Help Me Perfect My Four Year Plan

Applying to College
1

<p>I am a rising freshman seeking guidance from all you experienced CCers :D</p>

<p>Here's my plan--I'd like some input on things that can be added/edited.</p>

<p>9th grade:</p>

<p>Courseload (& predicted grades):
- Biology - A
- IB Math Studies SL - B
- Pre-IB Language A - A
- Pre-IB Geography - A
- Spanish III - A
- Residential Architecture - A
- PE - A</p>

<p>Summer before:
- At least 100 community service hours (hospital, humane society, food shelf)
- Chill and enjoy my last few weeks of childhood</p>

<p>ECs:
- Flvs.net Latin I
- Hebrew 101 at U of MN
- Language Club
- Debate
- 6 hours of community service/week
- Entering as many writing contests as possible
- Self studying AP Psych</p>

<p>10th grade:</p>

<p>Courseload:
- Chemistry - A
- Pre Calculus - B
- Spanish IV - A
- Pre-IB Language A - A
- Pre-IB World History - A
- Intro to Technology (?) - A
- PE - A</p>

<p>ECs:
- Flvs.net Latin II
- Hebrew 102 at U of MN
- Language Club
- Debate
- 6 hours of community service/week
- Entering as many writing contests as possible
- Self studying AP USH</p>

<p>Summer before:
- Goal of 250 community service hours
- Possibly Counselor in Training at a Jewish summer camp</p>

<p>11th grade:</p>

<p>Courseload:
- IB diploma, mostly SLs</p>

<p>ECs:
- Flvs.net Latin III
- Hebrew 103 at U of MN
- Language Club
- Debate
- 6 hours of community service/week
- Entering as many writing contests as possible
- Self studying AP English Lit</p>

<p>Summer before:
- Hopefully TASS, otherwise community service and being a counselor at camp</p>

<p>12th grade:</p>

<p>Courseload:
- Continuing with IB diploma, some HL classes</p>

<p>ECs:
- Hebrew 104 at U of MN
- Language Club
- Debate
- 6 hours of community service/week
- Entering as many writing contests as possible
- Self studying AP Chem</p>

<p>Summer before:
- HOPEFULLY TASP .. otherwise, being a counselor again
- community service</p>

<p>.. alright. thats about it. any ideas/opinions?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance! :D</p>

2

<p>well...</p>

<p>only thing I find weird is why do you predict your grades... unless you're taking easier classes to keep your GPA up why does it matter what you think you'll get in it before you take it?</p>

3

<p>The best advice I can give you is to not get overly stressed. Manage your time right, and youll be in for the best 4 years of your life (besides college).</p>

<p>I didn't manage my time well, and had a lot of stressful, late night study sessions. </p>

<p>Also, goodluck with Latin on flvs! It begins to get challenging, but if you need any help, i'm currently taking it and would be glad to answer any questions.</p>

4

<p>I wouldn't worry so much. It's high school-- chill and have fun. You don't know what will happen over the next few years, and trying to predict grades is just crazy.</p>

<p>Do what you like and have fun. Don't make yourself do something just for a college application. It will probably show.</p>

<p>edit: also, AP chem is a little tricky to self-study for. Take it from someone who tried. Besides, by the time you take that test, you'll already be accepted into a college. Since it won't affect your admissions process, I suggest that you just wait to take chem until you're in college with a good prof.</p>

5

<p>thanks, tickytock. i was deciding between chem and an easier one. does it even matter? maybe i won't do one my senior year at all. or maybe i'll self study statistics .. since by then i'll already be on calculus.</p>

6

<p>just a couple of things I noted -- If you are predicting B's in math, why take the harder classes? Most kids (who are not math advanced) are taking Geometry or Algebra II in 9th. If you math skills are weaker (I am just assuming since you didn't predict an A in those classes) you should step back and work on the math skills -- it will serve you better in the long run, since high school math (algebra I & II, geometry and trig) are what is covered on the SAT I and ACT -- not calc.</p>

<p>You seems to want to overload yourself on academics (online latin, hebrew, self-study for AP's) -- why is that? If you are thinking it will get you into a top college, that is not the path to take. Top colleges are looking for students that take the most rigorous courseload available at their school, not the world. Top colleges would rather see A's in a rigorous courseload in school -- than a few B's because you overloaded yourself academically.</p>

<p>Why the need to enter so many writing contests? If writing is your passion, I would expect to see you interested in a creative writing club, journalism and summer writing programs (there are many). Otherwise -- it just looks random. winning a couple of essay contests is not a ticket into a good school.</p>

<p>What I see lacking most of all is a passion -- it looks like you sat down and tried to plot out what you think top colleges are looking for, but you missed the biggest factor they look for: what can you bring to the school as a unique individual?</p>

