<p>My school has a system where only core classes and certain specific electives related to a core subject count towards the GPA and class rank.</p>
<p>This year I was hospitalized during finals week, and remained in the hospital for a very long time after that. I missed several finals, but I was able to arrange make up as promptly as it would be possible with them. One teacher however, who taught an elective class which was fairly difficult for me, did not really do well having me make up the final. My guidance counselor had a solution for this apparently, she said because the class didn't count on my GPA, I could just forget about the final and take the grade I would receive with a 0, which was a 71%. I took my Computer Science final about three months after the rest of the class, and I had forgotten much of the material, however I still got a 90.</p>
<p>My guidance counselor had basically said the class didn't matter simply because it didn't matter in our stupid system, but who says colleges won't recalculate my GPA out of that weird system anyway. Her only relevant point was that I was not going to be a Comp. Science major. I was very displeased and my opinions of her have lowered significantly.</p>
<p>Texasmath, I think that your GC was simply trying to be supportive of you at time of great stress - so please don't be too harsh on her. It would be nataural for any caring person to try to lighten your load as much as possible in view of the hospitalization, as well as to be reassuring. What she did was help you prioritize. In the realm of competitive college admissions, it might be a mistake.... on the other hand -- if your grades are otherwise very good, I'm sure that your hospitilization can be noted. In fact - that's exactly what a good GC could do for you, when it comes time for her to fill out the recommendation form; she could also write "T. is an excellent student. Even when he was hopitalized with a severe illness during final exams in 2004, he diligently arranged to to retake all his finals, and was able to earn A's in all classes but for one elective." A letter like that would put the college on notice as to why you got the 90 in computer science. </p>
<p>I'm absolutely not complaining that she told me that maybe I shouldn't take the PreAP final, just the regular. But no counselor should suggest to a student with a 3.7 GPA and a load of advanced courses, that a C- is an okay grade.</p>
<p>Yeah you're right this could help college admissions. I saw a post in the UCSD forum about an admissions calculation type thing they use. You get points for different aspects of your transcript, personal achievements, and hardships. I get 500 friggin points for this bout of brain surgeries I had.</p>
<p>It's insane, can you believe it, I had to choose between having my vision ruined, or dying. I believe in psychology they call that an avoidance-avoidance decision.</p>
<p>Geez, Texasmath - I'm sorry you've had to go through this!! Honestly, I can see how the g.c. would have been more worried about your health than college prep, especially if she knew what you were facing. I mean - the advice may be wrong -- but it would take a pretty hard-nosed person to give a student undergoing brain surgery a lecture on the importance of keeping up their grades -- especially if she was talking to you before your surgery or while you were still hospitalized. </p>
<p>I really do think that colleges should be made aware of what you went through. The fact that you even passed your classes for that semester is a major achievement -- to get strong grades in most of them is amazing. </p>
<p>I hope that this was the last of your surgeries and you are on your way to recovery.</p>
<p>Also - I just checked some old posts of yours and see that you are only a sophomore. I know it is hard to believe, but one or two lower grades in sophomore year is not going to hurt you, if your grades are good in your junior year & the first half of your senior year. It could make a difference in class rank - but you already said that your school will not count it for that purpose. For "ranking" the colleges will rely on what the school tells them - they will not recalculate. And as I said before, I have a feeling that in the end your gc will be able to write an extremely strong rec., given the efforts you put forth when facing a life-threatening medical condition. A lot of kids would pretty much have given up on school under similar circumstances.</p>
<p>Thanks for the story- that was great. Here's one from our stellar educational
institution.</p>
<p>At the freshman orientation meetng at our high school I was sitting with
my son and his best friend and his mother. During the question and answer period his friend raised his hand and asked, "I see in the course catalogue that the school only offers Latin I and Latin II. How many years of foreign language are required for college?"</p>
<p>The gc looked at him and said (in front of about 300 people) "Oh, you
think you're goin' to Princeton?" </p>
<p>I made some remark back to her, but I was stunned.
