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Applying to college

this is some advice from someone in college atm. Make sure you're very sure/interested in your chosen major, or you might find like me that you're not really interested in it. Don't take it sounds cool, to mean that it should be your future; read up on your major, ask seniors when you're in freshman year. Do everything in your power to ensure that you're well placed to make a decision.
 
So I got some good news everyone I got into Villanova for chemical engineering so that’s where I’ll be going next year I’m super excited

EDIT: can other people post with their acceptances / decisions


This is excellent! I believe their campus is still under "construction" though, I take the Thornedale line quite often and their campus is one of the stops (one of their campuses at least) and it's been under construction for about half a year now.
 
I'm a long time lurker, then a pretty good wifi trader when I was 14 lol. I was home schooled 8th grade and clearly had way to much free time. Reading all my old post is cracking me up and I have discovered that there is more to Smogon than just the Wifi section. :v4: I'm 17 now and applying to BYU Provo (spoiler I'm Mormon) right now, my application is due Feb. 2 and I'll find out March. 2. Fingers crossed!

Edit: Going through all the profiles of people I traded with and everyone is inactive :(
 
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TBH didn't really try as much as I should of and my grades kind of reflected that. Just applying to some local schools atm(from Texas applied to UT Austin,San Antonio,Dallas and A&M). Not sure if anyone else here goes to these schools or not, but curious if anyone here knows the difficulty for going into the major of Computer Science or Engineereing in any of those schools. Stats are 1390(600 EBRW 790Math iirc) on SAT(ya probably should of studied earlier than i did) and got 3.95/4.35 on GPA.

anwyays good luck for others in thier applications :]
 
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TBH didn't really try as much as I should of and my grades kind of reflected that. Just applying to some local schools atm(from Texas applied to UT Austin,San Antonio,Dallas and A&M). Not sure if anyone else here goes to these schools or not, but curious if anyone here knows the difficulty for going into the major of Computer Science or Engineereing in any of those schools. Stats are 1390(600 EBRW 790Math iirc) on SAT(ya probably should of studied earlier than i did) and got 3.95/4.35 on GPA.

anwyays good luck for others in thier applications :]

3.95 out of 4.35 or 3.95 UW and 4.35 W?

I can't really quantify your chances at the moment because GPA correlates with your school district. If you went to a top-ranked school and maintained that GPA, then you have a larger chance than, say, a person from a low-ranked school. Although Math is shown to be your strength, your 600 in EBRW is still very low. Lack of SAT II scores may also adversely hurt you. Even though these tests are supplementary at your listed institutions, SAT II's would have brought stronger credibility to your GPA and overall academic mastery since those tests are standardized.

Have you done any extracurriculars, and do you hold leadership positions in any of them (or demonstrate any form of leadership for that matter)? Based on your interest in going into Engineering, extracurriculars like Robotics clubs, side projects in CS (github profile), and STEM-based awards will help bolster your chances.

Given what you have shown here, your chances at getting into Cockrell and Arts and Sciences are slim as an in-state student. You should have a decent shot at the other three you listed (around 60% chance).
 
oh sorry shoudl of clarified it
3.95 out of 4.35 or 3.95 UW and 4.35 W?

I can't really quantify your chances at the moment because GPA correlates with your school district. If you went to a top-ranked school and maintained that GPA, then you have a larger chance than, say, a person from a low-ranked school. Although Math is shown to be your strength, your 600 in EBRW is still very low. Lack of SAT II scores may also adversely hurt you. Even though these tests are supplementary at your listed institutions, SAT II's would have brought stronger credibility to your GPA and overall academic mastery since those tests are standardized.

Have you done any extracurriculars, and do you hold leadership positions in any of them (or demonstrate any form of leadership for that matter)? Based on your interest in going into Engineering, extracurriculars like Robotics clubs, side projects in CS (github profile), and STEM-based awards will help bolster your chances.

