Sophomore in High School - please try to chance me/give me answers(:

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>Hey Everyone,
SORRY IN ADVANCE FOR THE LONG READ, but I really need your help!
I'm 15 1/5, a sophomore in high school and I'm starting to get pretty nervous for the upcoming years! I have an older sister who went through the system so I've heard how daunting the process is! (She's considerably older than me, so I want to ask questions here about the most recent system, if there were any changes).</p>

<p>I go to a very, very tough private school - Crystal Springs Uplands School (CSUS) and I'm an average(?) student, but I don't think colleges look at the rigor of the applicant's high school. I took the PSATs this year and I'm waiting for my results (so obviously I haven't taken the SATs yet). I'm getting a B+ in every class (I'm so close to A-'s so hopefully I can push myself up there!) (I'm only a sophomore and I've promised myself I must get at least about a 3.7W) I'm not outstanding in any classes (I grew up in a public school environment and was at the top of my class, but I can't manage that in my private school, some people are just way too smart...) but I did receive an award in math, basically a "most improved student". "Most Improved ____" has actually been the story of my life and the only thing I'm good at doing. I'm an upward-tend kind of girl..slowly but surely! I have determination, even if I don't have the (most? lol) brains.
I've been on gymnastics, dance, volleyball, badminton, swimming, tennis, basket ball and soccer teams as well as numerous other sports as I was growing up. I've received two-three (I forget) awards in volleyball for being the "most improved player".
However, despite my love for sports, I wasn't able to receive any REAL awards because I experienced a severe injury in my ankle and am sadly no longer able to do anything sports-related. [It is kind of bittersweet, however, because even if I wasn't injured I wouldn't be able to be teams outside of school because of financial issues, which is another reason I quit all sports]
As well as my (hopefully) colorful sports history, I also play the piano (11 years), the guitar (7 years), the trumpet (5-6 years), the flute (?), and the drums (?). I also sing, I wouldn't say I'm a good singer but I've made it into select chorus groups at my school, so I guess I am? haha. However, I stopped lessons for piano, guitar, trumpet, and voice lessons outside of school because of the rigor of my middle and high school (CSUS).
Since I've stopped things outside of school, I've been trying to be more proactive in school. I'm thinking of running for student council next year and I'm going out for editor of the school magazine. I already submitted an article about alcohol already so I hope I will get the position!
I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting some things about me because otherwise I'm pretty darn useless, huh? haha.
Anyway, my parents grew up and were schooled in India and they have NO IDEA about anything over here in the US so I cannot ask them for help in any aspect! Pretty much 3rd grade math homework was their extent.</p>

<p>I have dreams of going to a great college that would be a perfect fit for me and give me an amazing experience, because I feel the torture of my middle school and high school life at Crystal Springs have to amount for something, am I right?
I kind of really want to go to colleges such as UC Berkeley, USC, Dartmouth, Duke, UPenn, etc. (what's the entrance GPA, what do the SAT scores need to be, how is that college, campus life, Greek life, academics, ETC). My hopes are getting into any Engineering Program - I don't know which one yet, maybe computer sciences? I've researched colleges and pretty much everything to do with college(s), but I know I'll need the help of people who have already gone through it all.
PLEASE, put me out of my misery and somewhat time-wasting habits of researching colleges when I should be doing homework! Also, comment as MUCH as you can about everything I said and your thoughts about the outcome of my high school and college life.
Do you think I have a chance of getting into UCB, USC, Dartmouth, UPenn, etc? If not, where do you think I will/can go? My parents don't want me to leave state (California) because my sister did and they don't like it one bit, but if I must...I must.
Also, any tips for getting ready for college and organization preparations would be so amazing! I basically need you to parent me on the next three years of my life...through this thread or like a mini how-to life guide book.
Please don't just tell me to go ask my school counselors because I'm doing that currently and every time I'm notified about a response for this thread I don't want you to tell me the only thing I know how to do. LOL, if you got my gist there.
P.S. Also please try to talk about/give advice about college essays/college apps and what they look like and all that. I don't know what to ask for so please tell all!
P.P.S. Any and all info on sororities and their recruitment techniques/methods etc. is definitely wanted! Is rushing a good idea? What happens and what IS rushing, hazing, sisterhoods etc? What happens in a sorority life - also that differs from a non-Greek life? Please tell(:
P.P.P.S. I LOVE to volunteer, I do it all the time at libraries, church, schools, etc. but I didn't really keep very good track of it because I never thought I could use it for college..dang.
P.P.P.P.S. (sorry...) I hope to find good people at the college I attend. I have had devastating encounters all my life and I have also never had a boyfriend. LOL. Pathetic, I know. Will I find good friends at college (in a sorority) and perhaps even a boyfriend? Hopefully that will last for a long time, dare I say forever?</p>

