BillyMc’s Advice to Future Applicants

Applying to College Admission Stories
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I just went through the application process myself, so I wanted to offer some advice I wish I had known at various stages. I hope this helps someone.

Grades

My Story

It might be tempting to slack off or not do homework for your first couple years in school. I sure did. I was one of the students that was the only kid to get a 100 on the exam, but just pulled an 80 in the class. Many people brag about being “smart and lazy,” but I say that it’s not smart being lazy. I didn’t see the point in school. It was just a game rewarding the ability to do busy work, and it was designed to funnel people into careers; it didn’t actually reward real learning. Was I right? Yes. Did I handle things well? No. You have to play the game, even if you resent it. I got a mix of A and B grades (with one C each year for freshman and sophomore year).

Coming out of sophomore year, I had a GPA somewhere around 3.45 or so. I had taken two AP courses (as much as a sophomore could take), receiving a 5 on each exam, an A in one class, and a B in another (the one with more homework). I was set to take a bunch of APs and graduate with something like 12. However, I knew the system wasn’t working for me. I didn’t enjoy school like I used to and I didn’t do the homework. I was lucky; my school had a dual enrollment program with a local state college. That summer, I took three college courses (American Hist: Discovery-Reconstruction, American Hist: Reconstruction-Present, and English Composition I). I got an A in each one. Next semester, I enrolled full time in the dual enrollment program, taking five college courses and one high school course (Latin V). In the college courses, I received 4 As and 1 B (Statistics, the last B I would ever get, and I was proud of that grade for the work I put in). In Latin (home of my sophomore C), I actually did the homework, receiving an A. The college classes fit my learning style perfectly, and I never looked back. I will graduate with 79 college credits, an Associate’s Degree, a college GPA of 3.96-3.97, and a high school GPA just shy of 3.7 (rank, currently top 6%).

My advice

Do your homework. I’m sorry, you have to. Almost always do your homework. If something happens one night and you can’t, it’s not a big deal, but don’t make it a habit. You have to do the work, even if you already know the material. It may not make sense, you may not like it, but it’s the way to get better grades. Homework is actually important for your grade, if otherwise pointless and possibly detrimental to the learning mentality. Of course, this is obvious to some people, but it wasn’t to me. I thought I was better than the work, so I didn’t do it. The work didn’t care, the school didn’t care, the system didn’t care. I was only hurting myself.

Take classes you love, but don’t blow off classes you should take. Always go for the best teacher, they’ll make a decent class good and a good class amazing. Do the work, study if you need to. Don’t focus on being the best student in the class, focus on being the best student you can be. Learn for fun, read well-written books on a subject you like, even if you don’t have to (especially if you don’t have to). Retain the knowledge, keep it for later. Good grades will follow.

General High School Advice

Make friends, take classes you WANT to take, and join activities, never for college, but because they sound fun. Pick the “good” teacher every time, and be nice to everybody, it will only help.

Don’t slack, but don’t kill yourself, either. The most important part of school is obviously school, but it shouldn’t consume your life. Find something you love (whether it has to do with school or not is irrelevant) and pursue it. Enjoy life, don’t do ridiculously stupid things (minor stupid things can be okay), and don’t sacrifice what’s important to you for things that are ultimately meaningless.

Read books, discuss your thoughts, and think as an individual. Make these years your best so far, but make sure they aren’t your best overall. Remember that what happens now won’t matter in 20 years, unless you make it matter.

Standardized Tests

My Story

I was naturally good at standardized tests, but I had to study the math for the SAT so I could retake. When I did, all of my scores went up. I’m my school’s only NMSF/NMF. I tested a 2160 on the SAT initially (740, 690,730) and took it one year later, after focusing on the math. I scored a 2280 (800, 720, 760). First time I took subject tests, I got a 720 Lit, 760 USH. I retook the Lit to get 790 and added an 800 World History.

