I like that @RiceEater108 . I am going to share it with my son, a rising sophomore.
I will be doing the college thing again with my son, and I will not be taking him to see a bunch of reach schools. To any students reading this, take an honest look at your stats. If they are not at the tippy top, and even if they are, please accept that getting into those under 20% acceptance rate colleges is extremely difficult, and even more so if you aren’t in the top percentile. I am talking well above 75%, with no guarantee regardless. Be realistic. A couple of safeties, a few matches, a few reaches. Then you can rest easy and hopefully not post that you didn’t get in anywhere.
I would have paid closer attention to the in-state safety once he chose it-- not because that turned out to be his only choice, but because it moved steadily up the list as time went on. It actually ended up having more of what he wanted than some of the shiny, “name” schools which accepted him.
By the same token, I’m really glad he chose the in-state safety he did. We have multiple well-regarded schools in the state university system, and it really comes down to fit. He’s much more the personality and interest type for the school he’ll be attending than the ones two hours down the road either direction. For kids with large state uni systems (I’m lookin’ at you, California, Texas, New York and Florida)…pay close attention to which school fits, not just where your friends are choosing.
I wish I had realized how important EVERYTHING was and hadn’t procrastinated my school work (lowering my GPA) and looking for internships. I wish I had realized to broaden my horizons when it came to internships since it now I know I can’t have exactly the internship that I want.
I really wish I would’ve gotten the help I needed for Math much sooner. I have so little understanding of Geometry, Algebra 2, and Trig, it isn’t even funny. I also scored C’s in these courses, lowering my GPA considerably. GAAAH
@HappyFace2018 I didn’t think I would get in and I didn’t want to pay the $80 for a rejection letter. I could transfer, but I like UNCG. I’m very happy with my decision and I plan to stick with it. If I end up hating G, I’ll consider NC State. Ironically, I’d probably end up commuting from NC State rather than UNCG because it’s closer to home.
My freshmen year wasn’t bad 3.4-3.5. Sophomore year because I took an honors Chem class getting a C on both semesters and an advanced history/English (paideia) class brought my GPA a little lower. Although I played basketball/volleyball with 3 extracurriculars that year, do I still have a have chance to get it to a 3.5-3.6 by the end of high school or even junior year if I wear to take more AP’s I signed up for 1 honors and 3-4 AP’s? Any advice. And I’m a California resident and I would like to possibly get into any UC UCI UCSB UCD UCSD or even Cal Poly. My hopes are too high…
SAT I would have taken it more seriously and tried to get a better grade. That being said I got into my dream school so it may not have mattered in the end.
@HockeyVee Congrats on your success! In my humble opinion SAT/ACT test will become obsolete. Obviously the balance of your resume opened the door for you at your dream school. My daughter took each test several times but couldn’t hit the mark. She too was admitted to her dream school, The George Washington University. She was also admitted to GW’s University Honors Program and received a Presidential Academic Scholarship. Her resume which included the full IB (she eared the IB Diploma) and a plethora of summer/academic activities ruled the day as she applied test optional.
Move in day is today and she/we are ecstatic!
GPA, and instead of taking AP Physics this year I would’ve signed up for AP Environmental Science (I had to choose between the two due to them being in the same block). I got 3 C’s, an 81, 84, and another 81, since at my school a B was 85-92 until they changed it to the standard 100-90 = a, 90-80 = b, etc.
If I could do one thing differently, it would be my freshman year schedule. Switch from regular bio to honors, and drop the second language (Spanish) to fulfill my religion requirement so that I don’t have to do it this (senior) year.
The way I approached my first semester of dual enrollment. With marching band, college apps, and AP classes, I wish that I knew how to better manage my time.
Took SAT IIs, standardized testing, and the college application a bit more seriously and wayyy before senior year. Knew more about finding internships and research positions as well as competitions like Olympiads or ISEF/STS/Siemens so I could participate in them more.
