Coming, humbly, to ask for help....

Parents Forum
1

<p>I am going to be a sophomore. I am not exceptional as of now, awards are not available to sophomores, as of yet, I have little to distinguish myself. I am asking for help, and I would hope, that the parents on this forum, would be more than willing. I'm only going to be a sophomore, so I have no awards, for God's sake, I haven't even taken the SAT. </p>

<p>I need advice for the upcoming years.</p>

<p>I want to go to an Ivy League school, or at least a very competitive one (i.e. Georgetown--fitting since I'm very interested in International Relations).</p>

<p>I finished my freshman year with a 3.9 GPA--no honors classes were available to me, and I messed up a little bit first semester, though second was flawless.</p>

<p>Next year I am taking a grand total of 2 honors classes--the only ones available to me.</p>

<p>Last year I was involved in a variety of clubs and activities, for which I was criticized on here, since I "had no focus". Well, no, I didn't. I didn't know what I liked really (freshman, remember) so I tried a bunch of different things.</p>

<p>Here are my clubs/activities.</p>

<p>Taekwondo
Field Hockey (I am not very talented, but I enjoy it)
Drama Club (total mistake, will not join next year)
Mock Trial (completely in love, will continue all four years)
A program through which high school kids correspond with elementary school kids and act as mentors
Community Service Club (I enjoyed this, and I will be on the board next year--there are no other positions like president, vice president)
Spanish Club
Academic Quiz Team
Volunteering at a hospice
On the junior board of a local hospital</p>

<p>This Summer I have:
Interned for a State Senator
Continued volunteering for the aforementioned hospice
Continued on the aforementioned junior board
Volunteered for an organization that helps disabled children play sports
Completed an International Relations Program at Georgetown--I know, it was paid for, which is apparently seriously bad on CC, but I enjoyed it and I had an interest in the subject, which is why I did it. I hope that it will help show interest in the subject and the school, but I'm not holding my breath.
Completed a Counterintelligence and National Security program--again, it was paid for, but I had an interest, and I enjoyed it. Also, to be honest, there aren't really any prestigious summer programs open to rising sophomores--or at least, I haven't heard of any.</p>

<p>I know, I haven't cured cancer, or saved a nation, but I hope that it is at least a decent foundation to build off of. Key words there being build off of. </p>

<p>My question is, how do I go forward with my high school career? I hope to major in international relations or political science--my parents want me to be a business major, but that's a different story. </p>

<p>Do you have any recommendations for activities or summer programs that I could do? I'm open to almost anything, but math and science are not my forte. </p>

<p>Thank you ahead of time to anyone who takes the time to respond! =)</p>

<p>Also, for next year my ECs are obviously not decided yet, but I am planning to at least attempt to start a MUN club at my school (sadly, we don't have one)</p>

2

<p>OK, so what I see is 2 main areas of strength-both academic/ intellectual- medicine [ as indicated by your hospice hospital EC’s] and government/international relations. Both are GREAT areas for future EC’s. And at this point, there is NOTHING wrong with being able to afford to pay to attend a summer program that really interests you. It seems that your strengths are in areas other than sports, which is fine- not everyone is an athlete[ though I would not recommend becoming a brilliant couch potato- everyone needs to get exercise]- but it may just not be worth your while to try to continue with a structured team sport just for the sake of having an athletic EC. My S [ a non athlete] focused his EC’s on the 2 areas that held his interest- classical music and Seismology, and his long term commitment to those EC’s [ plus 4 years of Academic quiz team commitment] and great grades in hard classes helped his applications stand out. Continue to think about what really grabs your attention/ gets your juices flowing and focus on those areas for your EC’s. Start this summer to ask about the possibilities of unpaid internships for next sunmer. If you continue to focus on the areas/ EC’s that REALLY interest you, plus continue to do your very best in your classes, which is the single most important criteria for acceptance at a top college , you will be able to offer Admissions committees a complete picture of your interests and strengths as an applicant.</p>

3

<p>My main area of interest is international relations/government. I volunteer at the hospice and hospital to help the people there (which I enjoy a great deal) but not to really learn about hospitals, medicine is not of interest to me.</p>

<p>Thank you so much for taking the time to respond!</p>

4

<p>Taekwondo is fine as a sport (S1 did karate and that was it as far as sports were concerned) S2 did not sports at all, but listed hiking as a hobby. Both did well in admissions.</p>

<p>You seem to have plenty of ECs. I would not worry about starting someone just for the sake of claiming “leadership” You should try to focus your energies into a few ECs where you can show commitment and excel. For someone interested in government and international relations, Mock Trial is an excellent EC.</p>

