Hi! I’ve posted here before, but I’ve learned a little bit since the last time I said anything.
I’m looking for what type of school I should look at.
So here’s a little info about me. I’m from what amounts as a village on the vast prairie of North Dakota. No stoplights, no shopping malls, dirt roads, and a severe lack of cell service. Yeah, you probably could have guessed I’m white from the state. I’m also a guy. My dad was a U.S. Marine and we’ve been stationed around the world, but since he’s retired, we’ve lived here for the last 10 years. My mother is faculty at UND and teaches History. She commutes halfway across the state once or twice a week. We’re not exactly wealthy, but we make things work and we have a nice life.
My high school is only one for about 20 miles and only has about 200 kids 9-12. Frankly, it’s too damn small. There aren’t many electives. I think for juniors there were a total of 4. So, no AP classes. Also no honors classes. (Well, technically math, but more on that in a bit. It’s really just moving kids up a grade for one subject.) The nearest school that does any AP stuff is about 2 and a half hours away.
Academically, I am bored, and it’s hurt my grades a little, and it didn’t help I was a lazy freaking slob freshmen year who could turn assignments in on time. As a result, my GPA is a low 3.56. My ACT score is a 30.
However, I think that those can be made up for with the extracurriculars and volunteer work I’ve done. And my summer jobs have turned into amazing opportunities. A little run down would be:
-I was a reporter for awhile, and a state media association accredited one, as well.
- I've volunteered at the local movie theater for the last 3 and a half years.
- I'm a listed researcher for a historical book on the war with the Sioux.
- A St. Paul, MN-based human rights activist puts these things called Prairie Talks on for the community and we've had some interesting and impressive guests. I've volunteered for these since the start
- I mentioned math earlier. Our school moves kids up a grade level in math. That is the only opportunity to "move ahead" in my high school. For a few years, I wasn't in that group who moved ahead. Because I wasn't going to let myself be kept behind, I took Algebra 2 over the summer. With resources being scarce at the time, I couldn't take an online course. So, I took a textbook home, and spent the next three months teaching myself Algebra 2. I passed both semesters, not with flying colors, but I passed. I was not going to let my situation define me. I rose above to be where I needed to be.
-My next summer job is working at local museum, cataloging and researching artifacts, for the state Historical Society.
- These are things I've put together myself. I went and put these opportunities together, utilizing and making connections with influential people in the community. Very few of the things I do we're just listed in wanted ads or classifieds. None of them were handed to me. I made them. I'm a well rounded person with multiple school sponsored activities as well. I play football and golf. I've played the trombone for the last 7 years. I do speech, and have finaled multiple times at the state tournament. I hunt and fish. And I do most of these things to pass the time up here in the Frozen North.
So that’s a little run down of who I am. My story on the frontier, if you will. I did take a lot of your time, and for that I’m sorry. I’m a driven person who is tired of being held down by small town limitations.
And that’s where you people come in. Though I think I have an idea of where I want to school, I’m always to open to more suggestions.
Here’s some things I’m really looking for:
- To quote the unknown poet, "If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room." That's one of the ways I'm trying to pick a college. Id like to be surrounded by those peers who will challenge me and create intellectual discussion. I don't have that where I live right now. And it's not on any campus in North Dakota. I say that from experience.
- I would hope to go to school in a more liberal area, but so long as it's moderate and doesn't have a conservative slant, things'll be good.
- I'm a huge college football fan, so FBS football is a bit of a must-have.
- It should be a school where no matter what you major in, it's a top notch education.
- Should be in a cool city/community
I think the most similar places to what I’m interested would be Minnesota-Twin Cities, Ohio State and Washington-Seattle Campus.
Sorry for the book. I felt like sharing would help. I think I have an application essay topic.
What other places should I look at? I know there are more similar to these, but I just don’t know which.
Thanks in advance,
StuckinND69