Given what you have shown here, your chances at getting into Cockrell and Arts and Sciences are slim as an in-state student. You should have a decent shot at the other three you listed (around 60% chance).

oh sorry should of claried it its 3.95 unweighted(3B's) and 4.35 Weighted. Our school does GPA Out of 6 however many of those 6.0 classes are locked until Junior year. In terms of local area i got 15/706 in my class in end of junior year,but i wont say my school is the most competetive in the state . yeah i kinda rushed my SAT senior year so didnt have enough time for SAT II sadly. I didnt really do much EC's sadly, I took 2 CS classes however this year and last year . I also did math club since Sophmore year,however, didnt hold any leadership positions in any.

Thank you for the info as well, and ya i'll probably try to look at the other schools at this point
 
oh sorry shoudl of clarified it


oh sorry should of claried it its 3.95 unweighted(3B's) and 4.35 Weighted. Our school does GPA Out of 6 however many of those 6.0 classes are locked until Junior year. In terms of local area i got 15/706 in my class in end of junior year,but i wont say my school is the most competetive in the state . yeah i kinda rushed my SAT senior year so didnt have enough time for SAT II sadly. I didnt really do much EC's sadly, I took 2 CS classes however this year and last year . I also did math club since Sophmore year,however, didnt hold any leadership positions in any.

Thank you for the info as well, and ya i'll probably try to look at the other schools at this point

When you mean local area, do you mean relative to your school district or relative to your school? You're guaranteed to get into all the state universities bar Austin via the Bill 588 since 15th out of 706 students puts you at the top 5% of your class. Furthermore, 15/706 puts you in a very high percentage bracket for UT-Austin, who does their admissions based off of rolling percentages i.e. admit the top 1% of students, then admit the top 2% of students, and so on and so forth.

However, my above statement completely predicates on the fact that 15/706 is relative to your school, not school district (or local area).
 
When you mean local area, do you mean relative to your school district or relative to your school? You're guaranteed to get into all the state universities bar Austin via the Bill 588 since 15th out of 706 students puts you at the top 5% of your class. Furthermore, 15/706 puts you in a very high percentage bracket for UT-Austin, who does their admissions based off of rolling percentages i.e. admit the top 1% of students, then admit the top 2% of students, and so on and so forth.

However, my above statement completely predicates on the fact that 15/706 is relative to your school, not school district (or local area).
ya it's in my school,not local area,sorry wrong choice of words. Didnt know how they applied that % rule thing tbh as i didnt look to much into it.
 
ya it's in my school,not local area,sorry wrong choice of words. Didnt know how they applied that % rule thing tbh as i didnt look to much into it.

So by that alone, you should be guaranteed a spot in UT-Austin, but not guaranteed your choice of major (especially engineering).
 
So it's been a long time since I posted in this thread, but I'm finally graduating with my English Teaching BA from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN. It's been a long time coming, and I am really proud of my progress. I am currently enrolled for a course through Oxford Seminars to get my TESOL/TEFL certification so that I can teach abroad.

If you are young and you don't know what to do, don't worry - people often stress college as being super important, but in the past seven years since I graduated from High School, I have met many people that make good money without degrees. It's possible. Plus, you can always change your mind and go back to college like I did and get your degree at a later point in life (albeit I went back after a three year "vacation"). Likewise, if you are already in college, don't give up. Don't quit too early, you can do it. The time flies faster than you think, and if it's not the major you want, who cares if you switch majors? It may cost you money, but the important thing is that you do what YOU want to do and become the person YOU see yourself becoming. /pep talk/
 
As a fellow English graduate: Congrats!

As a computer science graduate who is currently job hunting: I would be absolutely fucked without a degree. I'm already trying to compensate for my lack of internships, connections, professional experience, and proximity to a major tech hub. A degree is saving me 4-6 years I'd have to spend in more junior roles to be considered for the same positions I'm currently interviewing for.

Keep a positive mentality, and don't tie your self-worth to your academic success, but bear in mind the practical benefits of a degree as well.
 
