<p>I'm a junior and I have so many questions.</p>
<ol>
<li>I'm taking my SAT's next year- I'm thinking May & June and then again in October in senior year, is that okay? Can someone give me an insight on how many SATs are recommended to take? What is a realistic SAT score? (I'm not getting a 2100, it seems impossible!) </li>
<li>I go to a specialized high school, so our curriculum is just naturally harder than the rest of the other public schools in NY. My average is an 89. I know it's really bad, but would it be impossible to get into a university with this grade? (ex: Fordham university, UCLA, Stonybrook)</li>
<li>I have (really) great EC's, how much do colleges take this into consideration? </li>
<li>I have no idea what colleges I should apply for and I don't know where to start looking- what universities would accept a B+ average? </li>
<li>When should I start the whole college process and where should I start? I don't know if it's too early to talk to my counselor about it since I'm just a junior!</li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you so much!!!</p>
<p>(sorry, im incredibly new to this!)</p>
<p>wait also, my average does include 2 AP classes & my major</p>
<p>I’ll try to briefly answer those for you, but keep in mind that I’m a senior myself and don’t have that much experience.
- Most people take the SAT at least twice to make sure they get the highest possible score. You don’t have to take it twice; I only took it once because I was perfectly happy with my score. If you still don’t do as well as you hoped, you can also try the ACT. But I wouldn’t recommend reporting a test which you took more than two times. So, make sure to practice a lot in advance so that you don’t need to take it more than twice.
- If your curriculum really is tougher than most high schools, then the college admission officers will know about it - that’s what counselor letters are for. Plus, apps are first reviewed by a regional officer who will be familiar with the high school and its difficulty level. Also, since you say that the curriculum is difficult, it’s hard to judge how competitive you are just based on your GPA. What’s your class rank and how difficult are the classes you’re taking?
- ECs tend to matter a lot more in top-level colleges, because most of the applicants there are at roughly the same level academically. Of course, even the best ECs won’t make up for a bad academic record, but it looks like you’re fine with your academics.
- No university, not even the ivies, will turn you down just because of a B+ average. If you want to start looking for colleges, there are plenty of great tools out there, including the “College Search” section of this website.
- You can already start looking for schools, try to decide on your interest and possible major. But right now, your biggest concern should be standardized tests, your GPA, and ECs. You don’t really need to worry about the actual college admission process until next summer.</p>
<p>I would recommend that you take some time to familiarize yourself with this website; read archived postings. You will learn answers to your questions simply by reading what others have posted and you will learn a TON … you have plenty of time so take your time.</p>
<p>One thought though about the SAT in May and June – if you are applying to any colleges that require or recommend SAT subject tests, these are also offered in May and June and you can NOT take both a subject tests and a regular SAT on the same date. So you would have to CHOOSE to take the SAT one date and subject tests the other. Ideally, many students like to take the subject tests in June after the AP exam is over in May for that particular class (e.g., AP English Lit - take SAT Subject Tests in English Lit, etc.). Kids tell me that about 75% of the subject tests is material covered in their AP – the remaining 25% you have to study for … so after your AP is over, you have 3 weeks or so to prepare for the subject test.</p>
<p>Keep in mind if you take the SAT in May, it is often the weekend prior to the AP exams… so your mind can be a bit stretched… so prepare way ahead and plan.</p>
<p>This poster is a known ■■■■■.</p>
<p>Oh, um, kollegekid1 is a rather tiresome ■■■■■. I may have made an error here. If so, I apologize to the OP.</p>
<p>You’ve gotten good advice from ivanov, except that I disagree with ivanov’s point #4–in practice, if not in principle. While Ivies and their peers may not reject an applicant in principle because of his or her B+ average, in practice they will fill the beds in their freshman dorms with higher-GPA students long before they get around to admitting the B+ applicants. In order to get into those colleges without being one of the top few performers in your graduating class, you probably need come from either a very well known secondary school (e.g., Exeter, Stuyvesant) or a family that would build a new wing on the library, or else be the most highly recruited high-school linebacker in Texas.</p>
<p>Regarding test schedule, it will depends on how well you are prepared. Ideally, you may want to finish all SAT1/SAT2/ACT by June of junior year. Retaking in early fall of senior year is only a back-up plan. To achieve that, you may want to take the first ACT or SAT1 this winter, of course, only after you have prepared for it. Most students take the SAT1 or ACT twice. Taking the same test more than 3 times has little benefit based on statistics. I would reserve the June SAT for subject test particularly if they are for the subjects you are going to take AP tests in May. Try to take at least 2 subject tests in the same sitting. Not only it is more economic this way, you will be done with the minimal requirement. If you can finish all these tests by June, then you can start working on the school list, campus visit, filling applications, and writing essays over the Summer. This would make you ready for EA/ED application in early fall and makes your senior year much more enjoyable.</p>