<p>Okay…let me tell you the truth. If I honestly wanted to go a SUNY school, like UB or UA, I wouldn’t be worried. A large amount of the graduates from my school have gone to a SUNY school. But truth is: I don’t want to go to state school or a state cailber school, because nearly everyone at my school, besides those Ivy and SU kids, go to a state or state cailber school. That’s like 6% for Ivy and 10% for SU. But once again, SU is our hometown university and tons of kids from Syracuse get into SU.</p>
<p>I ALWAYS thought that aiming for state school was pointless, because a high shcool graduates are qualified for state school.</p>
<p>Alright. I’ll be honest. I want to go to a top 30 school. Only 6 or 7 kids per year get go to a top 30 school from my school. Only 1 student gets to go, if you minus the athletes, legacies, and other hooks. That student is usually valdictorian. I’m no valdictorian. Neither am I an athlete. I never played a team sport, ever. Just didn’t like it. I am no kid with a legacy. My Mom went to community college. My Dad dropped out of 9th Grade. My race doesn’t help me either.</p>
<p>Sometimes, I feel like I have an advantage, though. Many, if not all, juniors and other underclassmen just think that going to an Ivy only requires you being smart. Well to your surprise, many people are smart. Also, the definition of smart is simple for common people: Good grades, good test scores, just intellectual ability. But what is good? Common people think that 93 weighted averages and 1900’s on the SAT are good, if not amazing. That lead me to say: it’s not until the end of junior year that many kids realize that their true caliber, because that is when our guidance counselors talk to kids about what colleges are best for them. I know what an Ivy League or a top 30 caliber student is like. They’re not good or great, but amazing. They have better than a 93 average, a 1900 SAT, clubs and sports, and two or three honors classes.</p>
<p>There are lots of smart kids in state schools. Yes, there are dumb ones too, but you’re not going to be forced to be good friends with them. You clearly understand that you can’t get into a top 30 school just by being really smart; why then do you think that NOT going to one makes you dumb?</p>
<p>Because. Say, you are smart. Say you do have a 93 weighted average, a few honors/APs, good EC’s, and a 1900 on the SAT. At a lot of state schools, that is not really good enough to get a scholarship. </p>
<p>So, basically, if you will be treated the same way as a 85 weighted average, no honors/APs, okay EC’s, and a 1550 SAT kid. All of your hardwork is a waste. That’s the point.</p>
<p>I wish you would quit with the laser vision and look at some broader horizons. For instance, you might be absolutely adored at a small, private college – and, if your family has a modest income, it might actually cost less for you than a big state school (remember, there’s the “sticker price” and then there’s what YOU pay, which are often two very different numbers). </p>
<p>I wish you would thing about what it is you want to DO or BE (artist, teacher, lawyer, puppet master . . .) and see your college years as the path you take to get there. Right now you are focused on a PLACE, and, sorry, honey, that place will be a place in your life for just four years. </p>
<p>I agree that CC is a neurotic place. This is where the Type A parent and the Type A valedictorian hang out. (A famous Zits cartoon has the over achieving “Phoebe” ask Jeremy “Do you want a bagel?” Jeremy says “Ok” and Phoebe hands over the bagel and whips out her notebook to record “fed the hungry” on her EC diary). </p>
<p>Some of the flowers in my garden are daffodils. They bloom bright and early. Other flowers are roses – they need more sun, more fertilizer, more time to bloom. I also have fall asters that don’t even start forming buds until early September. They are each glorioius in their season. (One on my favorites is coming up: hellebores or “Lenten Rose” which bloom in subtle ivory to rose tones in February. You have to go look for those). Please don’t beat yourself up if you’re not a daffodil, blooming as early as possible. Have faith that you may just turn into a dang nice rose.
