Chances/What to improve

Colleges and Universities A-Z Reed College
1

<p>Currently Im a high school junior at an all girls private high school in California.</p>

<p>My classes this year:
Spanish 3 (before school)
American Lit, Chemistry, Contemporary Media/Psychology, Religion, US History and Advanced Algebra 2. </p>

<p>My school only lets us take 2 AP's this year (AP Lang. & AP US History) And I wasnt let into either class because my gpa was too low.</p>

<p>Im thinking about independant study for AP English Lang & AP Psychology. </p>

<p>My gpa (freshman & sophmore year combined) is a 3.2 </p>

<p>This year Im really focusing on academics. And on getting a good SAT score. </p>

<p>I have no EC's. Im very introverted. I really like Reed. Ive been looking at Reed for a few months now, and Im really considering ED. </p>

<p>Im looking to major in English, and Im sorta interested in classics (might take a Latin or Greek class at UCLA this summer if its not too expensive. I think they give financial aid)</p>

<p>Yes, money is a problem. My family makes less than 40k a year. I have a sister, she just started freshman year in high school. </p>

<p>I really want to visit, but I live in Soutern California, and my parents dont think we will be able to visit this year, but I really want to. </p>

<p>So the point of this is to ask, how can I improve? Ive been trying to find some EC's, but there is nothing to do at my school and Im having trouble finding things to do in my community. And, Im very introverted... I would do newspaper or yearbook at my school, but Im already taking spanish before school, so I cant :(</p>

<p>I like to read in my free time, I have favorite books that I like to read over and over. Also this might seem stupid/waste of time/etc, but I like to play Neopets. Im not sure if anyone's heard of it, but its a virtual pet site, and Ive been playing awhile now. But this past year Ive found this game called plushie tycoon. Its a puzzle game, its very hard, because I play an advanced game it involved tons of spreadsheets and formulas. The point of the game is to sell plushies and make profit. Im not very good at math, but the game has actually improved my math. Basically, its fun. I enjoy playing and making new friends from around the world. But, Im not going to go into lots of details since this has nothing to do with college.. But, yea... </p>

<p>Soo, what should I do to improve my chances at being accepted at Reed?</p>

<p>Thanks for taking the time to read this. I know its long, sorry :(</p>

2

<p>lovely, you're motivated and willing to work hard. You like to read for pleasure. Your neopet game sounds interesting and gives you pleasure. Keep it up. Being introverted is a notorious Reedie trait (enjoying computer games is too). Visiting Reed now, though, sounds like quite a stretch (it takes us 3 days from SoCal). Also, the mean GPA of accepted students is 3.9 and coursework is very demanding, so it's an admissions stretch too. Reed is a great college, and you're right about the classics -- all first-years take a full year of classical studies. Work hard, pull up your grades, and apply. Also apply to some easier schools -- Evergreen State in Washington (Olympia) has a really similar feel, amazing teachers, lots of freedom, and pretty easy admissions. Then, if you're accepted at Reed, the visit will be worth your time and money. Oh -- and with your family income you'll certainly be eligible for need-based aid so don't sweat it. Good luck.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for replying :) Yes, the GPA is much higher than mine, and Im working really hard to bring mine up. Ill take a look at Evergreen too :)</p>

<p>Well, we have a second house, and I did an estimate of the EFC calculations, and it came out to 16k! We could never afford that! But, we just bought the house last year with my moms inheritance money, not family income. So I worried about that... </p>

<p>I will also be a first generation college student. My parents arent helping much so far.. Maybe Im just planning too far ahead...</p>

4

<p>Many colleges require most of the EFC, but some will make adjustments. Another approach would be to work toward a transfer (there were 47 transfers admitted to Reed this year) which would save a lot of money and may increase your chances of admission. The UC some people think is most like Reed is UC Santa Cruz, which also has a "northwest" feel to it, being nestled in the forest.</p>

<p>If your GPA is "lower," it helps to have your SAT scores "higher." A rising GPA is very good; a falling GPA is very bad. If you haven't seen it already, check out <a href="http://web.reed.edu/ir/cds/cdssecc200506.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://web.reed.edu/ir/cds/cdssecc200506.html&lt;/a> which explains all the factors Reed uses in the admissions process.</p>

