Just moved...Do i still have Hope??

<p>hey, I m a junior, i just got my immigrant visa so i just transferred this year, cause i came in after the skool year started i have NO extracurricular clubs OR eligible awards or any other programs/experiences, all i have so far is a Redcross volunteer experience(very few hours)...im looking to do some clubs next year but apparently it d be a lil late and i m not sure how much it'll help...(im interested in pre-med)</p>

<p>This reli bothers me cause junior year's suposed to be THE MOST important year and compared to most ppl. i got NOTHING...</p>

<p>Yes, i am reli screwed ...
Is there anything i still do maybe over the summer or...anytime so that by the time i apply EC won't be nearly blank......</p>

<p>All suggestions GREATLY appreciated...</p>

<p>Are you now a green card resident?</p>

<p>If so, your best bets may be your instate schools. many of them won’t care much about ECs. many of them accept by stats.</p>

<p>Have you taken the SAT or ACT yet? Have you taken the PSAT? What were your scores?</p>

<p>What is your GPA?</p>

<p>How much can your family pay each year towards your education?</p>

<p>yes i do have greencard, I live in california and I heard that most of the decent schools within state are reli competitive toward test scores…
I came too late for the PSAT but i have taken the SAT : 2050
which is kinda horrible, im looking to take it again in oct and hopefully improve 100 or 200 points.
im taking SATII in june: Math 2 and Chem
GPA: currently 3.83 ( only starting from junior year, and because im new, i don’t have AP but im looking to take a few in senior year)</p>

<p>Sadly i am in mercy of scholarship…my parents would prolly only be able to afford about 20,000 at most…</p>

<p>Do you know any organization maybe or internship that weighs a lot on application…maybe i have give it a try?</p>

<p>I reli appreciate your help…</p>

<p>Talk to your guidance counselor about your options. The public universities in California are excellent. 20k should come close to covering them. Don’t worry so much about the short time that you have been in the US. Any decent college/university that you apply to will have experience with students like you, and will know how to interpret your foreign transcripts in combination with your grades from your US HS.</p>

<p>Now that you have a green card, you qualify for federally determined financial aid. Run the FAFSA calculators at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) and [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Calculate Your Cost – BigFuture | College Board) to get an estimate of your family EFC. </p>

<p>Oh, and ANYWHERE on the planet other than here at CC, a 2050 SAT is more than merely respectable.</p>

<p>I came too late for the PSAT but i have taken the SAT : 2050
which is kinda horrible, im looking to take it again in oct and hopefully improve 100 or 200 points.
im taking SATII in june: Math 2 and Chem
</p>

<p>Take the ACT also in June.</p>

<p>Don’t wait til October to take more tests. </p>

<p>If you’re low income, then you might qualify for fee waivers for the tests and for application fees.</p>

<p>Since you need financial help, you need to have the best scores/stats possible. </p>

<p>When you say that your parents can contribute $20k…do you mean per year or total for 4 years? Is that what THEY have said? If you don’t know, you need to ask them.</p>

<p>happymomof1: thank you for the information, i feel so much more assured now.</p>

<p>mom2collegekids: I have heard that the ACT focuses more on things learnd in school, and since i i haven’t been here im a bit skeptical about how much of the information tested will be familiar to me, The score’s not required is it?</p>

<p>also, is October too late for testing?! i understand it is kinda of really close to applcation dates but since I have SATII in june that’s the closest possible for me. I also need a SATII test in Chinese in November ( the only month they give the test) will that be too lateas well?</p>

<p>Most places will accept October (or even later) test dates. But, check with each place that you would like to apply. Since the SAT II for Chinese is only offered once a year, the November date will be perfectly acceptable for every college/university.</p>

<p>Stop by your local public library and pick up an official ACT prep book. Work your way through the exam at home, and see how you feel about it. All of the colleges and universities that require an exam for admission accept both the ACT and the SAT, so you can choose to send the scores of the exam that you do best on. Some places do not require SAT II scores if you take the ACT, so that might make your life a bit easier.</p>

<p>I see, I heard Ecs are really important as well, do you happen to know any organization or program that have moderate prequisites? It seems like people in this forum have such competitive ECs, i m just so far off. I really think it is going to make my application look quite bad.</p>

<p>mom2collegekids: I asked, my mom said probably 10k- 20k each year but 20k is the MOST possible we can afford. I really think i need scholarship though…</p>

<p>ECs are important for admission to some colleges/universities, but not for others. Most public institutions put a greater weight on your grades and ACT/SAT scores. Don’t use the ECs reported here as a standard. Very few US students can claim to have this many really good ones!</p>

<p>Go talk with your guidance counselor about your specific concerns. Give him/her a list of colleges that you have learned about so far, and ask for advice about those specific places. You may be in good enough shape already.</p>

<p>Thank you so much for the help!</p>

<p>yeah, if you were to go to say a UC, you might be able to get some financial aid. the actual cost of attendance at some of them can get to up to 30k though. </p>

<p>just apply and see how it turns out. good luck</p>