A Freshman is Hyperventilating. Right Now.

Applying to College
21

<p>I'm curious. Why do you want to go to an Ivy League so badly? Is it a matter of making money when you grow up? Or is it a matter of getting the best education possible?</p>

<p>It seems to me that if it was about money, the best way to get really rich is to start your own business... which means that the name of the school on your undergrad degree won't mean anything at all, you won't even need one (although, it would certainly take skills you would need to learn in college if you wanted to do that).</p>

<p>If it is about getting the best education possible, then you should stop thinking about college entirely. High School is a time for learning, if you put your best effort into learning now and enjoying the moment, than you will be exactly what Ivy League schools will want three years down the road. If you spend all your effort trying to play the system, than you'll look exactly like that on your application and it won't be pretty. Not to mention you'll be awfully depressed twenty years down the road (as the diva so rightly mentioned).</p>

<p>Sit back, have fun, learn.</p>

22

<p>First of all, you shouldn't just be looking at Ivies.. Duke & Stanford are also great schools to spend your high school years being obsessed about.. I also personally like Hopkins! If you decide that you want to major in math/science.. add Caltech & MIT to the list. I've been hearing a lot of good things about Northwestern & University of Chicago too. :D </p>

<p>One of the things you must do is research all the schools and see:
a.) How good they are with your major
b.) Academic & Social Environment</p>

<p>Don't apply to a school simply for its prestige! There are many out there.. apply to the ones you like best! Also don't bother doing this till.. a couple months after the beginning of 2009!</p>

<p>Just work hard and enjoy high school.. it may be as boring as hell, but don't get too stressed over college admissions. Don't even think about college right now! I didn't even know what my first choice school was till last summer..</p>

<p>One or two bad grades are not going to hurt you.. you can get into many of these schools without a 4.0..
Heck, I got into Duke with a 3.73 UW GPA!</p>

<p>Also a 1070 as a 7th grader is pretty good, that means you scored higher than the average high schooler! But don't worry about SAT prep now.. my advice would be to self-study if you are a highly motivated person (which most CC'ers are), and not waste the money.
Your reasoning skills will get better from 7th-11th grade, so you would definitely do better on the Math + Verbal sections than a 1070. </p>

<p>Also finally make sure the community service project you decide to take is one you enjoy and can have fun at.. not just to rack up hours for colleges. The majority of applicants to top schools are already doing that!</p>

<p>Study a lot but don't do it for the grades.. do it to acquire the knowledge! That journey is much more fun! </p>

<p>Good luck with your high school years and wherever you choose to apply. :)</p>

23

<p>GAH! FRESHMAN RELAX. typical frosh.</p>

<p>a) Why do you want to go to an Ivy League School anyways?
b) You don't need a 4 year plan
c) You will change your mind a billion times over. As a sophomore i loved Penn and now I love Pomona. Completely different. I started High School w/ a love for business and now i want to do politics/government.</p>

<p>d) enjoy high school and don't waste your life. no wonder colleges reject some many people who start 4 years early and scheme to get into an ivy league! BE GENUINE!</p>

24

<p>You'll be fine, just do exceptionally well in one or two passions--colleges love that. Don't start planning for college now (although it's good that you want information). You'll only hurt your chances if you go the formulaic route.</p>

25

<p>It seems like you see high school as only a way to get into college...don't.</p>

26

<p>..................</p>

27

<p>-- One low grade will not hurt your class rank that much. Class rank (yes, even absolute class rank) does not even matter that much anyway. I promise you, colleges will not take some other student over you just because you got a B in freshman year English. Take hard classes, try your best, and do well...you WILL be ok, lol.<br>
Don't worry about all this college crap just yet. Join clubs you like, volunteer in interesting places, and take tough courses. Then come back in 2 years and revisit the college idea.<br>
Now go out for coffee or party or something.</p>