<p>You are <em>not</em> planning too far ahead; this is indeed the time get really serious about college admission!</p>

5

<p>Like you, I also went to a (very competitive) all-girls high school. If it helps any to know, I was accepted to Reed with something like a 3.4 GPA, absolutely no sports, and very few ECs. I did, however, have fairly good SATs (650 M, 730 Wr, 800 Cr). I was also able to write a very specific essay on why I wanted Reed, and, uh, more or less, why Reed should want <em>me</em>. So, in short...there's hope : )</p>

6

<p>vossron </p>

<p>Im working very hard to get my gpa up :) But, Im only considering the UC's as a last resort because they are way to big for me. Thanks for the link! :)</p>

<p>jabberwocky66 </p>

<p>Thanks for the info! :D Are you going to Reed now?</p>

7

<p>no, actually--in the end, I decided to go to Wellesley, where I am right now. I spent the last two months doing summer session at UC Berkeley, thouhgh, and agree that it's definitely not for everyone--30,000 students vs. 1,300. In the end, Reed was too small for me, and a little bit too alternative. I'm also a severe asthmatic, and had a violent allergic reaction when I visited Reed, which means that, even if I had loved Reed, I wouldn't have been able to attend for medical reasons. Good luck to you!</p>

8

<p>Oh no! Thats not good :( Well, hopefully your enjoying Wellesley. :D</p>

<p>Thanks :) Reed is coming to California, so Im going to try to go to the college fair. Only problem is its on a school night, but we might/hopefully will be able to go! :)</p>

9

<p>Update:</p>

<p>Joined a few clubs that I was interested in joining. There were a few others, not many, but I didnt really like them. So here are the ones I did join. </p>

<p>Kiwins (volunteer 20 hours)
Drama 10/11 (might be in a play or I might just be a techie)
Spanish (will tutor freshman/sophmores in Spanish)
Science (in the assembly they mentioned the ACT, Animal Conservation Team which is involved with the sciene club, and that sounded interesting) </p>

<p>Im doing pretty well this quarter. All A's/B's. Really trying to get those B's to A's. Quarter ends in October :)</p>

<p>I did some more research about financial aid. It seems that we will qualify for the simplified needs test for the FAFSA, and then they will disregard our assets.</p>

<p>But Reed also requires the PROFILE, which doesnt have a simplified needs test, so assets will be taken into consideration. </p>

<p>So... hmmm..</p>

10

<p>This article in the current Reed Magazine might be of interest to you concerning financial aid at Reed.<br>
<a href="http://web.reed.edu/reed_magazine/summer2006/features/financial_aid/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://web.reed.edu/reed_magazine/summer2006/features/financial_aid/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>My D is a sophomore at Reed and they have been quite generous with her aid.</p>

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<p>Reed is my dream college after MIT... hehe</p>

12

<p>thanks for the link :)</p>

<p>I already know Reed is a big reach. But for financial reasons I <em>might</em> not be able to apply ED</p>

<p>Would that totally ruin my chances? 60% acceptance rate vs 40% , I think. I think I might have a better chance at ED though.</p>

13

<p>There is no financial reason to avoid applying ED to Reed; ED acceptances with an included financial aid component are offers, and can be declined without consequence if the aid is insufficient. Many applicants find Reed's aid offers to be adequate.</p>

<p>Answer to an often-asked question: Average loan indebtedness upon graduation (2004-05 graduates) was $17,175.</p>

14

<p>Thanks for the info. :)</p>

<p>Well, since our EFC comes out to 23k, we will need to borrow that much since my parents only make 30k a year, and then doesnt the financial aid package usually come with a loans & grants?</p>

15

<p>Yes, loans and grants, and usually a small work component. Students typically work about five to 10 hours per week and earn approximately $1,000 per year. Loans arranged by the college are what resulted in average indebtedness of $17,175; loans taken out by the family (e.g., HELOC) to fund EFC are additional.</p>

16

<p>ooh, ok, that makes sense! thanks :)</p>