Hi all! I'm currently a junior trying to figure out where I want to go to school. A bit of my stats: projected UC GPA is to be 4.08~4.1 if everything goes well. I dunno my general UW GPA, I'll have to ask my school about it (but it's somewhere between 3.7 and 3.8). I've taken APs and Honors when available, I am currently taking 3 APs and self-studying for 4 additional ones (I took World last year and got a 5. I'm self-studying for Comp Gov, Human Geo, Psych, and probably Macro). Planning to take a college class over the summer, probably for Anthropology or Sociology or something.

My ECs are kinda lame. Marching Band/Color Guard for the past two years, and I'm planning to try out for color guard captain this May. I have about 50+ hours in volunteering (plan to get this to 100+ by August) and I have a part-time job. I'm also going to start a club senior year (only seniors can star clubs...lame) and I am currently a member of two. I also plan to apply for Student Band Association (though if I get color guard captain I'll automatically get in). I'm also trying to get an internship at my local councilman's office for summer.

Still haven't taken SAT/ACT, which is obviously a big part missing but I got a 1320 on the PSAT? I know that's not really that great but it's mostly my math that I need to work on (I consistently do well in Reading). Probably gonna take the ACT.

Intended major is International Relations or Global Affairs. I'm probably going to apply to as many UCs as I can (I am in-state), my top choice being UCLA. Also might apply to USC but it's very expensive so I will need some good financial aid lol.

Any advice for someone like me who is still trying to piece their application together? UC GPA is a bit low for something like UCLA but my college counselor says it should be fine. I'd love to go to USC but again finances are a big thing.
 
Hi all! I'm currently a junior trying to figure out where I want to go to school. A bit of my stats: projected UC GPA is to be 4.08~4.1 if everything goes well. I dunno my general UW GPA, I'll have to ask my school about it (but it's somewhere between 3.7 and 3.8). I've taken APs and Honors when available, I am currently taking 3 APs and self-studying for 4 additional ones (I took World last year and got a 5. I'm self-studying for Comp Gov, Human Geo, Psych, and probably Macro). Planning to take a college class over the summer, probably for Anthropology or Sociology or something.

My ECs are kinda lame. Marching Band/Color Guard for the past two years, and I'm planning to try out for color guard captain this May. I have about 50+ hours in volunteering (plan to get this to 100+ by August) and I have a part-time job. I'm also going to start a club senior year (only seniors can star clubs...lame) and I am currently a member of two. I also plan to apply for Student Band Association (though if I get color guard captain I'll automatically get in). I'm also trying to get an internship at my local councilman's office for summer.

Still haven't taken SAT/ACT, which is obviously a big part missing but I got a 1320 on the PSAT? I know that's not really that great but it's mostly my math that I need to work on (I consistently do well in Reading). Probably gonna take the ACT.

Intended major is International Relations or Global Affairs. I'm probably going to apply to as many UCs as I can (I am in-state), my top choice being UCLA. Also might apply to USC but it's very expensive so I will need some good financial aid lol.

Any advice for someone like me who is still trying to piece their application together? UC GPA is a bit low for something like UCLA but my college counselor says it should be fine. I'd love to go to USC but again finances are a big thing.

In my personal opinion, if you're shooting for something in the field of IR, UC Berkeley is probably where you'd want to shoot for rather than UCLA. I'm not familiar with the UC GPA system (I'm from the East Coast), so I can' really determine if 4.1 is good in the eyes of UC. Unweighted GPA seems solid. You could possibly get a strong letter of recommendation if you land the internship, which will definitely bolster your chances. The only thing I see that could be a massive problem is your projected SAT score. If you can bring that number to around 1450, you'll be in the running.

Follow up questions:
1) Do you have any SAT II scores? Getting an A in Chemistry at a low-ranking school versus one at a high-ranking school are objectively different, and the SAT Subject test is a good way to reinforce the A's that you have received in some classes.
2) What's your high school ranking in-state and nationally? Colleges do take into consideration these factors in admissions.

I'm not a big fan of USC in all honesty, and there's really less of an incentive to go there over UCLA based on your interests (unless you value the degree over the major).

