I’m a sophomore in high school and my freshman year I had good grades but this past year I had several medical issues and mental health issues that led to me doing incredibly poor in school, to the point where my GPA when weighted was less than 3.5. Obviously it’s my goal this semester to turn it around but with the virus and online school, I’m not quite sure how that will look.
I could really benefit from some advice for both the SAT and ACT if I should take both or just one or the other and some things that can help me get prepared.
Also, realistically, what score would I have to get into a good university? I have these extracurriculars:
Jewish Youth Group Programming Vice President, Leadership Development Team
National Federation of Temple Youth Cabinet 678 Chair, (2 years)
Tech crew for the production of Spamalot the musical
Lead ¨Brenda¨ in the production of Nooses Off
Skills USA member (will be 3 years by the time I apply for schools)
National Speech and Debate Society Member (will be 3 years)
Girls Tennis (will be 4 years)
Center for Communication and Technology Magnet program (will be 4 years)
goals by the time I am a senior-
Jewish Student Connection Club Co-president for two years
Speech and Debate co-captain
National Federation of Temple Youth Regional Board Member position of Programming Vice President
Some people do better on one test than the other, so the question of whether to take both largely depends on how happy you are with your score on the first test you take. Doing well on both the ACT and SAT vs. one good score on just one isn’t going to notably boost your application.
There are free online resources such as Khan Academy to help you prepare. There are books too. Some high schools offer prep classes for free or at a very low cost. Any tutoring center will offer classes too. If you can afford them, consider a private tutor or an online Princeton Review class. Many kids on these boards have gotten excellent results from just Khan Academy, so you may not have to spend a ton of money to get the results you want.
Define “good university”. A 3.5 is definitely not going to help you at a top 20 or so, but there are plenty of universities that can give you a very good education. At this point I wouldn’t target any particular college. Instead just focus on keeping as many doors open as possible by doing the best work you can, doing well in core classes, challenging yourself where appropriate, and resuming your extra curricular activities as soon as you are able to.
Where do you live (general region…don,t have to be specific) and what kind of school do you prefer? Large, small, rural, urban, etc. Do you have any idea what you would like to major in. Also, do you have a budget yet (very important to know/ discus with your parents).
If you think you’d like a small private school, one that popped into my head looking at your description of yourself is Muhlenburg College in Allentown PA. It’s a well-regarded LAC but not extremely difficult in terms of admissions, has a strong reputation for theater, and a high number of Jewish students (about 1/3). It’s loosely affiliated with the Lutheran Church but has no religious requirements. Known for it’s friendly and nurturing campus atmosphere and small class sizes.