I right now am a freshman in high school. Can I have some suggestion of anything I could do over the summer that would look good on a college resume. I mostly just want to hear from your experiences.
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2024 Smog Awards!
College Acceptances / Discussion Thread
- Thread starter comatthew6
- Start date
One of my jobs at the admissions office is checking kids in for tours. Shorts and a t-shirt are the norm and are totally acceptable (especially on warmer days). Just make sure the T-shirt is appropriate (no beer t-shirts, for example). Just look like you're a normal kid that could fit in at college honestly.
Wow American Universities are so complicated.
Anyways I'm going to to the University of Alberta next year, it's very easy to get in to(though nearly all canadian schools are), close to home and offers everything i need. Personally I applied as soon as applications opened but i have friends who applied a few weeks ago and still got in. All it takes is a 76% average to get in to my program(Bachelor of Science) and they weed you out from there. The biggest thing I'm worried about is the courseload(10 courses / year with 5 being lab based courses at least). I got accepted about two weeks after I applied and never bothered applying anywhere else
Anyways I'm going to to the University of Alberta next year, it's very easy to get in to(though nearly all canadian schools are), close to home and offers everything i need. Personally I applied as soon as applications opened but i have friends who applied a few weeks ago and still got in. All it takes is a 76% average to get in to my program(Bachelor of Science) and they weed you out from there. The biggest thing I'm worried about is the courseload(10 courses / year with 5 being lab based courses at least). I got accepted about two weeks after I applied and never bothered applying anywhere else
seniors at my high school have always said to me that you really have to start getting serious about extracurriculars sophomore year summer, but i commend you on wanting to start early! that advice might also be city-specific to me.
my advice would be: put yourself "out there." expand your tentacles into your field of interest. my freshman summer i asked around people i knew and my family and managed to secure an internship for a production company (i was lucky then to know what kind of "depth" i wanted to pursue and since it was on the writing of a documentary i think it will look good on my resume). i also found a group of kids who curated an art gallery and joined their squad. basically, as has been said, anything can be padded and made to sound awesome -- i sent basically twenty or so emails to magazine editors and curators and i've been assured it's fine to put "did media work for so-and-so" on my app. in freshman year, you have time to figure out how to plant your harvest, so while i would advocate finding internships/projects/community service opportunities that would look good, i also would reccomend figuring out stuff you're really interested in, what makes you special to a college, because that's going to be a big question later on. in the words of jonathan franzen, you have to love before you can be relentless, and i think summer is a perfect time to explore, to really look with thousand-foot goggles into the deepest part of the pond that later in high school you can suit up and dive into.
Anyone here go to Rice University? That's where I am right now (sophomore)
anyway, my brother got into Middlebury College today and will most likely be going there. real happy for him right now
anyway, my brother got into Middlebury College today and will most likely be going there. real happy for him right now
I'm a junior in high school and I'm curious regarding a few things:
What score on the SAT is optimal? I got a 2230 (with minimal studying) but am considering retaking it to get a higher score (with some more practice, I feel that I can (hopefully) get >=2300). Should I do so?
Do colleges tend to use weighted or unweighted GPA?
Are more APs really that significant? Counting my current APs, I've taken seven (2 soph, 5 junior) AP classes. Senior year, I plan to take three (namely, Chem, Physics C, and Euro). However, I have the opportunity to take (I think) three more. Should I do so or is it a waste of time? Will taking only three APs in my Senior year make me look worse?
Is taking a class outside of school a distinguishing factor? I (along with quite a few others in my school) am planning to take Multivariable Calc at a Community College during senior year; to what extent (if any) will this help me during application?
Also, is not having any athletic ability really that debilitating?
What score on the SAT is optimal? I got a 2230 (with minimal studying) but am considering retaking it to get a higher score (with some more practice, I feel that I can (hopefully) get >=2300). Should I do so?
Do colleges tend to use weighted or unweighted GPA?
