<ol>
<li><p>prep prep prep prep and prep some more for SAT/SATII/APs learn how to take the test not neccesarily the material</p></li>
<li><p>focus on your UN-weighted GPA EARLY in your hs career...begin to pan out what classes you are gonan take and what grades youll need to get to keep a certain GPA</p></li>
<li><p>early on find 3 or 4 teachers that you will do some major kiss a** to...in this way they will write you GREAT letters of rec...good ways to kiss a**? ask alot of questions in class, engage in class discussions, always say goodmorning/have a nice day/nice outfit/nice hair cut...buy gifts for teacher appreciation week/mother/father day/xmas and birthday if you can find out when, and go out of your way to talk to them during school teachers love this crap</p></li>
</ol>
<p>eeeeew.^^^^^</p>
<p>Ladylazarus: I think those issues should be addressed somewhere in your application. I know there are those who think depression type issues should not be brought up because schools don't want to admit kids "with problems." But I think an admissions person looking at your file is going to wonder what happened that the grades dropped and then came back up. It's a red flag and there's no way they can read your mind to explain it. I think a GC rec is the best place but if not then in an essay. I think the danger becomes not turning the essay into one of those "I overcame great obstacles" sob stories. In my daughter's interviews, when the interviewer continued to press her on why her grades dropped she decided right then and there to tell the truth. But she was very succinct: she said she had issues with self-esteem, focus and concentration but she knew these were issues to be addressed and so she did that and with the help of several sources overcame these issues and brought her grades back up. </p>
<p>Good luck to you in the admissions process.</p>
<p>LL, I agree with Fredo: let the issue come out in a GC rec. There are so many pitfalls in you trying to write about it in an essay, e.g., excessive defensiveness, that I think it's better to let somebody else carry that particular water.</p>
<p>visit the schools you "think" you want to apply to during the summer...it cut my list down from 20 to 6...big difference.</p>
<p>Thanks, fredo and TheDad. I don't want the health issues to be my defining characteristic, which it would be if it were in the essay, and I have a lot more to say than that =) I'll talk to my GC about it when the time comes.</p>
<p>early decision if your child is an excellent student but not an athelete......applying to top colleges!</p>
<p>I wouldn't have assaulted that hooker.</p>
<p>Seriously? Huh. I wouldn't have stressed out as much. Actually, I didn't stress out much anyways. The point is, worrying overly much about where one is going to wind up will only lead to more problems during a difficult time of the year. The best thing to do is to relax, be confident, and understand that the admissions process, while individually a crapshoot, generally places people where they ought to be, where they will fit in academically, intellectually, and socially.</p>
<p>LL, having read many of your posts, I don't doubt that you will have a lot to say in your essays. :P</p>
<p>If I knew then what I know now:</p>
<p>Definetely get college visits over before senior year starts, Ditto to what everone says about paying attention to merit aid offered by schools.
IMO the most important thing in merit aid is GPA and SAT scores. And if you are applying to an art school - WORK VERY HARD ON YOUR PORTFOLIO. Take advantage of National Portfolio Day - a traveling show of art schools who critique portfolios- grade 9-12 are eligible to attend and it is free</p>
<p>I have to second the rec about National Portfolio Day for art students. It was an eye opener for my daughter when she attended last year, even though her art teacher had assured her that her portfolio was great, she learned she needed to do a lot of work on it if she was going to use it for admissions purposes.</p>
<p>Don't wait until the last minute for the essays. I wrote one essay 2 hours before I had to leave for the airport for the NHS national conference. Had to do it then because I hadn't had time before and I would be getting back at midnight the day it was due into my guidance office.
Otherwise I wouldnt change anything. Had all my apps out before Christmas, applied EA/rolling wherever possible, and was accepted by all 6 of the schools I applied to. The only hitch in my application process was the teachers going into "work to rule" when I needed recs written. Trying to hunt down that teacher willing to hide the fact that he/she was writing a "forbidden" rec for me was an interesting task, but it all worked out in the end.</p>
<p>agree to visiting early-my D visited a lot of schools after she got in to save money and then didn't like them. Many that she visited before applying she crossed off her list. She could have saved a lot of time by not applying to schools which sounded good on paper.</p>
<p>ArizonaMom, I <em>so</em> agree with that. Not visiting before applying is a case of penny-wise, pound-foolish imo. Assuming that you can afford it, of course. Look at the expense of visiting as a small increment to the cost of four years of college...suddenly it looks more like cheap "insurance."</p>
<p>I haven't applied yet, but personally, visiting schools has been a real eye- opener for me, not only in terms of individual schools, but in terms of what I want out of college as well. I had my heart set on Columbia (and schools of its like such as UChicago) and thought I wanted a large, exciting, urban university. Well, upon visiting I realized how uncomfortable and "lost" I felt at that type of a school; I'm now almost entirely geared towards LAC's. Conversely, I never thought I'd even consider a women's college. After my "college tour", two of them are on my top 4 list. It really does make a difference, if you can swing it.</p>
<p>Applying to colleges should not be a lottery. Early in the process, I remember my son discussing applying to a school to see if he could get in. "Stupid," I said. "Does it have what you are looking for?" "No," he replied. That was that. Research, visit and be practical.</p>
<p>I'd know what an SAT is before the end of 9th grade...
I'd know this website before the middle of 11th grade :)</p>
<p>Hi yall!!
My name is Iana, and i have a problem...On May 27, 2005 i graduated from my high school as valedictorian. However, recently a new student from up north, enrolled in my school and had a higher GPA than i did...state law being as it is....he received the state scholarship for highest ranking student, and i did not. At the moment, i am flying around searching for scholarships and grants that i can use to pay for college. I am planning on attending Texas A&M to become a vet. Does anyone have any advice on something i can do. I have 5 older brothers, who did not attend college, and the ones that did...lasted maybe 2 semesters at a local community college, and dropped out. This pretty much puts me in a <em>first of all of us</em> category when it comes to paying for a full education. I am from a very small town, and school. My graduating class consisted of 23 seniors, if that can give you a clue as to my environment. Thank you for any and all advice you can give me. Sincerely
Iana</p>
<p>I'm in the middle of the application process right now, and I highly recommend laying out the essay topics for all of the schools you plan to apply to and seeing which essays you can alter to suit other applications. I'm applying to nine schools and writing only four essays!</p>
<p>Avalon, Are you basing your essays on last year's apps? Just curious. I think you are smart to get ahead. Wish we could motivate our S to do the same.</p>