I’m a high school junior and realize that I have no shot at getting into a good school. I have one extracurricular, no sports, no programs, and no talents. I was always scared to go out of my comfort zone and never tried any new activities, and now I hate myself for it. I just decided to get serious this year, but I’m afraid that I started too late. Besides my GPA, nothing about my resume is looking good. Is there anyone who has been through a similar situation and knows any resume boosters I can start working on? Any advice would be appreciated.
I don’t know your gpa etc but this is unlikely to be true. Many schools don’t care about extras.
Be the best, most comfortable you. Do things you enjoy. And end the self loathing.
Starting today - be a great you.
And you’ll be fine.
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Please start looking at what you have instead of what you dont have. There is a college for everyone out there. There are also tons of jobs that either don’t require college at all, or perhaps a two year program at a community college. There are lots of trades that welcome folks with good training.
You will discover what you want to do in your future in time.
In the meantime, continue to do well in your classes. and enjoy that extracurricular activity.
This is not a race…it’s a journey…and you will get there.
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You still have plenty of time to figure this all out.
First, there are thousands of good colleges. So broaden your horizon beyond the typical top 20 to top 50.
Can you share your GPA and home state? Any test scores yet?
Do you have a job? What did you do this past summer? Those count as things to add to your application.
What major are you interested in? Focus on exploring ECs that are not the typical ones at high school. Sometimes there are better opportunities with no worries about peers or school drama by volunteering at a museum, senior center, national/state park, etc…find something that brings you joy! Then you will have something to great to write about - how you overcame what was holding you back and helped with…
You have got this! This year is your year!
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This really helps, thank you!
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I appreciate your reply! ! I’ll definitely look into those other opportunities.
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Thank you for your reply! I’m from California and I don’t have a job or any test scores yet, but I have a 4.0 GPA unw. I’ve always enjoyed learning, just never had the initiative to take that passion anywhere. I may want to go into Education as a major, but right now I’m not completely sure. Thanks again for the advice!
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It is great that you are exploring your interests and education is one of them. We need more educators and there are lots of pathways that will help with financial aid to keep costs down.
Here is a helpful page from the California Dept of Ed:
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@Gumbymom can you tell this student what he or she needs to be accepted to CA public universities? A 4.0 unweighted GPA is great. I am quite sure there is a CA public college where you can pursue your studies.
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Tons of colleges that will take you.
You just need a clear budget of what is affordable for your family.
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GPA is very important when applying to universities.
There are hundreds of very good colleges and universities in the US. Perhaps the top ranked 10 or 20 get so many applications from students with essentially perfect grades that they need to use other factors to figure out which tiny percentage of applicants they accept. With essentially no ECs at all you can still go to any one of a very long list of very good schools. Having straight A’s throughout high school makes the point rather emphatically that you will, upon graduation, be ready to attend a very good college or university and do well.
One daughter had almost no ECs at all until her senior year of high school. She was still 5 for 5 in university admissions, with merit aid from most of them. Strong grades helped her also. She did very well in university and is now employed doing biotech research.
Be yourself. Treat people fairly. Keep ahead in your class work. Participate in the extracurricular activity or activities that you want to participate in. There will be many, many very good universities where you can be accepted and do well.
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Relax – your GPA will qualify you for many colleges. In addition, as a junior you still have time to get involved in ECs. Find one or two things you are genuinely interested in doing. Keep in mind that ECs do not have to be at your school - they can take place in your community, at your place of worship, taking a part time job etc.
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U of Arizona, as an example, will give you $32k off. So you have a test score, preference for school size, location ?
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There will be tons of colleges that will want you with your great GPA.
Please do not stress about getting into a “good” college. The most important thing is what you already have: the ability to do quality work at school. You can go to a really good college and do all kinds of interesting things. Or, you can just go to college, live your life as you want, and see where your path takes you.
As a California student, you already have good choices. Apply to your favorite UCs and CSUs. Try McGill, which doesn’t really do holistic admissions.
Anything you’ve done, such as babysitting, caring for a family member, or helping a neighbor counts as an EC. If you feel you have room in your schedule, pick up a part time job. Earn some cash, get valuable experience, and meet people. It’s also a good thing to add to your activities if you’re really worried.
