<p>Giving up during junior year and having harder time focusing on my studies. Getting distracted too easily. If I could have done everything over, I would have used all those hours watching tv and surfing the internet, doing something more productive and efficient.</p>
<p>“-I took band for two years, which lowered my class rank because it was an unweighted elective.” - Try not to worry too much about that. It impacts your rank, but many schools throw out your electives when they calculate GPA. And your band classes show that you can do more than just study. </p>
<p>For parents of musicians -
My son’s class rank was definitely impacted by unwieghted music (9 band classes in the first 7 semesters). But music makes him tick, and we’d do it all over again. We encouraged him to do what he loved, knowing there would be a class rank ding. The unexpected plus was that his music passions and awards (and sole leadership role) strengthened his applications even though he wants to study engineering, not music.</p>
<p>Applied to NHS and got in and hterefore had to suffer in this ostentatious club becauseof my own stuborness of staying with a boat, even a sinking one.</p>
<p>Let’s see. In High School, the biggest mistake I had was sleeping in more than half of my classes for all four years. Granted, I have always been one of the lucky few that always got A’s and B’s in classes just based on test scores and the minimal work possible. Also, I was very outspoken. I’m still the only person that I know who has gotten kicked out of detention with no consequences. In High School I was a slacker, and for many of us it’s hard to be anything else. When you’re forced to go to school, especially when you hate it, it’s hard to not slack off. Best thing to do, find something that you love doing and make a goal, even if it’s simple. Just make sure to keep your goal out of arms length and that you need to work to accomplish it.</p>
<p>Later, after graduating high school early, I went to a JC and continued to slack off</p>
<p>In Community College, even though it is “easier”, make sure that you actually work and take things a little more serious. Make it a priority to get A’s and B’s in your transferable classes (California). I guess all in all, just don’t slack off.</p>
<p>Right now though, I am pretty happy. I have really stepped up my game and am currently waiting to transfer all in good standing.</p>
<p>Not trying. I ended up with a 2.95 unweighted GPA. </p>
<p>I am still 9/9 on college acceptances though.</p>
<p>I got quite a few…I was a very lazy misguided young freshman when I entered high school back in '06. I was a member of the “2:35 club”. That’s when school ended and I was out. I didn’t have a single real EC to my name until about junior year when my GC told us about college and I actually began to realize what I mistake I made for two whole years. I also never really did any real work in my freshman and sophomore years, never sought out any advanced classes, and never even bothered to combat my horrible weaknesses in Algebra. Hey, I didn’t know where I was going then, didn’t even care. I guess to sum this up: my biggest mistake was not knowing what I wanted.</p>
<p>Doing extracurics too late and slacking off a LOT as an upperclassmen.</p>
<p>didn’t know a thing about college admissions until junior year, and didnt realize the importance of gpa. it was tarnished in my first semester of freshman year</p>
<p>I believe that I made the most of the ECs offered in my school and locality, but I regret not seeking out truly unique experiences. In an ideal world, I would have conducted research, completed an internship related to biology or the arts, or attended a pre-college summer program (<em>groans</em> why did I toss aside that Telluride Summer Program Application?). I actually fantasized about such options before I knew anything about the admissions process, but such programs were always either too expensive, too elusive, or too demanding to fit into my large family’s schedule. </p>
<p>I also wish that I had taken time from the 4-6 hours of homework per night to investigate the subjects I truly cared about. Perhaps I could have eaten more and stressed less, or made more of an effort to spend time with long-term acquaintances–really unique, incredible people— so that we could actually become close friends. </p>
<p>However, I don’t want to end on a depressing note. While I am not the perfect college applicant and certainly do not artificially structure my life in an attempt to become one, I am thankful that the admissions process and the last stretch of high school have highlighted possible areas of improvement. The journey isn’t over for any of us.</p>
<p>I really wanted to go to a good school, but never really took any action. Always too busy with extracurriculars, school, sports, etc. I procrastinated my college applications and didn’t apply for any scholarships. I threw a hail mary and it didn’t work, what a surprise…</p>
<p>P.S. The one thing that really picked me up from the dirt in college is the motivation to actually learn and have bigger visions than to just ace every test and class.</p>
<p>I’ve also made some mistakes in my social and personal life, but I’d really like to forget about that.</p>
<p>um im planning to take ap world history next year when im a sophomore!
is this a mistake???</p>
<p>Believing throughout my freshman year that the weighted GPA at my school would make it ok to get Bs in classes for college admissions purposes. Then realizing that it wasn’t ok sophomore year and doing nothing about it. OH yeah, and getting in a fight freshman year and getting suspended. If he hadn’t jumped me, I’m pretty positive no explanation in the world would have gotten me in.</p>
<p>getting 3 girls pregnant.</p>
<p>Taking the Latin SATII and not really studying for it. Since it’s only offered twice a year, I was stuck with my 610. Luckily, I did really well on my other SATIIs and did not have to send the Latin one to too many places, but it still sucked and probably influenced a few of my admissions decisions.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>HAHAHA 
Yes…don’t do that.</p>
<p>I think I got into my ECs fairly late- there are a ton of cool things that I just didn’t know about and should have gotten into frosh/soph year (Crew being one fo them…) :(</p>
<p>I didn’t read through the whole thread to see if this has been said but</p>
<p>BE CAREFUL ABOUT PAYING FOR AP CREDITS/COLLEGE COURSES!</p>
<p>I came into college with almost 30 credits and only about 12 of them actually counted towards any general or major requirements. The rest are just sitting there on my transcript. This is probably a good thing for some people, but I want to double major with a minor. I’ll have about 150 credits by the time I graduate! </p>
<p>There was no point in paying for those credits when they are not going towards anything good.</p>
<p>“BE CAREFUL ABOUT PAYING FOR AP CREDITS/COLLEGE COURSES!” - AP exams are small change in the grand scheme of things. And the credits that don’t apply toward a student’s major may apply if he/she changes majors (which many students do). Even if not, they give sophomore status more quickly … for better shot at class schedules etc. </p>
<p>tomoatoki - 12 of 30 AP credits is actually a pretty good “yield rate”. Some students get zero based on school policies. But you have to make AP exam enrollement decisions before you know your final college destination.</p>
<p>I took a relatively light senior year schedule (AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, college Spanish V, honors gov, honors econ) which amounted to only 5 classes a day out of 8. I felt I “deserved” a break after a tough junior year (AP Chem, AP US history, honors am lit, honors physics, spanish VI, precalc AB) and got into none of the Ivies I applied to, just first choice Tufts. Ended up at a state school and am currently trying my hardest to transfer.</p>
<p>I didn’t take the PSAT seriously at all and didn’t do well on it. It’s not a big deal now, but I like having bragging rights and, well, my PSAT is definitely something I do not want to talk about with people, haha.</p>
<p>Also, I would’ve taken the SAT more than once. I got a 2100 the first time and decided it was “good enough,” which it was, I guess. But I’d be in better shape at most of the schools I applied to if I had taken it again and scored higher.</p>
<p>Getting suspended for drinking alcohol on a school wrestling trip
It may destroy my chances of getting into college</p>