Good luck!</p>
<p>Living under the poverty line limits your possibilities. Period. Both the small, private college and state university is not available to me, unless I get a scholarship or some really, really good financial aid. I doubt that.</p>
<p>I go to a college prep school. My parents wouldn’t even be able to pay half ($8,000 total), without the almost full ride I got here.</p>
<p>Many colleges do have “really, really good financial aid” that is based entirely on family income. Once you are admitted to the college, the FA has nothing to do with how many honors classes you did or didn’t take in high school, but on your parents’ ability to pay the cost of the college. For many students with families under the poverty line, private colleges and universities are more financially attractive than their state publics because of the FA. You might also look into the Questbridge program, which can be very helpful to students with low family income.</p>
<p>It sounds as if your school has a policy that students who don’t start off in honors classes have a very hard time getting into them as years go by, and this is making you panic about your chances of getting into college and getting adequate merit awards or FA. It might reassure you to talk with your GC and look at your school’s statistics for where students taking the level of courses you’re taking are accepted to college. </p>
<p>My advice would be, talk with your GC about maybe adding an honors class a year, and if that doesn’t work, if you plan to stay at this school, put your energies into your school work and into one or two EC’s that you enjoy a lot. If you could find a community service activity that you think you’d like to stick with for all four years, and where you could feel that you are truly making a difference, that might help you.</p>
<p>You have to believe in yourself. That’s all there is to it. If you work hard enough, you can overcome any obstacle. To you, that may be taking just one more honors class, doing one more EC, or just getting 100 points higher on the SAT. Whatever, it doesn’t matter what your obstacle is. The point is that you have to set a goal for yourself i.e. “I am going to get a full ride to x college” and work towards that. Find out what you need, and make sure you have those stats. </p>
<p>Don’t get disillusioned here. I’m one of those Type A val’s that frequents CC, but I don’t let it blind me. I have read of a lot of people at my level and above, but the important thing to know is that we are a highly skewed sample. The majority of America does worse than you do or is comparable to you. Just try not to stress out so much, find out what you need for a full ride, and work towards that. Good luck.</p>
<p>Honestly, you shouldn’t be nearly so worried about money as you are. The VAST majority of financial aid available is need-based, along with a good number of scholarships. Even if you do get “only” an 85 average, I can’t imagine that you wouldn’t be able to afford anything but community college.</p>
<p>Dude, you need some confidence…and perspective. </p>
<p>Who is the better person? The one who breezes through highschool and has mommy and daddy pay for their overpriced education? Or the one who works hard, puts himself though school and gets his education (community college or not) despite all the crap thrown in his way? </p>
<p>And don’t knock community college - the education is fine. What you will be lacking is the connections. But that can be overcome also. In some states, some community colleges have arrangements with other colleges that guarentee transfer admission as long as your GPA is a certain level. And some colleges offer scholarships to those students. (Example, Georiga Tech and Georgia Perimeter College). Check out what your state offeres if you want - but you are only a freshman- you have lots of time. </p>
<p>My advice, forget all this crap. Go see your guidance counselor and let them know you are serious about finding a decent school after graduation. Perhaps they will take you under their wing and be a mentor to you. Relax, join a club or two and have some fun. And maybe put some thought into thinking of others less fortunate - read Angelas Ashes by Frank McCourt - talk about a guy that didn’t have anything - he ended up in New York too and made it work for him - very well.</p>
<p>first of all-do NOT let CC kids get to you. They are dream crushers(minus a few good ones…) if you’re super worried, try the Parents Forum. They offer great advice</p>
<p>Second: Did you know there are some FREE colleges in the US? They include Berea College and College of the Ozarks. Everyone admitted there gets tution paid for by working 10 hrs/week at the college. Kids with high need(like yourself) can work 15 hours/week and go for free.</p>
<p>Focus on raising your GPA and getting a couple of extracurricular activities that you actually care about under your belt. You have plenty of time- and although the abundance of time is no reason for you to take college admissions lightly, it does call for a change in perspective to avoid burning out half way into your high school career. Relax, seriously. And if you insist on getting a head start, I would recommend buying two boxes of GRE and SAT vocabulary flashcards. You can never memorize too many words, and by the time the SAT rolls around, you’ll be a super star. </p>
Don’t believe everything you read on CC. While I’m sure lots of kids post the truth, I’m sure there are just as many who…lie.
Find what you love and do it, excel at it and market the heck out of it. I hate to tell you, but there will be kids admitted to your dream school instead of you who have lower GPAs, lower SATs, less EC, or a comination thereof, but do have something that school wants.
