What are my chances of getting into Alabama?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

<p>Junior from Arizona (Phoenix area)</p>

<p>Current unweighted GPA: 3.3
Current weighted GPA: 3.8
By the time I graduate, I will have taken 7 AP courses and 6 honors courses.
My school doesn’t rank. Or maybe they just don’t tell us until senior year.
First Generation College Student
Multiracial (Hispanic/White)
Jewish</p>

<p>Test Scores:
Just took my SAT today, but on the practice I got about 1880. I took a prep course so I’m hoping for 2000.
I’m also taking my ACT in February. I got a 29 on the practice, I’m hoping for a 30.</p>

<p>Religious Extracurriculars:
Junior year-President of Temple Chai Temple Youth (TCTY, a Jewish youth group)
Sophomore Year-Programming Vice President of TCTY
Senior year-I will most likely be Regional President of the Southwest Region of the National Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY-SW, a large affiliation made up of Jewish youth groups like TCTY from Arizona, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Texas)
All years-Hebrew High School Student (attend two hours of class every week on topics such as Israel, the Holocaust, etc. Students who complete Hebrew High School receive a special diploma upon graduation)
Six years of Jewish summer camp, including two summers of LTP (Leadership Training Program)
Sophomore year-Youth Endowment Board (the board is given a sum of money and is in charge of determing which charities to distribute the money to)</p>

<p>Athletic Extracurriculars:
Four years of school softball (1 year Freshman, 2 years JV, 1 year Varsity)
Three years of club softball
One year of school basketball</p>

<p>Musical Extracurriculars:
Piano lessons for 10 years
Taught myself guitar (I am also a songleader in NFTY-SW)</p>

<p>Work Experience:
Temple Chai (Tutor, Administrative Assistant) September 2006-May 2007, July 2009-October 2009 (seasonal position)
Safeway (Grocery Store, Courtesy Clerk) June 2007-August 2008
Starbucks (Barista) June 2009-October 2009 (going back to work after this semester and planning to work all senior year)
Camp Charles Pearlstein (Camp Counselor) June 2010-August 2010</p>

<p>School Clubs/Societies:
National Honors Society-Junior/Senior
Society of Women’s Scholars-Junior/Senior
Spanish Honorary Club-Sophomore/Junior/Senior
(may run for an officer of one or two of these clubs for senior year)
65 Roses Club (Cystic Fibrosis)-All years
Founder of Camp Swift Club (explained below)</p>

<p>Community Service:
Camp Swift (about 1500 hours)-Camp Swift is a summer camp for underprivileged inner-city children from the Phoenix area. The camp is planned and run by Jewish teenagers who volunteer their time not only during the summer, but throughout the year to plan camp and raise money. (These hours include 12 sessions of camp plus planning and fundraising throughout all four years)
I have participated in other community service projects including playing the piano for retirement home residents, assembling toiletry baskets for Hurricane Katrina victims, volunteering at food banks and homeless shelters, and American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. These other activities add up to roughly 200 hours total.</p>

<p>Other Important (or maybe not important?) Factors:
-I will be paying for my own college/graduate school
-My cousin is my legal guardian. My mother died when I was seven and I don’t know who my father is. I’m hoping I can use my experiences to write some compelling essays. Also, if you know of any scholarships for adopted, single-parent children, etc., that would be great!</p>

<p>I’d like to go to medical school eventually, but I don’t necessarily want to major in science. I was looking into maybe Sport/Fitness Management or Human Performance. </p>

<p>I know this was really long. Thanks so much for your input!</p>

2

<p>*Current unweighted GPA: 3.3
Current weighted GPA: 3.8
By the time I graduate, I will have taken 7 AP courses and 6 honors courses.
My school doesn’t rank. Or maybe they just don’t tell us until senior year.
First Generation College Student
Multiracial (Hispanic/White)
Jewish</p>

<p>Test Scores:
Just took my SAT today, but on the practice I got about 1880. I took a prep course so I’m hoping for 2000.
I’m also taking my ACT in February. I got a 29 on the practice, I’m hoping for a 30.</p>

<p>My cousin is my legal guardian. My mother died when I was seven and I don’t know who my father is. I’m hoping I can use my experiences to write some compelling essays. Also, if you know of any scholarships for adopted, single-parent children, etc., that would be great!</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>I’m sure you’ll get accepted with your GPA and likely SAT/ACT. The goal needs to be to score high enough to get an automatic scholarship. </p>

<p>Since your cousin is your legal guardian, I think you’ll have a 0 EFC, so you’d qualify for federal aid. I’ll look more into that.</p>

3

<p>You should have no problem getting into UA. I’d concentrate on getting a higher SAT/ACT score for more scholarship money and doing well on the AP exams. Also, narrow down your major if you have a few in mind.</p>

<p>Good luck, from another Phoenix resident.</p>

4

<p>Thank you so much for your help! Mom2collegekids, if you find anything out about how having a legal guardian affects my financial aid, I’d love to find out more! :)</p>

5

<p>Sorry for the short response. I had to take a phone call.</p>

<p>Try to get the Collegeboard SAT practice book and the ACT practice book. I think the ACT one is called The Real ACT Prep Guide.</p>

<p>Make sure that you take both the ACT and the SAT. Scholarships are based on which ever is the best score. </p>

<p>BTW…I think you qualify for waivers for the SAT and ACT fees. Is that true? If you don’t know, have your GC look into that. </p>

<p>Your school counselor may have some in her office to lend out. Also, your library should have some copies. If you wanted to buy them, you can get them from Amazon or from the test websites.</p>

<p>I don’t know of any scholarships for your particular situation, but if I learn of any, I will let you know. :)</p>

<p>Keep us posted with your progress! :slight_smile: You sound like an amazing person!!!</p>

<p>If you have any other questions, either post them here, or PM me whenever you’d like. :)</p>

6

<p>How did you do on your PSAT? You might qualify as a National Hispanic scholar.</p>

<p>*I’d like to go to medical school eventually, but I don’t necessarily want to major in science. I was looking into maybe Sport/Fitness Management or Human Performance.
*</p>

<p>I missed this part somehow… :)</p>

<p>As a pre-med student you can major in whatever you want, but there are some science and math classes you must take because med schools expect them. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Pre-Medical Program</p>

<p>The pre-medical program advisors assist students in academic planning needed to meet the admissions requirements for medical school. The advisors also provide students with assistance in preparing for interviews, scheduling the MCAT, developing recommendations, and submitting application materials. Student organizations, especially Alpha Epsilon Delta, are important parts of the pre-medical education of UA students. Information about these organizations can be obtained from the pre-med advisors.</p>

<p>Students interested in pursuing a career in medicine may choose from a wide variety of programs that will both fulfill specific requirements for admission to medical school and allow them to pursue individual academic interests. Students preparing to enter medical school should consult the catalog of the medical school of interest early in their undergraduate careers in order to be informed of each school’s admissions requirements.</p>

<p>Although specific admissions requirements vary, **most medical schools require the courses listed below. **Most of these courses should be completed in the freshman and sophomore years.</p>

<p>[University</a> of Alabama Undergraduate Catalog 2008-10](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)</p>

<p>Courses Hours
BSC 114:115 or BSC 118 4
BSC 116:117 or BSC 120 4
CH 101 or CH 117 4
CH 102 or CH 118 4
CH 231 3
CH 232 3
CH 237 2
PH 101, PH 105, or PH 125 4
PH 102, PH 106, or PH 126 4
MATH 125 or MATH 145 4</p>

<p>The pre-medical program advisor is the primary advisor for students who enter the University as pre-medical until they declare a specific major. After that and for other students who have an interest in medicine, the advisor is available as a secondary advisor to assist specifically with issues related to medical school preparation.</p>

7

<p>Wow! Thank you for all this information! :D</p>

<p>I scored a 181 (out of 240) on my PSATs. If I recall correctly, multi-racial wasn’t an option on the test, so I think I may have just put that I was Caucasian/White. (I am half and half). I don’t know if that score would even qualify me for anything though. I think I was in the 92nd percentile.</p>

8

<p>You should have absolutely no problem getting in here.</p>

9

<p>I don’t have the cutoff scores for NHRP in front of me, but I’m thinking that the cutoff for AZ is higher than 181. I could be wrong, but it may be too late to have your counselor contact the College Board to explain the error anyway. Due to Affirmative Action policies in place at many colleges, it would be beneficial to check Hispanic rather than white if multiracial is not listed.</p>

<p>Concerning the SAT and ACT, retake each 1 or 2 times because chances are your score will rise. I know my ACT Composite rose 3 points with just one retake.</p>

<p>If you are interested, the website for UA’s Hillel is <a href=“http://www.bamahillel.org/[/url]”>http://www.bamahillel.org/&lt;/a&gt; .</p>

<p>I don’t know how being legally adopted affects FAFSA, but if you were a ward of the court for a certain length of time, your EFC should be 0. Based on being a URM and first generation, you should qualify for some federal programs and the McNair Scholars program when you become a college junior.</p>

10

<p>Thank you for being so helpful! :)</p>

11

<p>You’re very welcome. I’m also willing to answer any questions you may have about UA either via PM or this board.</p>

12

<p>*multi-racial wasn’t an option on the test, so I think I may have just put that I was Caucasian/White. *</p>

<p>You may need to have your GC contact them to have your ethnicity changed. You can call yourself Hispanic if you want to. You don’t have to be 100% Hispanic. </p>

<p>I don’t know what the cut-off is for NH. Is it different for every state, like NMSF?</p>

13

<p>Yes I believe there is a different cut-off in every state. Do you think I’ll need to somehow prove that I am Hispanic? (not to stereotype, but I don’t look like it at all)</p>

14

<p>No, you don’t have to prove that you’re Hispanic. There are many Hispanics that don’t “look” Hispanic. I went to high school with one of Mexico’s Portillo daughters. She was very blond, blue-eyed, and had skin whiter than my Italian skin. LOL</p>

15

<p>Haha. Living in AZ right by the Mexican border, people never believe me when I say that I am half-hispanic because around here, people only associate Hispanic with Mexican, and I have blonde hair blue eyes and light skin as well. They forget about the other countries out there!</p>

16

<p>Well, have your GC contact the right people associated with the NMC and/or NMH program to indicate that you’re Hispanic.</p>

17

<p>update: 28 ACT, 1870 SAT (610 CR, 610 Math, 650 Writing)
:)</p>

18

<p>Good luck! Did you apply to their special Honors programs? That could be a way to get scholarships. My son got into UA last year with a full scholarship, National Merit Finalist but turned it down to go local. We took him to Alabama in an effort to convince him, the campus is beautiful and all the staff that we dealt with, were amazing.</p>

19

<p>football…very good scores…did you just get them? </p>

<p>BTW…did you have your GC contact NM to let them know that you’re Hispanic?</p>

20

<p>Yeah I just got them. Thanks :slight_smile: I did have her contact them, apparently you can’t change it but I can just mark it on my SAT and it’ll override that. And she can nominate me for the award in late April. So it should all work out :slight_smile: thanks!</p>