Conflicted student with a confusing transcript + limited college options

MYOS1634
Mon, 16 May 2016 21:09:56 +0000

Based on your record and your financial status, your best bet is to apply to 100% need colleges. These typically cover everything for kids from families that make 30K or less, including room and board and even, sometimes, enough to pay for transportation and a laptop. However you do have to work and contribute (which is a small request since they give you so much). Look into Questbridge.

If you’re to graduate in 2017, the first applications start July 2016 and for state universities with merit, applying early is important (Dec1st is the absolute latest). REA/ED deadlines are November 1st. RD deadlines are between Jan 1st and Feb15.
Are you registered for subject tests for June? Based on your alleged points of strength, I’d suggest English Literature, American History or World History? Then retake your lowest score and add French + the other History test.
(Don’t forget to ask for your fee waivers to your guidance counselor. You’ll have to pay the late fee for the June test if you haven’t registered yet. But the waivers will work in the Fall if you register on time).

Try to take French through your community college in order to reach level 3 at the college (you’ll have to take College French 2 and 3 next year, it’ll take you further than High school French 3.) If you can add Arabic II it’d be good, too. You DO need to take one more year of math.
Reading books for fun on topics of academic interest is VERY good.
Graduating early will hurt you for selective admissions though because you’ll have had one less year to do something unique and impressive.
Any way you can study in a high school abroad (I know it’s frequently done in France, not sure about Arab-speaking countries. The ideal may be a school in France where you can study Arabic or that has many Arabic-speaking students?) Contact your local Rotary and ask about their scholarship program. It’s competitive but it covers all your fees at the school abroad. A French “12th grade” would likely be quite unlike what you’re living. You’d have lots of French literature, Philosophy, foreign languages (Arabic? English?), History… at a rather advanced level.

You should have by the time of graduation: 4 units in English (good: DE Literature and DE Composition; DE Philosophy also “counts”); 4 units of Math including precalculus Honors + 1 (calculus, statistics, discrete math); foreign language up to level 4 or AP in high school (up to level 3 or 4 at the college level - since you won’t have calculus, it’d help if you had French up to level 3-4 college + Arabic up to level 2 college or HS3); 4 units in history and social science (try to take 2 at the community college level but having more would help due to your major: human geography, cultural anthropology, political science, seminars in history); 4 units in science (including bio, chem, and physics, +1). Since you’re fascinated with ME/SA history, look at the local college’s professors’ specialties and ask if any could use you as a research assistant.
Try to retake the ACT and increase your score.
Colleges that would be interested in your profile include Tufts and Macalester (especially if you can combine an International Relations major with both French and Arabic); Northwestern and its MENA major. Georgetown and American University may be interested.