<p>just want to point out that I am NOT an expert, I’m just regurgitating things I’ve read. If you have a significant hardship, mention it. As for applying as a frosh vs. as a junior… I DO NOT KNOW. Call admissions at the appropriate schools and ask around. I’m a horrific ego-centrist, but I’ll flat out say that you’re likely more intelligent that I am, and by a fair bit at that(and it kills me to say that as I feel I’m more intelligent than most if not all of my professors)</p>
<p>you are on the right track in all means though. I wish I’d been on this site years back, it’d have saved me a lot of BS. It’s nice to have people pointing you in the right direction. There are times I really wish life had a nice check list of things to do, it’d simplify things, and lurking around here will help you make that checklist. I’ll admit I’m more concerned with the “lowly” UC system, but there is carry over.</p>
<p>also, something to consider given financial constraints, UCB and UCLA are relative bargains compared to the top tiered privates. if money is a major concern you can cut a lot by going to one and if you REALLY push yourself during your time at one, you could go for a masters at one of the higher tiered schools</p>
<p>I wonder what the social life of a 15 year old junior is… no offense but I’ve never ever seen an (eastern) Asian kid look much older than he / she is and the majority of my school (including me) is Asian. </p>
<p>Also, if you’re applying to UCLA/Cal you need to take your major pre-reqs in order to transfer in case you didn’t know. you can see them on assist.org</p>
<p>Thank you, xelink, but it’s more than likely that I’m of equal or lesser intelligence than you. Everything that you say is perfectly reasonable (but I am taking EVERYTHING with a grain of salt) and I’ve found that many times, experienced CC users are very knowledeable about these things. You and all the other users have been making great contributions to my knowledge bank and I appreciate that. </p>
<p>I’ll be calling around on Monday to ask about applying as a freshman with my record but the Stanford rep strongly discouraged me to apply freshman-wise because of my high school deficiency, which makes me feel that the response would be similar in other schools. Going on what some users on CC have encouraged me to do, I might still have a shot though. (I wonder if I can apply both as a freshman and junior at the same time. I’ll shelve that question for Monday…) </p>
<p>As for my financial situation, the main problem for going 4 years in a private school is that we only have enough for two year’s tuition in the bank. I’ve been told that graduate school offers opportunities like RA and TA that effectively pay the student’s tuition and cost of living. I should be able to qualify and I’ll be looking into it more once I get closer to that stage, but money shouldn’t be an issue if I can get this. I’d love to make it into UCB or UCLA and get my bachelor’s there but right now state budget cuts are an issue for all the UCs. If I applied now, I’d definitely focus more on private schools. If the situation changes by next year (and a miracle doesn’t happen and I’m not spirited away to H or S), then UC, here I come!</p>
<p>Good luck. You’ve got a lot on your plate. I thought my application was complicated graduating early from a distance learning school, but you’ve got a-whole-nother set of obstacles entirely. I found when I was applying that I had to communicate via email and phone directly with the institutions to explain my situation, and make sure they understood my priorities. I graduated early to do volunteer work and travel, you’ve also got great reasons for wanting to get out early. Explain them both in your applications and in communicating with adcoms. There’s a space on the common app for additional information, as well as an essay response for those with different high school experiences (ie, did you transfer, get a GED, et cetera).</p>
<p>"I wonder what the social life of a 15 year old junior is… "</p>
<p>Hm, I don’t know. Something like the social life of an (almost) 14-year old sophomore? Thanks for replying to my thread, I really mean that. I’m just sort of getting peeved about the talk that I can’t be happy being with (gasp!) old people. The following statement is true: I have college friends. However foreign, illogical, and backwards the concept may seem, it’s the truth. ;)</p>
<p>“no offense but I’ve never ever seen an (eastern) Asian kid look much older than he / she is and the majority of my school (including me) is Asian.” </p>
<p>Wow! How did you find the money to travel to EVERY East Asian country in ALL of their cities and meet EVERYONE? It must have taken billions of dollars and on top of that, you’d have to track down all of the immigrants too! </p>
<p>I kid. But seriously, if everyone who finds out my age has a big face, I’d say I don’t look my age. </p>
