I have been kind of stuck lately as my dreams and goals in regards to college admissions have been slowing seeming less and less realistic.
Ever since I was little I have wanted to attend a top university, like Harvard and Notre Dame. My family has recently become homeless at the start of my freshman year and my grades have fallen a ton (3.1 gpa) and I am now entering my junior year. I am working as hard as I can, but due to house jumping and a lot of uncertainty right now I have no clue whats going to happen. Nothing really unique about me, no legacy, real hooks, I have not been able to afford any of the cool summer programs I’ve been accepted to; from Interlochen to Harvard business academy. I will work my hardest junior year and see what I can do, but do you think my dreams are at all possible?
Thanks so much and please do not be afraid to be honest!
Sorry for your struggles. Keep doing your best! Nobody can predict admission to those hyper-competitive colleges but when the time comes I suggest you:
Be careful about apply to schools that will be affordable – run the net price calculator to see if there will be sufficient aid
Cast a wide net and apply to reach, match, and safety schools based on your academic stats that you would be happy to attend.
Speak to your guidance counselor and ask him/her to include the personal information you have shared as part of your recommendation so college admission officers are aware of your family struggles.
Keep in mind that there are a ton of amazing colleges and universities out there where you can have a great 4 years and get where you want to go in life – expand your horizons.
Hello OP, so sorry to hear about the difficult times for you and your family.
Are you able to stay at the same high school? You mentioned you are going into your junior year. It is your most important year, as you probably already know. Have you talked to your guidance counselor? Some districts offer special programs for homeless kids and you might get some extra support.
You sound like a very motivated student! Remember that there are many paths to success. Very few of them (numerically speaking, that is) feature Harvard and Notre Dame. Of course they are fantastic schools. But there are many many schools and many ways to build toward your future.
I encourage you to keep coming back to this website to get advice. Sending best wishes to you and your family…
Yes I will be able to stay at my current school. I attend a day-boarding college preparatory school in New England. As much as I would love to become a boarder, it firstly raises tuition cost and I am already on nearly full aid and my mom does not want me to leave her and I don’t either due to her depression. Thanks for the advice! Do you think colleges I mentioned will understand or is it not even worth considering?
Harvard has an acceptance rate of about 5% and ND has an acceptance rate of about 18% so those schools are longshots pretty much everyone, and certainly they are for you. Since you are in a prep school you should talk to your HS guidance counselor and work on coming up with a comprehensive list together.
The people I see most hurt in the college process are ones who pin their hopes and dreams on one or two super reach schools and then it doesn’t work out. Sure, it is fine to throw in a couple of reach applications but PLEASE expand your horizons and recognize that you can achieve success and happiness at any number of fantastic schools.
I am sorry to hear of your struggles. Have you had conversations with your family about college? It’s nice to have dreams, but I think you need to put those dreams away and find schools you have a realistic chance of getting into. You have a compelling story, and you should sit down with your high school counselor and discuss it. The counselor should probably mention it in the letter of rec because your grades were affected significantly by losing your home. However, your circumstances are not going to overcome your GPA. I do not see any chance for you at the schools you mentioned. I am sorry, but I think it’s best to be honest.
If your family is homeless, I think you must prioritize how you are going to pay for college. If you can do very well junior year and get high test scores, you might have a shot at getting merit aid somewhere. It’s time for a frank talk with your family about how college is going to be paid for. Is there any money? How much per year? You realize that even if private colleges provide financial aid, your family might still have to pay tens of thousands of dollars every year. You yourself will only be allowed to take a smal federal loan of $5000 a year or so.
Go to the library and look through the college guide books. Look at colleges you have never heard of, not the ones you have. Look for colleges with acceptance rates that are maybe around 40% and higher. Find colleges that are of interest and start comparing your stats to those of the middle fifty percent of accepted students. How do you compare? You go to a private school, so I think the counselors should be giving you really good advice about where you have a decent chance of getting in. When you have some schools of interest, run the net price calculators provided on the college’s website. This will help you figure out how much money your family can expect to pay.
