<p>I'm new on here and I just wanted to ask a few questions. I'm going to be a senior in high school this coming year, and I'm having trouble choosing a college. I go to a very small private school (there's only two other people in my graduating class), and I don't have a guiding counselor or anyone to really help me choose the college that's right for me. I'm wanting to be a surgeon, so I know that I need to go to a college with a good pre-med program and with a high acceptance rate of people getting into medical school. But other than that, I'm lost. So, I was hoping someone on here could answer a few questions. What exactly are colleges looking for, other than good grades, when they are looking for prospective students? What can I do my last year of high school to help me prepare? And, I've taken the ACT, got a 28, and I'm planning on taking it one or two more times before I graduate. Do I also need to take the SAT? If anyone can help me, I'd be grateful.</p>
<p>Wow, no guidance counselor must be pretty hard. I can't give you terrific advice, but I luckily had a good counselor and did a lot of my own research, so I can tell you what I do know.</p>
<p>Take the SAT. Some schools "prefer" the SAT, and while most will take both, you might do better on the SAT. They test different ways of thinking, in my opinion - though they're both based on critical thinking skills, certain people do considerably better on one test than the other. It is definitely worth the possible boost it could give to your application. But don't bother taking the ACT more than one more time, because by the time you take it the third time and get the scores, many colleges will have already made their admissions decisions.</p>
<p>Colleges look for good grades, time-consuming extracurriculars about which you are passionate, good test scores, and hopefully good recommendations, which I'm sure you'll get from such a small school. By your senior year, though, there's not much you can do to add to your application. Just write essays about something that really interests you - because if you're bored with your essay, the admissions committees will be, too. Get your English teacher to read your essay, and just ask what kind of impression the essay gives of you; if it really reflects your personality.</p>
<p>Research schools you might be interested in. <a href="http://www.princetonreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.princetonreview.com</a> gives a great overview of almost every 4-year university in the U.S., and if you like the basic statistics, there are links to the official website so you can learn as much as you want. PR is definitely one of the best resources I have found - especially because it's free!</p>
<p>And although you didn't ask this, I recommend applying to a wide range of colleges. I got rejected from a "safety school" and two of my "good match" schools. According to PR and other statistics, I had no reach schools because my test scores, GPA, and extracurricular activities were apparently outstanding - but the applicant pool is getting increasingly more competitive each year, so even a "safety" school might not offer admission any more. It was a big shock for me to get that rejection letter, because everyone at my school kind of had the attitude of "oh, please, you'll get in to every place you apply." I sort of let myself get caught up in that confidence and am now attending my last-choice school because I didn't apply to any other lower-ranked schools.</p>
<p>So, fall in love with schools from all over the map, of all types of selectivity. Apply to a couple Ivy Leagues just to see, because you really never know what the adcoms are looking for in that particular pool of applicants. Apply to one or two other high-end schools that you really like (assuming you have gotten mostly As at your school), such as Boston College or USC. Then find other state schools (or of that level) you are excited about. My examples were OSU and Marquette. And, if you're worried about money or you don't think the rest of your application is that strong, apply to some local universities (or the type of universities that mostly local people go to, even if they're out of state) with lower standards for acceptance.</p>
<p>You can PM me any time to ask questions. I have seen how very smart and accomplished students are disappointed in the college admissions process due to bad or no counseling, so I would be happy to pass on anything else that I have learned from going through the process.</p>
<p>USC's not high end, they're just high priced :)</p>
<p>Well, they're ranked 30 in the nation, right around University of Michigan, so they're not Ivy-League high end, but they're above most state schools, certainly.</p>
<p>yea USC is very respectable academically...and it's got a sweet fball team...best of both worlds :)</p>
<p>In particular, their medical school seems very, very underrated to me. I encourage all my friends to apply there for that reason ("arbitrage"), since it's easier to get into (less "costly") than many schools which are better ("worth more").</p>
<p>Hford: you can post over on the parents board and ask questions there. It has many very knowledgable parents who are going through the application process with their kids.</p>
<p>wow thats a small class....O_O think of all the attention lol</p>