<p>Hello,
I'm becoming a senior this upcoming year and it just hit me that I really need to start thinking about college and my future. I haven't really done anything to make colleges want me but I was just wondering if my current status will get me into any college (UCLA, CSUN for example).</p>
<p>For my grades, I mostly have A's except I got B's in Chemisty, Geometry, Algebra II, AP Bio, and AP US History (I brought all of them to an A except Chemistry). I also got a C for AP Chemistry. Last time I checked my GPA was 3.866 but that was before they submitted my junior year grades (which were all A's but idk how it might affect it). </p>
<p>I haven't taken the SAT, the subject tests, or the SAT. I have not been part of any sports or athletic clubs.</p>
<p>Community Service hours wasn't required for my school. I volunteered at a library for a whole day and CICLAVIA for about 3-4 hrs. I'm vice president (or at least going to be) of a club during senior year. I plan to volunteer at an Animal Shelter this summer (but unfortunately starts around beginning of August) because its the one of the volunteering opportunities that I thought would be fun.</p>
<p>That's all I got. I feel so tiny compared to other students with such long lists of acconplishments and outstanding academic achievements. Anyway, commence the judging! xD</p>
<p>It is very hard to say without standardized test scores. You need to get right on that, schedule yourself for the SAT or ACT as soon as possible in the fall (can’t take them in the summer, they are not offered). Study before you take it, as you may only get one shot before applications are due. Don’t worry about subject tests until you have the initial test under your belt. Only the very top colleges care about subject tests, and if you don’t have a SAT score yet you have no idea if you even need subject tests. Plus, the subject tests are the same day as the regular SAT, so you can’t take them that day anyway (you MUST get a SAT or ACT score done).</p>
<p>Are you in California? What do you want to major in? What can you afford?</p>
<p>I am not from California, but I know there is a process to calculate your GPA for the California public university system admission process (someone from California can tell you how, I am sure). That number tells a lot about your admissions chances at the various schools, I think.</p>
<p>@cloudei For someone who hasn’t “done anything to make colleges want you,” you’ve done pretty well, GPA-wise. The SAt is very important, and you should aim for at least a 1850 (at the very least). I would suggest involving yourself in more community service, particularly something you have a strong emotional connection with, making it good for both your application and essays. Other than that, you seem to be in a very good place, especially for someone whose first priority was not college. Nice work!</p>
<p>@intparent Yes I plan to take the SAT during September (my only chance) and I hope I get a great score to make up for any areas that I do bad in . And by standarized test do you mean AP Scores as well? I can state those right now:</p>
<p>AP Chem - 1
AP Euro - 5
AP Bio - 3
AP English Languange and Composition - 3
AP US History - 4
AP Studio Art 2-D Design - 4</p>
<p>I’m somewhat undecided but I’m thinking about History, Psychology, or something Government-related (like politics, if that’s a major?).</p>
<p>@wannabeivy3 Thanks for the advice! I’ll try to do as much volunteering at my animal shelter as possible during this senior year. If I could have done it earlier I would but they have a 16 years old requirement. I love animals and this is probably the only volunteering I’m looking forward to. </p>
<p>Your AP scores won’t affect admission, you don’t have to send them until after you are admitted, and even then only if they will get you credit at your college. You will definitely get into a college, your GPA is very strong. Is the 3.866 weighted or unweighted? I like your enthusiasm for the SAT, but I’m pretty sure the first one is offered in October :P. You may also want to take the next available ACT to increase your odds of getting a strong score somewhere. Intparent is right, it is pretty important that you do well the first time around, although I know a family friend who took his SAT in January(!) of his senior year and it all worked out for him (I don’t suggest that though). </p>
<p>The major you’re probably looking for that is government-related is probably either Political Science (Poli Sci) or International relations (IR) maybe?</p>
<p>Financial aid is one thing you haven’t mentioned. Do you know how much your parents make, and how much they will be able to contribute to college?</p>
<p>@butterfreesnd I really didn’t think my GPA was good since everyone’s getting 4.0’s left and right and I had to meet up to that standard but thanks! I don’t know if my GPA is weighted or unweighted since I just asked for one from my counselor for Questbridge. </p>
<p>Oh I always get confused between the actual test month and the month I need to apply. xD I want to take the ACT but since they don’t give the ACT at my school, I can’t take it (I have transportation issues and most of the schools are too far for me but that’s just a lame excuse).</p>
<p>Yeah Political Science, History, and Psychology are areas I’m interested in. I don’t know about Psychology since I heard there’s some science involved and as you can see from my AP scores I’m terrible at that subject. </p>
<p>I’m not really concerned about financial aid and I know I should be since my parents don’t make a lot of money (less than $30,000 I think). But most of my teachers suggested not to worry about that until I actually get accepted into a college. </p>
