Self-educated. What are my options?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi there. I was wondering what other people might have to say about my situation.</p>

<p>I attended high school for my Freshman year. It was disappointing and akin to a day care center. I left promptly, choosing to 'homeschool myself' (no tutors or parent-teachers). After that I traveled to Turkey by myself and studied Turkish. I lived in a rural Turkish village for the Summer. Nobody there spoke any English. The next year I studied German in Switzerland by myself for 3 months. While at home in Seattle, I read voraciously, attended lectures, went to the theatre, opera, ballet, etc. I audited a class at the University of Washington, took workshops, got a short graphic novel published. I got official credit for my work through a homeschool center. I also took a few graded classes there. The classes there were great; I earned all A's +honors in most classes, including Math. Because of this, I do have an official high school transcript (although I consider it to be something of a joke).</p>

<p>This would be my Senior year, except I wanted to try and get Turkish citizenship, so I chose to graduate early. This means I don't have all of the minimum requirements for the majority of strong colleges.</p>

<p>I don't want to do anything except study. I'm not afraid of structure, nor am I afraid of hard work. I'm motivated, eccentric, and highly driven. What should I do?</p>

<p>My SAT composite score is --- 1750
Reading 680
Math 470 (Terrible, I know)
Writing 610</p>

<p>I'm not naively optimistic about my options, so I've applied to 9 schools so far. I intend to apply to 4 more. I applied to a lot of regionally local schools. I'm from Washington state.</p>

<p>Here are the schools I applied to (in no particular order):</p>

<p>University of Washington
University of Washington Bothell
University of Washington Tacoma
Reed College (my first choice)
Eugene Lang the New School
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle University
Pacific Lutheran University
Lewis & Clark</p>

<p>Here are the schools I intend on applying to:</p>

<p>Marymount Manhattan College
Western Washington University
Portland State University
Evergreen College</p>

<p>I've only heard back from one college so far (Pacific Lutheran). They accepted me with an Academic Merit Scholarship which really surprised me. They were one of the only schools I applied to that have fewer required high school credits. Should I not expect a similar welcome from the other schools where I don't meet the minimum requirements?</p>

<p>I recognize that it's past the admission date for most schools, but are there any that I can still apply to that you would recommend for me?</p>

<p>The ideal situation for me would be that my unorthodox education would be appreciated by a school like Reed. I would love to be in an intense academic environment like that. I am a genuine geek in that I'm obsessed with learning and reading. It would be so magical if I could finally be in an place that would encourage and help to flourish my drive to learn.</p>

<p>What say you? Have I done good in applying to so many schools? Or have I not applied to the right ones? Or did I not need to apply to so many? Just tell me what you think. Have I screwed myself over by leaving school? What would you say my chances are?</p>

<p>Thanks for any input.</p>

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<p>“I don’t want to do anything except study. I’m not afraid of structure, nor am I afraid of hard work. I’m motivated, eccentric, and highly driven.”</p>

<p>If you are a girl, try Bryn Mawr. Yes, it’s a bit late for this year, but next year might work for you too.</p>

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<p>What do you eventually expect to do with all your learning?</p>

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<p>Look at Marlboro College in Vermont. It is a tiny and academically intense liberal arts college. Lots of self-directed work. They have a Global Studies Program that sounds perfect for you (spend 6-9 months at an internship in another country). Most students design interdisciplinary majors. They have a March 15 deadline for scholarships, and rolling admissions, so it’s not too late.</p>

<p>(I am crossing my fingers that my daughter will choose it)</p>

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<p>fogcity: What I’d really like would to be a historian and professor. I want to study patterns in human behavior and teach people how to implement or avoid them in the future. (My contribution to mankind, I suppose.)</p>

<p>2bizee: Thanks!! Marlboro looks great! I’m going to seriously consider applying there.</p>

<p>happyMomof1: I looked Bryn Mawr and it looks really great, but I really want to go to school in the fall. I feel like I’m already missing time because of graduating early.</p>

<p>Thanks all! Any other advice?</p>

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<p>Generally, colleges are structured. They mostly expect you to attend class, participate, turn in assignments, and so on. So while there are exceptions – colleges that look for the “unique”, even those (yes, even Reed) look for structure. And if you want to eventually teach, you’ll be expected to work within the culture of your college/school. I realize from your post that this isn’t you.</p>

<p>My suggestion is that you return to a formal high school program – for your junior and senior year. Perhaps that means redoing part of your homeschooling. Then do brilliantly. If you go that route (instead of accelerating) your college choices will become more apparent, and perhaps you’ll break out of the unconventional approach that you’re pursuing.</p>

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<p>fogcity —</p>

<p>I might have misrepresented myself in my first post a bit. I’m not intimidated by or against structure as a whole; I’m only against BAD structure (like in public high schools). In fact, in order to graduate early and get away with self-education, I’ve had to become quite skilled at traversing bureaucracies.</p>

