Help a high school junior out :D

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello, everybody!
I'm a junior enrolled in a prestigious performing arts high school, and I'm pretty lost in the college search. My passion is music (composition and performance,) but furthering my musical studies in college isn't very appealing to me. First of all, it's a pretty risky move financially. Secondly, success in the music industry is determined by personal perseverance/practice, not by having a degree. Prior to my decision to not attend college for music, I spent almost all of my time practicing/involving myself in musical projects. I don't regret doing this, but that time could have been spent bettering my chances of admittance into my top choice schools.</p>

<p>Scores/Ec's
Luckily, while I was heavily involved in my local art scene, I was still able to excel academically. I'm ranked #1 in my class, I have a 4.675 weighted gpa (4.0 unweighted), and it'll be up to my state GPA cap of 4.8 by the end of the semester. I've taken the SAT and ACT once each, scoring 2000 and 30 respectively. I'm confident in upping those scores to at least 2250 and 34 by next year. My school doesn't offer very rigorous courses, so I've only been able to take AP Music Theory and AP World History. However, I'm self studying Calc AB and Physics B, and my senior workload will be heavy (AP Comp/Lit, AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, AP Stats, AP Govt.) Unfortunately, my EC's are almost non-existent, especially compared to the posters on this forum. I have a lot of community service hours as the music director at a local church, some hours at a local children's refuge, and everything else is just more music stuff.</p>

<p>Colleges/Future Interests
I'd like to major in neuroscience (with a focus on neuropharmacology) and minor in Philosophy. In addition to these to areas of interest, I'd like to continue to pursue music outside of school. I'd like to attend school in either NY or California. I wanted to attended either NYU or Stanford, but I don't have the finances for NYU nor the stats for Stanford.</p>

<p>So my questions are...
1. What are some schools with good programs for neuroscience that will overlook my lack of related high school EC's?
2. What can I do from now until application time to increase my chances of getting into top notch schools?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>When my friend’s son applied to MIT several years ago, he submitted a recording of himself playing the piano. Music was his only EC and his only passion outside of math. He had perfect grades and perfect SATs and was internationally competitive in math so I don’t think the recording was the only thing that got him into MIT, but it was a creative way of showing that he wasn’t only about grades.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t rule out Stanford if you can truly get 2250 on your SAT.</p>

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<p>I’ve taken the SAT and ACT once each, scoring 2000 and 30 respectively. I’m confident in upping those scores to at least 2250 and 34 by next year.</p>

<p>While I’m not saying that this is impossible, I think you need to have more reasonable expectations. Kids generally do not raise their scores that much within 8-10 months time. </p>

<p>I think a more reasonable expectation is 21XX SAT and about an ACT 32. If you exceed that, it will be a bonus. :)</p>

<p>I’m not telling you this to be negative, I’m telling you this so you can come up with a reasonable list of schools. Yes, you should still include some schools that having an ACT 34 and SAT 2250 will be possible. But, if you proceed assuming that you will score that high, you’ll likely have an unreasonable list if you don’t, and you’ll have a harder time accepting the idea of applying to more appropriate schools. </p>

<p>*I’d like to attend school in either NY or California. I wanted to attended either NYU or Stanford, but I don’t have the finances for NYU *</p>

<p>Have you asked your parents how much they will spend each year? If not, you need to so. You also need to run some EFC calculators to find out your likely EFC and whether your family will pay that much (or more). Many schools do not give much aid, so you need to consider that issue as well.</p>

4

<p>UCSD, UCSF, and UCLA all have respectable Neuroscience programs. On top of that UCLA seems to be a breeding ground for bands so if you wanted to get back into the music scene there would probably be other skilled musicians to play with.</p>

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<p>OP, you would be full pay for all the UCs. Can you afford $50K/year?</p>

6

<p>Erin’s Dad is right. </p>

<p>UCs would not be affordable to an OOS student who says that he can’t afford NYU. NYU costs about the same as going to a UC as an OOS student.</p>

7

<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about the EC’s - the music background stacks up pretty well for EC’s. I think the biggest issue will be the financial issue because unless you qualify for financial aid, schools like NYU and Stanford will be quite expensive.</p>

