HS Junior going into an International Relations Major

Applying to College
1

Hi guys! So I am excellent at English/History/Writing and that’s always been my strong suit. Unfortunately, I had some really bad anxiety and stress due to moving and my freshmen and sophomore years were tough because I had a hard time in math and adjusting to a new area. My total GPA is a 3.0 and hopefully, I can get it up a little bit more because it definitely is not a reflection my current grades as an AP student (I take 3 AP’s & I received a 3.8 1st semester which I can still raise through AP tests and I got a 4.0 last semester of sophomore year WITHOUT a math class.) I’m really scared because even though I improved my math grade and got a B this year, I’m not quite sure if colleges really care since I had a 2.5-2.9 freshmen/sophomore year due to my math classes. In other classes, I kept all A’s/B’s. The major I want to go into and the career I want to pursue has nothing to do with math but again I’m not sure if selective universities will care. I am looking into applying to colleges abroad including SciencesPo (my dream school), The American University of Paris, Columbia which would be a total reach I believe, NYU, SDSU, Penn State, Wellesley, College of William and Mary, and Georgetown. Something I’ve been considering was going to a local school and transferring, but ideally, I won’t have to.

My other issue is SAT/ACT. I’ve yet to take them, however, I took the PSAT and received a 900 because of the super low math score (i’m still in geometry and will fulfill my math requirement either this summer or next year). So any tips or prep classes/links would help.I’ve been told my friends that I should take the ACT because it might be easier since it includes science, thoughts? I was also looking into taking SAT Subject tests in my stronger subjects to add on to my AP scores.

Alongside this, I have a passion and drive for what I want to do that not many of my peers do. A lot of my classmates have a perfect record, but no clear idea of who they want to be or how they are going to utilize such advantages. I’m also an immigrant who speaks 2 languages fluently alongside English, and I am in EC’s which relate to my ideal major/focus on matters I am interested in. I’m also going to do a summer program concerning diplomacy and national security. Please inform me of my options and what I can do to get into my dream schools. I really want to do and be the best I can!! Sorry for the long read!! :slight_smile:

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You have to get that SAT score higher than the PSAT. Grab some study guides from Amazon or look at Khan Academy. I’d take a practice test each weekend, and then spend the week doing targeted studying on the parts of the test that are giving you problems. Also, the weekly practice tests should help you get over the test anxiety because you will have so much practice with the exam.

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Right now, all the colleges you list are out of reach due to your combo SAT/GPA, except for AUP which basically admits anyone who can pay so that’s not saying much. HOWEVER you do have lots of possibilities, especially if your SAT score can improve now that you’ve had more math and your GPA does.
So, if you can bring your SAT to 1250 (550 math, 700 English), Penn State becomes within range, as do Kalamazoo, Goucher, Hobart and William Smith, Willamette. You can apply to some of these “test optional” and rely on your essays and profile. Colleges such as St Olaf and St Lawrence would be reaches.
Make sure you have external validation for your two foreign languages -ie., it can’t just be your say-so, it has to be a SAT Subject score, an Alliance Française or Cervantes Institute certification or Regional Contest ranking…
Another issue is cost: talk with your parents, run the NPC on every college I named as well as on your state flagship and see what they can afford from income and savings. If they haven’t started savings, they can start doing so by setting aside every month what they think they can pay when you’re in college. It’ll be good practice for the whole family and you’ll see first-hand the sacrifices it entails, but also it’ll set money aside as very few colleges “meet need” (in other words, they admit you and give you scholarships but it’s rarely enough).

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How much is your family willing to pay?