And no, this young man is not going to Princeton; but were he graduating from an excellent college prep high school, he would certainly be a contender.</p>
<p>I cannot believe the nerve of that counselor!!!!!</p>
<p>This mom of an average student was fortunate to have been working with a very good GC while DS was in Japan. She was helpful and supportive and even sent a copy of a letter she had written with every application sent . Excerpt:</p>
<p>* XXX's transcript provides a very limited and understated version of him. What does not come across, though, is his generous, introspective, and playful nature. XXXX is not someone who tolerates differences, but one who values diversity. He accepts people for who they are and is energized by new experiences. He gives of himself to others not because he has to or feels it is the right thing to do, but rather because it is his absolute nature.*</p>
<p>She did not have to do this, but I was thrilled she did.</p>
<p>DS was accepted with merit scholarships to every school he applied to (Wittenberg, Lynchburg, Mount Union, Goucher, and a few others). </p>
<p>But in the end the sorting hat placed him in Slippery Rock (now don't be laughing) because he felt "at home" there.</p>
<p>Jmac, that was very rude of that counselor. Counselors are somewhat supposed to keep students thinking realistically, but they shouldn't just make rude comments like that when they don't know the student very well. I'm assuming the counselord and the student weren't extremely well acquainted considering he was a freshman.</p>
<p>The good news is, I'm sure colleges consider the available course load and what the student enrolled in of that. It's not really the student's responsibility to seek things very far past the school's offerings.</p>
<p>I'm not really going to college courses and going way beyond requirements. What I do to attempt to stand out is find loopholes and impress teachers, so that I may take courses other students aren't permitted to at a certain age.</p>
<p>For example, I spoke with the AP Psychology teacher and explained my interest in psychology, and that though I was a sophomore I had a great science GPA, and was a good student. She looked at my transcripts and the information she could access and I was enrolled in the class, a year before the school would have let me in. I'm going to try to do this with some othe courses that are only offered to seniors, for my junior year.</p>
<p>What kind of question is that? I mean, what prompted it?</p>
<p>I like to learn things that are relevant to my future. I'm going to start investing money in the stock market so I like to analyze stocks and stuff like that. I'm an accomplished musician, and I enjoy playing golf and tennis.</p>
<p>Now if you'd explain the relevance of that question, I'd be grateful.</p>
<p>TMWZ - If you read this thread from the beginning, it's about a kid who went against all conventional wisdom. He did what interested him - it's a pretty eclectic set of activities. And look what happened - turned out pretty damn well for him. And then if you read the thread on Kids Are Working Too Hard (sorry I don't know how to cut and paste thread URLs) you see that while some kids you just can't keep from doing a whole bunch of stuff, some kids get pushed into a state I can only term fibrillation from too much pushing.</p>
<p>In the '60s (yes I was alive) there was a book called Be Here Now. It argued that the capacity to be in the moment was necessary for peace of mind. </p>
<p>Your posts are just so much about what you can do to look good for college. I know the old hippie mantra is out of style, but what do you do in the moment? What would you do if you didn't have to get into college? </p>
<p>Not that I want to get you off track. You want to get into a great college. Follow your dream. But somewhere along the way you have to become a grownup. And when you become a grownup, if you don't have anything you love to do, you will be sad no matter how "successful" you are.</p>
<p>Well the deal is Alumother, we are on a college forum. Therefore I will discuss things that would help me in college, and inquire posters about my chances at college.</p>
<p>You can bet that when I am away from the computer I have a life aside from application furnishing, brand name activities.</p>
<p>I just went to the golf course, unfortunately it was closed. I don't think golf will help me much with college.</p>
<p>Alumother I know exactly where you are coming from, I think there are a lot of people here who just want to do things that they don't care about, but will help them get into the brand name universities.</p>
<p>I have actually thought about Baylor University. I believe it's second tier, but the medical school is exceptional, and the have great athletic facilities and student socialization places.</p>
<p>I promise you I'm not one of those who's trying to be perfect in the eyes of adcoms.</p>
<p>TMWZ - This is one of those moments where someone who is a mom sees someone who is a kid and honestly just want to check in. I'm glad you aren't trying to be perfect.</p>