Are more APs really that significant? Counting my current APs, I've taken seven (2 soph, 5 junior) AP classes. Senior year, I plan to take three (namely, Chem, Physics C, and Euro). However, I have the opportunity to take (I think) three more. Should I do so or is it a waste of time? Will taking only three APs in my Senior year make me look worse?
Is taking a class outside of school a distinguishing factor? I (along with quite a few others in my school) am planning to take Multivariable Calc at a Community College during senior year; to what extent (if any) will this help me during application?
Also, is not having any athletic ability really that debilitating?
Extra-curriculars are important. Get on a sports team, learn an instrument, program an app, or do something like that (whatever you like). Start early and build on it. Also, starting community service and getting a few hours every week makes you end up with a lot more time as a junior and senior. Otherwise, just get good grades.
Im a Senior in high school and have already done all of this.
All of my schools I applied to were in my home state of Indiana. Being an international student it was important to me to go college near all my relatives.
I am not the best student, I am probably below average
I have a 2.8 high school GPA and got 3 D's. I am pretty much your normal dude.
I got accepted into 3 out of the 4 schools I applied to. You dont need to apply to a bunch of schools. I recommend you dont. Look for around 5 that you really want to go to. Go take tours if possible.
Dont worry about your grades. Take challenging classes in high school. Dont flunk a bunch of them but have fun and do your best. If you dont do well in some classes its fine, at least you tried. If you do bad in a class keep trying and show improvement, it looks really good to colleges.
You dont need to be some super duper student to get in to a good college. I only had Boy Scouts(swag) and the school paper as my extra curriculars.
There are great schools besides Ivy league ones and other big name schools. Look for a school that works for you.
Have fun in highschool and dont worry about college apps, youll do fine because you are a unique person that will find the perfect college fit for them.
All of my schools I applied to were in my home state of Indiana. Being an international student it was important to me to go college near all my relatives.
I am not the best student, I am probably below average
I have a 2.8 high school GPA and got 3 D's. I am pretty much your normal dude.
I got accepted into 3 out of the 4 schools I applied to. You dont need to apply to a bunch of schools. I recommend you dont. Look for around 5 that you really want to go to. Go take tours if possible.
Dont worry about your grades. Take challenging classes in high school. Dont flunk a bunch of them but have fun and do your best. If you dont do well in some classes its fine, at least you tried. If you do bad in a class keep trying and show improvement, it looks really good to colleges.
You dont need to be some super duper student to get in to a good college. I only had Boy Scouts(swag) and the school paper as my extra curriculars.
There are great schools besides Ivy league ones and other big name schools. Look for a school that works for you.
Have fun in highschool and dont worry about college apps, youll do fine because you are a unique person that will find the perfect college fit for them.
I got the same score as you the first time I took the SAT. I retook it and got a 2360 after doing some serious studying. I say take it again only if you think you can do significantly better after you study.
No sure about GPA. Just do your best. High school isn't too hard, just lots of busy work.
YES, AP'S ARE SIGNIFICANT. I placed out of so many courses during my freshman year because of APs and started out with 40 something credits. Even if your school is really picky about what APs they accept (luckily mine isn't, and if you get a 4 or a 5 on most exams they'll give you credit), many times they;ll give you general elective credit which will still count towards your hours when you register for classes. But no, taking only 3 in your senior year isn't bad.
@Athletic ability - no?
I know that most universities consider your unweighted GPA, because ultimately the only reliable indicator of a functioning college student (i.e one who is at low risk of dropping out) is GPA. That kid who got a 4.0 in high school might struggle a lot, but they're used to working hard, the college can accept them knowing that they will both be a reliable source of tuition. They are used to working hard and when things get tough they would be expected to have already established the study skills that would allow them to pass courses that are very difficult for them personally. So while GPA doesn't indicate intelligence, it does signify motivation so it's very desirable to see a 4.0.