<p>In any case, there is absolutely no way I am going back to high school. That is a part of my life that is over and done with. And, although I don’t mean to sound like a snob, high school no longer has anything to offer me(education-wise). I’ve been past the level of high school for a long time. Although it might give me greater college options to go back, I’m not willing to compromise my values.</p>

<p>I’m not really accelerating like you said in your reply. Since I’m taking my Senior year of high school to get dual-citizenship, I’ll be going into college when all my peers are. If I were to do what you propose, I would be two years behind them. That doesn’t seem logical.</p>

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<p>You have an interesting profile. I like the fact that you’ve chosen a path for yourself, but yes I do voice some of the concerns that fogcity mentioned-specifically with Reed. I was accepted last year and I’ve tried to assess what Reed really looks for. While Reed does have the “rebels with/without a cause” reputation when it comes to its student body, it also by and large has a strong set of academically driven stars through high school that are accepted. Your chances of acceptance to put it rather bluntly are low. You have your SAT scores really working against you, and while Reed appreciates different backgrounds, it likes to see high levels of academic achievement, in some form or the other-whether it be SAT scores, the high school record or the graded writing sample. Reed looks for some signs of potential to thrive in an environment as academically intense as its own. That is something you unfortunately lack. Reed is an academically strenuous school-while there’s a lot of harping on “learning for learning’s sake”, essentially most people are driven and focussed on achievement. There’s an average of six hours of study everyday with ten page research based essays to write every other week! Reed may sound cool on paper for several reasons, but you really have to ask yourself if you’re really ready for what it offers because while you may feel you’re ready for it, you have no experience of formal education working for you hitherto. You don’t want to enter a place like Reed and discover there’s no worth in it and drop out. Not to diss my own college, but that seems to happen a lot at Reed and if applicants really reflected on their temperament and interests accurately before entering, it wouldn’t be a problem because Reed has such a defined academic predisposition unlike most other colleges in the country. So ask yourself; maybe enter a less academically demanding college, prove yourself there and if you still feel you need Reed, apply to transfer. Congratulations with the acceptance! I hope you see more and good luck with everything that lies ahead.</p>

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<p>My advice would be to take some high school classes somewhere and improve your math skills. A 470 math SAT suggests to me you haven’t mastered anything beyond multiplication and long division. You need basic competency at math even for history. And if you are going to become a professor, you will need to take the GRE. And bombing the math section won’t be good. </p>

<p>They don’t teach remedial math at Bryn Mawr or any other good colleges, so you should address this serious deficiency before you go away to school. </p>

<p>If you do and get ~600 on the math section, you would be a great candidate for good schools.</p>

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<p>Your list looks pretty good to me. You should have some good options from out of that list. I agree with Paradox that the idea of Reed may be more appealing its reality. I know kids there. Some are happy, and some are very much not happy. These, like you, are kids who thought Reed was the perfect school for them. It’s almost like they really liked the image of themselves as Reed students, it fulfilled a kind of identity they’d conjured up of themselves. Those are the ones that are the most unhappy there.</p>

<p>But, once you get your acceptances in, you’ll be able to make a considered choice of the options you have.</p>

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<p>OP,</p>

<p>I know that you say that you’re “past the level of high school,” but do you have any independent appraisers that will attest to that fact? Because honestly, you may believe that you are, but when you apply to a college all they’re going to see is that you didn’t finish their minimum requirements and that you have solid, above average, but not astronomical scores for the SAT. If you truly are above the level of a high school student, you need to get an independent, outside appraisal that supports that.</p>

<p>Honestly the best way to do that is to simply earn the credit that you need - perhaps through homeschooling again and writing the tests, or maybe taking some CLEP exams or taking community college classes where you are that fulfill their requirements.</p>

<p>Your other option is to add a supplement to your applications that explains how your unique experiences are acceptable substitutes for the units that they want you to have. I will say this: the bit about high school being beneath you (how old are you, 17?) and returning being “against your values” is going to at best get you some raised eyebrows and at worst get you some laughs, eyerolls, and a big rejection stamp from the adults on the adcom. We all though high school was beneath us at some point; only a very small percentage of 17 year olds are actually above high school.</p>

<p>You’ll have to reframe the argument in a different way, focusing entirely on your accomplishments and how they have prepared you to enter the colleges of your choice to succeed at the same level as someone who went to a traditional high school will.</p>

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<p>These are all interesting opinions. I’m really grateful to hear back from so many people with different points of view.</p>

<p>Paradox – Your point about the image of Reed being more appealing than the reality is something I’ve thought about before. The hard work load there is, I admit, intimidating, but I’m fully confident that I am capable of it. In fact, challenge is what I want. How am I ever going to know what I’m fully capable of if I’m never pushed? If I don’t end up getting into Reed though because of my lack of official credentials, I’m definitely going to try transferring. What you say though is an important thing to consider though, so this weekend I’m going down to ‘prospie’(is that right?) and see what Reed is like under closer inspection…!</p>

