A Synopsis of a (Confused) Future College Applicant...

College Search & Selection
21

^^ I agree. There is NO NEED to take another English class your Sr year.
You will need the extra time to spend on your college applications, especially your essays. The whole college applications process is like having a part time job ON TOP of your classes and EC’s. So do dial it back.
I’d spend the time prepping for a final pass at the SAT. GREAT grades, SAT scores , and EC’s are going to get you a “second look” at the most competitive colleges.

Did you take the PSAT? if so, does your score qualify you for NMSF status in Virginia?
Being a NMSF opens the door to merit $$ at many colleges and U’s.

22

English is generally not seen as sequential as math or foreign language. Colleges may be less likely to see completion of AP English as one’s third English course as equivalent of “four years” of English, compared to seeing foreign language level 4 or AP level as equivalent to “four years” of foreign language. So the OP may need to take some English course for a fourth year.

While there are 5 AP courses listed for the proposed senior year schedule, all of them are generally considered lighter ones, since they typically cover over a year in high school the material found in a semester or less of college course work. While I agree that there is no reason to try to run up the count of AP courses, particularly with the lighter ones, the fact that they are lighter ones means that the OP should not be afraid of taking any or even all of them as academic electives if s/he is truly interested in their subject matter.

23

But dont colleges want to see students have taken “the most rigorous” classes that the HS offers? AP English is not rigorous enough? She needs to add a Dual enrollment class?? I think she should instead take some classes she wants to take, not just more and more AP or academic classes, to the detriment of her Sr yr GPA .

We are trying to help her see that the “AP trap”, as she calls it, wont help her get into the colleges she is aiming for IF her SAT’s and GPA aren’t top notch.

24

Up to junior year, the OP has only 3 years of high school English: Honors English 9, Honors English 10, AP English Language and Composition. If the OP wants to take no English course during senior year, s/he should ask colleges of interest whether it is ok to have only 3 years of high school English if one of them is an AP course.

25

agreed.

26

All - I was never suggesting no English Sr Year, just not dual - enrollment English. Op already took AP English, and should choose some English electives Sr year

27

^^ I think that’s a very good idea.

28

@mehirv , I would also suggest you take either the ACT or SAT before the end of the school year or you will have way too much pressure next fall with all the apps and waiting for scores, etc… I suggest taking the ACT in April.

For APs senior year, get rid of 2 (Geography & Gov- if Science is your focus) and add some English electives you will enjoy. Forget the dual enrollment English. If you are REALLY interested in the Virginia Aerospace thing, do it.

What should you do to be more appealing? Not sure - I can tell you what you shouldn’t do. You shouldn’t let your GPA drop, and you shouldn’t take courses for the sake of your resume (which will result in drop of GPA, lack of sleep, bad ACTs, and boring applications). You shouldn’t start or join any more clubs, but should participate fully in the ones you like.

" I was able to take a slew of classes in hopes of discovering what I want to do. I would like to be a business man at some tech firm or investment banking firm but I would love to work on airplanes and space shuttles. I honestly do not know what I want to do and I think that we sometimes never find our true calling."

I don’t think you mentioned, in your long post, what classes you actually enjoyed in school. Think about that. You don’t have to have your life figured out before applying to college… perhaps you slow down and enjoy your high school courses, friends, activities and maybe things will present themselves to you. Seems like you are in the rat race right now, and you may crash and burn like so many others on this site. Junior year will catch up to you if you don’t slow down. The standardized tests and application process will quickly become your new obsession. So PLEASE, leave time in your school so you can devote the time those things require.

29

I won’t say five AP classes are too many. Many students take five or more and do well. What bothers me is the lack of focus and oddly, rigor in your choice of classes. You say you may be interested in engineering but I don’t see AP Chem or a fourth year of math. I’m will aware that you are two or three years ahead in math and maybe that explains the lack of math in senior year. But if you are that strong in math, it would be a pity to just stop math for a full year (you go through math withdrawal).

.If you had expressed interest in the areas of environmental science or psychology among all your interests, they would make more sense. I would drop these. I would really think hard about which classes you enjoy and move further and challenge yourself in those subjects. Right now, your senior schedule looks like an attempt to appear rigorous with the number of AP classes but the choices don’t really mesh with what your areas of interests, as broad and varied as they are. I get you want to explore areas, but maybe you don’t need to do that with AP classes?

Last, I noticed that all your reaches are out of state and all your targets/safeties but GT are in state/ DC metro area. Again, put a lot of thought into what you want: size, location, presence of campus, urban vs rural vs suburb, type of student, and so on. I feel there’s a certain amount of “default thinking” here. Do you want to go to GMU or GW if that turns out to be your only option? If not, replace the school with one you do want to attend. Have you visited schools yet?

30

AP US government may be a substitution in place of a commonly required (for high school graduation) civics / government course. So it may not necessarily be the case that dropping it will open an elective space in the schedule. AP human geography is probably the lightest of the AP courses (some high schools use it as an honors 9th grade social studies course), so it should not be assumed that the AP label on that course implies that it is a difficult or high workload course.

The OP’s proposed 5 AP courses in senior year are all among the lighter ones. It would not necessarily be too much work to take all of them. However, the OP should only choose the ones that s/he is interested in as academic electives, or which fulfill needed requirements, rather than choosing them to try to run up the count of AP courses.