<p>I think you should consider broadening your geographic search to find a school with good neuroscience and philosophy programs and with a music school that you can take music classes without being enrolled in the music school. I know that Indiana University has a top music school that you do not need to enroll in, has a large number of students from the east coast and has a good scholarship if your ACT score is 32 or better. Don’t know much about their neuroscience or philosophy programs.</p>

8

<p>Also University of Rochester if you qualify for financial aid would be a top choice given the fact that it has a decent neuroscience department and one of the best music schools in the country. Perhaps consider Stony Brook University if you need a cheap option that has a solid Neuroscience program.</p>

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<p>@ricegal: that’s comforting, thanks for letting me know.</p>

<p>@mom2collegekids: I probably should have justified this statement in the original post, sorry about that. I went into both of those tests having never studied and knowing little about either.
On the SAT, I got a 780 on math, 640 on Reading, and 580 on writing. Since then I’ve been taking practice tests every week, consistently scoring perfectly on math, usually 740-760 on reading, and 700-740 w/o essay on writing. My biggest faults are my vocabulary, and speed on reading/essay, and I’m taking steps to improve those.
I found the ACT to be significantly easier with the exception of time. I got 35 on english, 33 on math, and lack of time resulted in 29 on reading and 27 on science. Once I got the score report back I worked out the tests from the place that I had stopped and I scored 34 on reading and 36 on science. I’m getting used to the pace of the ACT now, and that’s why I’m confident in a 34.</p>

<p>I’ve been looking into financial aid for the UC’s, and (even though it SUCKS to be OOS, especially since I lived in California for 6 years!) I’m thinking that might be an option. My parents are divorced, mom’s making 70k and dad just got laid off, so it’s hard to tell what the situation will be in 1 1/2 years. I have 3 siblings, one of which will be in college next year (probably just community though.) I’m willing to take out loans and do the workstudy, but do you think the education is worth it?</p>

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<p>As good as the UC system is if you have to take out 200K in loans it is not worth it.</p>

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<p>@UTPG1234-thank you so much for those suggestions, I was unaware that Eastman was a part of UoR, that would be a fantastic option. It seems like Stony Brook might be a good choice for undergrad work too. I’ll definitely look further into both.</p>

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<p>Oberlin (in Ohio)</p>

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<p>AP Chem would be a better choice for your transcript than AP Stats</p>

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<p>I second Oberlin. And music IS a major EC. You don’t need to do a ton of things - just one thing really, really well.</p>

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<p>Posted here by mistake, sorry</p>

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<p>

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<p>As others have pointed out music involvement IS a substantial EC. Make sure the depth and breadth of your activity and accomplishments are well presented in your application. You should submit a music performance recording, even if you don’t intend to major in music. You should also use your recommendations, essays and other supplemental materials (like an activities resume) as support.</p>

<p>Most importantly you really need to get clarity on your financial situation. From what you’ve said, most likely you will be eligible for some need based aid. Ask your parents to use an on-line calculator to get an idea of what you might get. This isn’t foolproof, but it’s a starting place. This will be the determining factor for your list.</p>

<p>Questbridge may be an option for you. Look into this.</p>

<p>I would focus less on scores – real or imagined – and more on other aspects of your profile. Retake or take twice, then forget about it. Scores are important, but they will NOT be the key factor in admissions. </p>

<p>Your grades are excellent (assuming you mean 4.0 out of 4.0) and your music involvement will be well regarded if you select your colleges carefully. Think about any other demographic that may help – e.g., race, economics, religion, geography, life experience – how you can communicate this advantageously in your application. </p>

<p>Colleges, especially medium to small ones, are looking for smart, talented kids who can contribute more than one thing to the campus community.</p>

<p>I’d suggest that you look at some smaller LACs that value music + academics. Oberlin has already been mentioned. Williams and Wesleyan come to mind. Rigorous academics, including excellent sciences and excellent music and focus on the arts in general. Double or even triple majors in disparate fields like biology/philosophy/music are not all that uncommon.</p>