You can have a great college experience and it doesn’t have to be at Harvard. Apply to a reasonable list of schools, not just top 20 or 50. Take advantage of the new tool on Niche, which gives you a decision without an application. There are some good colleges using this tool. You have to Google niche Direct Admissions.
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A good school for you is a place where you can learn and grow safely and effectively. It has nothing to do with ranking or brand name.
Everyone grows at own pace. Not having everything planned out at the beginning or junior year is very common. Many college juniors are still changing majors and it’s not too late for them. Give yourself time to continue exploring, with a goal far beyond college. If you enjoy learning, you’re already on the right track.
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So I echo everything that has been said. Colleges want all sorts of people and not all have done a lot of activities. Doing 1/2 things for more then a year is great.
But… In college getting out of your comfort zone and becoming active can lead to internships /jobs. I would practice that this year and whatever that means to you. Small steps lead to big gains.
Good luck.
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As a California HS student, you are most likely following the UC/CSU a-g course requirements through your HS curriculum. The a-g courses are core courses that are required to apply to the Cal States and UC’s. Here is a list and comparison of the UC and CSU a-g courses required to be completed by end of Senior to make you eligible to apply. Also note that the Cal states and UC’s are test blind, so SAT/ACT scores will be not considered for admission or scholarships, only for course placement or fulfilling a-g course requirements such as the ELWR Entry level writing requirment.
You need to complete 11 of the 15 minimum requirements prior to applying next Oct 1- Nov 30th. You will list your Senior courses in progress also on the application.
You can look up your HS courses, how they are categorized and which courses are designated as “Honors” for the extra honors point bump in the UC and CSU GPA calculation. At the end of Junior year, you can calculate your UC GPA’s and your CSU Capped weighted GPA. If you have not taken any college courses such as Dual enrollment, then your UC Capped weighted GPA = CSU Capped weighted GPA.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
As a California HS student and resident, you have many wonderful schools from which to choose. If you are thinking Education, possibly Teaching then majority of the the UC’s and the Cal states would be of interest. For example, San Diego State started as a Teaching college and has a respected program if you are into Rankings (#49 overall and #6 in California).
The advantage for the Cal states are multiple:
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Local applicants within the defined admission area get priority for admission which could make a good Safety school.
https://www.calstate.edu/apply/freshman/documents/csulocaladmission-serviceareas.pdf -
Attending a local CSU can be cost effective so budget is something you want to bring up with your parents and run some Net Price Calculators on several schools.
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CSU’s admit based on GPA, HS course rigor, local applicant, first generation etc… so mainly on the stats. With the exception of a 1 or 2 campuses, EC’s are not considered and if they are, you only indicate hours involved and if you held a leadership role or if it is a job was it major related. No essays, no LOR’s.
For the UC’s, they will review your application using 13 areas of criteria. Personal insight essays and EC’s help differentiate the many qualified 4.0+ students applying. EC activities section goes into more detail so the CSU’s might be a better option.
At this point consider the recommendations listed by the posters and make sure you are on track to complete the a-g courses for CSU/UC eligibility.
If you want to consider some CA private schools, then look at Loyola Marymount, University of the Pacific, Azusa Pacific, Whittier College, University of San Francisco, Chapman University, University of San Diego (not UCSD).
There is also community college transfer to a UC/CSU which is a well proven path due to the articulation agreements available.
Good luck and if you have any more questions, do not hesitate to post or even PM your questions.
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California public schools, test blind, have to rely upon gpa, and yours is stellar. Just do some ECs this yr, esp tutoring if u wanna go into teaching, and youll be fine.
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Go see the Barbie movie. And try not to cry when Ken realizes- “I am Kenough” (i.e., I am Ken, and I am enough).
You are enough. Your trick is to find a college which is going to love you- right now, just as you are- and where you can become the best version of your 22 year old self you can be. And then go out and do what you are meant to/what you want to do.
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Take a look at the CSUs - many would LOVE you. They are test blind so your score won’t matter, and many CSUs focus far less on ECs than the UCs tend to do. They are almost all GPA and course-driven - and there are some really excellent CSU campuses.
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