<p>I've recently been reading a lot about how most universities/colleges (is there a major difference?) really look at the level of classes you've been taking throughout high school, your GPA and extra-curricular activities. I plan on going to a community college first, then a 4 year, and then move on to UC Davis to get my Forensic Science masters (I don't have any preferences yet for the other two schools). I'm going to give a brief overview of my high school life so far.</p>
<p>Freshman year:
- GPA = 2.8
- I took many core classes, and had mainly C or B grades.
- Cheer leading. No clubs.
I didn't really have an interest of going to college, and I didn't really care that much about school.</p>
<p>Sophomore year:
- GPA = 3.2
- I moved up to all CP and one core class.
- My grades were mainly B's with a few A's
- No sports or clubs.
- 50 hours of community service. (goal for soph. year was 30, for fresh. year 20; I decided to try and get a combined amount for soph. year to make up for my lack of service the year before.)
I have really started to care about school and tried to raise my grades significantly.</p>
<p>Junior year (current year):
- GPA = 3.8
- I get all A's now (wish I had that from the start!).
- No sports or clubs.
- 60 hours + of community service (I am volunteering for 2 months in Florida at a Bible Institute summer camp. I live in New Jersey).
- I attend a poly tech class which I leave school about half way through the day. My grade in that class makes up for 4 classes at my high school. (good/bad?)
- I also am taking a online college course at a community college which gives me 3 transferable college credits. I plan to take it again next year.</p>
<p>So overall, I have never taken honors or AP classes. Not much sports activity and no clubs. But will my GPA, community service, and having already taken college classes in high school be enough?</p>
<p>There is a thread where we parents were discussing C students going to college. There are a number of schools that will take kids who are not good students in high school, some of them pretty good colleges too. The catch is that they know what the preparation such a student has. For example, a number of C students at college prep Catholic schools go on to 4 year Catholic colleges. I see it all of the time. They are often familar with the schools that those kids have attended and what they know even if their grades are not so good.</p>
<p>In your case, you are in a non traditional program, and you need to talk to your counselor as to what schools are familiar with this program and where you are likely to have the best chance of acceptance. That will give you some schools, 4 year as well as community colleges where you have a good chance of acceptance. As far as transferring cc credits, again, you need to find out what colleges have accepted credits from that cc and how online credits have been going over. My son’s school is very dicey about accepting cc credits except from the ones that it knows.</p>
<p>Is money going to be an issue for you? Make sure you select some options that are definitely affordable to you as well.</p>
<p>@cptofthehouse</p>
<p>Thank you for responding!</p>
<p>Am I considered a C student even though I get A’s now? From what I recall, the program I am taking said that it’s credits were transferable to any college. I can and will still check with my guidance counselor though. I need to meet with her anyway for moving me up to English Honors next year!</p>
<p>To be honest, I don’t want money to be an issue. I have no money saved up and I plan on getting student loans. However, I am perfectly fine with that as long as I can find a job that will enable me to pay the bill each month! I just want to make sure I get a good education, no matter the cost, which is something most of my family hasn’t had.</p>
<p>You are not a C student, you have an overall GPA of ~3.3, which by itself isn’t amazing but you have a major upward trend which will be viewed very positively by colleges. The lack of course rigor and extracurricular activities is not the best and will certainly hurt but there are many 4 year universities that will overlook this and accept you based on your other merits.</p>
<p>@KronOmega</p>
<p>So for next year, I still have the opportunity to join clubs and take one honors class (English). Would that help a bit? </p>
<p>It’s kinda too late to join a sport, and English is the only class I would feel comfortable moving up to honors.</p>
<p>But overall, I’m glad to hear that! Thank you :-)</p>
<p>Well, from what I know, a 3.8 on all CP classes is wonderful, and you’re already trying out college classes. I’m sure you would do fantastic at the honors level, and maybe even an AP course. If you look at it this way, your GPA should stay roughly the same or grow, even if you get lower grades in those honor classes, because the honors classes are worth more.</p>
<p>For instance, in the SC grading system, getting a 100 in an CP class is worth 4.875 (3.875), the same as getting a 96 in an honors class and a 92 in an AP class. Getting a 100 in an AP class is worth 5.875. Make sense?</p>
<p>You still might not feel comfortable with it, I understand. But if you’re willing to show colleges what you’re capable of and how much you’ve worked to go to college, I think they’d appreciate a good step up in course rigor. I bet you could do it :)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>@Newberrytiger</p>
<p>Yes! That makes sense. Thank you :-)</p>
<p>I am very willing, I just hope it’s not to late to switch my schedule for next year! (we handed them in months ago) But since I’m only able to move up to one honors class, are there higher level classes in community college that I can take, that would be an equivalent to a high school honors class?</p>
<p>I’d say go for it! 
You might make B’s instead of A’s at first, but if you work hard at it you’ll catch up.