My Advice

Don’t worry about these until junior year, for the most part. Take the PSAT sophomore year to get a gauge on things. Look at your score, then look up the National Merit cutoff for your state in previous years. A few months before your junior year PSAT, start studying. How much you study depends on how you did last time, but make sure to study. If you can get National Merit, that’s great. You’ll open a lot of doors and be able to get a lot of scholarships. If you don’t qualify, it’s okay. There are a ton of other opportunities. I know people who got full rides to good out-of-state private schools without National Merit as a factor. Another important thing on the PSAT is whether you choose to release your information to colleges; if you do, expect to be inundated with mail and email. I did it, and it got annoying. However, I’m glad that I did. I found a lot of schools I like on my own, but there are some I only looked into because they sent me mail. I’d say 95% of college mail was ultimately useless, but that 5% was well worth it. It’s your choice whether or not to mark the box, but I would advise it, if you can handle the mail.

On to the SAT/ACT. This isn’t actually an SAT guide. There are several effective SAT guides and books out there, I don’t need to write another. Take the SAT during your junior year. I took it in December, which was a good choice, as it gave me time to see my scores well before senior year. Take the ACT, too, if you think you’ll do better. Obviously, you could switch the order I presented them and take the ACT first. It doesn’t really matter. I never took the ACT, and it turns out I didn’t need to. However, I probably should have. If you are even somewhat interested in schools that require SAT Subject Tests, then take them junior year. I didn’t, and I had to rush to take them twice during senior year. Then, when you have all your scores junior year, reassess what you can improve, what you need to focus on, and what you need to retake. You need to use your own personal standards here, plus those of the schools you’re interested in. Having a long time between scores means that in addition to having more study time, you’ll also naturally improve between tests.

If you have IB or AP or other exam-based classes, make sure to study for them. This should go without saying, but the exam is extremely important. You’ll be happy with yourself when you get to college and have already tested out of requirements and into credits.

College Selection and Application

My Story

I changed my mind a lot between junior and senior years. At the beginning of junior year, I figured I couldn’t afford college (low income family, and I knew very little about financial aid), so I was going to graduate early and transfer from my dual enrollment state college to a cheap local university. I didn’t end up graduating early, and by senior year I wanted to go to a private (probably Jesuit) university in a big city. I went from a major in Social Work to one in History (with several grad school possibilities).

I applied to several schools early, receiving three acceptances by December and another four by February. One school gave me a full-tuition scholarship with the acceptance letter. Another one sent me one before the acceptance (I know, weird, right?), but I’ve lost interest in that school anyway. I found several schools that I loved, and it turns out several of them were easy for me to get into (judging by admissions statistics). This not only relieved stress, but ended up getting me scholarships. I’ve got a month to go until I hear from more selective schools, but even if I don’t get into anywhere else, I have several great schools I’d love to go to.

My Advice

Do your research during your junior year and the summer after. Find schools you love, and also find schools you love that you can pretty easily get into. Research scholarships; both outside scholarships and scholarships offered by schools are important. Make lists of guidelines for where you want to go to school, what kinds of schools you want to go to, what you want to major in; be prepared to break those guidelines. However, they’ll be useful most of the time.

Apply early, one way or another. If there is one school you absolutely love that has an ED program, stop to ask yourself these questions: “How much do I really like this school?” “Is it my clear #1?” “How likely is that to change?” “How many times have I changed my mind so far?” “What are the actual advantages for students like me (whether you’re an athlete or not, legacy or not) applying ED here?” “How likely am I to get in without it?” “What kind of other early opportunities am I giving up?” ”How sure am I that I can afford this school?”

A lot of schools have early action programs, which are non-binding. I would suggest that everyone apply early somewhere (or –wheres, despite the fact that that’s not a word). Even if it’s just a safety or two; trust me, it’s nice to have acceptance when you might otherwise be going crazy. I don’t like categorizing schools as “safety,” “match,” or “reach,” but it is something you need to take into account. You should apply to at least a couple of each. Some students have types of schools they like, and are able to find large variances in admissions standards within that type; other people have to be more flexible. If you have a match school you love and a safety school you like, you’ll save yourself a lot of stress.

Start your applications when they’re released. Be thinking about your essays months before the deadline. Many people work on them over time; others, like me, need to write things in a burst (I took a couple-day break from this and had to reread it a few times and edit to get my head back into it). However, whichever way you write, don’t do it last minute, and have your head in it for awhile. Many spend a lot of time refining one essay; others write several essays; others are content with their first without much meddling. If you’re comfortable with it, get some other people to help you edit them.

