<p>I am an eleventh grader and I have a majority of problems...</p>
<p>First: don't know what colleges i am thinking about</p>
<p>Second: need to know when to start doing everything...</p>
<p>Any help?!</p>
<p>Are you going to be a senior this fall or a junior?</p>
<p>Are you going into 11th grade?</p>
<p>Do you have any idea what you might like to study in college?</p>
<p>Do you have any idea what sort of money you may have to pay for college?</p>
<p>What are your “stats” - GPA and test scores and extracurricular activities?</p>
<p>If you are heading into 11th grade, start looking at colleges online this summer to see what you find appealing. Make plans to visit a few, this summer if possible. </p>
<p>Make plans to take ACT and/or SAT. See which your chosen colleges prefer and if they need ACT writing section or SAT IIs to apply. Check some test prep books out of the library and start doing practice tests. Be sure to actually time yourself when taking these tests. </p>
<p>Think about who might write your letters of recommendation - do you have some teachers, coaches, scout leaders, bosses with whom you are close? Are there courses in which you excel?</p>
<p>Make an appointment with your guidance counselor as soon as you get back to school and show her/him what you have researched over the summer and ask what to do next.</p>
<p>What colleges you should be looking at depends on what your academics look like. I’m going to assume you’re the average student, since I lack any other background info. You should have safeties, matches, and reaches. Some people have 1 or 2 of each, but I’d recommend you have 1 or 2 safeties, 4 or so matches, and then a few reaches. Safeties should be schools that you know, in the worst case scenario that you don’t get in anywhere else, you will be accepted to. These could be your local community college or small state universities. Matches should be schools that you think you have a decent chance of being accepted to, e.g. larger state universities. Then of course reaches would be more highly ranked schools that have lower acceptance rates, better academics, etc. of course, what constitutes safety vs match depends on the person. For one student, their flagship state school could be their reach, but for others it might be their safety while the Ivies are their reaches. When looking at schools to apply to, be optimistic, but realistic. Also, look at a variety of schools;don’t limit your list based on a few factors.
Start NOW. Some universities, especially state schools, have earlier deadlines than you think, and you might want to apply early action to some schools so don’t wait. Start writing your common app essay and look into any supplementals. Pull together a resume. Also, be wary of the fact that many universities don’t even take the common app so their applications might be different.</p>
<p>^ I assumed you are going into 12th grade. If not, listen to maryjay</p>
<p>Yes I am going into senior year.</p>
<p>Me: 12th grade on the rise
(Just got transcript in the mail)
GPA: unweighted;3.9… Weighted;4.58
Rank:25 of about 300
ACT:24
SAT: getting today!
Anything else? </p>
<p>Oh yeah:
Intended major: Accounting</p>
<p>Your biggest factor will be your test scores. Your ACT is fairly low. If you don’t have the equivalent if a higher score on the SAT retake the ACT with a tutor/more self studying. </p>
<p>Start by narrowing down if you would like to remain in your state. The biggest factor he would be budget. Then look into schools with decent accounting programs and in an environment you’ll like (urban/rural).</p>
<p>There is a forum here on CC, “College Search & Selection”, that could give you school names if you describe your budget, desired location, and academic information.</p>
<p>Im intending schools in nc or ms.</p>
<p>Well, a lot of what I said still applies but you should really work on moving fast this summer. If you want to bring up your ACT, do at least one section a day of a practice test. Time yourself. Do it with books and check the answer explanations for the ones you get wrong. If you notice a deficiency, get extra help on that area, such as grammar rules for English, geometry or trig for math, understanding graphs for science, etc. Register for the September and probably October ACT. </p>
<p>Again, check out those NC and MS colleges to see what their admissions requirements are. See if they have good accounting programs. Think about the college atmosphere you’d like and schedule visits with the ones that seem a best fit. If, for some reason, you can’t visit this summer or early fall, at least contact the admissions rep for your area. </p>
<p>Pretty much everything I have said (and everyone else has said) still goes. Just don’t put off your research and test prep until fall - it will be overwhelming to get it all done along with your schoolwork. </p>
<p>Good luck! It is a fun process!</p>
<p>Yeah thanks i’m excited! How do you know what size or area school you want?</p>
<p>You visit a couple schools of different sizes to see what fits. If you visit a really small school, you might not like it, so can cross off all small school with less than blank number of students. Same for the other end of the spectrum.</p>
<p>What do you mean by area? Like urban, rural, suburban? Most urban school don’t usually have too much of a “real” college campus (take NYU, for example). Some people are fine with that, some don’t like that. Some people don’t like going to a school in a rural area because there usually isn’t a whole lot to do (but again, some don’t mind).</p>
<p>Well, what do you picture in a college?</p>
<p>Colleges have “personalities.” For example, if you always pictured the big rah-rah collegiate atmosphere, filled with lots of activity and fall football weekends, then look at your big state flagships. </p>
<p>If you have no idea what type of school you would like, it is really important to start visiting schools. ANY school! If you can’t get away for a road trip, visit ANY school you can get to - even if you KNOW you won’t go there! Take a tour. See what you like and what you do NOT like. You might find certain programs appeal to you (I.e. a school that has a combined program of accounting and an extra year to earn an MBA) or a “look” that you like (traditional, tree-lined walks vs. newer buildings with modern appeal). Check out the dorms and extracurriculars. </p>
<p>Are you POSITIVE about accounting, or is there a chance you may switch majors? You might want to make sure a college has some other programs that are appealing, in case you decide to switch. </p>
<p>Online you can find “virtual tours” of most colleges, often with video and a “tour guide.” Also, send emails to the admissions departments of ANY school you are even mildly interested in and ask them to send you a packet of information.</p>
<p>Thanks! I guess i like rural and ill have to see for the size.</p>
<p>The supermatch tool on the site might be a good place to start.</p>
<p>Yeah I’ve used that so many times,but when i get too specific, it starts showing me colleges that aren’t even in the state i preferred.</p>