<p>No Problem. Just don't worry about college yet. Work hard and come back when you're a junior to see if you're on track.</p>
<p>Sorry about your circumstances. What kind of work do you do? I know a kid who worked 6 to midnight (gets out 11ish) school days but he kept up with his GPA because the work was warehouse and it was like working out.</p>
<p>I work in a Check Cash Depot. Basically cashing checks, handling money orders etc. It's not exatly "heavy work" but it's still work. This "kid" sounds like a great guy.</p>
<p>colleges all do notice special circumstances (i.e. deaths, illnesses) and in your case having to work to support your family. However, you'll need to score well on your sat. Although your gpa is still good, theres no proof to colleges that had you not had a job you would have something significantly higher, so dont expect pity poitns to completley save you</p>
<p>I'm not looking for pity points, but I was just wondering if this is taken into consideration.</p>
<p>I got a 170 on the PSAT and I searched CollegeConfidential and apparently people who score in this range Freshmen Year score in 2200s mostly. I'm working hard(er) and my grades are (very) slowly going up.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Also, how will colleges know about death, illnesses etc?</p>
<p>Colleges would find out about death, illnesses, etc. if you chose to mention them in your essays or in the additional information section of your application.</p>
<p>I missed this before</p>
<p>40 hours A WEEK? that is 8...that is 5/6 hours a day, every day...or if you work 5 days a week that is an 8 hour day with school...that seems awfully high for a highschooler...and it would actually raise a flag to me</p>
<p>And to be honest, I don't believe it....</p>
<p>Thanks SH1234567</p>
<p>citygirlsmom, You're assuming that I work the same amount of hours every day. I work 20-24 hours on the weekends (12 hours each) and split the rest somewhat evenly among the remaining 5 days. It usually fluctuates between 30-40, I guess average would be something like 35 hours.</p>
<p>Like I said my dad was involved in an accident and couldn't work for quite some time. The car was somewhat new, so the loan on that + medical bills + rise in insurance - income from dad really tends to add up.</p>
<p>The amount my mom makes is just about enough for rent and other bills.</p>
<p>I don't if I mentioned but they together make only half the average household income in my state (got it from a link someone posted on this).</p>
<p>Thanks anyway.</p>
<p>philosopher4life: In my analysis the 3.5 at a competitive IB/AP courses will go a long way when it comes to admissions at top schools in your situation.</p>
<p>Being Valedictorian is not a great deal as I've mentioned that my neighborhood school get 40 - 50 Valedictorians and my D's school send more students to Ivies than that school with only 1 valedictorian.</p>
<p>I think the schools are not suppose to look at the whether all the good applicants from the same school. My D's school has a maximum of 19 from a single batch at U.Penn. Which should give your confidence that you actually have a better chance from a competitive school than from a non-cometitive school.</p>
<p>Suze "If a top college is your goal, rank is extremely important. Common data set show that most unhooked candidates who get in are in the top 1 or 2 in their class.
"</p>
<p>It is true only at the non-competitive schools only, as You have to be a valedicatorian to have any shot at top schools but if you are from a competitive public or private school then with a strong course load and a non weighted GPA > 3.8 is all you need to have a good shot at top schools, with a caveat you get a good SAT scores.</p>
<p>How old ar you? and 12 hours a day, well, that is not right and may not even be legal for someone under 18....</p>
<p>I say this because while it may be true, it is not believable, to me, someone jsut reading what you are saying</p>
<p>If you are already working so hard, life will be easy for you. Let intellectual energy into your life, though, and ace the SAT. Express yourself cogently and even offer to come meet with the admission's office in person; you will go far!</p>
<p>you are a freshman in HS, so I am guessing you are 15, how old are you? and what state do you live in? there are some pretty strict rules for how many hours a kid can work a day, while under 18,- at night hours, etc</p>
<p>if you are working 12 hours a day, that is most likely breaking a law....</p>
<p>your hours concern me....</p>
<p>just saw that you are an international, so the rules may not apply....but still, 12 hours a day on a weekend is absurd for a minor</p>
<p>Yes I am an international. Like I said we were staring at a mountain of debt. My dad was a businessman (rank an actual corporation) in my home country but went completely bankrupt about 5 years ago so we didn't have any assests.</p>
<p>Well not to sound all philosophical but people are thrust into responsibility.</p>
<p>The first book I was read in USA was "Touching Spirit Bear" and the main character claims he saw the Spirit bear (he's later mauled I believe) as he's rescued. When no one trusts him, he throws away the fur (which is white - the colour of the spirit bear. He states that it's the truth and it doesn't matter if one believes in it or not, it'll remain the truth.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies everyone.</p>
<p>When I said I didn't believe the hours, well, that is my perception. In one thread you state fewer hours. And an admissions person may well also wonder at 35 hours a week...just pointing that out</p>
<p>Like I said it fluctuates. I believe you're talking about my "What should I do" thread. Yes I did post a different number (something like 20-30) there but the average generally falls in the the range I stated above.</p>
<p>What do you mean by wonder? Not believe me?</p>
<p><em>sigh</em></p>
<p>For international Applicant everything can fail. Admissions are very tricky.
Sorry won't be able to help anymore.</p>
<p>I understand International Applications are VERY competitive, but there's nothing wrong is trying and hoping for the best.</p>
<p>Again, I'm not aiming for Ivy League or anything (maybe a couple of schools in the Ivy League), I haven't started any college search yet (I'll probably do it over the summer). But I'm looking for a good academic environment. That's pretty much it.</p>
<p>So citygirlsmom, I was wondering, should I knowingly understate the hours on my application?</p>