Hey there! I just wanted to leave this out there…this is basically advice I would tell myself during the application process if I could redo the entire process over again…lessons learned, etc. Some of this information may seem redundant from others or common sense…but I think it’s helpful if all of this gets put on a single page.
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Go into high school thinking “I am going to enjoy high school.”
Although I was never one to join activities simply for a resume, I saw many other kids do this (by joining a dozen or more clubs). I always heard that it was better to be dedicated to a few than to spread yourself out…AND THIS IS SO TRUE. Trust me on this. You won’t regret only doing things you love. -
Grades don’t matter as much as you think they do.
I went to a relatively rigorous high school, where pretty much most of my friends had straight As (if not, 3.9+). On the other hand, I didn’t have a single semester of straight As, wasn’t ranked in the top 5 percent of my class, etc. I think we always magnify our own flaws. My grades really weren’t bad, but I constantly felt “below average” even though I was not. This goes back to the idea of not comparing yourself to the people around you…it simply isn’t a good sample. Get decent grades, but there is no need to be near perfect. The people on college confidential complaining about not being ranked first or second in their class need to be ignored. -
Test scores don’t matter as much as you think they do.
In other words, if your SAT/ACT falls into the middle 50% of the colleges you’re looking at…that is good enough! Do NOT waste time retaking…this was the mistake I made. While I did improve on the SAT the second time I took it, The 50 point increase wasn’t worth the hours I spent on it. The only benefit really is getting U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate…which doesn’t mean much and no scholarship associated. Also, prep classes are kind of useless…they only make you sit down and actually take a test. A determined student (if you’re reading this, you probably are) just needs a few test prep books. -
What does matter? Pure passion.
I never really aced any of the humanities classes in high school. In retrospect, I could have tried harder. I never cracked open my AP Euro book (youtube review for the win), and managed to salvage a 2 on the AP test. On the other hand, I had a passion for math. Did well on the AMC/AIME, qualified for USAMO. Semifinalist for Intel STS and Siemens for my math project. Started a club in my area to get more girls into math. My advice to myself would have been to take regular level Euro instead of AP so I could have more time to dedicate to math. But everyone else was taking so many APs, I felt pressured to sign up, too. -
Create your opportunities.
I was accepted to a math camp I really wanted to attend. Unfortunately, the cost made it a stretch. I decided it wasn’t worth the cost and worked at a fast food restaurant that summer. I remember being a little bummed at first, but eventually…working turned out to be a great (though super tiring) experience and I still work part-time now at the same job. Sometimes missed opportunities are just there to give you a way to find other experiences. My family was financially secure enough that a part-time job wasn’t necessary for me to do, but I did it because I thought it was the normal teen thing to do over the summer (keep in mind, I go to a private school where some of my classmates are the children of millionaires/billionaires). -
Stay off Chance me threads.
Because I was curious, I created a chance me thread about a year ago. BAD IDEA!!! There is no way a chance me thread can show everything about you. I’m sure many posters took one look at my GPA and said “nope”–why are you even trying? So I basically thought every single school was a reach school. Some CC posters even told me a school was my “reach” even with a 30%+ acceptance rate. It kind of scared me away from applying to some schools. CC posters didn’t read your recommendation letters, they don’t know what your essays look like…how can they properly assess your chances? -
Don’t feel inferior and apply to your dream schools. Even if you don’t think I have a chance!
MIT has been my dream school since I was in middle school. Except I was told that I’d never “get in” and after looking at some numbers, I realized I didn’t stand out at all. Applying was intimidating…MIT didn’t even accept the common app. So I didn’t apply early (my biggest regret)! I was afraid of being judged for applying to more than one or two selective schools. This really shouldn’t have made me feel that way–I also could have just kept where I was applying a total mystery from them anyway. Another reason I was pretty cautious was because I was scared of rejection–I take rejection badly, which is something I have to change about myself. -
Don’t apply Early Decision. Unless you are 50000% sure.
So I ended up applying early decision to Brown, where I had the advantage of being a legacy (parents were kind of pushing for this too). This was kind of a big mistake because I had been expecting a good financial aid offer, and this didn’t exactly happen. I did get some financial aid, and my family negotiated for more but it was definitely not enough. I also applied to a few schools early action that gave me pretty good merit scholarships which I couldn’t accept because ED. My mind was too focused on “getting in” instead of “is this school right for me?” and I didn’t really think about financial aid until the offer came (REGRET THIS SO MUCH). I also didn’t think I would get into Brown even with early decision and legacy (inferiority complex i guess). The worst part is seeing my boyfriend get accepted to MIT last month. Watching other people get accepted to my dream school was somewhat depressing (that being said, I know Brown is an incredible school as well). By applying early decision, I lost the ability to apply to other schools and compare financial aid offers. Committing to a school is a big thing that should not be taken lightly. People have said to me, “you got into a good school, you have no right to complain”…understand that just because a school is “good” based on reputation does not mean it’s the “best fit for you.” -
Be appreciative. I find myself taking for granted a lot of things related to education. I am so fortunate that my parents can afford to buy me math books, so fortunate to have a few teachers who have inspired me. In the past few years, I’ve gotten kind of “zoned in” and started to think thoughts like “why can’t I be rich enough to pay for the summer camps I want?” The worst is the inferiority I’ve felt…the feeling of never being “good enough” or “smart enough”. I love numbers but I am tired of being measured by them…especially compared to others by them.
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Message me if any of you want advice on colleges or anything. I didn’t have an older sibling to ask these questions to…