I’m not an admissions councilor (i’m only a junior as well), but I think just the effort in itself will be favorable to 4 year schools. Apply to different kinds of 4 year schools around your state (or country, if distance isn’t an issue). Private, large state schools, small state schools, schools with a high percentage of acceptance rates and schools with medium percentages. Give yourself a goal to work toward. Also, start on your essays early and work on them throughout the summer, they’re important to let colleges know who you are and how far you’ve come since the beginning of high school, and what you plan to do at college and beyond.</p>
<p>A good resource to glance at college profiles is US News. Here’s an example of a local college in my state: [Newberry</a> College | Best College | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/newberry-college-3440]Newberry”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/newberry-college-3440)
It lists rank, acceptance rate, student population, and all sorts of information. It’s an excellent place to start looking.</p>
<p>If you need any help with anything I’d be glad to! Just let me know (:</p>
<p>Honestly, It sounds like you are not in the best position to go straight to a 4 year and will do better in a 2 year first. </p>
<p>What I would recommend is go to a 2 year school and do really well. You definitely have the capability to do so as seen by your upward trend. The community college won’t break the bank and will allow you to work as well. Save up some money and transfer to a state school for your junior and senior year. </p>
<p>If you do this, not only will you cut your student loans a great deal, you will also be able to go to a better 4 year school as a transfer than you would applying with your mediocre high school grades. A better school will better prepare you for your masters degree and for grad school admissions in general.</p>
<p>You might make Riverside or Merced… Davis is a possibility too… Honestly, if you just do well on your standardized testing, you’ll go anywhere… Around a 2000+ should get you into Davis! Good luck (:</p>
<p>Well not anywhere, but a mid tier UC like Davis (:</p>
<p>@Newberrytiger </p>
<p>Distance and location are kind of factors at the moment. I don’t plan on buying a car, and I am going to be moving in with my boyfriend in Washington so that we can split rent and other expenses. I don’t know if this is the wisest thing to do, but we want to be able to make it work. </p>
<p>I want to be able to either ride my bike, mo-ped (hopefully not that expensive to buy), or take a bus to get to school. I know this will probably lower my options for college, but to be honest, I am not that picky about where I want to go to get my associates and B.A. because I know I want to end up at UC Davis in the end for my masters! Does that make sense?</p>
<p>But I have started to look at community colleges around where he lives. So, yes! I will start applying and working on my essays :-)</p>
<p>You’re a junior in high school?</p>
<p>@Jillsfein</p>
<p>I wish you had been able to tell me this before I started my college search, haha!</p>
<p>I plan on starting off at a community college, then going to a four year. Like I said in my last post, I’m not too picky about which schools those two end up being, as long as they offer a biochemistry degree. </p>
<p>But the whole deal about going to a community college first is something that I was never told going into, and throughout high school. My parents especially always pushed my into going to a 4 year college right out of high school, and I know I’m sure that’s what all parents want for their children, because I have no money saved up, and my parents themselves, I know, have put no money what so-ever towards my future, it never made sense that they would make it look like going to a community college was bad. </p>
<p>So, it wasn’t until I actually stared searching for colleges and looking at tuition costs, that I realized I can go to a community college first, then transfer into a 4 year.</p>
<p>Anyway! Yes, I do plan on going to a community college first, and thank you! I hope more students are aware of this.</p>
<p>@Iamnotok</p>
<p>Thank you for the names of those schools! I am really limited to location and distance from where I plan on living though, so it’s hard to look at schools people have suggested. </p>
<p>And thank you for bringing the testing score up! I plan on going to a community college first. UC Davis is going to be the last school I go to for my masters. So, I’m not too concerned about my score, though I still want to do very well. But, in the case that I don’t, am I able to take my SAT over again after I leave high school?</p>
<p>@kaitlynnw </p>
<p>I’m really happy to see that you’re being so mature and responsible about your college decisions. I know so many people who take out loan after loan to go to a mediocre school they can’t afford when they would have been better off at a CC first. </p>
<p>Just keep your grades up at CC and I’m sure you’ll be in amazing shape. </p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck on your search.</p>
<p>Yes, It makes sense, my mother did something similar except she didn’t go to college, she just went straight to work while my dad went to school and they supported each other.</p>
<p>Where are you guys moving? Washington state or DC?</p>
<p>Yep, I’m a junior. Trying to get a head start on college admissions so i’m not clueless next year :P</p>
<p>@Newberrytiger</p>
<p>Washingon state! He will have an advantage though because it’s his home state, but I’m sure out of state tuition is THAT bad at a community college, compared to a 4 year. But I could be wrong!</p>
<p>Same What are you looking to go to college for?</p>
<p>And, do you mind if I ask you opinion on something that doesn’t really relate to what were talking about?</p>
<p>Haha yea, hopefully it won’t be too bad. At least the weather won’t be a drastic change because you’re in Jersey, but for me, when I go to college up North, I’m going to be so unprepared for winter :P</p>
<p>I’m wanting to go into visual arts. Probably something along the lines of graphic design, photography, interactive design, etc. Got awhile to figure out what specifically though (:</p>
<p>Sure, anything?</p>
<p>@Newberrytiger</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t like the weather here. I have always been a beach person, which is ironic because I am 100% Irish and barely tan a bit. I love the warmer weather and the more tropical atmosphere. </p>
<p>Everything you listed is something I am interested in as well! I would love to be one of those on the side, but I REALLY want to be an FBI agent one day, haha. </p>
<p>And what are your opinions on taking online classes for college? It is something my mom suggested to me the other day. It would solve my problem with transportation, since I don’t have my permit or my license, although I have passed my written test. But, I am pretty sure I need practice and teaching in an actual lab for my biology and biochemistry degree. </p>
<p>What about you?</p>
<p>Haha yeah, I’m going to really really miss the warm weather while I’m off for college.</p>
<p>And great! The arts is very exciting, competitive, but it’ll be worth it. FBI agent sounds interesting 
I always thought about being in forensics, but chemistry just isn’t for me.</p>
<p>Personally, I think some online classes are great and some aren’t. I would take history and literature classes on the web, but not math or language classes. I don’t really care for online school as a whole but some people like it, so I guess it’s just a preference. You could try taking one this summer and see how it goes?</p>