<p>collegealum — I acknowledge that you do have a point about my math skills. They’re what I consider to be the thing I need to improve upon most. This summer I’ll likely be taking some classes at a community college to try and improve them.</p>

<p>rentof2 – Thanks! I sure hope your right about having some good options. I think that, with most all people, it’s a gamble whether they will succeed at/fit into Reed. It’s all about personal disposition, like you said. Like I mention above, I’m going to go down and check it out this weekend.</p>

<p>juillet — I respectfully disagree. While going back to school to get a transcript certainly is the most convenient option for me, it’s hardly the best. In any case, I hope your dismal view of the application process being all about numbers is inaccurate. With regards to sounding cocky in my applications; don’t worry! I was actually hyper-sensitive about avoiding that in my applications and interviews! And it’s funny that you mention adding a supplement explaining myself, because that’s just what I did. A very long one I might add. Even though I disagree, I’m grateful for your input! Thanks.</p>

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<p>I really doubt that you would be able to manage at Reed, it is extremely rigourous and you don’t seem prepared for that workload.</p>

<p>Because your scores are low, it doesn’t back up your self schooling. I hope you wrote one hell of an essay and steered clear about schooling that you consider a joke or beneath you. In some aspects it is what you make of it, of course, and what you do outside of class, so stay away from dissing it. </p>

<p>Please take a look at St. John’s which has a campus in Anapolis and in New Mexico. It is a great books program, they do well with non traditional students as they are a non traditional college and they have a good track record for your aspirations. Be sure to look at what their grads go on to do. I think it is a very exciting program. You will have incredible small seminars and intimate work that can be as advanced as you take it. I’m pretty sure they have rolling admission so it should be possible for the fall.</p>

<p>At least you can rest easy that you got an acceptance from one of your chosen schools, so now you can focus on narrowing the list.</p>

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<p>You’re welcome RRoseRRed. I’d actually second St. John’s. Similarly intense, in a “I love to read lots of books” kind of way. Also, much, much easier to get in than at Reed. You could very well fulfill your dream of becoming a professor through, St. John’s. It’s a well regarded and specialised programme. I think in the case of Reed, the Admission Office will make the decision for you because considering your entire profile, the odds of acceptance are really low. If in the off-chance, they do accept you, then you’ve obviously got something Reedie that we can’t see and are probably prepared better than we assume. I hope you enjoy your visit, in any case though.</p>

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<p>RRoseRRed, </p>

<p>Good luck to you! Your experiences sound so interesting, and I’m sure you will find the place that is right for you - wherever that may be :)</p>

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<p>“I really doubt that you would be able to manage at Reed, it is extremely rigourous and you don’t seem prepared for that workload.”</p>

<p>I also have my doubts, but as Paradox suggested, it’s irrelevant; Reed admits only those who have already proven they can handle the workload. Nonetheless, Reed is a school where personal character and intellect (from interviews and recommendations), essays, and involvement (extracurriculars and community service) can overcome non-stellar stats.</p>

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<p>Well. In case anybody was curious, I thought that I would give a little update as to how everything has gone so far.</p>

<p>Reed did, like most of you predicted, reject me. Surprisingly, I wasn’t all that bummed out about it.</p>

<p>The other two schools that rejected me were the UW Seattle campus and Lewis & Clark. That’s it! All the other schools I applied to accepted me and even gave me academic scholarships.</p>

<p>The New School (My new first choice.)
Seattle University
UW Tacoma
Pacific Lutheran
UW Bothell
Seattle Pacific University</p>

<p>ALL accepted me. It’s funny, but the only school that I haven’t heard back from at all is Evergreen. Go figure. haha</p>

<p>Now I’m working on figuring out how to finance all of these options. It’s actually working out too. I’ve managed to get really great packages. It’s a relief to me really. I was so worried about where I would get accepted. (At one point I was so sure that only a school like Evergreen would accept me! yikes!) It just goes to show I suppose that confidence in one’s self and being faithful to your ideals can be a big challenge, but that when you overcome these obstacles, you’re a stronger person as a result. All these schools must have got that impression too.</p>

<p>Thanks for all your input guys.</p>

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<p>You haven’t mentioned money, but I’m wondering if finances will be a consideration. Especially if you give up your US citizenship to become a citizen of Turkey, finances may cause a problem. There are very few schools that give any financial aid at all to internationals, and those tend to be places like Harvard, which are among the most competitive colleges in the country, accepting fewer than 10% of applicants.</p>

<p>Most public schools can’t even meet the full financial need of their in-state students, the students who have priority for financial aid.</p>

<p>I actually think you could have a chance at the very top colleges in the country. Your background is unusual, and you clearly have a passion for learning. While your scores are low for the very top schools, you’d still have a chance at them, and your unusual academic background may make you stand out in their admissions.</p>

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<p>You are crazy for leaving Turkey. I would just go back there if I were you. (Also, The New School is crazy amazing, so congrats on that!)</p>