<p>I am a senior in high school right now in the nations capitol (DC), and i find it messed up that colleges continually discredit the fact that a student is 1st generation college student or poor. No offense to anyone at CC, but nearly everyone applying to the top tier schools on this site are LEGACIES or in beneficial situations (private schools). I am black, pretty poor (60,000 btwn 2parents 3kids and 1 grandparent), parents-no college. I have tried to get info on colleges but unfortunately, I didnt understand the ramifications of my high school years until now. I want to get into the best schools but my high school is very mediocre, and there just isnt motivation for success. It seems as though what is superfluous in affluent circles is extremely lacking in the my community. FOR CHRIST SAKE I AM ABOUT TO BE THE 3RD PERSON IN MY FAMILY TO GRADUATE, AND 1ST TO THINK ABOUT COLLEGE. I had a few experiences in my junior year that changed me and made me do well. But sincerely, what ivy league or top school is gonna accept a kid from BALTIMORE CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE!!! I dont have enough money to get out and sadly the fact that colleges are looking at me in almost the same light as a student whose mother went to Stanford, and Dad to Yale,who had the opportunity to go to schools that honed their skills while mine stayed rough is apalling. I am mad, sad, and thoroughly scared that I may become part of a system that is cliched "THE RICH GET RICHER AND THE POOR GET POORER" The most depressing part of the situation is that I can succeed (1350 math/verbal w/ no help and only one try). Does anyone understand my pain or at the least agree?</p>
<p>What colleges did you apply to?</p>
<p>Being a URM (under represented minority) with a 1350/1600 would be very attractive to colleges.</p>
<p>yeah obviously it is tough, but its actually easier to get into top universities in some ways. for starters, an african american w/1400 sat, decent gpa can from poor neighborhood has hugely high chance of getting admitted to harvard. also, have u tried filling out the fafsa or css profile, which would give you tons of aid? colleges tend to look more at your potential rather than what you have. for instance, i know this kid who had perfect sats, legacy, 4.0, volunteered, worked, perfect kid but DID NOT get into duke. sometimes life is funny.</p>
<p>If by any chance you've been getting all of your college knowledge from College Confidential, you are getting a very skewed view of how the world works.</p>
<p>Most people who go to college don't go to Ivies or similar college. Still, most college graduates live comfortable lives. In addition, many people who go to very mediocre colleges -- colleges so easy to get into that they aren't even ranked by places like US News -- end up in jobs in which they make lots of money (not that money is the measure of a good life, but since it seems to be something that you're understandably concerned about, I thought I'd mention that fact).</p>
<p>Meanwhile, it would be to your advantage to take the chip off your shoulder. Your board scores are certainly high enough to get into may good colleges, including some that would give you excellent aid.</p>
<p>If you did not have the knowledge earlier this year to apply to any place but Baltimore City Community College, then take next year off and work a job or do something like Americorps (which will give you excellent community service experience, a stipend plus about $4,500 that you can use for college. You have far more choices than you are aware of.</p>
<p>One last thing: Whatever you decide to do, it will be important to take your fate into your own hands. Whining about others good luck won't help you get ahead. </p>
<p>Since you managed to get a 1350 from what you describe as a "mediocre" school, you must be very smart, which would be a big advantage if you use that intelligence to figure out your best options, of which there are many good ones.</p>
<p>I have sympathy for people in your situation, because i am in that same boat (siblings don't count). However, based on previous experience with what we call "trolls" on these boards, I will withhold my judgement and refrain from making any comments until I figure out whether or not you are one of them. I will wait and see for you to make inciteful comments, outrageous declarations, and provide us with conflicting information. </p>
<p>However, if you aren't one of these people (ie. people who hate affirmative action and pose as an outraged minority on these boards) I will gladly like to further discuss this issue.</p>
<p>I think you shouldn't stress on something you don't know for sure. How do you know Ivy league isn't going to take you? For all you know, an admission officer might look at your app, and say "hmm, this person has been though a lot, and might have a lot of potential and interesting experience to share" It's all about how you prepare your app. rather than B!TCHING, sorry i had to use that, but it seems that you are frustrated and you feel like you are in the worst possible position. You should go and focus on improving your stats and apps!!! trust me, many people are in much worst situations! work harder!!!!
