I’m so sorry that this is a long post, there are lots of critical questions in here and I really appreciate everyone who will take the time to read and answer them because it will greatly help me out. Also if it makes you feel any better, even though it took you 20 minutes to read this post it took me 2 hours to put it together because I am serious about these questions and I expect serious answers back. Anyone who reads this whole thing, I commend you and this advice will truly help me out.
Also you don’t have to answer every single question I asked, just as long as everyone ends up answering all of the questions combined then it will be good, answer as much or as little as you like.
Here is a little background about me…
I am a junior this year and will graduate in 2020
I am in an engineering program at my high school (one engineering class per year that are all honors with 2 opportunities for DE credit, freshman and junior year)
I have only taken one AP freshman year (AP human) and I plan to take one or two more AP classes senior year, most likely AP calc AB and/or AP Physics 1 or AP Chemistry (I did not take any sophmore year and am not taking any APs this year either), also have not decided on AP science for senior year (I have taken Chem honors and am taking physics honors this year, got an A in chem honors)
I participate in weightlifting as an extracaricular (all 4 years by graduation) and I have recently picked up a part time job that I plan on doing both junior and senior year (school and summer)
I currently have a 3.5 weighted GPA and a 3.1 unweighted GPA (I will try to get these up these next two years, I had a rough sophmore year)
I am taking all honors core classes and engineering is honors (I will only have taken 8 standard classes) and of course with the exception of AP core classes (human, calc AB, *chem or physics 1)
I am looking to get into a 4 year public university in my state (Florida) directly from high school (ICF, FSU, USF, US, UNF, etc…) With UCF being first choice
Ok now time for the questions…
What AP science should I take senior year Chen or physics (not both please don’t say both)?
How will colleges veiw me… (These are all individual questions, this is NOT multiple choice, please do not say “oh uhhh… I think B” because that is not what I am asking)
2 A. Will they think I am not college ready because of so few AP classes?
2 B. What would they think of such a low GPA 3.1 unweighted 3.5 weighted (low, in the middle high)?
2 C. Will they think I am too well rounded and did not put enough focus on school and am not college material?
2 D. Will they think of me good for the fact that I took an engineering program in high school?
2 E. Will certain attributes make up for missed attributes (example, not many APs but held down commitment to extracaricular and job, or low GPA and lots of honors classes but I’m in engineering program)?
2 F. Do you think that they would accept or decline me based ONLY on what you have read here?
Is having a job seen as a bad thing by colleges because it puts less emphasis on school than per say taking that extra summer class, or that unpaid internship, or doing a different extracurricular in summer, or that one more AP on my transcript?
Also any tips on some things you think I should change about my high school career as of now, because this is the ideal time to change anything as I am at the halfway mark)?
Please state question number on all answers instead of restating the question (so you don’t have to waste time) like for example just say “ok I think for 2D… This that blah blah blah etc” or " for question 1 i think… This that so and so etc"
Also anyone who took the time to read all of this and actually answer I cannot thank you enough because it really is helping me each and every answer. This is why I posted on this website because you guys are the best
Having a job is a good thing. It shows an ability to commit to something and stick with it. No job is glamorous at all time and any job requires doing some hard work. Being a university student is frequently not glamorous and requires some hard work.
For your junior year, I think that you should focus on grades. You want to pull in some more A’s, and very little (or if possible nothing) less than a B. Work hard to stay ahead in your classes, and take every class seriously.
Don’t worry about taking too few APs. With good grades, you can do fine for university admissions with few or even no APs.
When it is time to apply to universities, make sure that you have some safeties. Your guidance counselor at school should be able to help you find some appropriate ones.
Thank you so much for that advice and I will definitely keep these things in mind next year and senior year. I really appreciate you helping me out. Thanks a lot Dad two girls!
Having a job is a good thing. Previous poster gave you some great advice. Just make sure you have safety, match and reach schools on your list. Do your best and keep up the good work!
You’re a junior. Focus on having the best junior year possible and you’ll be fine. Keep your grades up and figure out which of your teachers is going to write your academic letters of recommendation. Aim to be a teacher’s pet in at least one class.
You’re not applying to Harvard, but you knew that. Do well this year and you should be fine.
Hmm...Well at my school AP Physics 1 exam is taken after reg Physics....that being said, it's known for being notoriously difficult. So while I can't say anything about AP Physics, I do know that AP Chem is a really awesome class (for someone that is actually interested in it. if you aren't, there is a slim chance you'll do REALLY well unless ur some kinda genius) But at my school our chem teacher has a rep of being awesome which might not be the case for u, so I suggest talking to upperclassmen who took either or both classes and learn more about the teachers, bc they make or break ur learning experience and ur willingness to study given that you're going to study well etc.
2A It depends on which colleges. Assuming u mean like top 50 schools (idk much about florida schools) and assuming u are interested in engineering yeah that IS a little low on AP count BUT you probably could make it up by doing really well in your junior year. Make study plans an adapt them to fit each individual class. (For one class maybe you make a mind map 2 days before the test, or another you split up a practice test over the course of 4 days …make a plan and stick to it)
2B Same as what i said above but remember junior year really can help u raise ur grade. Always aim for a 100% on tests even if you don’t really think you can do it, because chances are, if you prepare and practice as if you needed to get everything right, during the test, you’re bound to fall short but end up with smt like B+/ A-… at least that’s my philosophy. Really make use of every resource you have…teachers are never too busy to help u, make group chats with friends (dedicated to studying friends mind you) to help with hw, look up practice tests, Khan academy, crashcourse and bozeman science were youtube channels that really helped me with chem, again ask ppl who took the classes u r takingwhat they did to get A’s and apply that and ur GPA will go up!
2F Uh probably not. Im no admissions officer tho. Remember u always have essays. THat engineering program at your school seems like a great essay topic. Do you have any personal projects in that class? Ik in my engineering class we def made some anecdotes of cool things to talk about…so think about that and that might help offset your “well-roundedness” (although its not a bad thing imo.)
Might be time to engage in more ec! They're a fun and great way to not only make friends but also impress colleges. For engineering, think about robotics club, coding club, engineering club, design comeptitions, online app submissions etc. If you already know about tech-y stuff and ^^ clubs aren't availible, maybe think about starting a class to teach little kids about commputers or 3d printing or whatever u know (that's a little harder but it can be a great project to start junior year) try to look for ec relating to ur major and honestly even disregarding colleges, it'll be so much fun anyways!
That being said I’m a senior and am in the same boat of “what am i doing” as you (lmao high school amirite) so take my advice about admissions with a grain of salt. But gl in junior year!
I agree with most of the posters. A job is a great thing to have, especially if it’s one that you’ve stuck with and enjoy. So are your ECs, pretty strong. I do not think that your lack of APs is too much of a concern, as you aren’t really lacking that many. The most important thing that you must do is keep your grades up. Your UW GPA is pretty low for stronger colleges, but I’m not sure where you plan on applying. Also, especially in terms of average to above-average state schools, decent standardized testing scores are vital. Just ensure that you are focusing on your grades and testing, and I think you will be fine with whatever you desire.
