<p>Could you start school sooner than 2007, even if part time? If so, go as soon as possible to a community college or state university near you or in an area you find interesting. It is possible you could even get in for summer this session. Depending on your drive, you could probably knock out any remedial courses they require (which would be a waste for you but you may have to do it) and most of your core courses. Then, in 2007 you could transfer as a 2nd semester sophmore or even a junior to a college that fits what you decide you want. While the community college may not challenge you as much as you like, it will let you start the educational process sooner rather than later and allow you to have some of the things you missed in High School. </p>
<p>There are some schools that may accept you in Spring 2007 also if you can show them some successful college work. You sound like a person who is ready for an intellectual challenge so why postpone it? You also need to think out of the narrow box that Harvard is for you. Other great schools out there may be more suited to you with great name recognition also. The UVA option is one. Great history department. A couple of years ago there was an older student on these boards who did 2 years at a cc, had a family, worked, made a 4.0, had been published, and happily got into UVA as a junior with merit aid money. Get into school as soon as possible, do a great job, and take the time to research what option is the best for you.</p>
<p>I disagree with everyone who is telling you to go the transfer route. The odds of admission are MUCH lower for transfer students than for other students. Yes, it would be a really good idea to get some recent courses to show you can do academic work at school, but DON'T enroll somewhere and lose your first-year applicant status. Instead, find out where/how you can take college-level courses as an unenrolled student. (Since you are already out of high school, that is tricky too.) What was your military M.O.S.? What opportunities did you have for college study in uniform? Admissions officers have dealt with veterans before, and they will know how to look at your military record as part of reviewing your application. </p>
<p>QB: no-one's asked this. Did you go to OCS? Become an NCO? Anything to show that in the army you advanced your education? That could make up for the high school grades.</p>
<p>I was an 11B (infantryman). I never once had a commander or First Sergeant authorize a Soldier to attend classes at the Education Center while I was there. I seriously felt like I was getting dumber by the day, so reading became my one and only hobby.</p>
<p>Nope, fell just short of becoming an NCO. Had the power, not the rank, made it to Corporal. I decided against OCS and going Warrant for flight, they required that I lengthen my enlistment--I wasn't willing to do that. The reason being; I wanted to get home and enroll in college somewhere ASAP.</p>
<p>Harvard asks for a list of books you have read in its supplement to the Common Application, so now you are beginning to sound like you have something to talk about in a Harvard alumni interview. Most of my aunts and uncles stopped going to school after eighth grade (they were farmers), and they advanced their knowledge by personal reading for the rest of their lives. So I can well believe you might be college-ready if you have spent your time in the armed forces reading a lot. </p>
<p>Best wishes in your applications. Definitely aim high.</p>
<p>What did you do in the army? awards? rank on discharge? performance in military training? Specialized training?</p>
<p>Look, the situation is this: smart slackers are a dime a dozen. Your mission is to gather up whatever evidence you can to show you stopped slacking when you were in the service. You don't particularly need educational things to prove this, BTW. Anything job related will do, as the admissions folks know that a lot of what goes on in college is just plain work, too.</p>
<p>You are what would be called a nontraditional applicant. Truth is adcoms love them, as anyone with an unusual background is usually more interesting. But you gotta show them you can do the work (your scores help here) AND that you're willing to do the work.</p>
<p>You should also consider that the true elite colleges, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and the like look for kids with "star" potential - future leaders if you will. Unless you showed unusual promise as a leader in the army, you don't stand a chance, IMHO. But if you DID show such potential, you could have a shot.</p>
<p>I agree with others that the transfer option is a poor fallback, but may be the only one open.</p>
<p>I would suggest that while you are back home you find someone, preferably a family friend or maybe a clergyman or even a doctor to document in writing your devotion to you mother during your high school years. This could be in the form of a letter of recommendation or just of explanation. This just should help you with admissions as it will be proof of your claim that you had to help so much, and it will probably set you some what apart from other candidates</p>
<p>If you are so smart, why didn't the Army pick you out and send you to officer training? They are really good at identifying enlisted personnel who are worth the investment. Did nobody talk to you about West Point prep? Or about officer training? why not?</p>
<p>When I was at Brown I had two "non traditional students" as friends... Both had tanked earlier in school and gone back to get degrees in their 30's. It can be done!</p>
<p>My advice is to look around a bit for the school were not only will you get a great education but where you will really fit. "Harvard" is easy to pick out of the sky... But is it the best place for you? Work a little on identifying 5-6 places that might really make you happy and meet your needs, apart from name value. </p>
<p>I second the advice NOT to enroll and lose your freshman status unless you have a specific plan. For example, you could enroll in a CC that is a "feeder" for a very good public U. (Santa Monica City College = feeder for UCLA. Go there, get the right GPA = automatic transfer to UCLA.) A place like this might be smart, with the Ivy option for Law School.</p>
<p>Once you have identified the places that would be best for you, call all the admission offices to find out how you can round out your academic record and gain admittance.</p>
<p>Keep at it, show you have the desire to succeed, and there will be more than one school that will want you.</p>
<p>First of all Mombot, for the most part they are not 'really good at identifying enlisted personnel who are worth the investment.' My GT score was 130/130, and this was no secret. It truly, truly, truly depends on whom you work for, and the policies within your unit.</p>