28

<p>In three years, you'll probably be laughing at how much you're freaking out now. It's one marking period; you have the rest of the year to bring it up. Plus, as long as you continue to improve, a B freshman year really isn't going to be the kiss of death.</p>

<p>I made a flexible four-year plan for myself when I was a freshman, and then I never looked at it again. </p>

<p>You still have 3.5 years of high school ahead of you, which is a pretty long time. If you're freaking out now about something that long away, your high school experience is going to be miserable.</p>

29

<p>Haha, wow. When I was taking the SAT, there was a horde of youngins and overbearing parents who were definitely hyperventilating b/c their kid was about to take a test that could get the a good placing in the midwest talent search. Really funny. I wanted to punch em. (Okay, I'm good now - smiles)</p>

<p>1) Find activities in the school that can reward you with shiny awards and activities that you enjoy. The best activities in HS are the ones you're good at, the ones you enjoy, and the ones that reward you (as in state/national). All great things come in threes. Just make sure you enjoy them - most important.</p>

<p>2) Get the SAT IIs out of the way. US Hist / World hist - memorization. Easy 700+s.</p>

<p>3) You indeed are an IvyLeagueFreak. You need to do some more research before you decide that the IvyLeague is really the place for you. Remember that graduate school is much more important, and as long as you went to a good school (even a state school, yes I said state school) and do really well there, then you'll be fine. </p>

<p>4) Very harsh - warning - study harder. You should not be getting B-s in a freshman english class. Freshman year is basically your opportunity to boost your GPA hardcore. Don't slack in your freshman year. </p>

<p>5) Don't set yourself up for failure. College admissions are becoming ever more competitive, and now is more like a crap shoot in that though you may have been just the applicant the college needed one year, you may not be the next. If you've got your eye on the ivies all your life, and don't get it - that will be a pretty hard hit. Don't get me wrong, I applied to numerous ivies myself, but I didn't go through HS thinking they were the only place for me. </p>

<p>You'll find that w/ such an attitude, you'll end up doing things for the wrong reasons and ultimately end up unhappy with your accomplishments.</p>

<p>It takes some maturity, and it'll take you a little while to gain it. I AM patronizing you. But I am b/c I have personal experience to back it up. I used to be the same way. But as I got older, I understood school really wasn't all about the grades, and actually could be fun. It took me about 2.5 years to figure it out. Just trust me.</p>

30

<p>frosh, nothing is worth hyperventilating about. If its your parents, in the end, they'll still support you even if you don't go to an ivy.</p>

31

<p>Well, hyperventilating is not helping you get into an Ivy.
That A- is not helping you get into an ivy.
Membership in two generic clubs is not helping you get into an ivy.
That 1070 is not helping you get into an ivy.
A mere 6 AP classes by graduation is not helping you get into an ivy.
That blank section on the Community Service list is not helping you get into an ivy.
... and the B- is certainly not going to help you get in anywhere.</p>

<p>Let's talk about facts, not that you are a freshman or anything(and I believe it is very commendable that you are open minded enough to think this process through so early on), but just on your list of stats. </p>

<p>You have NOTHING except a 4.0 GPA, which would probably be ruined by your second semester if you don't shape up. As for your ECs they are rock bottom at best and pathetic in their worst. You have no community service, SAT scores which will never let us analyze your stats, sports or instrument ability, and no award/recognition even the class level. </p>

<p>If you are serious about attending a Ivy League school, you'd best think about changing your caliber, because with what you have given us, you haven't a snowball's chance in Southern California.</p>

32

<p>^She is definitely going to do much better than 1070 on the SAT's by junior year.. I'm going for a very wide range of 1300-1600 or 1950-2400. </p>

<p>I know of a guy who hyperventilated constantly who got into top schools including Yale & UPenn. :p</p>

33

<p>IvyLeagueFreak,</p>

<p>I think that at some point you are going to have to do some soul searching. Why do you feel the need to go to an Ivy League school? Is it out of a desire to be the best? The best at what? Business? Why do you need to go to an Ivy League to be the best at business?</p>