Ask teachers for recommendations a couple months before the deadline. Request your transcript for your own use months before you send it off; this saved me (school made an error and put an F in Latin V instead of an A, took months to fix through unreasonably slow channels). Send everything (including SAT/ACT scores) out well before the deadline, or you’ll be kicking yourself if they’re late (some schools are harsh, others are lenient).

And above all

While you’re busy working hard, don’t forget to take time to RELAX. :cool:

There. Hope that helped. Feel free to ask me any questions, though I won’t know where I end up for college for around two more months (one to finish admissions, one to decide).

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Where did you do your dual-enrollment?

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My county’s community college turned “state college” (it offers like 5-6 bachelor degrees now). Mostly at the town’s local branch, but sometimes at another branch ~30 minutes on the highway away.

4

Great advice! (Sums up nicely nearly everything I regret now.) Very wise words you put there.

You should also consider putting in a ‘How to make yourself do these things’ section. That would have helped me incredibly, and a few other people I know, too. Although I don’t know how you would answer that…

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I don’t, either. I’ll give it a shot, though.

How to Make Yourself Do These Things

Obviously, you have to be very self-motivated. However, a goal really helps. Whether that goal is a future job, a loved field, a desired college, or something you want to change in the world, it’s helpful.

If you’ve got a couple years left to improve before applications, try all four. If you don’t, then at least you still have time to improve for college and/or life.

1.) A career. Well, many would say that college is a place to receive training for your career. Christopher McCandless and I might disagree, but there is merit in this for a lot of people. Whether you want to be a lawyer, a surgeon, a psychologist, a social worker, a professor, or enter any other college-educated field, having a career in mind is helpful. It helps you decide your major, pick your college, lay out your life plan, and motivate yourself with a future vision of yourself. Just be prepared to change it a lot.

2.) A loved field of study. So say you love history. Or physics. Or mathematics. Or philosophy. Or whatever other subject really interests you. I’m not talking about “I’m good at _____ in school,” I’m talking about a genuine love for a field of study. Not everyone will have this; if you don’t, it’s okay, though I wouldn’t give up looking. Taking college courses will open fields up and may change your mind once or thrice. Having a particular field of study you love can help lead you into what you’ll be doing in the future, may help you with your college search, and will provide you with a robust academic drive.

3.) A college you desire. Ah, don’t we see this on CC a lot? Sure, tons of people say “I want/need to get into iViEs/ivy leagues/HYPSM/other stupid things,” but how many have truly seen what they need and want and would thrive in at one of those schools? Probably a good deal, but that doesn’t take away from those shooting for a name. No, when you look for a college, look for the environment that will best foster YOU as a person and a student. When you have a college (or hopefully colleges, plural) you want to go to, it represents a clear and present goal; you are doing your homework because you want to go to Georgetown, or you are studying for your test because you want to be at Michigan, or you are putting that extra effort into making an essay exceptional because you love Dartmouth. It doesn’t matter what school, as long as it is the school for you. Matches and reaches are generally better motivators, as extra effort needs to be put in.

4.) Something you want to change in the world. Ask yourself: “What is wrong in the world that I want to fix?” I taught my Debate class as President and would ask this question to the Novice students to get them to write resolutions. If you don’t want to change the world, that’s okay (but you should!), hopefully something else motivates you. But whether you want to feed the hungry, house the homeless, revolutionize Africa’s agricultural processes, bring mankind to another star-system, fight cancer, make peace, or increase world knowledge, a goal that is larger than yourself is the best motivator; historically, it has been so. It will help guide you through all the other motivators, but not get you caught up in any of them. Dream big, start small. You can help change the world in whatever job you pursue, as long as you do it well and with dignity.

Further Advice

Don’t do things just for the money; down that path lay madness! Or, rather, an unfulfilled life, if that is your chief motivator. Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be comfortable in life (constant tumultuous change and voluntary poverty isn’t for everyone, after all), and especially when one has a family, but once the money or the mansion or the car becomes more important, then you’ve crossed the line.

This actually does serve as an effective motivator for many; I just advise against it.

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”How sure am I that I can afford this school?”

If you mean at ED time, you don’t need to be sure. From the Common App ED agreement:

<a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/ED_Agreement.pdf[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/ED_Agreement.pdf&lt;/a&gt;

If your number one ED choice doesn’t offer enough aid, you say thanks but no thanks and apply RD elsewhere.

