn’t know any people who could’ve helped me in any way due to the isolation. I instead taught myself the gruelling way and finished with a research paper to show for it. I never heard of any of those competitions you mentioned until it was too late.
The “resistance” you mention is due to both administration and faculty to some extent. I am beginning to make progress in math towards that goal, but it takes a long time and is very tricky due to the same reasons I’m currently having trouble explaining my situation in this forum. Physics will be even harder since I can’t identify a particular professor with some shared interests.
@AboutTheSame: That’s a highly subjective metric, and involves an issue I can’t win. If I speak up about not being challenged, I am immediately labeled a braggart and the internet mob comes for the lynching. Something similar happens in real life until the people involved understand better, in which case the problem ceases. If I keep quiet entirely, I’ll be stuck with the problem. I could also choose to only reveal limited information to certain people with a certain timing, but that is quite difficult to handle and takes a long time.
How would you possibly know, as a first semester freshman who’s not in any CS courses, what you’ll see in GMU’s CS courses? Have you taken undergrad CS courses at another college? If not, how are you comparing the content?
I agree that, on CC, sometimes one is darned if you do and darned if you don’t.
Many parents overseeing homeschooling do an excellent job on their LoRs. Let’s skip that.
Yes, in some respects, you need to restart. Pick a target, look at the recommended hs course preparation. If you have any gaps, fix those. It may mean taking a GMU course, sitting with less committed kids- but the silver lining would be getting an A.
And tackle the recurring “isolation.” ANY clubs/activities that could interest you? (Hint: being rounded is an asset.) You find perspective when you interact.
Here’s a quick advice. You can express the same ideas in a much more positive way when talking to people. Instead of “I’m bored”, “I don’t learn a thing”, “I’m not challenged” use phrases like “I’m ready to be challenged more”, “I’d like to study this subject in more depth”, “I enjoyed self-studying difficult topics in school and I’d like to continue doing this”. People will be significantly more inclined to help you.
@yucca10: Thank you for the advice. I’ll keep that in mind if I talk to anyone else about my interests.
@lookingforward: I’ve signed up for a few clubs. It’s difficult to participate much due to scheduling conflicts, but I do what I can. I generally have trouble communicating with other people due to the difference in thought process and interests. Math, physics, and CS are not even the first subjects I became interested in; they just happen to be what my focus was on the past three years since I have some related unanswered questions in philosophy and “higher level” sciences (e.g. biology, chemistry, and psychology).
If you think any social challenges are particularly difficult for you, eg, comunicating, consider looking for support. It can help. Not to change your core self, but to help develop those skills. So to say, have them in your pocket to use when you need.
I second a poster earlier - get a job, join a club, play sports, do something outside the boundary of academics. Anyone can lock him/herself in a room, study all day, and get straight A’s. Much of school is just rote learning. For instance, prestigious universities use a holistic approach to admissions because virtually everyone submit the same scores. The people they pick are the ones usually socially involved.
Things have more or less remained unchanged since the last time I posted. I plan on graduating quickly with a BS then will probably start work in whatever I can find. I don’t see the point in pursuing an academic career given that almost no one outside of the top 10-20 or so undergrad institutions for a given major succeed in that endeavor. I can just study in my spare time in the future (probably ~10 hours a week). Overall it’s an advantage that I don’t care about much of anything since it means what is often called “job satisfaction” will be easy to acquire. Thanks for the advice in any case.