<p>I would suggest that you take a look at what will most likely be your safety school (your flagship state university) and see what the requirements are for automatic admittance (sometimes they have something in there that will throw you off). Make sure you plan covers those classes. then take a look at the classes your school offers for all four years and see what you can take that would be rigorous and interesting -- for example, can you take APUSH as a sophomore? Many IB kids do this if they are not going to be taking the American Studies IB class. Are there required classes (home ec, heath) that can be taken in the summer or online?</p>

<p>You seem to be emphasizing languages as an interest -- if that is truly a passion and not just something you are doing to look good to schools, have you condidered a study abroad program? a summer program for learning language (there are many)? volunteering by tutoring a language you know?</p>

<p>your outside activities (volunteering, clubs, outside classes) need to reflect who you are and what you want to discover about life -- they should show a focus or passion, not randomness.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the detailed post, hsmomstef!</p>

<p>in response to your question about the math class i'll be taking next year:
i was given the choice to enroll in either Geometry or IB Math Studies next year because I have straight As in Integrated Math II this year (combined algebra and geometry, as well as some trig and stats). I chose IB Math Studies because as far as I know, it's better to challenge yourself and get a B than take the easy route and get an A--even though math isn't my strongest subject.</p>

<p>thanks for all the ideas--i think i'll look into a language camp. i would consider my passions english, writing, and foreign languages. TASS and TASP are prestigious writing summer programs, but both have very low acceptance rates, so i'm not counting on being able to attend either one.</p>

<p>i was planning to self study apush because it isn't offered at my school.</p>

<p>when it comes to college admissions, i've heard that being involved in your minority helps. is that true? i could also join a Jewish youth organization at my temple, which would go along with the Hebrew class and being a Jewish camp counselor.</p>

8

<p>Ok -- a few more notes:</p>

<p>"it's better to challenge yourself and get a B than take the easy route and get an A--even though math isn't my strongest subject." This is not actually true -- what top schools want to see is you taking the more challenging course and getting an A. I know that it seems to make sense that a B in a harder class will look better than an A in a slightly easier class, but that doesn't actually work out. That B brings down your GPA(remember that colleges don't use weighted grades) and class rank -- something that colleges really look at. Geometry is still a solid track for math -- especially if you aren't a math genius. If you think that you will end up with a B in Math Studies but you would have an A in geometry, I would suggest you take Geometry. That B might hurt you in the long run. You can read tons of threads on the forum of kids who took your approach -- harder class, but lower grade -- and they were rejected from schools where others who didn't always take the hardest class (still took what is considered the most rigorous courseload) and got better grades.</p>

<p>Plus -- if you are planning on doing IB, unless you are wanting to do HL Math (which can be a killer) there is no reason to take math studies SL in 9th.</p>

<p>TASS and TASP are very prestigious and difficult to get into -- but they are not "writing summer programs" at all. Check out the summer programs forum <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=614%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=614&lt;/a> there are tons of programs. make sure you apply to more than one program if they are competitive -- and get applications in early.</p>

<p>I would suggest that you do not plan to self-study any AP classes unless you truly have a passion for a particular subject. The class won't count on your transcript or toward rank or GPA -- so the best you can hope for is that the hours and hours you spent self-studying for that class will yield a decent AP score (and APUSH is one of the hardest). A college will take slight note of a few self-studied AP classes -- but it won't overcome deficits in GPA, rank, test scores or EC's. That is where you need to spend your time. </p>

<p>As far as involvement in your minority -- it isn't anything unique, unless you are an URM (which you aren't if you are Jewish) but involvement in anything that you see as a passion is good. You want activities that show leadership, consistency (you do it for more than a short time), inschool and out of school activities and if you are aiming for top schools, you want state and national awards in those areas.</p>

<p>For example, if writing is a passion -- summer writing programs, student newspaper or creative writing book (if the school doesn't have a literary society, start it up. Start a writing club), take extra classes in english and writing at school or online, tutor elementary/middle school kids in writing for your volunteer hours, see if the local library has a writing club, write a teen article for the local jewish paper, enter a few choice essay contests, do a History Day paper, compete for the scholastic writing awards, etc. Look for opportunities where you can demonstrate your passion.</p>

<p>I think you have some good ideas -- but you have to have time to live your life, discover your interests and really shine -- and a bunch of self-studied classes won't let you do that. it doesn't look at good as you would think -- colleges are looking at the person and not the classes, so you really need to work on you as a person.</p>

9

<p>interesting about math studies vs. geometry. i suppose i could call my GC and see if i'd be able to switch courses right now .. hmm, i'll look into that.</p>

