Honestly and truly- you do NOT need to be doing extra academic work outside of school. You really don’t. You should be focused 100% on doing well on the actual HS classes you are already signed up for. That’s where your focus needs to be. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Life 101.
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I’m overly stressed out already and seeing your message has given me an idea to put it off.
Plus, if I was smarter, maybe I could handle it.
Probably not.
Oh well, 
(ty for the insight)
It’s not a matter of being smart or smarter but of… hours in a day. You already have lots on your plate PLUS college applications. There isn’t enough time as it is.
Cutting down on sleep or time with friends is not a good use of your time anyway and at this point you’d have to sacrifice an essential to fit in the 4-6 hours a week.
In January or February, after 1st semester grades, you can still take the online course. You’ll be done with college applications and grades won’t matter as much.
At this point…
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have you run the NPC on all the colleges you’d listed as well as all the colleges listed on this thread?
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what did your parents say about budget? => Now what you have that number … What colleges are within budget?
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are you done with the basic info (you, your parents, listing courses and ECs…) on CommonApp and on your SUNY/EOP/HEOP apps?
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did you request your counselor check the fee waiver box for you (so you don’t have to pay fees?)
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have you joined the mailing list at all private colleges suggested? (When they start sending you messages, make sure to open them and click on links you find interesting: it’s all tracked.)
so many questions, ahh (sorry me reading this made me freak out/get overwhelmed)
the NPC: ughhh I’ve put it off for the longest time possible- this long weekend literally is too long - I’ve been working on supplementals, school work, and everything in between. today I have 2 different college meetings and a program orientation and a doctor’s appointment and it’s a lot.
my parents - they won’t tell me but i’m pretty confident that a good number of schools are within that budget
basic info - yeah. since I only qualify for CSTEP (which is basically just NYU and the following participating schools: CSTEP Projects and Contact Information | New York State Education Department)
I can pay fee waivers; the program I’m in already lets me get a fee waiver for NYU. Plus, 9/13 of my schools are fee waived!
I don’t get the reason why I’d need to click on links to show interest, but yea I typically open links.
sorry that i’ve been super duper procrastinating but yeah- thanks for keeping me on my toes, I really appreciate it 
They track “interest”, to see if your application is real or just a throw-away. So, each time you open a message, it’s automatically “noted”, each link opened as well, AND it allows them to know what you’re really interested in, so they can send you links in relation to that. Think of it as getting 0.1 bonus point each time you click, and the more bonus points the more likely the admission or the scholarship - and on the other hand, not clicking negatively impacts these outcomes because they doubt you really want to attend or are even interested in the school, so why offer you admission or waste a scholarship offer?
This only applies to selective private colleges since public universities usually have more than enough applicants+not enough staff to factor interest into their decision. Plus, they assume that since you’re in-state, interest is built-in. 
An easy way to do it:
Take all private colleges you listed as well as those on here (scroll back up).
Type “join the mailing list” with the quotation marks + (the + sign) and the name of the college.
Fill out your name/ email etc.
Go back, type in just the name of the next college (it should read “join the mailing list” + …blank… College, you just add the name in …blank…)
Easy to do, efficient, and you’ll see the fruits of your labor immediately.
Yes, you’re right, that’s a lot!
But… It’s a long weekend with an extra day to use so you can be less stressed on other days of the week. Nov1 (first EA deadlines) is coming soon.
That should reinforce the idea that online course is better saved for Spring semester though 
yeah, I guess.
okay i’ll go to the mailing list things soon!
yeah my earliest deadline is Nov 1, and 14 days later, Nov 15.
thank you for that tip though, it’s noted!
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btw if anyone else is interested in CSTEP in general, NYU is the only participating school that asks if you’d like to be considered. the others on that list make you fill out EOP/HEOP stuff and you have to sign up for CSTEP yourself.
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updates!
My username changed (as my username was actually my real name, and I didn’t realize that people on here are encouraged to change their usernames if they are their real name. Plus my username was my social media handle and I wouldn’t want Colleges identifying me to a CC profile.)