<p>In 2nd Battalion 5th Infantry, ANYTHING outside of PT, field problems, and CQ is frowned upon. My Chain of Command and NCO Support Channel were interested in a 300 PT (Physical Training) Score, not my wanting a 2400 on the SAT. Just so you know, I spent the summer of 2003 at West Point, and you honestly think that I did not want to trade in my BDU's for the 'penguin suit.' While there my boss, LT Kennedy, the XO, and First Sergeant fought for me, but bad luck caught up with me. The Battalion XO died during an Officer's-only exercise, suffering a massive heart attack. After that, the BC (Battalion Commander) and CSM made it quite clear that the XO's funeral was the command priority, citing that as the reason he had not the time to authorize such an action. If you don't believe me, look it up, the XO's name was Major Gerald Compton.</p>
<p>OK, I believe you. Stuff happens. You are older, you have great life experience and scores. Can you not enroll in a well regarded feeder college to a UC as SBMom suggests, work your butt off to get good grades and then present the package as a transfer?</p>
<p>I barely graduated from high school and thanks to the wackiness of the time ( no standards/small state) I qualified for admission to a four year school on the basis of test scores only, but the fact is somebody (my parents) said to me "we aren't investing in you because your HS GPA indicates you are a poor investment." I was lucky in that I was able to attend a 4 year school right off the bat and that option is no longer available to bright but easily distracted or disadvantaged kids. The fact is you will have to make in investment by going to a school that you believe is below your standards, and you will have to take leap of faith and work and demonstrate that your test scores are not a fluke.</p>
<p>The world is full of brilliant test takers who cannot put their heads down and kiss *** and get the grades. I was one of those kids. I learned that it doesn't really matter how smart you are -it's how hard you work and how well you get along with people. </p>
<p>That's why I am a little surprised that your time in the Army didn't teach you that's it's not what you know, it's how you act and who you know. </p>
<p>You sound like a very smart kid who has had some bad breaks and you have not learned to play the politics of the situations that you find yourself in. I am sorry the Army did not give you more guidance in that respect--that is one thing that I thought they did better than any organization, including colleges.</p>
<p>You didn't mention how you plan to pay for your education. Since you are a vet, in Texas you'll have all your tuition & fees paid at any state school through the Hazelwood Act. You'll have to come up with a way to pay for room & board, though. With your test scores and unusual circumstances, I'd think you'd have a good chance for scholarships if you take a couple of cc courses and do well (if you can take honors courses, that would be even better).</p>
<p>If you don't like Texas A&M, maybe you should look into the Univ. of Texas. It is a highly ranked public university and there are plenty of great minds there. They have an honors program for which you could apply if you are looking for more of a challenge. Do well there, and I'm sure you'd have a shot at Harvard law.</p>
<p>Remember that college shouldn't be a status symbol like the brand of jeans you wear or the kind of car you drive. It's a place to receive an education. As you learned in the Army, you can receive an education anywhere (even if you educate yourself!). If you can afford it, it might be worth a trip to visit Harvard to see it in person. Try to talk to some students on campus and ask them if they like it there and why. Ask them how many hours per day they spend studying, what's the social life like....stuff like that. Go to Austin and do the same thing at UT. Talk to admissions officers and see what they advise. Keep us posted on your decision!</p>
<p>Mombot, this is indeed fun. Obviously you are someone's mother, and I shall treat you as such. However, you have no idea what you are talking about.</p>
<p>How I acted?!? How dare you patronize me, for your ignorance truly is bliss! I was an outstanding Soldier! You can question my motives, my high school performance or whatever else about me you deem insufficient, but DO NOT question my service. The Army is not about politicking, its truly about the team--the guys sitting next you. The selfishness you cast upon me is unreal. </p>
<p>Thats what I learned Mombot...</p>
<p>Besides, I did know the 'right people,' so don't chastise their guidance onto me. Simply put, I did not have the time, nor was I in the right place. I spent the remainder of my career cutting and burning poppy plants and cocaine in rural Honduras. No harm, you simply don't understand...</p>
<p>I notice that you have not thanked a single poster who offered advice but took umbrage at some things Mombot said (while ignoring the practical advice she gave as well).<br>
There is something else the army did not teach you.</p>
<p>I'm not sure your post is real, but let's just suppose it is ...</p>
<p>As Northstarmom has discussed on previous posts, the number of black males testing with very superior SAT scores in your range is very small. So you are at the very top end of Afro-American standardized scores, but unfortunately at the very bottom in terms of grades. You'll have to overcome the perceived assessment that you are brilliant, but undisciplined and lazy. I agree with other posters that you'll need to prove to admissions committees at some of the top universities that you can buckle down and achieve high marks when you put your mind to it.</p>
<p>I agree you'd be happier at a large state university with the potential for interacting with older, more mature students (you might not find as much in common with kids seven years younger.) If you want to challenge yourself, why not some of the honors colleges at U Texas Austin?</p>
<p>With your background, you might look into working in the defense industry, where they will pay you to get your degree. There are a number of companies in the Dallas area, Raytheon, General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, Rockwell-Collins, etc and they all pay for degrees for full time employees, and most will let you flex your schedule for school. Then you have UNT, UTDallas, UDallas, SMU, TAMU-Commerce, TAMU, etc that all have area campuses.</p>
<p>I seriously believe UT would be a great place for me, but I don't see it in the near future. After all, I've given every reason NOT to accept me. From what heard from you all, not even a 2400 could have gotten me too far, and rightly so, I don't deserve it. Those high school scores killed me. I almost wished that I didn't try so hard, you know. It may sound defeatist, but I honestly wish that I had scored lower. I see either the CC or the 'feeder' route in my future, but I will do best. Thanks.</p>
<p>bandit:</p>
<p>I understand what you are saying, but I really want out of Texas--its too close to the source of my ire. LOL, my working days are over for a couple of years, I'll still healing from broken ribs and like 10 other injuries sustained over time in the Army...</p>