<p>As far as academics, is there a reason why your school does not offer honors classes? Or was it due to your status as freshman? Make sure you take the most rigorous curriculum available to you. If what is offered is not sufficiently challenging, explore the possibility of taking classes at the local college or online. Look up the content of the SAT-Subject tests in those subjects that are of interest to you. For example, if you will be taking Honors chemistry, it may be a good idea to schedule the SAT-Subject test in Chemistry for the end of the coming school year (but only if the curriculum aligns with that of the SAT test). You may want to take the PSAT in October to see how you perform and try to address whatever weaknesses would be revealed. This will also be good practice for the junior PSAT and SAT tests.</p>

5

<p>You’re doing fine. Trying out a lot of different activities your freshman year is fine. Whittling those activities down to two or three you can excel at as a senior is good too. You are right that if you want to do some sort of summer academic activity as a sophomore, it’s almost impossible to find something free. It sounds to me like you made good choices and have solid reasons for choosing them. It’s too bad about the limitations on honors classes. In our high school there are no honors level 9th grade classes either, though they get around it a bit, by letting kids who took bio or algebra in middle school take honors chem and honors geometry because those are 10th grade level classes in theory. They also offer AP World to a small group of sophomores (NY has world as a two year curriculum anyway) and AP Physics B is also available (they got rid of honors physics and substituted this instead.) If you can get one (or two) SAT subject test out of the way this year, it will make junior year a little less stressful, but it’s not a requirement, mathson just did three in one sitting in June junior year and did just fine.</p>

6

<p>I would suggest looking into the National History Day competition.<br>
[Home</a> of History Education: National History Day](<a href=“http://nationalhistoryday.org/]Home”>http://nationalhistoryday.org/)</p>

<p>In addition to being an opportunity to win an award in an academic non-math/science area, NHD is really a great program, and both of my kids have gotten a lot out of it. Choosing your own topic and project type (exhibit, documentary, performance, paper, website), conducting independent research (especially primary sources), deciding what is important enough to include in the time/word limit, etc. </p>

<p>Each year there is a different broad theme. This year’s theme is “Innovation in History: Impact and Change.” Previous themes have been “Conflict and Compromise”, “Triumph and Tragedy”, and “The Individual in History.” </p>

<p>It’s easier to do a project with school support, but can also be done independently. Your parent can sign up as your “teacher” to enter. Or maybe you can ask a history teacher at your school. </p>

<p>Check the NHD website to see how your state handles the competition. Some states have regional competitions before the state competition. Winners of the state competitions go on to a national competition at U. Maryland in June.</p>

7

<p>Have you considered being an exchange student for a summer, semester, or year? If your family wouldn’t go for that, could you host an exchange student?</p>

<p>What are your language skills? Will you be finishing at a high level at your high school? Is there an opportunity to learn a language related to the one you are now studying? example: studying Spanish and then trying to add in Portuguese or Catalan.</p>

<p>Concordia Language Villages run language immersion summer camps that offer high school credit. Take a look at what they offer.
[Concordia</a> Language Villages - Concordia Language Villages](<a href=“http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/]Concordia”>http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/)</p>

8

<p>Contrived leadership possibility that is not ridiculous:
You know that Community Service group that you are on the Board for next year? but the organization it has no officers? Is there something you’d like to see it do, some project you would like to see the group take on? Could you create a committee to help it accomplish that task and then be chair of that committee? Since you will be on the Board for next year, I am assuming that this is a group you enjoy. Follow your passions. </p>

<p>Awards? If you accomplish something, you know you can compete for a Prudential Spirit of Community Award or easier yet, a Kohl’s Kids Who Care award. There are local/state level awards. And you can certainly earn a President’s Volunteer Service award.
<a href=“http://spirit.prudential.com/view/page/soc/307?lp=15088[/url]”>http://spirit.prudential.com/view/page/soc/307?lp=15088&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“Corporate Responsibility”>Corporate Responsibility;
<a href=“http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/[/url]”>http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I second the idea that you compete in the National History Day competition.</p>

9

<p>Having just finished a week of visiting colleges, including four ivies, I truly believe the first thing you should do is step back and try to figure out what it is that sounds enjoyable to you for the next three years. For example, well-lopsided is just as good as well-rounded when it invovles a true passion. </p>

<p>Also, while it is fine to set goals in terms of competitive colleges, remind yourself that the college that fits you best may not be in that catagory. Just as doing activities for three years because they “look good” will burn you out very fast, so will four years at a college that was never a good fit.</p>