31

First, the reason for my course load being “light” is because I have simply run out of classes to take. The reason I am no taking AP Chem or AP Physics is because the averages in those classes are somewhere in the C range and people who are taking it hate it. This doesn’t mean I will but I just don’t think I am interested in those classes as much. I am honestly not one of those people that go out to take classes just because of a GPA bump but I am trying to be next year to raise everything up to sneak into a higher rank bracket (10%, 15%, etc.). It sounds pathetic but I have no alternative in terms of classes to take and I don’t want to take fewer AP’s to look like I am “taking it easy” senior year. Human Geo and Psych are both interesting to me and though they are of lighter load, the alternative is to take like business law or something of that equivalent which from my peers, sounds like an utter waste of time. My econ teacher is telling me to take Intermediate Micro or Macro Economics at GMU with their impressive Economics staff and it is tempting because I have room in my schedule and having nothing better to take. I am already taking an aerospace course out of school which I said was for senior year but I actually taking it this year (apologies). For english, someone asked why I just didn’t take english/take an elective/take honors. Dual is a lot of writing but it is the same course as AP Lang so in terms of material, it shouldn’t be that tough besides doing reading and writing essays and my friends enjoy it thoroughly.

In all honesty, I am going to kill myself. I am already beginning to feel really burnt out and I really am struggling to push my self to do my work and study. I think it is in my best interest (though I might not take that perspective most of the time) to scale back and take some easier classes that are around what I want to do or find interesting. Apparently there is an accounting class that is in the works, maybe I take that?? Maybe I take a semester at GMU for econ?? I might get rid of Environmental because that is just not what I want to do and take Linear Algebra/Diffy Q at the community college (its a 6 am class so I am not sure what happens to my schedule but…) and take an early release.

In terms of the scholarship thing, it probably sounded bad the way I worded it. I do understand it is difficult to get merit and in no way did I mean for it to sound easy. In “going for scholarship” I meant applying for a lot of small ones here and there and trying to save up for a class or two in college.

@snarlatron , the “top ranked schools” comment sounded pretty ridiculous in my opinion and I see your frustration. In terms of LAC, I have never thought about it and its probably good to look into it. The only one I am familiar with is W&M. A friend in my math class got accepted there early so I will speak with her about it. Again, like I said and you pointed out, I really am having a hard time finding out what I want to do and maybe that is a good choice.

@SlackerMomMD , you make a good point about the lack of cohesiveness in my course load. It is really all over the place and is clearly a desperate move for copping out and taking easy classes. Maybe taking a science after a semester of Linear Alg. at the community college would be a good idea?? Probably will do Academic Gov which will piss the gov teacher off because he told me not to “be stupid” and not take his class. Do you think it would be a good idea to take AP or academic gov? Not extremely interested in the class but it may be one of those “good common knowledge that everyone should know” kind of things… Again, let me know what you think…

@ really all of you, I am a 17 year old dude in high school and I am trying to act like all of those hot shots that get into all the “good” schools. I am really not acting on what is good for me and I did not place much importance on that till recently. I just took my first ACT and will be taking the snow-delayed SAT next week. 75% of the schools I listed will laugh at me with those scores most likely. I think I am thinking too far ahead and I always have. I hope to really dial it back which is what everyone has been telling me and take some classes I truly care about because in all honesty, I have no will to work right now. I am super burnt out and I am sick of not doing hw days at a time because I don’t “feel like it.” I really appreciate all of the input. I thought some of it was harsh at first but I realize it is all really true and pertinent info.

At this point I am lost… like I have time to change classes and everything but I just want to ask you all; if you were in my situation (near a community college and GMU with a school that offers most classes you can think of), what would you do? My counselors won’t help much and most of you sound like you have gone through this process. This encompasses class choice, things to do in the summer, ACT/SAT studying, scholarships that you think are great to apply to, etc. If you would like to, message me individually, I would love to hear about what you did in high school, where you went, how you attained happiness and success with whatever you did. Thanks so much guys, I don’t know what I would be doing without your guidance.

32 
  "mehirv wrote:
I have become interested in the Biology field particularly in Technology so maybe John Hopkins or UC Berkley"

By this, do you mean bio/biomedical engineering? If so, I strongly advise that instead of one of the other 5 APs you have mentioned, you should take at least one of AP Chem/Physics. Even if bioengineering isn’t the type of engineering your pursue (if you even pursue engineering) AP Physics is really the best course to take. I get what you said about most students hating it, but if engineering seems to be where you’ll end up, I strongly suggest you take it.

Now I definitely won’t be as helpful as other people on this thread considering I’m only a senior myself. But I am also a Bioengineering applicant so I can shed some advice if that’s what you’re looking to do at the schools you mentioned…Hopkins BME is the most competitive in the country. Only ~110 students get accepted to the program and you are evaluated separately from the school itself. WPI is a great school for biotechnology and biomed engineering, and it’s admissions statistics are much lower than Hopkins, coming in at a 27-32 ACT average. Regardless of BIO engineering specifically, it is an extremely good engineering school in general, and everyone I know who has gone there has been highly successful. It is a good match for you, it seems, but the school is expensive. I would suggest that you look into it. Boston U is also a good match, but even more expensive!! Also, I’m not sure if you’re looking to go that north? It was unclear in your OP post. You seem like a good match for Georgia Tech. UMich OOS seems to be a reach for anyone, but if you get the 34/1500 you’re planning on, you’d be a competitive applicant (as far as I know, someone correct me if I’m wrong).

You seem to have a really good understanding of who you are as an applicant and where you stand, besides your undecided major. But I think the more you research majors/schools, you will realize what you’re looking for and can narrow down your list. Good luck! :slight_smile: