<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>I'm in enrolled in a program where I go to college and high school at the same time. My high school GPA was horrible and high school was not for me, but at my program I'm excelling and I'll be a full time college student. My plan is to major in cultural/applied anthropology and minor in religious studies (focusing on non abrahamic religions). By the time I'm a "senior" in high school, I'll have enough college credits to be considered a junior. I'm focusing on UofM because it has a good anthropology program and it's in state. I want to make a set plan and I'm wondering if I could get some advice.
Thanks</p>
<p>I’m not sure what you mean by “set plan.” Also, I think it would helpful to supply stats so that you can receive some more concrete advice (e.g. you need a higher SAT score, bring up that GPA, consider another institution more on your level, etc.). Right now, all you’re saying is that you have a “horrible” high school GPA, which means different things to different people, and that you’re now “excelling,” which, again, can mean God knows what.</p>
<p>I’m sorry about that. My gpa in high school was 3.0. The only AP class I took was AP US History and I received a 5. I’m taking college government right now and I received a B+ on the midterm. Right know you have to take prep classes the first semester you enroll in the program but so far I’m pretty confident that I’ll do well in college I’m debating whether or not I want to create a proposal for undergraduate research. I haven’t taken the ACTs and I’m scared to but I will be taking ACT prep classes. In terms of set plan I’m wondering what classes I should focus on so that my transfer will go more smoothly to another college. I need a college transcript that will look a lot better than my high school transcript and hopefully take the attention away form it. I’m not depending on UofM but I live very close to it and it seems that it has a nice anthropology department. I hope this comment clarifies things. Thanks</p>
<p>Just for clarification, I am assuming that you are currently both a high school junior and a college freshman in your dual enrollment program? If so, here’s the best advise I can give you: </p>
<p>Your high school GPA is obviously not stellar, but there’s nothing you can do about it, so move on. Work on getting the highest possible GPA now. Use rate my professor to find good professors in good classes. </p>
<p>A huge part of transferring comes down to your numbers (most importantly GPA) and essays–where you articulate your reasons for transferring and why school “X”–in your case, Michigan–can satisfy your social and academic wants. Saying Michigan has a good anthropology department is such a broad, unsubstantiated statement that only illustrates a person’s limited understanding of a university’s academic offerings. </p>
<p>So in your essays, discuss specific classes that you’re interested in taking, specific research opportunities that are available, and specific professors with whom you would be interested in working with. This is by no means a guarantee to success, and not all of these points need to be followed in a single essay, yet I still want to stress the necessity of specificity. </p>
<p>My only other advice is make sure you prepare for the ACT–and that means more than just showing up for a prep class. I never took the ACT, so I can’t comment on the test’s difficulty, but what I can tell you is that a test is a test is a test; in order to master it, you just have to practice. Make sure you put in significant hours independently studying, and only take the exam when you know you can get a good score. </p>
<p>Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions!</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the help! I do have specific goals that I want to reach at UofM. I have a lot of research proposals that I would like to see come to life. UofM also offers Sanskrit and Hindi which is extremely important in my field of study. My biggest concern is the ACT. I know I need to get a good score ; I’m going to prep but I’m just concerned because I also need deal with my college schedule. I would want to put my college GPA before my ACT scores. What do you think about that? I could just not take the ACT all together but I have no idea what I’m doing :/. What classes would you suggest I take at the current university I’m at? Thanks so much for the help!</p>
<p>In terms of how admissions officers look at GPA vs. standardized testing, let’s just say: GPA >>>> ACT. Please understand this. Nevertheless, you need to have the best of both worlds–that is, great gpa (3.8+) and great ACT (I have no idea what’s “good,” 32+, perhaps?).</p>
<p>College is a difficult juggling act, but so is life, so you’re going need to find time to study for the ACT while keeping up that GPA. I would recommend putting significant hours into studying for the ACT over winter break.</p>
<p>As for classes that you should take, I really cannot answer this, as I am not familiar with Michigan’s general education requirements, and I have no idea what you’re majoring in.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot. 30+ is very good, and I’ll definitely take up the suggestion of studying over winter break. In terms of classes I want UofM to know that I can take a rigorous course load. I’m not sure if I should just take care of my gen eds or start to go into my major</p>
<p>Do both. Just don’t take fluff classes (intro to college study skills). Go look at the website and see what you need for gen eds and major requirements.</p>