<p>Hi everybody - I'm currently a junior in high school, but I've witnessed my three older siblings go through the college application process, and I want to start thinking about where I might want to apply sooner rather than later. I'm interested mainly in international relations and foreign languages (particularly French, but I'm really interested in learning Arabic). I know that I'm not going to be able to get into any top schools; the second semester of my sophomore year, I was sick and in and out of the hospital, which caused me to take a major hit in my grades, and I ended up getting a C in Algebra Honors, and a mixture of As and Bs everywhere else. Other than that semester, I've had mostly As in AP and Honors courses. I haven't taken the SAT or ACT yet, but my score on the PSAT when I took it as a sophomore was 207.</p>
<p>I'm really just looking for a place to start. I'm kind of overwhelmed by the whole college process, and I've spent the majority of high school absolutely miserable, so I just want to make sure that I have a better experience when I go to college.</p>
<p>To clarify, my GPA is at about a 3.67 unweighted right now, which isn’t exactly stellar. Weighted, it’s more like a 3.8, which isn’t that much better! haha. I’m really not interested in shooting for top top schools like the Ivies or anything like that. I will be applying to all of the UC campuses (except for Riverside, Merced, and Irvine) because I live in California. I’m also possibly interested in looking at some Canadian and/or English schools.</p>
<p>Hey, you sound like me. I was planning on majoring in Political Science for awhile, but have now decided International Relations/Studies would actually interest me more, and I also hope to minor in a foreign language (have been studying spanish since 8th grade, but Arabic also interests me) and maybe even double minor in religous studies.</p>
<p>Anyway a bit more info is needed to help you out.
Do you want something smaller or larger?
How far are you willing to go from California?
What type of political/social climate are you looking for? Liberal or conservative? Frats or no frats? “Laid-back” or “Work-hard, play-hard.” (These classifications can be a little subjective).
Any type of an SAT score projection?</p>
<p>I’m very open as far as smaller/larger. I think that I would prefer something on the smaller side of medium, but I’d be willing to deal with a bigger school if it had other things that I wanted.
I actually want to get pretty much as far from California as I can go. I’m applying to the UCs because I know that it’s the smart thing to do, and because it would be the least expensive for my family.
I’d prefer a relatively liberal environment, but I could deal with something conservative - my hometown is extremely conservative, so I’ve gotten used to dealing with it. I’d like to avoid any “party schools”, because I’m kind of shy and I’m not sure that I would survive so well there.
As for SAT, I’ve been preparing a lot for that and the PSAT (my mother is hoping that I will get national merit), and I think I should be able to get at least a 2150 or above. I’m a fairly strong test taker, it’s mostly just a matter of me brushing up on my math skills. (Algebra was death for me.)</p>
<p>Re: Johns Hopkins, George Washington, Georgetown, Middlebury, Claremont McKenna, American U, Columbia, Princeton…</p>
<p>I’m almost 100% positive I won’t get into the majority of those colleges, unfortunately. My GPA isn’t nearly good enough, and my test scores probably won’t be either. I guess I’m looking for smaller second or third-tier schools, I guess. I don’t think I could get into Princeton even on a fluke, haha. Thank you, though!</p>
<p>You can find French everywhere, so one way to narrow down the range of possibilities is to find schools that also offer Arabic and International Relations (or, Near East/Middle East Studies). Here are my suggestions: Oklahoma, Indiana, Ohio State, and Utah. If you are truly interested in Arabic and willing to work hard, the Language Flagship programs might be worth looking at—they’re federally-fund and you can advance to a superior level of competency. Oklahoma, for example, has a Language Flagship program in Arabic, a School of International & Areas Studies, extensive study abroad programs, etc. It’s not any more of a “party” school than many other schools. It has a good sense of community and seems much smaller than it’s size would indicate. If you do qualify for National Merit Scholar, OU will give you a full-ride scholarship.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should discount yourself because of the one C, especially when it’s due to a serious illness! You should clearly state that on the application and have your guidance counselor address it as well. Many of the schools do not go just by a strict GPA, but they look at what went into that GPA, class rigor, school profile and grade patterns.</p>
<p>1) Top-25 school admits all didn’t make straight As, or As and Bs. A single C won’t kill your chances.</p>
<p>2) 3.67 is an A- average as far as I’m aware. That’s hardly a bad GPA score. In addition, you’re most likely going to have an upward trend in GPA, anyway, which will look strong.</p>
<p>3) You will have an opportunity to explain that you had a serious illness when you apply.</p>
<p>4) If you’re confident that you will score 2150+, you certainly should be looking at top-20 schools.</p>
<p>5) LOOK AT GEORGETOWN! They have a separate undergraduate school for international relations majors (all of whom must graduate proficient in a foreign language), and they also have a subset of their College of Liberal Arts devoted to foreign language majors.</p>
<p>I don’t know where you got the idea that you’re doomed; I think that you have a great chance at some great colleges.</p>
<p>If I seem overwhelmingly negative, I’m sorry. I’m really not feeling very confident about school anymore, that’s all. Last school year was really discouraging overall, and my parents haven’t been particularly helpful, especially my mother. I’m just going to try to make this year as best as I can and make sure that I’m ready when college application time comes around. Thank you for your help.</p>
<p>Here’s a different idea. If you would like to learn Arabic and be in demand by a university, why not spend time abroad in an immersion environment before you go to college. The U. S. State department is offering full scholarships for students who want to learn Arabic and other “strategic” languages important to U. S. security. Go to [NSLI</a> for Youth](<a href=“http://www.nsliforyouth.org/nslicms-0.2/]NSLI”>http://www.nsliforyouth.org/nslicms-0.2/) to learn more. My daughter is currently a Rotary Youth Exchange student in S. America but she’d love to go abroad with this program, too.</p>