<p>Maybe golf in and of itself won't help you get into college but maybe the time you spend analyzing your stroke will help you understand the way you work, or maybe the time you spend staring off into space will help you clear space for a creative idea, or maybe the walking of the course will be meditative. One never knows. </p>
<p>And you're right. It is a college forum. Looking forward to seeing your path through the coming year.</p>
<p>Yeah I've got a pretty intense schedule for next year. I hope I don't burn out. Right now I've got 3 APs, but I'm thinking of trying to get into AP Economics, a senior class, for next year. And I may add AP Environmental Science.</p>
<p>See the counselor said I had like the most rigorous schedule possible at that school, then I talked to a junior who had 7 APs. I'm not just wanting to sign up for more because they are APs. But there are a lot of courses I'm interested in that I won't be able to fit in unless I add some more junior year.</p>
<p>Education is so awesome, there is so much to learn.</p>
<p>One more thing, I may seem to be on the defense here, but I'm in agreement with you.</p>
<p>There are so many people who are doing all these things just to look good for colleges. We did a college research project in English. And you can bet here in Texas there were only a few colleges that came up. There were the usual couple of Ivy Leagues. Then you add Rice, Vanderbilt, and A&M.</p>
<p>I did UCSD and UT Austin, and I actually found out there are a lot of aspects of those colleges that don't suit me.</p>
<p>Texasmath - I know a kid who is very sharp, pretty impressive high school record, who chose Baylor because of unique major/area of study they offer. I'm sure he could have had his pick of top tier universities. He ended up with some really amazing experiences - I think he became very close to one of his profs, which led to his being hired for a research position that involved travel to a rather exotic location (very far from Texas). I don't know the details - just know that every time I spoke to his mom and asked how he was doing, there was always something new, always very impressive. </p>
<p>So definitely don't write Baylor (or the 2nd tier) off. I think there are a lot of opportunities for outstanding students at some of the less prestigious colleges, precisely because they stand out and impress their profs - this would be especially true for any of the larger colleges and research universities.</p>
<p>Yeah I want to be impressive, not another smart kid in the blob of them at Harvard or something.</p>
<p>Oh and I'm not writing Baylor off, I may have confused you. I'm almost gonna write of UCSD and UT Austin, but not decided yet.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your advice calmom, you've been a big help and I'll continue to listen to your advice through my high school career if you hang around.</p>
<p>Texasmathwhiz - golf may not help you in college, but it will certainly help you in the real world when big deals are made during a round of golf. My husband, who doesn't really enjoy the game, still plays because it gives him access to clients and prospects in a relaxed setting. He is quite the whiz at driving the golf cart even though the rest of his game is lousy!</p>
<p>Yeah I've definitely heard what you are saying. People would rather talk business over a game of golf than in a tense conference room.</p>
<p>From living in a very wealthy California town, I learned that there are two sports the young and rich people are very involved in. Tennis and golf. Tennis does not really provide time for a lot of talking due to the pace of the game, so golf is where the deals are made.</p>
<p>Besides, golf cart driving is a load of fun.</p>
<p>My GC is a little like that too. I also applied to the Harvard SSP which I went to last summer. The whole time my GC kept telling me that it was too expensive and I should go to a community college instead. That was even after I told her I wanted to get a feeling for how Harvard life was to see if I wanted to attempt Ivy league. My parents had also told me that money was no problem. I did get her to fill out my reccommendation though. Now my sister just finished applying to colleges and got into the one she wants to go to. My parents are going through a little rough patch with finances but not enough to get her need based scholarships so she went to the GC to ask for merit based ones. First she kept handing my sis need based applications. Then after arguing with her my sis managed to get one application. The GC told her she wasn't going to get it (keep in mind that my sis is top of her class) then after tons more arguing my sis finally got her to give her more applications. My GC is also bad about sending in scholarship applications. Every year there is one senior that gets screwed by the deadlines because the GC decides not to send in the applications until its too late.</p>