<p>I posted this in some other forum place...thing...but then I suddenly realized that HEY there's this section.</p>
<p>Anyway, I have about a B average (composite freshman and sophomore GPAs is 3.6 out of a 5.0 scale...you figure that out) in an all girls, private, Catholic high school, but I take all honors courses and all AP courses available, and have forced my way into some honors courses that I didn't get into initially. However, due to my procrastination and lack of studying for tests, I've gotten traditionally mediocre grades (I also have ADHD and have only recently been medicated for it, so that might have contributed). I don't know how well I did on the SAT, and I have absolutely know clue as to what my score may be, but I did get in the 97th percentile in the PSAT (I think I may have gotten a 201, all in all).</p>
<p>I really really want to major in some sort of science--preferably chemistry, engineering, physics, or space...stuff--and I'm doing the PAVE engineering program and Vanderbilt this summer. I was looking at Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, and my mom is set on me going to Cooper Union because she knows one of the trustees (HA she wishes).</p>
<p>I dont know, maybe my mom and I are just being paranoid, but she seems to beleive that I have no chance at any top tier or "big name" school, and I can't help but feel worried. I'm really bad at figuring out my chances at any college (I HATE the college search), so...any advice?</p>
<p>And by the way, general resume goes thusly:</p>
<ul>
<li>Founded Unity, a club to promote awareness of national issues regarding diversity, human rights, and anything else along those lines. It slowly petered out in sophomore year because obviously, no one cares about the country they live in. (founded in freshman year)</li>
<li>I've been on my school's swim team since 7th grade</li>
<li>Private singing lessons since 7th grade, and I have competed on the national level</li>
<li>Again, since 7th grade, I have worked at America Works, a for-profit company that specializes in the job training and job search for those on welfare (receptionist, general office clerk, filled out forms, worked with candidates, wrote resumes, bought coffee for boss)</li>
<li>Worked at a summer riding camp as junior counselor for 5 years (in charge of arts and crafts and taught horse care)</li>
<li>Have horseback rode for 11 years</li>
<li>Am future co-editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, which I joined this year</li>
<li>Hopeful co-president of Model UN, which I have been a part of since this year</li>
<li>Member of the National Honor Society</li>
<li>Have been a part of the school plays for 3 years, and have acted and coordinated costumes for them.</li>
</ul>
<p>Your Ec's are impressive, but an exacty gpa and sat will really tell you more... a "b average" could me a lot - low b, high b, ect... and your sats - if strong- would pull you ahead.</p>
<p>If you pull up the grades and get good SATs, you should have a shot at JHU and Carnegie Mellon. The PSAT score show that you have the ability. But start looking at other schools, too. Worchester Polytech, Rensselaer Polytech, Virginia Polytech. What state are you from?</p>
<p>Kids who look at Carnegie Mellon may also want to consider Univ of Rochester and Case Western. These schools may be a bit easier to get in than CMU, so I think you have a good shot. There are also large state U's that have good engineering programs (but I don't know which ones --U. Mich(??) so I am sure others can fill you in. You may also want to consider taking ACT's. As you are a science person, this test may really work in your favor. The best thing about ACT's, is that you do not have to report your score to any college or your HS. If the score is not great, than no one has to see it. If you do super- then you can send the score everywhere. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help. I've been working on pulling up my grades, and though it's going slowly, my junior grades, if not stellar, have been better than my freshman and sophomore years.</p>
<p>emilycm: my average is more like a B to B+. I don't really get below a B-, and I get only about 2 A's or A-'s.</p>
<p>OneMom: New York, right next to NYC. </p>
<p>What about UChicago? I was looking at it, and even though it's not specifically technical school, I'm not ruling out any liberal arts colleges with good programs in the sciences.</p>
<p>Also, what do you think would be my chances at University of Aberdeen? It's in Scotland, but, unlike Oxford, St. Andrews, and Edinburgh, it has an American-style college system (which is actually the Scottish style system, which was first exported to Princeton, I think), and is more friendly to American students--it has full time US recruiters who you can contact.
I don't really mind "crossing the pond" at all, and it'd be nice to go to school in Europe. Also, going on a college visit is an excuse to go to Scotland.</p>
<p>Aberdeen has a Scottish style system EXACTLY the same at St Andrews and Edinburgh. Each course is a 4-year MA. In the first year you can take 3-4 subjects (a bit like minors) and after that you have to specialise in one particular subject. If you can pay they will almost certainly take you because foreign students subsidise UK students so they need all the money they can get. Chemistry is the least popular subject in Britain so if you apply to study that there will be very little competition. Aberdeen's ok but it is in the middle of nowhere and quite small (nowhere near as small as St Andrew's though). I suspect a lot of students there will be locals (so still living at home with their parents and commuting). How do you feel about the weather? If you come from a warm climate it will feel very cold (gets dark before 4pm in winter) I do think you would have a very different college experience at Aberdeen because there are probably not many foreign students there so you would be full immersed in another culture. Is that what you want? If you like hiking and climbing, outdoor sports (despite bad weather) then you might really enjoy the area (also look at University of Bangor in Wales if this describes you.)</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the help! It's kind of hard to really find out about colleges outside of the US, and normally, people from the US go to Edinburgh (two guys I know go there), St. Andrews (my friend's friend is going there for religious studies), Oxford, Cambrige, etc.</p>
<p>To go to UK schools - your exam grades have got to be excellent. The good thing with UK schools is that if you can offer AP or IB exams, they really don't care what you got throughout the rest of high school. Someone from my school last year went to King's College (ranked 5th in UK) after bombing freshman & sophmore year (2.5 gpa), he picked it up in junior year though, and his predicted IB score came out to a 36, so they offered him a place.</p>
<p>Oh, btw - I have about 50 UK university cataloges lying on my bedroom floor (I went to a UCAS fair a month ago) and I have one for all the universities that have been mentioned. If you have a major in mind, I can look up what scores you would need for you.</p>