<p>My cousin is a senior in high school, and he just decided this month that he wants to go to college. My aunt and my mom want me to help him through the application process because I am almost done with my own applications. It's an extra stress for me but I feel obligated to help him.</p>
<p>He has a GPA of 2.4, and he's trying to bring it up to a 2.5 by the end of this semester. He attends a technical school, so I'm not sure if that would change how his GPA is viewed. He hasn't taken the SAT yet, but he'll probably score around a 400 in each section. I have to help him register and study for them this month. </p>
<p>He wants to go to school for audio production. it's the only thing that has ever interested him, so the school has to offer that. He has toured the Arts Institute of Philadelphia and really loved it. Should I encourage him to apply to all three of the Arts Institutes in PA? Should I encourage him to apply to the local community college also because he is not guaranteed acceptance to his first choice? Would he have a chance at getting into York College of Pennsylvania? Suggestions for other schools that he would be able to get into and study audio production?</p>
<p>I wonder if his newfound desire to go to college is because so many kids around him are talking about college and it seems like the “right” thing to do. Around 2 out of every 3 HS kids start at college, yet the percentage of adults holding a 4-year college degree is only about 30%. One should be realistic here: with a GPA of 2.4 and SAT score of 400 per test he is unlikely to make it thru a 4-year program.</p>
<p>Isn’t it more typical for someone learning audio production to go to a technical school for this rather than a general college? Preferably a program offered thru a community college or at least a non-profit college. The for-profit schools such as the Arts Institutes are receiving a lot of bad press lately (see <a href=“http://www.alternet.org/story/155073/for-profit_education_fraud_tied_to_political_elite”>http://www.alternet.org/story/155073/for-profit_education_fraud_tied_to_political_elite</a> about the Art Schools, or <a href=“College Group Run for Profit Looks to Close or Sell Schools - The New York Times”>College Group Run for Profit Looks to Close or Sell Schools - The New York Times; for a more general article). Many who attend these schools end up with tens of thousands in debt and little job opportunity. </p>
<p>You say that he attends a technical HS, they should have counselors there who are able to help him. Rather than trying to become an expert on how one enters the audio production field you might be better advised to refer him to the resources he already has.</p>