and best of luck in your future endevears :D</p>
<p>I agree with venus. This is a funny time of year for this.</p>
<p>I don't think you realize how advantaged you actually are. Colleges want diversity and will see a student trying his very best to make the most out of his oportunities. They will see failure all around you...your family (this is truly impossible for me to actually say since I don't know your family, and I also would like to add that I am only saying "failure" for lack of a better word that would describe the situation--I admit that I cannot call your family a failure), your city, your school, etc, and they will see a student rising and trying his very best to go above and beyond. </p>
<p>I think you're placing way too much value on the school you want to get into rather than yourself. As a friend once told me, you're judging yourself too much on what you want, and not who you are. People get into top grad schools from horrible undergraduate schools. Some of the richest and most successful people (Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Peter Jennings) are dropouts. You can get a Harvard education at your community college or a community college education at Harvard. I agree that you're situation may sound depressing, but think about how much worse it could be.</p>
<p>I'd have to go with the troll theory, but if this is serious, Northstarmom nailed it. Every opportunity is there, but your fate is in your hands.</p>
<p>I only applied to Howard because it is close by. The reason that i am going to BCCC is because that is the only way I can go to college wothout paying money. I am not denying the fact that i can still be successful, but i think it will be exponentially harder for me. Also i am a little different from some of those other kids the colleges "like", i am not dirt poor and trust me my grades (2.3) are disqualifying regardless. My main dispute is I dont know where to go from here. And I have never heard of a kid who underachieved by miles getting into a college simply because of their situation. northstarmom, I understand what you are talking about but I know if i dont go to school next year i will never go, its one of those now or never type of things. and for now i cant get to far away because i still need to work, but i want to go to a top-tier school, maybe through transfering but still how through BCCC? I am sure my parents will sacrifice but only for an opportunity like that, what is a troll?</p>
<p>never mind, i read the rest of venus's post. Come on, i am trying to post my situation to get help on what to do, also i am pro AA but know that i feel white people in a situation like mine should get some love too. There arent too many real people i know that can tell me honestly about getting into a top school and i am trying to use this site as my way of communicating with people whove been able able to get in.</p>
<p>It is not exponentially harder for you to do so. Have you ever heard of Affirmative Action? I seriously think you would be a shoo-in for Harvard <em>dodges flames</em></p>
<p>URM, 1350, poor, together make one great hook for Harvard. And don't complain about not being able to pay for college. Harvard's HFAI will take care of you.</p>
<p>And also, most people on this site who apply are NOT from private schools and legacies. I am not a legacy or private school kid, for one, and my academics aren't too bad. Same with tons of other posters. Please don't generalize, especially if you just came here and saw 1 or 2 legacy private school kids.</p>
<p>its too late now but How would harvard know i am poor, and i dont want to have to play up the fact that i am poor, becuase there are kids i know where i used to live (in Southeast) that are truly poor and possibly smarter than me. but i have to go to Comm COllege and I want to stil go to a top school.zogoto Im not trying to say that all private school kids are legacies, but for the most part they are probably atleast 2nd generation college students</p>
<p>joe,</p>
<p>I got into several top schools, had far fewer breaks, and went to Los Angeles Pierce College. I wouldn't say that it's better known than Baltimore City College.</p>
<p>Be proud of your achievements! You're probably headed for a top university, you've got a good head on your shoulders, and you're motivated! Who cares about the rest?</p>
<p>Thats life. I live abroad and my Dad's salary is $30k a year split by 4 of us. Thats not bad for India, but i cant pay for college either...</p>
<p>Its like that. Some are lucky, some arent. And if ur smart, not going 2 an Ivy isnt the end. People goto small unknown (relatively) colleges for the same reason as u, lack of funds and still can do way better than most Ivy graduates =..</p>
<p>Look at Bill gates and Steve Jobs....</p>
<p>To be fair though, Antarius, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard.</p>
<p>I have a really great book to recommend to you, called 'A Hope in the Unseen'. you can have a look at it here on Amazon: </p>
<p>here's a description:</p>
<p>Cedric Jennings is the illegitimate son of an off-and-on drug dealer/ex-con and a hardworking, badly paid mother; it is her single-minded vision to have the boy escape the mean ghetto streets unscathed. Cedric has listened to her and is, as the book opens, an A student at a run-down, dispirited Washington, DC, high school, where he treads a thin line between being tagged a nerd and being beaten by gang leaders. Suskind, a Wall Street Journal reporter, follows the African-American youth through his last two years of high school and freshman year at Brown University. Inspirational sermons at a Pentecostal church, guidance from his mother, a love of black music and singing, and a refuge in the logic of math combine with the young man's determination and faith in the future to keep him focused on his goal of a topflight college education. Despite many low moments and setbacks, Jennings's story is one of triumph within both cultures, black and white, which together and separately put tremendous obstacles in his path out of the inner city. It is a privilege and an inspiration for readers to accompany Cedric on part of his long, difficult journey to maturity. His journey continues at this moment, since he is now a senior at Brown this fall. YAs of any background will be introduced to new worlds here.</p>
<p>
[quote]
i think it will be exponentially harder for me. Also i am a little different from some of those other kids the colleges "like", i am not dirt poor and trust me my grades (2.3) are disqualifying regardless. My main dispute is I dont know where to go from here. And I have never heard of a kid who underachieved by miles getting into a college simply because of their situation.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You have a choice:</p>
<p>You can sit back, curse the darkness, continue with your * woe is me *attitude or you can light a candle and move forward. </p>
<p>You can decide whether or not you ultimately want to be in a position where you can make choices on how to live your life of have someone make those choices for you.</p>
<p>You are not defined by your situation.</p>
<p>I was sad that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.</p>
<p>No matter what your tale of woe is, if you look hard enough you can find some one who has had it just as bad or worse. I lost both of my parents within the same year (one of 10 kids so we did not have any money), failed everything one term, got academically dismissed, reinstated turned things around, graduated from college, got into graduate programs at Cornell and NYU, completed masters at both schools and now doing a PhD program. Nothing special, I realized it was going to be an uphill battle, knew I could do the work, just put in the time and did the work. I know first hand that where you start out does not have to define how you finish. Remember the race is not given to the swift nor the battle to the strong but to the one who endures until the end.</p>
<p>OK, you got a 1350, that's nice but the reality is this, you got that 2.3 gpa by your own hand and you are going to have to deal with it. You'll probably be admitted to Howard, </p>
<p>All you can do at this point is work your but off to turn things around. If you feel that you must go to Baltimore City CC, then go. Work your butt off get excellent grades so that you could be in the best possible position to transfer for junior year. Your 1350 scores will
still hold up but if you have a 4.0 from BCCC (this way your high school record will be behind you) you will have many options for a successful transfer. I am sure even in the worse case scenario you would be able to transfer to the University of Maryland system.</p>
<p>Lightfish, you know what is interesting,I actually went to that school ( Ballou) my freshman year, and trust me between 2 of my friends getting killed and trying to fly under the radar I didnt do well (1.5) and I barely passed. We finally moved out and now I live in Northeast. Coming from a situation like that where I was surrounded by negativity. Interestingly I only vaguely heard that story from other kids. Thanks a lot for putting me on to that book.</p>