Hello,
I was hoping to receive some advice on my college admission rate. I’m currently 15 years of age and applying to college. My sat score is not the highest as I have rather bad text anxiety, 1090 to be exact ( math-480, reading-610). Although, I will be retaking it and hope to increase my score. By the end of the year, I shall have taken 13 advanced courses via online homeschooling. I hope to enter the field of neuroscience. My college list consists of Boston University, Emmanuel College, Fordham University, Harvard University, NYU, Northeastern University, Syracuse University, The George Washington University, and UConn. Do you think I have a good chance of entering these colleges, if not what colleges would you suggest? Note: I only want to enter colleges in New York, Connecticut, Boston, Illinois, and Washington. Thank you for the help.
I think you are making a mistake. Colleges are going to be very reluctant to take a 15 or 16 year old. You probably can’t live on campus by yourself. Occasionally a college will take a very young student with a demonstrated track record of high grades and superb test scores, but that is not you. Your test scores are quite low.
I’ve never heard of Emmanuel College, so I suppose there is some possibility they would accept you. The rest, I think you are wasting your money applying.
Is your family wealthy? If not, some of these would be unaffordable anyway. When you have a solid high school curriculum completed with decent test scores, run the net price calculator on each website to see what the cost might be for each college before applying.
What is your citizenship? Where do you live now?
What is the highest level of math and foreign language you’ve reached (/will have reached by graduation)?
Have you taken dual enrollment classes in English/Philosophy, biology, psychology, chemistry?
Where do you live?
What’s your budget?
Right now, you’re too young and don’t have the record you need for these college, except Emmanuel. If you waited and took more advanced classes / increased your SAT significantly you’d have more choices - especially since Emmanuel isn’t not a college where research in your field is conducted. You want to aim foe colleges such as Dickinson or Bates - but you’ll need zb1350-1450 sat.
Why do you want to graduate high school so early?
I agree with the other posters that you are making a mistake in applying at such an early age. If you have test anxiety to the extent it affects your SAT scores so much, how will you get through midterms and final exams in college, which are every bit as stressful and condensed within the span of a few days?
Take another couple of years. Take a test prep class. Retake the tests. Participate in some ECs in more depth. Rack up some accomplishments outside of school. You may be a very bright young student, but you don’t yet seem to have the complete package those selective colleges on your list are looking for. I think in a couple more years you’ll have an excellent shot at them, but not at 15, not yet.
I will be very blunt: You are wasting money and time. I am suspecting that this post is fake. You are highly unlikely to be accepted to any college, at the age of 15, with a 1090. What is the rush?
There is absolutely no chance you will get into any of those colleges. Homeschooling is not a hook. Being 15 is definitely not a hook, unless you have some kind of demonstrable level of hyper-intellectualism or are massively hooked in something like being Malala Youfsazai. As a homeschooler, you will probably need AP test scores and/or SAT subject test scores for almost all of those colleges. I do not know about Emmanuel, but look at their common data set and see if your test scores are on par. See what the admission requirements are.
I suggest that since you are homeschooled you continue to take classes to improve your SAT score, classes that are prerequisites to your neuroscience interest and you give it more time. Also, work on your test anxiety by taking the SAT under test conditions over and over till it is no big deal. Explore the ACT as well. You have time to get your ducks in a row to be a great candidate in the next couple of years. Without perfect grades and scores being 15 will be a negative rather than a positive for admissions to most of these schools