<p>Some of the best businessmen and businesswomen in the world never even graduated high school. I'm not saying it's common, but it does happen. My point is, is that Harvard and business classes are no judge of how good at business you are, just like a Calculus exam is no judge at how good at doing real research. There is a correlation, and usually anybody who is good at research in an area can ace tests in an area, but not everybody who can ace tests in an area will be good at the profession. </p>

<p>Do you see what I am saying? If you want to be the richest person in the world, you don't need to go to college to do it. In fact, it might even waste your time. College is great fun, but an Ivy League is just a brand name. There may be other colleges out there that are even better fits for you. Don't listen to what other people tell you are the best, find out for yourself what the best is for you.</p>

<p>Do what you love, and everything else in your life falls into place far more easily. If you show true motivation and passion for your choice of study, more than just getting a 4.0 through high school, I bet you can go wherever you want. Colleges seek to show off that their alumni come out famous and influential, more than just successful people and great students, so that they can claim that only their school turns out the best of the best. Great students are common, what a college really wants are students who they think are going to do great ANYWAY. Do you know what I mean? You aren't shopping for colleges, it is colleges who are shopping for specific types of people. If you try to turn yourself into what they are looking for, all you will do is make yourself unhappy. By contrast, if you do what you truly love and become great at it, colleges will want you anyway, and by this time you might even realize that the distinction between Ivy League and everything else is a moot point anyway (at least at the undergraduate level).</p>

34

<p>first of all like practically everyone else has said. BREATHE firstly.</p>

<p>Okay so here r my opinions:
1. WOW great job on being so prepared it is a GOOD thing despite what anyone tells you about getting a life and what not. (I'm also a frosh and also have a four yr plan and also want to become a business/econ major at a top 25 university, many similarites eh?)
2. Don't freak out about your SAT. There is plenty of time to make it up. Should you study for it? ABSOLUTELY. My advice, get a few workbooks for the PSAT and take that in tenth grade. Then go and study study study for the SAT and take that @ the end of tenth grade (for practice) and two times in 11th grade. You seem like a really smart person. With practice you r probably going to get near a perfect score. :)
3. Don't worry about the B- in english. Many top colleges don't even look @ freshman grades. Just talk to your teacher about what you can do to bring it up next time.
4. Look into what you can do for ECs. THOSE are what r gonna get u into a top college.</p>

<p>Lastly enjoy high school. I am working really hard, but still find time for friends, and doing things that I enjoy. Find something you r passionate about (other than getting into a top college) and go for it! It will really make a difference. Anyways, good luck!</p>

35

<p>
[quote]
Membership in two generic clubs is not helping you get into an ivy.
That 1070 is not helping you get into an ivy.
A mere 6 AP classes by graduation is not helping you get into an ivy.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>you're so completely wrong it's laughable.</p>

<ol>
<li>If he/she dedicates time to them, such as becoming an officer, then it certainly could help.</li>
<li>They took it in seventh grade. That's better than my HS's average SAT. I'm also from jersey in an average public HS. My scores went up 270 points in two months. In 4 years, he could have a perfect score.</li>
<li>My school offers 13 AP's, but only juniors and seniors may take them. It's virtually impossible to take more than 8, and I dont know anyone with more than 6. As long as the student chooses the hardest class rigor, 6 AP's is absolutely fine.</li>
</ol>

36

<p>I'm probably going to restate what many people have already said.</p>

<p>Currently you are only a freshman in high school. In 3.5 years time, you could become a completely different person. Like someone said before me, enjoy high school. I worked hard in high school but now that I'm in college, I'm 100x busier and have to work 100x harder. Enjoy high school while it lasts. Make some friends. Discover yourself. Mature a little. Develop your life philosophy and world views. Do something you like. Get into a couple of relationships. Please don't be a dull person. No one likes dull people. Not even admission officers. You'll start writing your essays for college and have nothing to say.</p>