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This was me :smiley:

I often think you come across as overly radical, but this is advice that should be heeded.

8

Excellently written thread, and wonderful advice =)

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There was an article saying just this in the NY Times. The article is at [The</a> Case for Early Decision - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/the-case-for-early-decision/]The”>The Case for Early Decision - The New York Times)

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Best advice on here. Thanks for the great thread, BillyMc.

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And I should add, “especially if you want to change it one day.”

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Wow, do I wish I had this two years ago to give to my son. He was the exact same type of student - As on tests, blowing off homework repeatedly. We tried everything. He got it into his head that he was going to major in music and his grades didn’t matter. He decided that a B in an AP class is the same as an A in a regular class. He discovered girls and Facebook, and his grades plummeted. Now he has decided NYU is his dream school and his grades may keep him from getting in.

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Ha! Yeah, not that you won’t necessarily be successful–you may think, I procrastinate all the time, and I can put this off too and still do an excellent job, which very may well be true–but it’s just so so stressful. What if your computer crashes? What is the website gets jammed? Not to mention it will make your winter break hell, rather than a relaxing respite from school. Applying EA to some Common App school will help because then at least you’ll already have the Common App done.

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^My winter break almost became Hell. I cried to douse the fire.

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If he’s a sophomore or junior, there may still be time. I’m not sure how well my rebound will help me for my reach schools, but I’ll make sure to post here when I find out.

Yeah, bad things can happen, like having no internet for several days and having to rush to Barnes & Noble at 9pm to finish applications. Or something like that…

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Although ED does give the option to back out if aid is not sufficient, I still think it is unwise to make that sort of a commitment without allowing options if financial aid is really important.

Also, a note on outside scholarships: Think LOCAL. Fastweb is cool but it’s the internet. there are lots of people on the internet who, just like you, want scholarships. You’ve seen CC - the internet has lots of competition.

Your local Rotary club, however, may be a little more frequently overlooked. And maybe when placed against those in your school or hometown you may stack up a little higher. Most schools have some sort of a resource to help find stuff like this. And I’m not saying don’t apply for the internet stuff (as long as you know it isn’t a scam!) but if you’re a busy high school senior the local scholarships are a better use of your time. Plus, the more you apply to, the more essays you build up, and then you can just start reusing thel :wink:

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“Although ED does give the option to back out if aid is not sufficient, I still think it is unwise to make that sort of a commitment without allowing options if financial aid is really important.”

What are these options, or what kind of options?

18

Financial options. Like comparing aid packages. My apologies, that was rather unspecific wording. I did not choose to apply ED anywhere and instead simply applied EA to a handful of places, several of which have given me significant merit scholarships. Even if my top choice accepts me and gives me enough money to make it feasible, I still may end up choosing a place lower on my list so I can easily graduate debt-free.

The financial aspect is the first of many beefs I have with ED but I don’t need to rant about that right now, someone else probably has elsewhere on the site.

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When I made the list of questions to ask yourself if thinking about ED, I knew that you could withdraw for financial reasons. Obviously, you’re not enslaving yourself to a school. This is why I included that question:

-You have to argue with the Financial Aid Office over what is or isn’t enough
-You may be able to barely afford it, but won’t know if others could have done much better
-You have to go through the process of withdrawing for financial reasons
-You likely just wasted a lot of time (and an application fee)
-You quite possibly wasted a chance at several other opportunities/options

20

First, ED should be used only at your one dream school above all others, when you’re not (yet, until you’re rejected) interested in applying anywhere else.

“-You have to argue with the Financial Aid Office over what is or isn’t enough”

There’s no arguing (unless you want to appeal); it’s solely the family’s decision; you tell the school you’re not able to accept their financial aid offer.

“-You may be able to barely afford it, but won’t know if others could have done much better”

Right, but you don’t care, because it’s your one dream school; affording it is the only issue.

“-You have to go through the process of withdrawing for financial reasons”

There’s no process; you send an email or call.

“-You likely just wasted a lot of time (and an application fee)”

“Waste” when it’s your dream school?

“-You quite possibly wasted a chance at several other opportunities/options”

How? You just apply RD as if the ED attempt never happened.