I graduate high school a few years back and recently finished college.
About me:
I grew up in a less than perfect or ideal environment with little or 0 family. I didn’t have anyone telling me what I should do or where I should go. I craved a path for myself. I went to school in a far away state yet dreams and inspired to go to school in NE. I applied to a few schools, but not as many as I should have in NE region. I was lucky that I got into a top 5 school in NE, but here are my advise or reflections:
- Advocate yourself. Yes, it’s going to be tough. I was in a pretty bad place / mood even the week before applications were due. It was a struggle to get them done. But I did it. Never loose hope.
2 ) Don’t rely on others to tell you what you can’t and can’t do. In the end it’s all chance, but you owe it to yourself to give your self the opportunity.
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Be geniue about your interests. It’s important. and continue to do so.
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Do your homework before hand. Figure out how to get where you want to be. The SATs aren’t as hard as they seem now. Don’t let the stress of it deter you from doing well. Practice, practice practice. I didn’t apply to a few schools b.c of my low scores, but really–even 2months is enough time to get your SAT scores up. Just study/practice 1 - 2 hours a day.
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When dealing with professors or other people that will have to vouch for your ability, try to see things from their point of view and give them what they need. Ie. if you are a teacher or person, you want to see that the young student you have is applying him/herself in academics or whatever that area is. You should provide them with “evidence” - that you are indeeed doing so. A lot of it is also knowing “business” and learning to work with other people’s bottom-lines. Your good grade in your AP class makes your teacher look good in front of her boss–> school looks good–> district looks good. It’s good and important to see how you are tied to a bigger picture.
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I had a hard time fitting in my college. If you need to take time off before starting college, do so. I didn’t know what to expect and how to live in a big city where the school was. I was also a non-white person immigrant. Learn some basic life coping skills, if possible. Do your research. Ask the right sources and lots of them to get an opinion, not just a subset of people.
Ultimately college is about expanding your world view . I didnt’ get a perfect GPA or did as well as I wanted to. I think I struggled in the school in so many ways, emotionally, socially , academically (not getting the grades, but due to emotional stress too likely). But it changed me, for the better and exposed to me to a different “Class” of people. And gave me more confidence in what I want my eventual life to be.
- College does get over and life continues. You may or may not meet a lover or a BF in college. Ultimately, it’s one stop on your road. Enjoy the journey.