You should strongly consider your public universities. Come up with a list of roughly 2 safeties (your stats are above the 75th percentile and the acceptance rate is over 50%), 4-6 matches (your stats are well above the 50th percentile, ideally closer to the 75th) and a couple of reaches. If you don’t do so well on your tests, there are lots of test optional schools too.
I know this is not what you hoped to hear, but I think it’s best to give yourself time to digest your disappointment. Spend the summer getting excited about options you ahvent even though of yet. Apply to Harvard and ND if you really want to, but have zero expectations. If you are considering ED, save your ED card for schools you have a real chance of getting into. ED only works if you already have the grades and test scores. Good luck.
Every little kid has dreams of being and astronaut, a major league ball player, or going to a college like Harvard. And for 99% of the people, they don’t come true for all kinds of reasons. Sorry for the honesty, but your gpa makes those schools basically impossible. They will not understand because there are kids that go through crazy hardships their entire life that still excel in everything somehow - those are the ones that go to the top schools. But there are a lot of great schools. Your dreams should be more realistic at your age and focused on what is attainable. So find other schools that are. Shift your dreams that’s all. You can still be anything you want to be. You are at a great school now so take advantage of the opportunities in front of you and don’t let them slip away. Work with your GC on a realistic list, not just a “Mercedes” wish list.
@runjunkiejak
Since you got a full scholarship at a New England prep school, it means you’re very strong academically. What’s your sat score?
Your GPA will also be 'read’in that context (prep school = harder than normal curriculum and stronger than typical student body + homelessness = near impossibility of doing homework, great instability, food precarity).
Talk to your guidance counselor and college counselor. Do they know you’re homeless? That you stay with your mom to help her with her depression?
Look into Questbridge. Start working on that application now, as it’s due in early September. If you have essays written already, several adults on this site can help you edit them to your satisfaction.
To all posters : this kid is gifted and homeless. His/her best chance of attending college is a 100%need+ college, or a stats-based full ride +. When you can’t afford shelter, you can’t afford what most people take for granted, let alone college. Even community college is unaffordable. So, this student going to college pretty much requires him/her to aim high. However full rides depend on test scores whereas 100% need colleges take context into account. This student probably has a better shot at a full ride at Vassar or Colby than at UMass Amherst because private universities will factor in his/her context.
There’s basically no safety when you’re homeless. If we know op’s score we can look for automatic full ride for stats but that’s it. ‘generous merit aid’, ‘full tuition’, ‘commutable school’ … won’t work here.
If you’re able to score well on the SAT/ACT and write essays that explain the special circumstances that impacted your grades, I agree with @MYOS1634 . Unless your circumstances change, you will need to focus on schools that have generous financial aid budgets. In addition to the ivies, many private schools offer full, need based aid. However, your Junior year grades will be very important in getting admitted to those schools.
Despite your home and family situation, you need to work out a way to bring your grades up. Perhaps you can stay later at school so that you can take advantage of the library and study environment. Perhaps you can use free online resources this summer (such as EdX) to prepare for next year’s classes. In addition, KhanAcademy offers free SAT prep as well as free classes in a number of high school subjects.
You’ve got a tough road ahead but, if you’re willing to work diligently, you can do this! Good luck!
You should be eligible for SAT and ACT fee waivers, your guidance counselor can arrange those for you. Make sure that GC knows your situation, too. S/he can be both a resource and an advocate for you and when the time comes, best positioned to let colleges know your situation and place your grades and scores into context.
Some schools, like Amherst College and Vassar College, have a mission that specifically targets low income students. So when the time comes look at them closely.
Questbridge is a great idea and they also have a prep scholar program that would pay for you to attend a summer program next year, if accepted. https://www.questbridge.org/
For those who are telling this student he or she has no chance at top schools, be aware that grades at prep schools are not the same as at typical public schools so would probably not be considered in the same light at top colleges, as long as the reason for the drop was clearly explained. For the OP, some summer programs offer full scholarships. I think Yale has one. Best of luck to you; I’m sorry you are going through difficult times, but I believe you will find a way to get to a good college and will thrive there! I agree with previous suggestions about Questbridge and a very candid discussion with your college counselor.