Please, help! Extreme Situation!

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>Hello, </p>

<p>My name is Abraham and I am a junior in a private, Jewish high school in L.A. I am very interested in the programs, diversity, and beautiful campus UCLA has to offer. I am a 1st generation American/ Persian, so my English is not that great but I am getting better quite rapidly. But, I have recently been stressing over the fact of applying to UCLA or not (For Fall of 2013). The reason for that is because my high school does not emphasize on the strength of their academics and clubs etc. I have been in the highest level classes we can be in since the 10th grade.[Our school actually has the UC school requirements, but we have to go to school during the summer too, if we want to get the a-g courses.] In fact, I am taking calculus right now. But, the problem is that our school does not offer any AP classes. And since we start school at 7:30 AM and end on average at 9:30 PM, 6 days a week (excluding Friday’s due to religious observance) it is very hard for me to reach higher levels of secular studies. I am currently self-studying for the AP English Language and psychology exam. And I know I will do well because when I have a goal, I achieve it. But what worries me is: I don’t know if I am heading on the right track. We have no school counselor to help for this stuff! Also, my parents are very busy since we have a family of 8, so they do not really have time for this, so I have to take care of myself and my 4 younger siblings. I have also tried to make school clubs/groups; however, my school does not allow it. I even got a petition from many kids in my school that they wanted one of these groups, but no matter how many times i tried my school turned me down. Still, I have gone out of way to help my community and temple (volunteering), fundraising, setting up, tutoring, recycling, etc. Also, I took a practice ACT test and got something like a 28-29, but I am sure I can bump it up to over 30. Also, I forgot to mention I am planning on also self-studying AP Biology, Chemistry, and probably Calculus in my senior year (We are going to end at average 10:15 a night, so it will be pretty hard, but manageable). And if it helps I understand 3 languages, almost 4.</p>

<p>So I was wondering can you please help me. </p>

<pre><code> What can I do to improve my application?

   What should I be doing in my summer/ free time etc. (I mean, when I am not in summer school or studying)?

    What should I do about the Clubs, and AP's?

 ALSO, HOW CAN I GET A 2000+ ON THE SAT?!

</code></pre>

<p>Please tell me of anything you think that can help me; I am forever grateful!</p>

<p>Thanks, Abraham.</p>

2

<p>Where have older kids/siblings from your school gone on to college?
How much per year will your parents pay for your college education?
Perhaps your best plan is to go to a local cc and TAG into a UC, giving you time to improve your English.</p>

3

<p>no older sibling ( im a twin,though)… and the other kids didnt really go to college after highschooll they went after like 2-3 yrs…</p>

4

<p>Hey ackattack,</p>

<p>You are a lot more competitive than you might think. Grades and classes are important, of course, but character and the ability to express that character in letters of recommendation and application essays is equally important.</p>

<p>if your GPA and SAT/ACT scores are high enough, and if you complete enough credits for UCLAs a-g requirement, your application will be read and considered.</p>

<p>I worked with a student last year in Bangkok who was struggling with really low SAT scores. We got on the phone with a UCLA counselor to talk about what he considered when choosing students, especially when said students had low GPA and SAT scores (two things you won’t have). He talked about: level of difficulty (compared with what the school offers), uniqueness of application, “walking the walk” (this student wants to help people with banking and micro-finance, so he spent his summer in the microfinance sector in rural bangladesh), and essays.</p>

<p>The fact that you organized clubs (and were rejected) and kept trying, the fact that you are one of 8, the fact that you are doing this by yourself, and the fact that you are self-studying AP science proves somethign about you. </p>

<p>The hardest part will be expressing that to the admissions officers.</p>

<p>So - focus on finding a few key people at your school to get behind you and support you 100%. That way you can have some great recommendations that express who you are, how hard working you are, and how determined you are</p>

<p>Focus on those essay topics for UC. Talking about how determined and hard working you are (my school doesn’t offer AP Bio, so instead of complaining, I self studied and took a sample test. I won’t get the AP credit, but I did gain the knowledge. I’ve attached my sample test to prove that I did this… or something like that).</p>

<p>Finally, figure out a ‘path’. Obviously, you don’t need to figure out what you want to be when you grow up, but come up with an ideal (doctor, lawyer, programmer, investment banker, entrepreneur) and spend your summer in a loosely related field. For example, if you are interested in marine biology or water conservation, try to do a program or internship at a place in the bay, or at a conservatory… The idea is you don’t want to spend your summer building houses if you are not interested in architecture. Helping people for the sake of an extra-curric notch is totally not cool.</p>

<p>BUT, if you spend your time doing something that can tie into your future goals, you prove that you know what you want and you are willing to work towards it.</p>

<p>Those are the types of people these unis want.</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

<p>Craig Gonzales</p>

5

<p>you ARE THE MOST AWESOME GUY EVER CRAIG GONZALES, G-D BLESS YOU WITH ALL THE BLESSINGS IN THE WORLD…IF ONLY THERE WERE MORE PPL LIKE YOU IN THE WORLD!</p>

6

<p>Thanks Abraham, but it reads like you are much cooler than me. Feel free to PM me any specific questions you have in the future.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Craig Gonzales</p>

7

<p>alrighty buddy, good luck to you in life. Thanks!</p>

8

<p>I think that you’d hav a good chance if u mention in your essay (or have a teacher/rabbi mention in your recommendation) that u self studied all your APs- that looks impressive and it shows your work ethic. Also, you can mention in your essay why you were unable to start any clubs, but that you tried. Does your school document class rank, because if so, it seems like you’d be in the top 10% and that would look good. (if your school is small, however, they probably dont document it. I know cuz i also go to a jewish high school and bc we’re so small they never document it.) What kind of reputation does your school have? Bc that can affect how the college (and other colleges in general) may look at you compared to your school and the other students there.</p>

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<p>lol hi elnamo… i doubt i’d tell a rabbi bc they kind of wee’re giving me speeches how i shouldnt do ap or any college related stuff till i am like 19-20 EARLIEST… but maybe i’ll tell my teacher, secrelty, in a dark alley to write it for me, at 3am, in another country, underground, where there are no rabbis…lol i think u get the point :).</p>

<p>class rank, um i dont think they do that…never heard of it here…</p>

<p>reputation…theyre know for sending the best kids to the best yeshivot lol, idk really reputation wise</p>

<p>wat school do u go to and where?!</p>