I’m in my Junior year of high school- so applying in fall of 2015 for fall of 2016 freshman.
I’m actually graduating early, so technically this is my sophmore/junior year.
I attended a local private school for my freshman year and these were my grades:
Honors Biology: B/A-
Geometry: A/A+
Spanish II: A/A-
English: A+/A
World Cultures: B+/B+
Theater: A/A (not sure why it wasn’t an A+… I was one of the only people who actually cared-- oh well!)
Then I moved onto online high school (through the University of Missouri… we checked with some college admission friends before doing this- they said it shouldn’t affect the application a lot) to have more time for learning about film production and acting (my passions). These are my grades:
1st Semester:
Health: A-
Sociology: B-
World History: B
Algebra II: B-
Spanish III: B+
Chemistry: B
English: A+
I know my grades dropped a lot because I was teaching myself the material. I have solved that this semester. I wasn’t in any honors or APs that semester because this online school didn’t offer them for those classes and I was required to take those specific ones (besides Sociology- I’m interested in that subject) so I hope colleges will see that. This semester’s projected grades:
AP US Gov & Politics (1/2 year course): A
English: A+
Algebra II: A
Chemistry: A
Honors Economics: A+
Spanish III: B+
World History: B
What I plan on taking next year:
AP Lit
AP Composition
APUSH
Honors Physics
Spanish (at a community college because I will have completed all possible spanish classes at my online high school)
Honors or AP Cal
Will colleges notice that I’m just now taking APs? I mean, I know they will, but will it affect my application a lot? It’s not because I’m slacking off or because I know they “won’t see my final grades” (I read that somewhere) but it’s because I had to fulfill other requirements for my online school before I could take classes that were offered as APs.
I started taking my math and science courses at a place called Fusion Academy (I believe there are some in Cali)- a one-on-one teaching style. As you can see it has drastically improved those grades. I plan on taking Honors Physics (my online school doesn’t offer AP) there next year and either Honors Calculus there or AP Cal online with a major tutor. I’m taking Precal and Astronomy over the summer at Harvard Secondary School Program- I know it’s not really “prestigious” to get in because they just want your money but I plan on working hard to get good grades in those two courses- and it has to be at least a little impressive to do well in two Harvard college course, right?
I also have a question about the earlier Calculus dilemma: I can pretty much guarantee an A or A+ in Honors Calculus since I’ll take it at that Fusion Academy place, but I know that AP Cal looks better. Even though I’d have a serious tutor to basically teach me it, my experience with my online school’s math classes has shown me that the questions are pretty random and it’s hard to know it all. So I could only realistically expect a B or B+. Which would be better? I also would just enjoy Honors Calculus more because I really do love math and science and like it better and understand it more when I’m being directly taught- not just teaching myself.
Extra Curricular’s:
JV Soccer and Volleyball Freshman Year (I’m going to play on the home school soccer team next fall- i missed tryouts last year)
3 Plays and a musical Freshman Year – Lead in 2 plays, ensemble in 1 play and muscial
2 Internships:
One with a local production company- I’m helping them make a feature film. My official title is “Assistant to Producer” and I work very close with the Producer/Director. He has already offered to write me a rec.
One with a production company in Los Angeles- my uncle is a partner there. I analyze scripts for them (summarize, write a longline, comment on them).
I also play bridge (yes, the card game-- my family revolves around it ((literally- both parent’s jobs have to do with bridge)))
Competed on the U.S. Under 26 Women’s team in 2012 at age 13
A certified bridge game director/ teach at my mom’s Bridge studio
Currently leading my master point section (national annual race)
I’m also going to start tutoring 4th and 5th graders next fall. (would this look like I’m just doing it for college applications? I’m not, but you had to be 16 to tutor and I just wasn’t that age until recently so I couldn’t tutor and now I have to wait until fall to start.)
This is a really long post. Sorry. I overthink things too much. Anyway, I’m really interested in Occidental. I plan on declaring my major in Media Arts and Culture, but not without taking a few Cognitive Science and Philosophy classes first as those subjects interest me but in the end I want to be in the film industry (in front or behind the camera). A friend of mine (senior this year) got in and is attending for the Media Arts and Culture major. He said I did better on the standardized test than him (Not sure what he got on the SAT, but when I told him I got a 31 on the ACT he said it was better than his score). I know my GPA last semester was rough, but I think my grades Freshman year and this semester and with the classes I’m taking over the summer and next year I can get my GPA back up to like a 3.7 or .8. I already mentioned it, but I got a 31 on the ACT and am retaking because english (my lowest score) was supposed to be my highest. Here is the breakdown:
Reading: 33
Math: 32
Science: 30
English: 29
In my practice tests my english score was like a 31 or 32, so I’m retesting. I also am taking the Literature, Math 1, and Biology SAT subject tests because Occidental says they “recommend” we take Lit and Math, and I know a lot of biology. I obviously won’t send them if the scores aren’t good. Also though- if I’m applying for the Media Arts & Culture, does it even matter if I send in SAT subject tests?
I mentioned I’m graduating a year early. It’s because I was to be in LA to start interning in person and get my foot in the door. Will the fact I’m graduating early harm my chances? I didn’t think it would improve them, per say, but I recently read that sometimes colleges dislike early graduates because of age and that they don’t have as many extra curricular’s because it’s only been 3 (not 4) years. Does my extra curricular list look competitive?
I plan on visiting in the fall and going to an interview to show that I am mature enough for college despite my age.
So I basically just told you my entire life in one post, and I know I asked a lot of questions in this so I don’t know if this belongs exclusively in the “What are my chances” category, but I want to know my chances for Occidental and UCLA. Thank you so much!!