Also, depending on what your family can afford, it really doesn't hurt to also apply to some out-of-state schools. Since your interest lies in Political Science, I believe some LACs should also be fine for you as long as you have extra-curriculars in college. Some other schools I would suggest are:

1) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2) Tufts University
3) NYU
4) University of Texas, Austin
5) USMA/USNA
6) The George Washington University
7) Georgetown University

West Point and Naval Academy are a bit of a stretch, especially if you're not physically fit to pass their tests and fail to get a endorsement, but it does give you a big foot up for your interests.
 
Hi all! I'm currently a junior trying to figure out where I want to go to school. A bit of my stats: projected UC GPA is to be 4.08~4.1 if everything goes well. I dunno my general UW GPA, I'll have to ask my school about it (but it's somewhere between 3.7 and 3.8). I've taken APs and Honors when available, I am currently taking 3 APs and self-studying for 4 additional ones (I took World last year and got a 5. I'm self-studying for Comp Gov, Human Geo, Psych, and probably Macro). Planning to take a college class over the summer, probably for Anthropology or Sociology or something.

My ECs are kinda lame. Marching Band/Color Guard for the past two years, and I'm planning to try out for color guard captain this May. I have about 50+ hours in volunteering (plan to get this to 100+ by August) and I have a part-time job. I'm also going to start a club senior year (only seniors can star clubs...lame) and I am currently a member of two. I also plan to apply for Student Band Association (though if I get color guard captain I'll automatically get in). I'm also trying to get an internship at my local councilman's office for summer.

Still haven't taken SAT/ACT, which is obviously a big part missing but I got a 1320 on the PSAT? I know that's not really that great but it's mostly my math that I need to work on (I consistently do well in Reading). Probably gonna take the ACT.

Intended major is International Relations or Global Affairs. I'm probably going to apply to as many UCs as I can (I am in-state), my top choice being UCLA. Also might apply to USC but it's very expensive so I will need some good financial aid lol.

Any advice for someone like me who is still trying to piece their application together? UC GPA is a bit low for something like UCLA but my college counselor says it should be fine. I'd love to go to USC but again finances are a big thing.
Your ECs aren't that lame. Maybe..."average" for what I can glean of your probably high school? I don't personally think that adding two extracurriculars is going to make you stand out or adding another AP class. I think people stress way too much over this stuff in HS.

If you're trying to figure out where to go to college...you need to ask yourself, what do you want out of college? Because the education you're going to get will be practically the same everywhere that offers your major, unless you're planning on doing grad school (which I'm guessing you're not doing that at this point in your life, haha). The UC system is probably good, but expensive and crowded. Try looking outside of it, if a smaller school is what you're looking for! Touring schools is the absolute most important thing for people deciding where they want to go to college. You need to go somewhere that you will feel comfortable living at for 4-5 years of your life.
 
Update, I took the GMAT studied for a weekish and got a 580. 51st percentile which I really can’t complain about given how little I studied. Would’ve put in more time but I’m working a ton of hours. I’m relying on my kickass work experience and stellar GPA to carry me and I’m not applying to any super high level bschools anyways. PM me if you have questions about the test I’m happy to share more about my experience!
 
This is just a friendly reminder for all of you prospective college students to consider your finances carefully. Don't make a mistake that could ruin your life for a decade or more. This is particularly important in America, where student loans are incredibly difficult to discharge through bankruptcy. Understand what you're signing, and (where relevant) ensure that your family understand what they're co-signing.

Avoid Sallie Mae/Navient like the plague.
 
It's going pretty well. I started early and I've also been pursuing multiple scholarships so that I won't be steeped in college debt. I've gotten emails from many ivy league and private colleges so I'll see which ones I get accepted too and go from there. My counselor has been helping me a lot also.
 
It's going pretty well. I started early and I've also been pursuing multiple scholarships so that I won't be steeped in college debt. I've gotten emails from many ivy league and private colleges so I'll see which ones I get accepted too and go from there. My counselor has been helping me a lot also.

Which Ivies?
 
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