AP's are don't help you get in so much as they prevent you from being rejected in the preliminary. They look to see that you took them, and that is a minimum expectation. APs do matter once you're at university, I was considered a sophomore at the end of my first quarter which allowed me to take upper division classes in politics. At some skills they restrict enrollment in some courses to sophomores, and obviously each school has their own method of attributing credit for AP courses taken.
I was playing 4.5-5.0 level squash when I was applying to college, and most schools don't care about that. Obviously if you're a recruitable athlete that opens up a lot of opportunities, but as long as you appear to have some activity that you're passionate about you'll be fine. Don't discount your athletic ability so readily :P it may be too late for you to impress those colleges, but sports and hiking and exercise is for everyone not just gifted competitors...
AP's are don't help you get in so much as they prevent you from being rejected in the preliminary. They look to see that you took them, and that is a minimum expectation. APs do matter once you're at university, I was considered a sophomore at the end of my first quarter which allowed me to take upper division classes in politics. At some skills they restrict enrollment in some courses to sophomores, and obviously each school has their own method of attributing credit for AP courses taken.
I was playing 4.5-5.0 level squash when I was applying to college, and most schools don't care about that. Obviously if you're a recruitable athlete that opens up a lot of opportunities, but as long as you appear to have some activity that you're passionate about you'll be fine. Don't discount your athletic ability so readily :P it may be too late for you to impress those colleges, but sports and hiking and exercise is for everyone not just gifted competitors...
2300 SAT, 3.85 Unweighted GPA
Accepted:
Ohio State
Case Western
Penn State
Emory
Wailisted:
WashU
Rejected:
Northwestern
UChicago
If I could redo high school, I would definitely put more time into extracurriculars and gotten involved in them a lot earlier
@bojangles
The "What's your favorite word?" prompt was the one I wrote for my Common App Essay
Accepted:
Ohio State
Case Western
Penn State
Emory
Wailisted:
WashU
Rejected:
Northwestern
UChicago
If I could redo high school, I would definitely put more time into extracurriculars and gotten involved in them a lot earlier
@bojangles
The "What's your favorite word?" prompt was the one I wrote for my Common App Essay
so glad i dont live in the US. i had like 0 extracurriculars, other than sports and some organizations i joined to skip class (and would never attend meetings or do anything otherwise). i had strong grades in IB to be fair, but still it was just really easy: i got early acceptance at my uni of my choice without any issues. and i'll probably have a little over a 3.7 cumulatively in uni once this semester is over, which makes a shoe-in for law school with my LSAT and law is still actually a very employable profession in Canada, unlike the US right now. and i didn't have to pay out of my asshole to go to school, unlike the US. no student debt. wow i really feel bad for you US kids, it's not fair at all.
i'm currently a student at Evergreen (shitty lil liberal arts college in Olympia) but i was waitlisted by Drexel to transfer into their nursing program - has anyone had any experience with waitlists apart from 'send them updated information and suck up to them'? i've already mentioned that i'll be enrolling immediately when i get in, and my transcript is up to snuff, even sent in my stellar ACT scores to be safe.
i'm just nervous as hell, i wanna know if i can do anything else
i'm just nervous as hell, i wanna know if i can do anything else
Never got a chance to explain myself, but here it is now. I am currently a sophomore at a public high school and I have a 4.1 GPA in my first semester this year and a 4.0 GPA each semester of my freshman year. My school offers an Engineering Academy (being from the Silicon Valley and all) and I am enrolled in it and I get a free laptop to keep forever next year. Basically the Academy is just to take an Engineering elective each year of high school along with a class in Senior year called Technical Writing.
Completion of the academy goes on my transcript and by completing it I get automatic acceptance into San Jose State and UC San Diego. So I guess those will be my safeties when I am a senior applying for schools? Who knows. My only extracurricular activity is soccer, which I play year-round for either the city team or the High School team.
I'd like to know, what is the max score you can get on the SATs? And my school offers practice SATs for Sophomores and Juniors, should I actually wake up early on a Saturday to take such a test?