<p>“Also, if you’re applying to UCLA/Cal you need to take your major pre-reqs in order to transfer in case you didn’t know. you can see them on assist.org”</p>
<p>Yep, I’m aware of that. My pre-reqs + IGETC + UCLA TAP will be done next year.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for the well wishes, skyscraper13. It means a lot to me. It’s great to hear about your experience. I suppose I’ll be communicating with the schools that I apply to a lot as well. Hopefully, I won’t stick my foot in my mouth. Thanks again!</p>
<p>@ if you re-read I said “I’ve never SEEN” meaning me personally, not “they dont exist”. Im sure if you’re 6’ or taller you could pull it off -.- Having friends doesn’t equal a social life (to me) but whatever.</p>
<p>I did read “seen” the first time, but you also added the “no offense” tidbit, suggesting that I had something to be offended about. You probably didn’t mean it, but I think the wording of your sentence suggested to me that “Because I have never seen an Asian who looks older than (s)he is, the OP must be delusioned; I should warn her not to be offended” was what you were getting at. </p>
<p>I was just joshing with you about the fallacies of what I read. After all, there might be someone in your school (Asian or not; if you haven’t taken physical anthropology yet, let me be the first to tell you that race is a social construct and not biologically based) who you’re assuming is older but is really younger. Also, in a school, you generally expect people to be aged X to Y, give or take a few years. Or you might have passed someone like that on the street. You wouldn’t know their age, but you might have assumed older.</p>
<p>Somewhere, I read that 40% of what is read on the Internet gets misinterpreted. I’m sorry that I took your sentence to mean something you weren’t getting at. I don’t want to get in an argument, and again, I was only teasing you. </p>
<p>Still, I’m wondering why you’re asserting that it’s extremely difficult to look older than you are (for an Asian). How many females have you met that are 6’+…? What I’m saying is if people who’ve actually seen and met me think I’m older, their impression is probably more accurate than yours, especially since you’re going by race and the fuzzy picture you seem to have of me. I’m “pulling it off” quite well at 5’5", thank you very much. :)</p>
<p>So what do you define as a social life? I’m quite the bubbly introvert. I need at least one someone to hang out with in and around class and I’m good. More than that is just exausting for me. But whatever. ;)</p>
<p>Many colleges/universities will not allow you to apply as a Freshman if you have X college-level credits (X being a variable that is defined independently by each college/university). Some colleges/universities allow students who have completed college-level work that is used by their HS for HS graduation requirements to apply as Freshman. You need to ask each institution that you are applying to which applicant category you will fall into.</p>
<p>contradicting people with extremely long posts sort of shows how the difference in age is still there. clearly your delighted with your intelligence, which you have every right to be, and i can see your actually not that concerned with your EC’s. </p>
<p>not saying you shouldn’t transfer but as a helpful reminder life doesn’t really stop at university. You’ll be facing the job market soon and you’re age might be a disadvantage. But then again I suppose you could just do a PHd or something until you look old enough, but then the school fees might be a burden if your parents really are divorsed and your dad has a stroke. And then you have to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. Those are the sort of problems university students have to face. Not saying it’ll be too much for you or anything but just beware of that.</p>
<p>ibmichael, Fair enough that the age difference shows. I’m very long-winded and if that’s a symptom of young age, so be it. </p>
<p>As for “not being concerned about ECs”, my school’s now effectively FORCING me to get a job and work 10 hours a week. The student employment officer at my school’s out of office now and I’m waiting for her to come back. I haven’t mentioned it because I don’t think anyone on here can make her come back sooner. </p>
<p>Thanks for your concerns about my job in the future. I want to be a professor, so if I get my wish, university will have an extended stay in my life. Age might be an issue there, but as I recall, Harvard’s youngest full professor was 26.</p>
Everything that you say is perfectly reasonable (but I am taking EVERYTHING with a grain of salt) and I’ve found that many times, experienced CC users are very knowledeable about these things. You and all the other users have been making great contributions to my knowledge bank and I appreciate that. </p>
face, I’d say I don’t look my age. </p>