3)Even if you end up at CC, working in the fast food industry, you may still end up more successful than a HYP grad. Seriously.</p>
<p>Are you guys acutally telling me that I still have a chance at a top school?</p>
<p>So, you guys are saying that as long as I do GREAT in my regular classes, GOOD or better in my only honors class, maybe get a few more honors or AP classes on my schedule in the next years, that I still have a chance?</p>
<p>If I study hard for my SAT and ACT coming up in my junior year, and get a GREAT score, which is still possible, that I still have a chance?</p>
<p>As long as I do the ECs, volunteering, etc. I like, that I still have a chance?</p>
<p>You say “still have a chance” as if you’ve ruined your life or something. You’re in your first semester of high school. Stop worrying so much about everything.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you keep limiting yourself to “good” in your honors/AP classes. If you can do great in regular classes, then you can do great in honors/AP too - you just need to try harder.</p>
<p>As a senior, I realized something this year. Even when your entire profile is great in every aspect, there is still a chance that you will get rejected. And that doesn’t mean you were good enough or they thought you weren’t good enough. It just means that they chose not to offer you a spot. That’s it. Nothing more. </p>
<p>What matters in the long run is what kind of a person you are. Stop worrying about ECs and volunteering and start thinking about what kind of a person you are, what kind of a person you want to be, and how you are going to become that person. Focus on things that interest you and become very good at them. College admissions isn’t the end of a journey - it’s the beginning of a longer one called life. </p>
<p>I think you do have a chance, depending on your definition of a “top school.” The biggest challenge, at this point, that I think you’re going to face is how hard you’re willing to work to get to your “top school.” You’ve got time, it just depends how you use it.</p>
<p>Dude, you cannot let collegeconfidential kids get you down. The group on here is obviously, obviously not representative of most people. </p>
<p>Your EC’s sound awesome because you actually sound passionate about them. Try to start a club or somehow reach out to involve other people in your passions. </p>
<p>The PSAT does not by any means predict how you’ll do on the SAT. People who do really well on it have usually alreadu undergone intense prep for the SAT and therefore do better. Really. The first time I took a practice SAT I scored around a 1700. Score on the SAT? 2250+</p>
<p>And you have an amazing GPA, which is more than many others can say.</p>
<p>This forum is so abnormally smart that it’s impossible to compare.</p>
<p>For instance, pretend the US Government announced they were going to hold the next Presidential Election by only polling a sliver of the population, so they hold it on Cal-Berkeley Campus. The liberal democrat is going to win by massive, unheard of proportions for the popular vote. Whereas, if you polled the entire country, the republican would have just as good a chance.</p>
<p>@ esmee16: It’s also important to note that the ridiculously low acceptance rates for schools like Yale and Harvard are also due to the fact that a ton of people apply out of curiosity to see whether they will get in, even though their stats are totally out of Ivy League range. Case in point: according to the Naviance application for my school, somebody with BELOW a 3.0 GPA and around a 1900 SAT in the Class of 2009 actually applied to Yale. They probably thought that since they came from a very rigorous private high school (over 20% of the people in the senior class for the past two years are NMSF’s, plus the fact that my school sends 100% of all graduates to 4-year colleges), and since their SAT score was above the national average, that they just MIGHT stand a chance.</p>
<p>Obviously, that person didn’t get in. But remember that there are a lot of similar cases for many high schools across the nation, with people applying just for kicks. </p>
<p>Your stats are certainly better than theirs, so you can rest assured that you stand a much better chance than they do.</p>
<p>This probably repeats what a lot of people have said, but here’s my numerically listed advice.</p>
<ol>
<li>Don’t revolve your whole high school life around college. You won’t be happy if you do. It should be about learning, not just getting good grades to impress colleges.</li>
<li>You’re a freshman. You can think about college later. Focus on what you think you would like to do when you get older right now.</li>
<li>It appears that you’re doing very well in your classes. You may want to see if you can get into honors classes next year or semester.</li>
<li>Not everyone’s naturally inclined towards doing well on standardized tests. Additionally, your scores will improve if you take the PSAT and/or PLAN again.</li>
<li>Think of something that you really like and something that you would like to devote your time to- something you would enjoy doing. Again, don’t just do something for the sake of your college application.</li>
<li>Most students actually don’t get into top schools and end up going to lesser known schools and they actually get a good education there. The world won’t end if you don’t get into a top school. For a little while I had to remind myself of this very frequently.</li>
<li>Finally, have some confidence! Just make sure you do your best, do things you like, and have fun. Everything will be fine.</li>
</ol>