First of all, I want to thank you for your time. this board has helped me look at my options a ton. This past year, I took on more than I could handle. I did two political internships, one of which took up over 100/hrs a month for 6 months (summer/fall till election day). I did a ton of extracurriculars, Model UN president which was a lot of work considering I lead us into two new conferences and one that still takes up a huge amount of my time every day, a veteran documentary project, which I frequently stay at school until 10 for. All of this on top of very demanding AP and honors classes, as well as a LOT of family needs from an immigrant uneducated family, took a huge toll on my mental health. My applications could have been much much better, and my grades could have as well. I had a 4.7 weighted and 3.95 unweighted at the end of junior year. Now… well I got a D and a C and a couple of B’s… I took the SAT twice and got a 1510, and took the ACT and got a 32. I’m part of a European minority group and a Muslim, and this identity is very important to me. I am very passionate about politics and my major was poli sci. If I portrayed it better and I explained my mental health issues in regards to my grades (i didn’t realize it application time) I definitely believe that I was a good fit for an ivy school. OH, also I’ve been a restaurant manager for all 4 years of high school to support my family’s income TL;dr I worked my ass off and I think I deserve some pay for it.
Anyway, I got my decisions back and was quite disappointed. I was rejected to all the ivys and my no.1 Georgetown. I should have applied to more schools (and schools I actually wanted to go too!) looking back. I got accepted into University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (Illinois resident btw so free!), UW Madison, George Washington University, American University, UC San Diego, and UC Berkeley. I love UC Berkeley, but I did not realize that they will be giving me no money. Neither I or my parents can afford $61,000 a year. I’ll probably be paying around $20,000 at GWU American and UW Madison, and like I said Illinois for free…
I don’t really know what to do. I love Georgetown and would love to attend a school like Harvard. Many people say these prestigious names don’t matter in certain cases but for something like poli sci… the connections matter a ton, and so do the opportunities. Should I go Illinois and re-apply when my health is better, should I take a gap year, should I say screw it and do peace corps??
Countless people never went to an Ivy and have done great things. Applying again with your current grades is not going to get you in. I recommend you take one of the three offers you received and move forward. Its by no means the end of the world and had you got into georgetown there is no guarantee their financial package would work. Honestly I would be more concerned with your current D.
A gap year could be a good idea, if you would have few family responsibilities and could just focus on your mental health. There will be a whole bunch of political campaigns starting up pretty soon, and that could give you lots of practical experience in Poli Sci, and help you start building up your connections for the future.
Or, go to Illinois and do well there. It is the only option that you have that is in your budget. If you take advantage of everything that place has to offer, you will be well set up for whatever it is that you decide to do after you graduate. Life in DC is expensive, and young people who go there to intern right after college don’t make much money at all. So if you still have that as a goal four years from now, you will be glad that you don’t have any debt.
UIUC surely has a semester program in Washington, DC for the Poli Sci majors. Check that out. If you spend next year working on an IL congressional or senatorial campaign (whether while in college or while on a gap year), you would already have connections before a semester in Washington.
No you should pick one of these fantastic schools…There are 2000+ 4 year college and you were accepted into top 100 colleges…one of which is free and you should not complain.
Go to one of those colleges and be a star! If you are a “top dog” at one of these colleges you will get the internships and professor recommendations.
But if you got a D or C this year…then you need to worry about the college rescinding your offer.
Drop the other activities and get your grades up. If it is due to health/mental health get that addressed asap.
Yes, take bopper’s advice and go shine your light and hone your skills at the school which has extended an acceptance. An acceptance you have earned; congratulations.
But, remember, in all things there must be balance. You will have to develop habits of mind to help you stay on track with your duties to yourself as student, and believe that your parents and family will - with what is undoubtedly some stress and strain - find a way to be okay as long as you are okay.
Thank you for your responses. As far as my bad grades, all the colleges that accepted me have seen those terrible first semester grades, so they were aware before acceptance. That being said, I plan on doing extra work and getting grade adjustments… retaking some things. I will likely end up with one C and one B after that, which isn’t terrible. Also, I didn’t mean to sound so entitled, I apologize for that, I should realize these are all great schools. I appreciate all your support again, it means a lot. I believe UIUC is likely my best option. If I do not like this big public school feel, what are my options afterward? How likely is it I can transfer to an ivy or private like Georgetown after a year if I improve my grades and hone my application? I’m planning on retaking both the SAT and ACT just to try to bump them up a little, I have waivers anyway. I seriously looked into the peace corps as well. There are some openings for the upcoming year but they are for two years… I think it’d be a nice way to get away from everything. I dunno. I’ve got till May 1st to decide my next year or two at least I suppose.
I would really try to fall in love with one of your chocies and give it a try as there is no guarantee you would like the Ivy andl the reality is a transfer acceptance is highly unlikely.
