No ECs & I'm Average?

<p>I'm a junior and I have some admissions issues. So I honestly wasn't even thinking about going to college before now. I was going to graduate a year early but I've decided to do another year. Here's the issue though. I transferred into homeschool halfway through freshman year due to bullying and I was depressed so I stayed within my bubble until now. Now, I'm about to finish junior year and I have absolutely zero ECs. This wouldn't be a huge deal except I plan to apply to Brown, NYU Gallatin, Wesleyan, and other really competitive schools. I have a 3.95 GPA and I took the SATs Freshman Year and scored a 1600 without studying so I think i'll do well there. I know competitive schools like to see applicants who maintained doing things during all 4 years. So am I honestly screwed?</p>

<p>Your bigger issue is that a 1600 is lightyears away from being a competative applicant for Brown, Wesleyan,e tc. Test scores are MUCH more important for home-schooled applicants (colleges pretty much throw your home-schooling GPA out the window as franlkly it doesn’ tmean much).</p>

<p>You really need to be looking at a 2100+ for the schools you mentioned.</p>

<p>@Soze I know. I took it freshman year without studying. I didn’t even know I had to take the test until the day of so obviously I expect better results with 10 months of studying. Also I’m no longer in homeschool, I’m in a public online high school.</p>

<p>I’ll be reasonable with you, a poor SAT scores and lack of EC’s is definetly not going to get you into any of these schools im afraid. Im not trying to be discouraging, but its the truth. But if you truly want some chance at these unis then here’s my advice:

  • Retake SAT, make sure you get at least over 2100
  • Fill up on extracurriculars, can be anything like MUN, or online chess competitions, whatever drives your passion basically. Perhaps you already do some things that could count as EC’s
  • Write some amazing essays for university( you could talk about your bullying in one of them)
    -Get some good people who know you well who can write recommendations for you. Perhaps old teachers?</p>

<p>What do you do when you aren’t studying? You must do something, it is just playing video games or do you persue any interests, have any skills. What was your last practice SAT? Did you take the PSAT what did you get?</p>

<p>How do you envision yourself being a vital member of the college community? What do you bring?</p>

<p>@BrownParent Since I do online school, I’m constantly doing work. When I’m not studying though, I write, paint and draw but I don’t do it constantly. </p>

<p>I haven’t taken a PSAT or practice SAT at all. </p>

<p>I feel like I bring my personality and passion. I love art. I love interacting with other people and I would want to contribute by getting involved with the college newspaper.</p>

<p>I also am gearing up to launch my own clothing company but it wont actually launch until around March 2015 so I don’t know if I can include that since it wont have launched yet. </p>

<p>There is a big area between not going to college at all and going to Brown. If you want to do some EC’s, do them. If you don’t want to, don’t. Schools know when you are interested in an EC and when your are just going through the motions. Pick schools that are a match for you, don’t just try to get into a named school because you think you should.</p>

<p>Be yourself. </p>

<p>@twoinanddone I’m looking for a more open curriculum school where I can try a lot of classes that interest me. It’s been hard finding one and these are the only ones where they seem to be like what I’m looking for. </p>

<p>Come back when you have your SAT scores. You will just have to make yourself stand out in your application. It may help to show how you engage with the world/with others. Sitting home taking online classes all day in and day out isn’t really compelling. Certainly preparing to launch a clothing line is a huge enterprise that you would have to devote time to that you will want to discuss, even if the actual launch has not yet occurred. Open or semi open: Vassar, Hampshire, Amherst, Grinnell…do a search you will find a few more. </p>