<p>I feel like my high school hasn't prepared us at all for applying for colleges. We have college level courses and APs, so I don't mean academically prepared for college, but for the admissions process itself.</p>
<p>Guidance counselors hardly EVER mention SAT IIs or the ACT. They don't ask us if we are in any extracurricular activities, they don't care if we volunteer. We don't even have information available about summer programs, and my counselor asked me "why would you want to do that with your summer?" when I told her I needed a copy of my transcript for a class at a local college.</p>
<p>SATs, that is another story. People congratulate each other on getting 1600/2400. That is a big feat at my school. Everyone is so ill-prepared, and it's not their lack of studying, they didn't know they HAD to study!</p>
<p>We are never encouraged to join clubs or do anything outside of school. We don't even have club announcements, it's all up in the air when/where clubs meet. It just kills me because NOBODY (myself included) knew as ninth graders that all this stuff is crucial to colleges. It was something like 43% of graduates this year went to the community college. Until I researched colleges admissions on the internet, I would have been clueless. One of the teachers of College English actually suggests writing an autobiographical admissions essay ("Hello, my name is..."). </p>
<p>I know it's not on the school, it's on us. The school could at least provide us with opportunities. Honestly, nobody does anything with clubs because it's not encouraged or funded for. And the guidance counselors are as clueless as us. We have to decide to join the clubs, but there are hardly any clubs available!!! </p>
<p>Join the club, lady. My school doesn't even HAVE APs/IB; I had no idea what they were when I came to this site. The world of college admissions is exactly as fair as every other aspect of the human world, which is to say that it isn't fair at all. 98 out of my school's 170 senior class are going to our town's very mediocre state university. 67 are going to community college. 2 are joining the army. No one is going to a school that anyone on CC would have heard of. </p>
<p>People in these situations who are not under the poverty line and/or URMs are simply screwed over by the college admissions game. That's how things are, and nothing to be done about it but to put your nose to the grindstone and your fingers to Google. Colleges won't help you, so you have to help yourself.</p>
<p>I feel the same way. It seems like the counselors here, aside from the college counselor, only help students achieve the bare minimum (graduation). Luckily though, there were some UCLA reps who came to my school and helped ease the process a bit by telling us what we need to do to prep for college. Granted, this was during my junior year, so probably a little late. I had to figure out a lot of stuff on my own, and that is why I'm really glad I came across CC.</p>
<p>I mean I'm not looking for college counselors, I just want some funding to start a new club, or some SUPPORT for trying to take classes at a college. It's just upsetting that the people in my class have no idea what they're in for. I've been trying to tell everyone to research and go on CC, but they all say "it can't be that hard". UGH!</p>
<p>Luckily I found CC also, but a little late to help (now I'm a rising senior).</p>
<p>I'm in the same boat. I thought GPA and SAT's were your ticket into any college. I had no idea volunteer work even WENT on an application until the start of my junior year. They make me believe that I have a shot at Stanford, when I don't (I didn't even break the 2000 on the SAT's and I'll only take 5 AP's in high school), and I have to fight to get time with any councilor. People think I'm crazy for taking more than one AP class because its "OMGGGGzzz SOOO HARRDDD!!!!!!11111!11oneone" to handle that much work. A girl got into UCLA this year -- she was treated like a GOD for the rest of the school year.</p>
<p>My school didn't even mention the SAT II's. If I had never discovered this forum, I would have never taken them and probably never taken any AP exams. I also probably would have ended up at a state university that I feel absolutely no attachment to.</p>
<p>My school also advocates we don't take the AP test unless we are really confident, but if we don't take it, it's changed to an honors class. </p>
<p>I have to fight to get time with my crappy counselor too. Sometimes I think an expensive private school is worth it...but there's no guarantee of competence there.</p>
<p>i didn't know about SAT II's until i went looking at caltech's requirements... and we dont' ahve a math team, so i'm basically screwed over for "list your math/science related activities". i hate crappy sports-obsessed schools. meh.</p>
<p>I agree.. Our GC didnt do much either... It seemed like it was friends parents who were involved that helped more. Or collegeboard.com , site as such .So you arent alone, but , so much you have to learn on your own. Just hope you figured out before deadlines.</p>