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<p>@momrath: thanks so much for your contribution to the thread, I’m happy I accidentally bumped it.
I should update my situation a little bit:
I’m no longer concerned about my scores, as I have a 2250 superscore on SAT (M800,CR750,W700) and a 34 on ACT (E33M36R36S31 and 11 essay). This is kindof funny, as these were my hopes exactly. Also, for people with low SAT/ACT scores: huge jumps ARE possible, don’t get discouraged by people like mom2collegekids who recommend lowering your expectations in order to prevent a feeling a failure.</p>

<p>Music/ECs/School:
Since I started this thread, a lot has changed. I no longer practice saxophone very frequently, but I’ve been composing like crazy. I’ve written many jazz pieces along with about and album’s worth of pop music. I plan on submitting an arts supplement to all of the schools I apply to.</p>

<p>Also, I moved to a different state where I will be attending an private IB boarding school as a day student. In order to take the IB classes, I must enroll as a junior again, but I’m fine with that. I’ll have more time to decide where I want to go, decide what I want to do, and improve my chances of getting in to top-tier schools. My EC’s will be my main area of focus this year. As a part of CAS in IB, I’m required to clock 250 hours of community service. I’ll also be starting at least two organizations in the school, which I wouldn’t have been able to do at my old school. </p>

<p>I self-studied Calc AB and got a 5. I ended up not doing Physics B, and I’m not upset about that. Next year I plan on self studying Calc BC, Stats, Physics C Mechanics and MAYBE E&M, Comp Sci A (already started) and Psych. My schedule next year is Bio HL, Math HL, Music HL, English SL, History of the Americas SL, and Spanish initio ab. I’ll take the Bio AP exam, maybe US History if I feel strong enough on it.</p>

<p>Financial Aid:
My biggest problem is my parents’ laziness. I feel hopeless; they haven’t filed their taxes in 8+ years. This has been a huge problem lately, as I’m still trying to apply for FA at my new school (23k a year is a bit pricey for us.) I ask them so often, and I feel like a pest. Can anybody relate to this? What more can I do? I wish I knew how to do taxes, I swear I’d just do it for them…
Funny you should mention Questbridge, I applied for the College Prep Scholarship and attended the Stanford Conference. It was pretty incredible, and I will definitely by applying for the National College Match my senior year.</p>

<p>I’m Panamanian, and though I don’t feel very strongly connected to my ethnicity, I’m sure it’ll still help with college admissions. I’m an athiest :stuck_out_tongue: no religious hook. I’ve had a pretty crazy life, with plenty of intense, interesting experiences to write about in essays.</p>

<p>Colleges I’m interested in:
Calarts (I’ll apply just for kicks; I’m sure I can get in, and if I get any FA, I wouldn’t mind attending)
University of Rochester
U of Chicago
Stanford
UNR and UNLV (safety, I know the directors of Jazz Studies at both places, both have already offered me full ride scholarships based on merit)
NAU and ASU (safety schools, instate)
NYU
Stony Brook (only a little bit-I love New York enough to settle for SUNY if I get FA)
UCLA
Reed
Oberlin
Williams
MIT
Harvard
Yale
Penn</p>

<p>I know a lot of them are reaches, but I’m going to let the colleges decide if I’m fit enough to be accepted, not me.</p>

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<p>above, I didn’t notice the date. Glad to hear that things are moving in a good direction. Not having to worry about your scores is a plus, but I still maintain that kids on this site focus too much on scores and not enough on more important factors.</p>

<p>I’m sure the folks at Questbridge and at your high school can help you with your parents’ difficultly with financial issues.</p>

<p>You’ve got quite a list, but that’s okay at this point. You have time to refine. At first glance I would say that Penn and MIT are the outliers. I’d add Wesleyan.</p>

<p>Actually my son has two college friends from Williams who are sax players. The Berkshires aren’t exactly known for jazz, but it seems to be a nurturing place for musicians who may be philosophers or neuroscientists. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Good luck and let us know how you do.</p>

<p>Being of Panamanian descent (I assume you are an American citizen, right?) will be a big plus for you at some of the schools on your list, less so for others.</p>

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<p>Yup, American citizen. And I know the list is long, but like I said, I have a long time to figure out where I want to go. I’m also planning on visiting many colleges next year, hopefully that’ll help narrow the list down.</p>