No idea where to start. Help appreciated

Applying to College
1

<p>Semi-Long post. Thanks in advance to those who help answer my questions and give much needed advice.</p>

<p>I have no idea how to start in the college application process, whatsoever. </p>

<p>I am currently in the military, USN. I joined right after high school, a great choice for me, as I was very jaded in high school and had no wish to clamor for another 4 years of schooling, if not more. Now I find myself in a very awkward position, and man, how I wish I had studied for my finals in High school. (Ending up with a B- in you Math class after you had a solid A+ because you don't want to study formula's.)</p>

<p>I am almost 4 years in, with one year to go, the month of December being my end of service agreement date. (Or more clearly, December of 2014.) </p>

<p>I have started studying for the ACT exam for my college admissions, 4 years out of high school: Ouch. However doing the job that I do in the military I am able to learn high volumes of information rather quickly.</p>

<p>Now that my short back story is out of the way, I am looking to get into a great engineering school ( I have looked at the lists), but I don't know when or how to apply. Do I need to apply for a particular year? Do I need to take my ACT exam first (which will have to be next June at the earliest, September at latest. Should I start applying now in 2013 for the 2015 school year and follow up with my standardized scores? If I am forced to take the ACT in September will I not be able to make 2015? </p>

<p>Any advice, tips, or criticism would be very highly appreciated. </p>

<p>(And for those who would ask, I think my final high school GPA was 2.8 or 2.9. Going for a 36 on the ACT. Why? Reach and reach high and you'll achieve more that you would have otherwise. I'll probably do the SAT to as well, when I read more about it.)</p>

<p>I am currently 22 years old. (I will be 23 1/2 when I hope to go to college.)</p>

2

<p>Thank you for your service.</p>

<p>New school terms generally begin in the fall semester (end of August). So you would start in Fall 2015.</p>

<p>You would apply to schools anytime from say November 2014 to January 2015 at most schools. You will need to have your ACT test taken by December (at most schools). 2013 is too early to apply.</p>

<p>You may consider doing a semester at a community college from January to May 2015. Some schools allow for spring admission, but most are for fall for new students.</p>

<p>In the mean time you will need to begin selecting potential schools based on factors like high school GPA, likely ACT score, etc. Your low high school GPA may be a detrimental factor, even though it was numerous years ago.</p>

<p>You can find engineering departments at many universities, or you may be interested in a more engineering focused school. You have over a year to select potential schools, and making use of web searches and books can be helpful in determining the types of schools you wish to apply to.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for the detailed response. This was all of the information I was looking for. </p>

<p>It’s great to know that I will be able to prep everything before hand and be able to send in at the right time. December is plenty of time to study for the standardized tests. Fall is a bit long of a wait, though it leaves plenty of time for planning and preparation.</p>

<p>I am very aware that my GPA may have it’s consequences, however, I will strive to get into the very best engineering program I can, or any program that catches my interest.</p>

<p>Thank you again for the response, the information you have provided has been invaluable and has lessened any anxiety that I may have had about missing deadlines in the future. Always best to start early! (Too bad I can’t give myself this advice entering high school.)</p>

<p>-Cheers.</p>

4

<p>Your profile will be quite different than that of most applicants - many schools will be interested in having you on campus to increase diversity. Your high school GPA will be a factor, but I think you can make a compelling case that you are a different person now and that you can succeed academically at a more challenging school. Getting a good ACT/SAT score would definitely help - if you can take it earlier, you gain the flexibility to take it again to try and get a higher score. Definitely get a letter of recommendation from someone in the military who can attest to your ability “to learn high volumes of information rather quickly.” There also are online classes you may be able to take even before your discharge that might demonstrate an ability to handle college level work, including online classes offered for credit by colleges, and also MOOCs that are free (like EdX, Udacity, Coursera) though those won’t give credit or in most cases a grade.</p>

<p>Good luck, and thank you for your service.</p>

5

<p>Frankly, I’m stunned by your insight and obvious intelligence just from your post, and still your likeable humbleness :slight_smile: I’d say the major thing you have going for you is your maturity. Don’t try to compete in scores and grades, simply be your genuine self and let the admissions officers share in your personal journey over the last few years.
Good luck</p>

6

<p>As a wife of a retired Army officer, I would recommend that one of your first considerations be where you might want to live and settle after you graduate. I am going to assume that you are getting education benefits from the military, so you can go almost anywhere. While I agree with others about your high school GPA, I would guess that will not be as important as it is for a new HS graduate.</p>

<p>If you want to go into engineering, many of the state flagships will have great programs. Some schools in the Midwest have good engineering, but is that where you want to live (although you can accept a job after graduation anywhere, often graduates get jobs somewhere in the region of the campus)? </p>

<p>Some schools are very military friendly, meaning they work well with veterans. You can do a Google search for that. My son is in the ROTC program at Ohio University and it is considered a military friendly campus. </p>

<p>Do not be afraid to look at some big-name schools like Virginia Tech or Purdue. They might be reaches, but they might also give you a break because of your service. You might also pick up a few classes to brush up on your skills. </p>

<p>For what it’s worth, the University of Maryland, College Park, offers a January entry to some applicants. It also has an online university where you might be able to take something online during the next year and a half. It is called UMUC (University of Maryland, University College). There may even be a program in place to move from UMUC to College Park. Maryland had served the military for decades. It might be worth a look.</p>

<p>I wish you the best as you transition into civilian life.</p>