You have been accepted to some very strong universities. The schools that you have been accepted to are plenty strong enough to give your an excellent education, and to give you a good chance to attend any university for graduate school. UIUC seems like the clear winner to me based on price, although UW Madison is a great school also (I don’t know anything about GWU American).
If it were me, I would attend either UIUC or UW-Madison for undergrad, strive for straight A’s or as close to this as I can manage, and aim for Harvard or a comparable school for graduate school.
Also, expect UIUC or UW to be more difficult than high school. Keep the ECs down to a level that does not interfere with your academics. Remember that health including mental health is first priority, sleep is second, academics is third, and everything else (other than being a decent and honest human being) is way less important.
GW and American are both great options for politics, if the finances work. They both have fantastic politics programs, as well as internships, connections, speakers, guest lecturers etc due to being in DC. I would choose one of these two for politics, finances allowing. Or do Illinois and use the savings for grad school.
UW Madison at $20,000 a year also sounds like a good deal. It is in a state capital, so political science and politics internship opportunities there. Decision depends on where you want to live. Very hard to get in Peace corps and they are unlikely to favor someone with mental health issues.
We looked quite in-depth at similar programs as my daughter is intending to major in IR. The only school on OP’s acceptance list that I’d put ahead of the DC schools for politics is Berkeley, which unfortunately is unaffordable. To me the choice is : either pay - choose one of the DC schools, depending on whether you want urban (GW) or campus (AU); or free. The DC schools punch well above their general rankings weight for these programs - the two publics might be more obvious choices for other programs. A soft issue might be “Georgetown envy” being a bit more obvious if attending school in DC.
You’d like to be invited to attend the most prestigious school in the world and I’d like to own a Lamborghini. I’m sure it is obvious why both of us would have those desires. That’s one hell of a school and car. But it’s not happening for either of us. My ford and your acceptances to a great group of schools will have to suffice and luckily will do the trick. A gap year won’t get you a Harvard acceptance. I’d drop that goal. $20,000 at GWU, American and UW Madison, and like free Illinois all sound like great options.
Don’t forget that DC isn’t the main source of government in America! Every college town has county and city government. UIUC is also a pretty quick drive to the state capital in Springfield. Those internships and observations can be just as educational as any in DC.
@detentiongiver: Your only realistic, affordable option is to attend the University of Illinois at UC. Even $20,000 per year at Wisconsin, American & GWU may be a hardship based on the fact that you had to work during high school to help your family.
Illinois is a great university & offers more opportunities than you probably realize.
Environment can have a significant impact upon one’s mental health. I think that you will really enjoy your time at the University of Illinois. The environment is spectacular.
Activities, including Big 10 sports, at a major state flagship university with 33,000 undergraduates & thousands of graduate students will be varied & numerous.
If you really have a strong interest in politics, then a large, diverse state university setting will give you exposure to a variety of viewpoints that might not be found at a smaller less economically diverse school.
While the DC bubble may be great for learning about political institutions, it is not the best place to learn about politics.
@detentiongiver, I seriously doubt you would be accepted in the Peace Corps at this time but it might be a good thing for you to think about in four years. I did two tours of Peace Corps service as a young adult and worked for a time in the PC office (in placement) and have met many volunteers overseas while traveling. I have never met a young volunteer who did not have a college degree. There were a few older volunteers who may not have attended college but who had significant work/life experience. Any rare 18-year-old accepted would likely have a farming background.
That said, Peace Corps could be an excellent option for you once you graduate with a degree, if you feel you have addressed mental health issues (the experience is full of highs/lows and many stressors, as everyone deals with acute culture shock!) Many, many volunteers choose to do Peace Corps service to gain significant life experiences before embarking on graduate studies in many fields. Peace Corps gives you a world perspective that is hard to replicate any other way (while having health/safety supports). My RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) friends are well-represented in fields of politics, government, law, international development, teaching, medicine, and environmental research to name a few! Keep in mind that the application process can be very long as well. I know things may have been streamlined, but I waited more than a year between applying after college and entering my tour of service. So keep it in mind and apply early if it’s something you choose to do after college.
“My ford and your acceptances to a great group of schools will have to suffice and luckily will do the trick.”
What an incisive and sensible comment, @lostaccount.
OP, something that all here have said is that you want to be able to make it to the first milepost of your educational goals, and not be saddled with debt, but remain the strong student you are and work at the level you clearly know you can. You will stand out for excellence no matter where you are.
How you get to there could not have been placed more aptly than ‘every college which is not the top tier’ (i.e., not the Lamborghini) will still help you get to your destination (hello, Ford).
But what an amazing array of institutions DC has, US and international, and going well beyond just politics into international finance, public health, diplomacy, etc, to intern at and learn from. Whether or not that is worth $80k that could be used for grad school is a different question of course.