<p>In my son’s case, two of his top choices have admission rates of less than 10% while another top choice admits over 50% of applicants. All three are excellent fits for his interests, personality and so on. </p>

<p>Best of luck to you.</p>

10

<p>Thanks for all of the responses!</p>

11

<p>anyone else?</p>

12

<p>Submit a paper for publication in The Concord Review, a journal for HS students of history.</p>

13

<p>I second the idea of a semester abroad experience – though I’d actually suggest doing a YEAR abroad. A CC parent who is in academics described a year abroad as the ultimate EC, and I think he’s probably right. For one, it shows passion and courage – face it, that’s what it takes to undertake a year overseas at your age. Two, it shows organizational skills since you’ll need to carefully set up the rest of your high school schedule to accommodate that year’s absence. (Though most schools will give you credit for the classes you take overseas, usually on a pass/fail basis so as not to affect your GPA.) Third, you’ll come back fluent in a foreign language – a nice bonus for a prospective international studies major. Fourth, you’ll have a foreign adventure of a lifetime – ditto. </p>

<p>With your GPA, you’ll be a good candidate for a Rotary Club year abroad program, which cover most of the costs. Finally, once you come back from your YA you won’t have to worry about ECs any more :)</p>

14

<p>If you’re taking all the honors classes your school offers (and it sounds like you are) then don’t worry about what other kids on CC are taking. Your hs profile will show colleges that you are taking the most challenging course load available to you.</p>

<p>My only other advice is to continue with activities that truly interest you. Don’t every waste your time doing an extra-curricular because you think it will impress a college admissions officer. Ivy league admissions are notoriously random - when a school is only admitting 10% of their applicants, it’s virtually impossible to figure out what will impress an admissions officer in any given year. And your time - your teen years - is too precious to waste trying to impress other people. Take challenging courses, and pursue extra-curriculars in areas that you have a passion for. That passion will come through on your college application, and THAT’s what colleges want to see.</p>

15

<p>Seconding the idea of National History Day! My D participated and loved it, winning numerour local and state awards for different areas of her projects. Also, are you taking languages? If you are really leaning toward International Relations, it certainly helps to be able to chat without an intermediary! Don’t forget the English courses which focus on writing and composition- they’ll come in handy and will help your college essays stand out!</p>

16

<p>Thanks for the advice! I was also thinking about spending a semester/year as a page in the House of Representatives or the Senate. Does anyone know anyone who has participated in this before? It fits my interest in politics, though I’d also like to spend at least a semester abroad, plus a summer, preferably.</p>

17

<p>I can’t speak to what it takes to get into the ivies, but here’s my advice:</p>

<ol>
<li>Grades come first in hard courses.</li>
<li>SATs are second. If you can, find out which SAT prep course is considered tops in your area and take it. At the end of the day, you can’t date above your looks, and your SAT scores, along with grades, determine how good looking you are. Take a course starting in January to take the test in March. Focus on SAT IIs and prepare for them. You want to know at the end of your junior year what is the universe of schools where you are in the pool of eligible seniors.</li>
<li>Be a leader in your school. You don’t have to impress with national and regional competitions, save the world charity work and the like. If your school has Model UN, consider doing that. Schools like kids whose peers have chosen them as leaders.</li>
<li>Follow your passion, whether it is comic books, sports, reading, dance, etc.</li>
</ol>

<p>If you do this, you may not get into an Ivy but you’ll get into an excellent university with strong international studies that will prepare you for the next step in your life. I’ve had one kid graduate from U of Chicago with honors, one kid is a rising senior at Oberlin and another is a rising senior in high school. None of them moved beyond their locale in high school or chased after resume building activities. All focused on what interested them, and they are doing well. Good luck.</p>

18

<p>Try to get one or two subject tests out of the way. If you are into International Relations I would suggest a foreign language as one of the two. Keep working hard. Start looking at the Colleges you are interested in and pay close attention to their requirements that way you will at least have an idea where you stand. Maybe an enrichment program like SummerStudy? They are well recognized and also have a 6 week program in Paris at Sorborne University. Also you can look at the website questbridge.com. Go under other resources and there’s alot of inof there. Hope this helps. Keep working hard and remember in life “Nothing beats a failure than a Trial”. Good luck.</p>

19

<p>My friend was a page and she said it was the best experience of her life, and she’s not even sure if she wants to do poli sci. She just loved it.</p>

20

<p>Thanks for all of the responses!!!</p>