<p>thanks so much for all the ideas.</p>

<p>self-studying AP psychology sounds fun to me, actually. im interested in psychology, and i thought i could self study one AP per year to show "consistency". i really like the idea of starting a writing club .. my HS doesn't offer one, and starting a club is a great for a college app, right? (not to imply that i would do it only for the sake of putting on my application .. but that would be a consideration)</p>

<p>thanks again :)
your posts really helped me.</p>

10

<p>Wow. You are a freshman in high school. It's fine to get a decent plan, but to know exactly what community service and work and self-study you will do...maybe it's just me, but I think you should just do what you enjoy for freshman and sophomore year. Have fun, it's high school. The only time you really need to get down to business is in the second half of your junior and first half of your senior years. Other than that, don't overstress. You won't be happy with the result of you do.</p>

11

<p>Do what you enjoy.</p>

<p>Highschool shouldn't just be pre-college, you have 4 years to enjoy your time and have good experiences there.</p>

12

<p>You are setting yourself up for high school filled with stress, stress, stress. Where is this pressure coming from? Do you plan to have ANY fun at all? Do you think you will have a happier life if you PLAN like this? Personally, I think you need to see a good therapist to find out why your suffere from OCD at such a young age (I'm in a master's program in counseling psychology). This kind of obsessiveness is not good for anyone, much less a young teenager.</p>

13

<p>Seems to be a common sentiment on CC that 9th and 10th graders simply shouldn't care about their futures. "Go out, drink and party, have fun," you all say.. I have to disagree with that. 9th-12th grade all matter.</p>

<p>I like to plan. I like to stay organized, and I like to be busy. I don't particularly love socializing. Everyone is different. Your definition of "fun" is different from mine. Your definition of "good experiences" is not the same as mine.</p>

<p>I'm not obsessed with college admissions, but I would like to set myself up for success. That's the reason I started this thread.</p>

14

<p>Well, that's fine. Of course 9th-12th grade is important. I have fun all the time and I certainly haven't set myself up for failure. The contrary, in fact. This hasn't been offset in the least bit by the fact that I drink or party on a weekend every few months. I'm just saying that there is no reason for you to concentrate solely on academics and setting yourself up for the future. Because you seem extremely mature for your age, this will come automatically. It's just important to enjoy high school as well.</p>

15

<p>^ I agree with veryscary. You need to relax. Based on this, you seem way too intense.</p>

16

<p>mj93 -- spending some time planning is fine, obsessing over it or not being flexible with your plan is not good (and I don't see you having this problem). You are right, some people just enjoy planning.</p>

<p>self-studying AP Psych should be fine -- and if you get distracted by school and activities, no problem. My son had plans to self-study APs when he was your age and it never happened -- but the activities that did take up his time will be far more impressive to an admissions committee. He was able to be flexible and it has worked out very well for him.</p>

<p>I would recommend two things -- </p>

<p>that you plan on spending 9th grade exploring your options, seeing what is available to you, what you like and what you are interested in spending your time on in high school. 9th grade is the ideal time to join tons of clubs and see what sparks your interest -- it isn't the time to focus on one or two things. You may find new passions and interests.</p>

<p>second -- think outside the box. Just because your school doesn't offer a certain club or activity doesn't necessarily mean you can't start it -- or join that club or activity elsewhere. Colleges are looking for students with initiative. There are many opportunities in the community, not just your school, and you need to see what is out there.</p>

17

<p>alright, so here's what i'm adding in thanks to hsmomstef:</p>

<ul>
<li>start some sort of writing club, though probably not in 9th grade, since it'll be a new school and i won't know many people initially</li>
<li>dont self-study anything i'm not interested in</li>
<li>Join newspaper</li>
<li>Join Jewish youth group</li>
<li>find a language camp to attend -- i think i know of one</li>
<li>also, i had another idea: i'll be able to tutor 5th graders in spanish at my old elementary school..yeah, that should work out</li>
</ul>

<p>one more question:
is it possible to start Model UN at your school? if so, how does it work? would it be like starting a "franchise" of National Model UN or does the program vary from school to school?</p>

18

<p>I didn't read this whole thread, but I agree with people who say that you might be overthinking high school. Try to relax and enjoy yourself.</p>

19

<p>You're doing fine. Consider running for officer slots in your clubs but don't expect to win. Just work hard at whatever you are given and people will notice. </p>

<p>There will be a lot of opportunities waiting in the future that you have never noticed. Keep a sharp eye out for anything that might interest you. Just don't screw your GPA with too many advanced courses and you'll be fine.</p>

20

<p>a) Your EC's seem a bit boring and typical. You are a freshman and have the chance to make them original. Go for it! What do you enjoy to do? What makes you truly happy?</p>

<p>b) Don't miss out on some awesome years. I wish you luck!</p>