<p>THANK YOU SO MUCH. I tend to rant so if you survived through to the end of this, I'm currently giving you a hug and a Ghirardelli chocolate.</p>

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<p>You’re not going to like my answer, but I’ll answer you anyways: stop stressing out about this. Find something you enjoy doing in your high school and excel in it, whether it’s a club, student government, a sport, whatever. Find your passion and pursue it meaningfully, and don’t worry about what admissions counselors will think about it. Go have a life. Then come back next year about this time and start thinking about applying to college.</p>

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<p>yeah, that’s what everybody’s been telling me, but i know the next two years are really important and i can never re-do it. is there anything that i should do now to improve how my college app will look like?</p>

<p>as in, how are my ec’s? and what should my goal gpa be? i know you’ll tell me to stop worrying now, but i’m a good “ahead-planner” if you know what i mean. if i can set a goal for myself ahead of time i can slowly but surely work towards it.</p>

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<p>I want to give you my first impression: for 15 1/5, you are articulate, you use spell-check, your grammar is decent, and you have quite a lot of structure to your ramblings. I actually read it twice because I wasn’t convinced it was written by a 15 year old. I’ll assume you are being honest.</p>

<p>Since you seem very intelligent and capable, here’s my motherly advice: take every hard class you can at your school. Make friends with all the smart kids in your school and plan study group sessions with them. Keep your ears open and listen to them. Figure out what your teachers want and give it to them. Do everything you can to get those A’s. A- is the same as A+ so don’t worry about that. </p>

<p>Continue leadership roles. Stay focused in fewer areas where your passions can grow. Do activities outside of school that are related to those passions either in volunteer work or education. </p>

<p>Unless you are going to go into a sport in college, don’t let sports get in the way of academics. Or for that matter, don’t let other activities that are not related to your future get in your way. I know others will disagree but I have seen too many students follow passions of “fun” activities and cut back on academics. Try to look at an activity as a wise adult would see it and decide if it is “good” for you. Of course, some fun and exercise is good for the body and soul but I hope you understand this.</p>

<p>Most colleges publish a Freshman Profile which will show you the statistics of the latest freshman class. Here is the one for USC- <a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2009.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2009.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>There is great advice on these forums as well as other sites. I predict you will get into a good college. Good luck.</p>

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<p>seriously. how are we supposed to “chance” you without your sat scores or your gpa. How do you know you like these colleges? Have you even visited them?? your 15 stop worrying. chill.</p>

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<p>I wasn’t going to open this thread because I’ve noticed you’ve posted a ton of other threads. That alone makes you appear to be a raving lunatic! But I opened it, and agree with CC411. You do seem smart and articulate (and not a raving lunatic :)). Crystal Springs is an excellent school. Do everything you can to excel academically there, and surround yourself with other serious students. You’ll be fine if you create an upward grade trend, and prepare yourself to take SATs or the ACT. </p>

<p>As for how you use college confidential, it’s fine to ask specific questions, but try to avoid entry level questions (should I rush? what’s it like at college X?). Read some of the threads, search for your specific questions here and on college websites, and try to get a sense of what some of the answers might be. Then ask more specific followup questions. </p>

<p>As far as I can tell, the colleges you mention don’t have that much in common except a certain level of prestige. Try to think about what you really want in a college, and identify schools that match those qualities, instead of just schools you’ve heard are prestigious. You’ll be able to broaden your list, which is important. </p>

<p>Welcome to the USC forum!</p>

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<p>I thought you were spamming collegeconfidential. But seriously stay off CC for a while, don’t let it distract you from your academics.</p>

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<p>Hi there,
I’m really glad that you are taking the initiative to start planning for the future. I am a student at USC so perhaps I can provide a bit of insight into the process…</p>