I took Marist off my list. I gotta let my school know ASAP because I filled out a Records Release form and if they notice a discrepancy between your Common App and the Form they reach out to you.
Plus I need to email my GC about writing LORs/sending transcripts/school reports ASAP because she hasn’t started any of it.
Both of my LORs are secured & have been uploaded to the Common App since the start of October (I can’t send any for my CUNY schools because I have to submit the application first?!?!) - I asked my Algebra 2/Trig teacher and my English/Case Manager/Creative Writing teacher.
I joined the mailing list for my schools.
My NYU Program started today, had a lot of fun, my friends and I had a little reunion at lunch
Idk if I answered this @MYOS1634 but I don’t qualify for fee waivers, it just happens that 9/12 of my schools are offering me a fee waiver either because of my involvement in the NYU program or through my email/mailings.
I know that my parents make $100K+, as I asked them if I would qualify for the NYU Promise and they told me we’re over the range for that, so that should make applying/paying for college easier(?)
Also Hobart & WS is visiting my school this week, may check them out at the College Fair (if I’m off that period).
I also may not be ED1 Northeastern anymore, my grades need more focus. I’m NOT doing the AI course at Northeastern anymore .
Sorry for the long update, but thank you all for staying in the loop! It’s much appreciated. 
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Thanks for the update.
Definitely go see the H&WS rep - introduce yourself, say 1-2 things that interest you about their college (look it up: can be a course, something they promote in their curriculum, sth on campus…),chat nicely, sign up - you may get a fee waiver out of it and your rep will definitely remember you
Surely if there’s a college fair seniors are supposed to go/stop by?
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Aren’t you asleep!?! (when I hover over your profile I see it is 1:21 AM for you. Woah.)
Yeah but I don’t like missing class o_O
Thanks for the tips, I shall see if my College Spanish 5 teacher will let me go:)
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also I’m applying Northeastern ED2 now bc my grades need to be a little higher.
What colleges are you applying to EA/by Nov1?
Marist (feeder school; Nov. 15 though)
Stony Brook (Nov. 1)
Binghamton (Nov. 1)
SUNY University at Buffalo (Nov. 1)
NC State (Nov. 1)
Still debating on Baruch Honors…due Nov. 15.
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Do it. Baruch Honors is SO worth it, priority registration and honors seminars that let you avoid a lot of red tape issues, you’ll thank yourself when you see the headaches you avoided. 
Not Geneseo Albany, New Paltz?
these are three separate schools, right? (there’s no comma between geneseo and albany)
you’ve used this term before, what does it mean?
Oops, yes, 3 separate schools - typo
CUNYs are academically excellent but they have lots of administrative hurdles and dead ends (in part due to lack of administrative staff who are really overwhelmed, in part because… NYC loves red tape…sorry, not a good explanation, subjective not objective, if anybody has a better one I’ll take it). If you get caught in one of these mazes, it’s maddening. Honors program students can avoid some problems before they happen because they’re taking honors classes and if/when they encounter an administrative issue they have someone to talk to.
Hey, sorry for disappearing!
Uh yeah I’m still slightly confused by the red tape, so I went into Google and typed in “CUNY Red Tape” and I’m even more confused.
Is there anyone who can explain it?
This is the only thing I got from your perspective.
Thanks for clarifying!
Red tape is a term that means subjectively stupid, time consuming, administrative hurdles that need to be addressed. All bureaucracies have red tape —- navigating it is part of adulting. The goal for most of us is to adopt strategies that minimize as much red tape “interaction” as possible.
It’s probably a generational term!
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That makes more sense…thank you!
I guess I’m too young to understand!
Sadly, you will run into a lot of red tape as you get older. Patience is good when one can’t avoid it — but doing things to proactively avoid it is best when possible (like joining an honors program to get priority registration which avoids the red tape of “regular” registration when you might be shut out of the class you want because of lack of seniority, for instance.
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