Another question, how could I build connections to receive advice and mentoring from any Ohio State Staff?
Bump
@osubiggestfan Your ECs will depend entirely on what is offered at your school. I would actually advise against having a ton of ECs on your applications simply because more selective universities place emphasis on commitment. I would suggest joining any service group that is present in your school. The more community service you have the better.
I would look into volunteer positions with local nonprofit organizations as well. Believe it or not many of these organizations would take a teenage volunteer in a heartbeat, mainly because they need all the help they can get. I worked in a local food pantry, with a pediatric cancer awareness group, with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (look into becoming a summer camp counselor, I’m preparing for my third year with the organization), and with my local parish.
I want to reiterate that you don’t need to be the perfect applicant to get into OSU. Focus on keeping your grades up, commit your after school hours to whatever ECs you choose, and give your time often for community service. And REMEMBER, even if you don’t get into Columbus campus as a first year, you can always transfer (assuming you keep good grades) and still be a part of the OSU family.
I had a 3.89 GPA - weighted and a 24 ACT. I applied with the early action and was accepted to the Columbus campus.
In-state EA applicant. I think my GPA was a weighted 4.17 at the time I applied (it went up a bit after that from the 4 additional APs I took during my senior year–5 in total), and I got a 32 on the ACT. NHS and Cum Laude Society, leadership positions on student council, and longtime involvement in my school’s theatre department. Accepted to main campus with a Maximus Scholarship and in the Honors program.
Absolutely apply early action! There’s really no reason not to, besides the additional stress of trying to get your school to see the urgency of getting transcripts received by OSU by that November 1st deadline. Or, apply early decision if you know OSU is absolutely where you want to go. OSU, obviously, picks from the EA/ED applications first for admittance, but even more importantly, said applicants also get the first crack of the Honors and Scholars programs. If you do not apply early, it’s much more difficult to get into main campus, let alone get into one of these programs.
@osubiggestfan I don’t believe there’s a hard and fast rule when it comes to who they accept or do not accept, however, I will say that I recommend trying to raise your GPA a bit in the upcoming year, take one more shot at the ACT (there’s a merit scholarship difference between a 31 and a 32 if your GPA gets high enough), and of course apply early. There are a few main extracurriculars that are always said to look good on a college application (student council, NHS, etc.), but really if you do something unique, or show a longtime participation in something you really succeed in and/or enjoy, that really stands out as well imho. Anyway, best of luck to you in the future, feel free to PM me as well with any additional questions 