<p>You need to take your SAT/ACT this Fall to really determine if you have a chance at UCLA or any other UC’s. For CSUN, based on your GPA, you should have no problem with getting an acceptance.</p>
<p>You SHOULD BE CONCERNED about financial aid, since the UC’s and CSU’s do not guarantee to meet need. You and your parents will need to file the FASFA and possibly the CSS profile to be eligible for financial aid. FASFA application is available in January. You cannot wait until acceptances start rolling in during the months of February-March 2015 regarding financial aid.</p>
<p>This summer you should study for the SAT, work on your UC essays and do more research about possible colleges you would be interested in applying this Fall. Check the NPC Net price calculator each school of interest to see if it is affordable and calculate your EFC (estimated family contribution) to see if there will be a gap in which you are required to pay some amount towards your education.<br>
See link for EFC calculation: <a href=“Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Calculator - Finaid”>Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid;
<p>@Gumbymom I calculated my weighted GPA using the website you mentioned but I’m lost on what number to put for Honors section. I put 2 for 10th grade and for 11th grade I took 4 AP’s and 2 Honors classes so does that mean I put a total number of 8 or just 4?</p>
<p>Oh lord SAT is the one that determines whether or not I have a chance at UCs… I’m thinking it shouldn’t be so hard since people said it’s just applying concepts I learned to real life problems but nevertheless I’m going to start studying starting next week all the way to October. </p>
<p>I am concerned about financial aid but I’m not fretting over something that hasn’t really become of a problem for me yet but I will be prepared if it comes. I will surely be signing up for FAFSA in January. I’m not sure about CSS since I heard you have to pay for it but if it’s really necessary then I’ll sign up as well. Thanks!</p>
<p>You can only input a Maximum of 8 Honors points in the calculator (8 Semesters of AP or qualified Honors classes or 4 year long classes) for Soph and Junior Year. Since you took 4 AP classes Junior year, just put in the 8 points.</p>
<p>SAT or ACT will qualify you for both UC’s, CSU’s and privates. IF you take the ACT, make sure you take it with the writing section to be eligible for the UC’s. If financially possible, I would try the ACT in September also. Some students do better on one versus the other, since you are running out of time before applications are due. If you are good at science, the ACT has a science section (mainly reading and interpreting graphs) which is different than the SAT.</p>
<p>The CSS profile is used by many private schools, so if you have no plans to apply to privates, you would not need to fill this application out.<br>
If you have any more questions, you can always PM me. I have gone through the college admissions cycle twice in the last 2 years with my sons (UC/CSU and Privates). </p>
<p>You need to worry about this now. There is no point in applying to colleges you can’t afford. This is not good advice from your teachers. Every college has a net price calculator available on their financial aid website. You should work with your parents to run it and see what you would be expected to pay at each college you are interested in. You will also need to look at the website to see what forms they require for financial aid (you will know then if you need the CSS Profile, for example).</p>
<p>@Gumbymom Ok thanks! I calculated it and my GPA ended up being 4.04. :D</p>
<p>I’ll try to take the ACT if my SAT scores end up being terrible or not what I wanted. But I’m not good at science so I’ll most likely aim for SAT. </p>
<p>Oh I plan to apply for some private schools since I heard they gave more financial aid than public schools. So I guess I will have to apply for it. I hope it’s not too expensive.
Thanks for the help! I’ll ask if I have any questions!</p>
<p>@intparent Alright I’m going to prioritize it and starting searching up financial aid from grants and scholarships. But first I have to find colleges to apply to since I only have two at this point (UCLA and CSUN). </p>
<p>UCs and CSUs use only FAFSA information, not CSS Profile. But many private schools use CSS Profile.</p>
<p>Use the net price calculators to get financial aid estimates. For California residents, UC financial aid will typically result in a net price of FAFSA_EFC + ESC, where ESC is an $8,500 to $10,000 student contribution (direct loan and work(-study) earnings). CSU net price is often cheaper than UC if you commute from your parents’ house, but more expensive if you live at the school. For non-residents, the UC net price increases by $23,000 (the non-resident additional tuition); the CSU net price is out-of-state list price minus any Pell grant if eligible.</p>
<p>That is not what I said. By far the most grant money (which seems like what you are most likely to receive given your financial situation) is going to come from the colleges themselves. I didn’t say search for scholarships, I said run the net price calculator at any college you are interest in as one of the first steps. It is highly unlikely you will be able to pay for college with outside scholarships. The big ones are very competitive, and most others are small and for only one year. But one of your first steps as soon as you think a college looks interesting to you would be to run that calculator to see what your likely cost of attendance would be. Do not waste time on colleges where the cost of attendance is beyond what you can afford.</p>