<p>You will need to concentrate the most on your grades sophomore and junior years. While they say everything counts, and don’t be mistaken, it does, sophomore and junior years provide the chance for the university to see if you can excel in your academics and upper level course work. Try to take difficult classes, but don’t push yourself past the point of incompetence. My advice is to take the difficult classes in the areas in which you feel you can get better grades in, and take the regular courses in your weaker areas but still maintain good grades in those.</p>

<p>You need to be getting involved in leadership activities within your school and focus on 1-3 things and do them really well rather than being okay at 15 things. It seems like you are into music and sports. Try to find a leadership position in either of these activities. I know you are worried about the time all of these things take and how you are supposed to juggle them with your academics, but you have to prioritize.</p>

<p>Also, you might want to get involved in community service. But make sure the community service you do is an ongoing thing rather than an eight hour stint for Habitat for Humanity for the weekend. If you can commit even 3 hours a weekend for a year or two, the colleges will see that you didn’t necessarily do the community service just for the application (and if you did, it looks a whole lot better than the kids who note the random weekends they did a bit of work). Furthermore, you might meet some inspirational people along the way :)</p>

<p>It seems like your goals for future colleges are high…At the minimum, you are going to have to get at least a 2000 on your SAT to have any sort of fighting chance. For the schools you have listed, your grades are pretty low. Most students applying into the schools you mentioned have a 3.7 & above unweighted and generally over a 4.0 weighted. I suggest you either honestly reevaluate your goals to see if they are attainable, or spend more time on your academics. I’m sorry to be so frank but I’m trying to paint an honest picture here.</p>

<p>Also, you want to make sure you apply & choose schools that you will be be happy at both socially and academically. If you happen to get into a top 10 school academically, make sure that you will be able to handle the coursework at that school. Try to get out of the mentality that “because I go to Dartmouth, my future is set”. Yes, indeed having a degree from Dartmouth will be extremely helpful for future jobs, but your grades do count in college too. And I might add, college courses are difficult. </p>

<p>My point is, look at schools that fit your interests, location preference, size and academics. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to get into a top 30 school, go to collegeboard.com (the website for PSAT & SATs) and they have some tools to help you find schools that match you.</p>

<p>Here are a few schools in California that are popular and lots of California kids apply to: USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Davis, Santa Clara University, University of San Diego, Cal Poly-SLO, San Diego State, San Francisco State, University of San Francisco, Loyola Marymount University (in LA), Stanford</p>

<p>and some out of state popular options: University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Washington-Seattle, University of Oregon </p>

<p>I’m not going to go into great detail about the college apps because you still have two years before applying, but you don’t want to write a run of the mill essay. Basically avoid writing about community service and sports 99% of the time. Tell them something that they can’t gather from reading the app. Provide information about yourself that is intriguing, informative, and meaningful. If you need more advice later on about the essay just contact me. </p>

<p>Don’t be afraid about meeting people in college and making friends–like high school it takes some time to find a niche, but unlike high school there is less drama. It’s actually really great you don’t have a boyfriend–in high school I found that it’s way too distracting and takes up way too much energy. Anyways, boys in high school are fairly immature and aren’t really looking for something serious (unless of course you find a hidden gem but don’t count on it). Just enjoy yourself in high school and don’t get too caught up in whether or not you have a boyfriend. </p>

<p>Anyways, getting back on track here…To answer some questions about USC specifically:</p>

<p>Greek life at USC is pretty prominent. About 1/3 of all undergrad students participate in a sorority or frat. For rushing, every school is different. Some schools take the process very seriously, and others don’t. It really depends on the school. The same goes for hazing. I do know that sisterhoods are lifelong bonds and there’s not many other places where you have 120 other girls supporting you. The sorority you join definitely impacts the experience, but at USC a majority of girls I know absolutely love their sororities. </p>

<p>Hopefully this helps and if you have anymore questions send me a message.</p>

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<p>hawkwings: thanks for your advice. you’re right, though, i couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed by that comment. the only reason for my annoyed reaction is that when i start thinking about something, it’ll turn into an obsession in no time and it will not cease until i reach a complete sense of closure. you know?</p>

