<p>No apologies necessary 
must’ve missed it when I skimmed, then.</p>
<p>She said she has other schools in her sights, I don’t think we know which. Personally, I think facing this can free her to find the right matches where she can flourish. </p>
<p>Funny because OP doesn’t care what anyone has to say - she just posted to have people praise her tell her she truly did stand a chance at top schools. She is not taking your advice into consideration - she is thanking people for praising her. OP, people are praising you and telling you to keep pushing forward because they feel bad for someone who has worked hard but still can’t put a strong app together. The fact is, OP stands no chance. A myriad of clubs and school award nominations is honestly pretty worthless, as seen by the common app’s limited 10 activities. You have a few decent EC’s that show more dedication but it’s not enough. Besides for that, your GPA and SAT/ACT are too weak. So essentially you are strong enough for these schools in no categories. If you are lucky enough to swing URM into acceptance letters more power to you but top schools still reject URM.</p>
<p>I shouldn’t even be giving advice, but it’s time to set standards to top 50 or top 100 schools and maybe swing scholarship with your laundry list. </p>
<p>OMG she is testing poorly. Because in her own words she has not studied for her standardized tests. I was. Am am rooting for the OP but she needs to do the work. Which she has said she us not willing to do. Poop or get off the pot.</p>
<p>sorry for grammar, on phone in car</p>
<p>I don’t have any doubt she’ll get into a good school. It just won’t be as prestigious as she’d like it to be.</p>
<p>I think @woogzmama made a very good point- sure, improve your scores as much as possible, but start looking at colleges that match you for who you are and your individual situation. </p>
<p>There are two main factors that influence a choice of college: a student’s academics and finances. A low income student who gets accepted at a top university is in a very good position. QB is a fantastic opportunity. However, outside the few opportunities like these, finances are a main component of choice.</p>
<p>College is a pay to attend situation- and that means all of it: books, tuition, fees, room, board. These are large sums for most families. Financial aid helps, but only rarely does it cover everything, and even with that, it doesn’t cover the things a student would need over four years like clothing, transportation, telephone. </p>
<p>The OP’s plan A is to apply to top schools/QB. Fine, do that, but also I’m more concerned about a realistic plan B. How many test optional schools meet full need? I don’t know of many. What are the realistic options academically and financially?</p>
<p>@NewKid1997 please leave my thread. None of the things you are saying are true. First of all I’m limiting my EC’s thank you, and actually my accomplishments are stellar so you can dismiss yourself. I just want advice and I got what I wanted. I am open to being more realistic now, and I will be studying for my standardized tests!! I have received great advice from others and I don’t need yours so thanks but no thanks.</p>
<p>@GA2012MOM thanks for rooting for me, and I will study for my tests!</p>
<p>Actually, tesfayeB, everything @NewKid1997 said is not untrue. The very last comment is solid advice.
I would actually encourage for you to not even worry about rankings and focus on what schools offer.</p>
<p>There are common attributes among kids who do get into the most elite colleges. We have to wake up and smell the coffee. Or valuable time and emotional commitment are lost. The kids who make it past first cut in elite admissions tend to be 4.0 or close enough, unweighted. Their scores are solid, which represents their efforts (especially if the score most related to their possible major is strong) and their ECs reflect the sorts of vision, responsibilities and impact adcoms need to see- in and out of the high school box. They have a quality we adults call “get up and go.” And then there is the app, itself. </p>
<p>There is no dreamy magic about a top 10 college. The whole point isn’t to sit with those others and be magically influenced. It’s to find the college that’s truly right for you, where you can make your mark and move forward into young adulthood. Dreams are good. A solid perspective on reality is what moves one forward in the right ways. Sorry if this is harsh. But VA is home to many great colleges and one of the best “guaranteed transfer” programs. Imagine starting with that and then finishing at UVA. Best wishes.</p>
<p>OP, you’ve been given as much advice as you can possibly get. Now, it’s time to get off CC and actually do prep. Get the college board blue book before the day is over. Here’s what I want you to do (It worked for my D and she increased her score by nearly 500 points total):</p>
<p>1 Order the blue book and the new Princeton review manual for the SAT. And purchase some SAT subject test books.</p>
<p>For SAT I prep:
2. On Mondays and Wednesday’s sit down for 2 hours and practice from the manual. EVERY WEEK. Use videos if you need to.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>On Saturdays, sit down and and take the full length SAT. Do every single exam in the blue book. Track your progress and PM someone through CC to have them grade your essay. Score the exam and then look at where you struggled. Find that specific area, and then go back to the manual and practice in that subject area. If you do all the practice problems, go online and find more. </p></li>
<li><p>If you do this, I GUARANTEE that your score will increase</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The SAT is very methodical. If you do that, your score will increase. You have to find the patterns in questions. This is the only way that you will break 2000.</p>
<p>For subject tests:</p>
<p>Math I- Manual for the SAT by Princeton Review should be good enough </p>
<p>World History/ US History/ Chem/ Bio- CONTENT REVIEW IN PRINCETON REVIEW BOOKS </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Get the books or borrow from the library </p></li>
<li><p>Alternate weeks to study different exams. Study each exam every other week and take the full length exam that corresponds every other week.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Stick to two exams and you will be able break 650 if you stick to studying for the two of them.</p>
<p>I know it seems like a lot, but you need to bring up your scores for serious consideration from these schools. This is the most cost effective way. Get off CC, find a PDF of a real SAT exam, and take it TODAY while you are waiting for the blue book to come in. </p>
<p>We don’t know the current scores, what’s feasible with retesting. (Matter of fact, we don’t know what courses her non-A grades are in. Nor how she will do with APs. It’s not just about taking them, or loading up on them, but how well one actually does.) Yes, the ACT makes sense. But I’d say get a college guide like Fiske and start placing herself in the right tier. Read those individual college web sites and see what they are really about. Make this make sense. That quality of setting a goal and working toward it is what distinguishes dreamers from doers. A choice. And if she is in a “college partnership” program this summer, she needs to listen to their advice and direction.</p>
<p>Well
My for AP World I got a b+
For ap psych- B
AP Lang- A
AP US- A-
Those are all the AP’s that I have taken so far.
For HN this year I received B’s in Alg 2 HN and Chem HN etc.</p>
<p>And also @AnnieBeats okay I will follow this plan and order everything online. This is a legit plan so I just need to get off CC</p>
<p>As someone who just got a 2360, practice, praxtice, practice is the mantra.</p>
<p>I think the dreaming is a maturity factor, but that is something to consider as well, and I think what is raising the concerns of the posters here is the OP’s tendency to focus on the dreams. I think the OP is a good student and her school record speaks for that, but the low test scores is concerning since they are an indicator of school readiness. If she can bring them up, then that is a positive sign, but so is the ability to make goals and be realistic. </p>
<p>I’ve seen many outcomes but one of the most heartbreaking ones are the students who have great financial need, go to college, but are not able to finish. Then, they are saddled with debt and don’t have a degree to help them get a job. This may not have been predictable- college costs are a risk, but they are high ones where debt is concerned. For some students, starting out at a CC while saving costs by living at home is the best decision. Intelligence doesn’t go away, and that hard work in high school will pay off in achievement wherever one goes. Debt doesn’t disappear either. Be wary. </p>
<p>I will weigh in once more: I think that tesfayeB would use her time more wisely if she started looking at test-optional schools and determining what she will need for successful applications to a promising assortment. Many test-optional colleges have extra requirements they will accept in lieu of tests. Those extra submissions can be essays, graded papers and tests, letters of recommendations, etc. Every college is a little different. Why drive yourself mad in pursuit of an impossible dream, when there are literally hundreds of possible ones at your fingertips? I honestly believe that some of the posts exhorting tesfaye to prep for very unlikely score increases are as cruel as exhorting a five-foot-tall woman to starve herself for a modeling career that simply isn’t going to happen. She should cultivate and promote her existing assets, not try to transform herself into someone else. </p>
<p>For the math 1 I should use the Princeton review manual? Or should I buy the sat subject test book? Also what year should I buy the Princeton review book for the SAT @AnnieBeats </p>
<p>TesfayeB - what’s your state flagship(s)?</p>
<p>Wait do you mean universities in VA? I think it would be UVA @irlandaise</p>