<p>However, it is also good that you're already thinking ahead about college. One of the upperclassmen recently told me to already start looking at Grad school; I'm only a freshman. A four year plan is good. It gives you a direction and a goal. However, you must be flexible in your four year plan to adapt to any personal preference changes. I would suggest to anyone to plan out their four years of high school.</p>

<p>Despite enjoying high school, YOU MUST WORK HARD. You probably don't understand just how competitive top notch schools are. Imagine the two smartest and hardest working people in your school. Now imagine that every other person competing with you for a spot at an Ivy Plus university are just as smart and hard working as those two if not smarter and harder working. That image still doesn't portray just how competitive colleges are now. A B- in freshman English is terrible. And ******** that B- won't affect your chances. If your school ranks, that B- will pull down your rank a notch or two (or three or five), which will hurt your chances. Furthermore, the amount of AP's you should take should be all relative to how others are doing. If other people are taking all AP courses, you should to, if not more. I had eight 5's by the end of my Junior year and then took four more AP exams at the end of the Senior year. My school only offered five AP courses. Also, a 1070 is terrible. You do have a lot of time to retake it though (why did you take it in the first place?). You shouldn't worry about it until the summer before Junior year. Please take school more seriously.</p>

<p>As for extracurriculars, do something you want to not something people think are good resume boosters. My friend was the president of one very small club and was a member of only one other club with no sports, music, volunteer work, etc. and got into Stanford on grades alone. He's also Asian. EC's are not something that will patch up your poor academic performance. EC's are, like the name suggests, extra. Good EC's will not make up for poor grades/SAT's.</p>

<p>Lastly, don't be solely focused on the Ivy League. Have you visited the campuses? Read literature about them? Or do you want to go just because you heard they are good schools? Choosing the correct college is essential to keeping your sanity for the next four years (after high school). If you are absolutely miserable at the best college in the world, is it worth it? I know people who got into great top notch schools (Wellesley, Bryn Mawr) and are trying to transfer out next year. Investigate colleges closely because you will be spending the next four years there.</p>

37

<p>Great job on the SAT. PLEASE remember that you took it in SEVENTH GRADE and you seem like the type of person who will be taking it many many times more in the future. 1070 is very good for the 7th grade. </p>

<p>But, really, do yourself a favor and chill the f*** out. Work hard and you will be sucessful.</p>

38

<p>Oh jesus, focus on getting laid, not college...</p>

<p>If you insist, how certain are you you want to go to the Ivies? Have you done research on them? I originally was going to apply to three or four Ivies, but opted out of every one because they all had a particular turn off. Having just visited one college to which I was admitted (well ranked, etc..), I have really realized that "fit" is the #1 priority. If you can't associate with the students, then I think your time there will be pretty miserable. Frankly, if I were to visit a college where the student body was intent on admission there from the ninth grade and did everything for that one purpose, I would find the school repulsive.</p>

39

<p>omg, Gryffon, way to help a freshman relax.
Life is not about getting into an "ivy league". You might end up being happier somewhere else. Don't let anyone, especially anyone on this board, freak you out and tell you you don't have a "snowball's chance in SoCal". For goodness sakes, my frosh year I was only in "generic clubs", too...it's very difficult to be winning national awards and be president of 3 clubs as a freshman. 6 APs is fine (as long as you have one of the most challenging courseloads you school offers) an A- is fine, and a 1070 is pretty good for a middle schooler. The misconception people on this board have is that Ivies are looking for perfect everything. They are NOT. They want people, not numbers and laundry lists of activities. It sounds like you love volunteering...fabulous, do more of that. Go enjoy yourself. And don't let anyone on CC make you feel badly about yourself. If anyone is putting you down and telling you that near-perfect grades are just not good enough, well they're just insecure. Good luck!!!</p>

40

<p>Freshman Honors English in my school is hard. and that's the grade for the second marking period. so haha</p>

<p>Oh yeah and my school doesn't rank.</p>