<p>cc411: thanks you!! i actually don’t use spell-check - the only spell-check i have is self ingrained(: LOLOL i officially love you for that comment. thank you! yes i am 15 1/2, honestly.
down to business now, the only reason i don’t want to take incredibly hard classes is because i don’t want to push myself too hard and do badly in them, which is what my sister did (same high school). all my friends (fortunately and unfortunately) are very smart so i’m totally surrounded by smart people. sometimes it’s intoxicating.
what do you mean by “A- is the same as A+” i don’t really understand that.
wow at that website. an unweighted 3.8 average for all admitted studants? oh goodness. hahah. i might be screwed.
yeah, i’ve been perusing this website for weeks - i’m hooked. however, i’d like to get insight from other websites - do you know any good ones?
LOVE THAT. thanks for your prediction. made my day!</p>

<p>college kid92: i don’t know if i should furrow my brow and cross my arms or blush because i’m working way too far ahead because i’m super nervous.
p.s. yes! i have. i’ve visited the University of Southern California - which is the college i’m currently obsessed with. i really want to go there - could you or ANYONE ELSE (caps to get the attention of others) give me some info on this college? i’ve been reading for days and weeks about it and i’m getting so much mixed feedback. HELP!</p>

<p>columbia_student: i can’t help it and the least you could do is help me with my question(s). i just proofread this sentence and i sound TOTALLY rude. i didn’t mean it like that - sorry! i hope you get my gist.</p>

<p>coexist: i love you so much for your reply and help. i’d just like to start off with that(:
here goes my responding: the fact that your from USC and that you were replying to my thread pretty much made me pee in my pants.
that completely makes sense. i’m just finding it tough to get perfect grades in all my classes because the courseload is so tough! would USC consider the rigor of my high school while looking at my application? i heard that since it’s a private college, it will pay more attention to the fact that i went to an extremely tough private high school. is that true? also, will my weighted GPA count just as much as my unweighted GPA? i read that the unweighted GPA is 3.7-8 but i feel like i can only manage that whilst weighted. do i still have a chance at USC or do i need to work harder?
for your leadership comment: i’m thinking of running for student council in junior year (something minor as to not consume my consulation periods and lunches but major enough to proudly state in a crowded room). i’m also being interviewed for a position on the school paper/magazine, and i’m even thinking of taking the reigns on BAMM, i think is what it is, where we teach music to underprivileged(?) children. would that be enough? if not, what else do you recommend?
good idea! i’ve found irregular weekend programs at a nearby hospital, nearby library, and i’m looking for a community service program. also, by irregular i mean once a month, every other weekend, and part-time commitments.
SAT/GPA comment: thanks for the reality shake. i know i’m shooting quite high with all this, but i really want a great future for myself and i feel by setting these goals i’ll hopefully eventually reach them somehow. saying again what i said somewhere up there (i’ll copy-paste): would USC consider the rigor of my high school while looking at my application? i heard that since it’s a private college, it will pay more attention to the fact that i went to an extremely tough private high school. is that true? also, will my weighted GPA count just as much as my unweighted GPA? i read that the unweighted GPA is 3.7-8 but i feel like i can only manage that whilst weighted. do i still have a chance at USC or do i need to work harder?
also, what SAT/GPA score do you reccommend/feel i could acheive which will allow me a chance/spot at USC?
that does make sense. however, i feel after CSU, i will really be in tune with balancing my life, if not go to lengths of saying i’ll be somewhat of an expert. people from CSU who went to many top colleges (example: Stanford) have commented on the ease of college compared to high school. hopefully i’ll be one of those people!!
i have an idea for an app essay which is “about me” and does not fall into the stay-away-from-this-topic category. do you mind if i PM you the idea?
hahaha i scoff at the thought of any sort of boy-gem at my school.
could you tell me more about the different sororities at USC and their reps? i’m not trying to find the “hottest” ones but i definiately want to know if i’m starting to like a sorority with a terrible rep for…i don’t know, excessive drinking? bah! and we all know what happens when i start liking something…(if you don’t, after i like it i OBSESS)</p>

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<p>oh my goodness, i’m so sorry. i forget to thank everyone for their help so far and sign “my name”.</p>

<p>thank you all so terribly much. i don’t know why i used the word terribly because it gives my thank you a negative effect but i’m too tired to think of a better word.</p>

<p>-crazychapstick</p>