Completion of the academy goes on my transcript and by completing it I get automatic acceptance into San Jose State and UC San Diego. So I guess those will be my safeties when I am a senior applying for schools? Who knows. My only extracurricular activity is soccer, which I play year-round for either the city team or the High School team.
I'd like to know, what is the max score you can get on the SATs? And my school offers practice SATs for Sophomores and Juniors, should I actually wake up early on a Saturday to take such a test?
Max score on the SAT is 2400 (Math, Critical Reading, Writing, each of which you can score between 200-800 in). At my high school PSATs were optional for sophomores and required for juniors. I would suggest taking them because then you get the feel for what kind of questions you'll be asked on the SAT.
I think the one thing that you really should know going into this is that pretty much no matter where you go, you'll be fine. People get really hung up on going to a top tier university, but most places will provide an environment where you can succeed. The real determinant is the quality of the individual, and I think we forget that sometimes.
I applied to a bunch of top tier schools (Harvard, Yale, UChicago, etc) and only got into UChicago (waitlisted at Yale but cmon really...) I did athletics, had some good extracurriculars, good grades and test scores, and even some of that stupid buzzword they call leadership. I also applied to the University of Illinois and Pittsburgh, neither of which are particularly cheap. I ended up getting all my tuition paid for at Pitt, which is how I ended up where I am.
Basically keep this in mind:
1. If you're good, you'll make it work.
2. Apply to more schools than I did. Pitt saved my ass financially. I'd probably be at UChicago right now and a lot poorer for it.
3. The entire process is a crapshoot. You can do some things to influence the odds, but you'll never be in full control.
4. Don't take rejection as a personal offense. I knew someone who committed suicide shortly after getting rejected from all her top schools. I don't think most people are that unstable, but take it easy.
I applied to a bunch of top tier schools (Harvard, Yale, UChicago, etc) and only got into UChicago (waitlisted at Yale but cmon really...) I did athletics, had some good extracurriculars, good grades and test scores, and even some of that stupid buzzword they call leadership. I also applied to the University of Illinois and Pittsburgh, neither of which are particularly cheap. I ended up getting all my tuition paid for at Pitt, which is how I ended up where I am.
Basically keep this in mind:
1. If you're good, you'll make it work.
2. Apply to more schools than I did. Pitt saved my ass financially. I'd probably be at UChicago right now and a lot poorer for it.
3. The entire process is a crapshoot. You can do some things to influence the odds, but you'll never be in full control.
4. Don't take rejection as a personal offense. I knew someone who committed suicide shortly after getting rejected from all her top schools. I don't think most people are that unstable, but take it easy.
The PSAT is also something you should probably want to take. If you do well in the PSAT in your Junior year at high school, you can become a National Merit Semifinalist. It doesn't take a ridiculously high score per state (scroll down). About 16000 people are selected as semifinalists. Then, as long as you're not retarded, you'll become a National Merit Finalist (15000 people lol). National Merit Finalists are eligible for scholarships, and some schools will offer you full admission just for being one. If you don't want to attend those schools, you tend to get application waivers, and are eligible for some scholarships. They aren't huge scholarships (like 2500 or something), but hey, money is money.
I became one of those just because PSAT / SAT honestly aren't too hard to do well in. It's nice because it pretty much guarantees your financial stability for college. University of Oklahoma is still offering me a full scholarship (and a laptop)! It also guarantees you a fun senior year lol. My friend was a National Merit Finalist, and he's going to University of Alabama on a full scholarsihp. They don't look at senior grades at all--so he's failed all of his classes except English lol and is still getting that full ride.
Funny how some colleges are so desperate for kids with good SAT scores to boost their ratings.
I became one of those just because PSAT / SAT honestly aren't too hard to do well in. It's nice because it pretty much guarantees your financial stability for college. University of Oklahoma is still offering me a full scholarship (and a laptop)! It also guarantees you a fun senior year lol. My friend was a National Merit Finalist, and he's going to University of Alabama on a full scholarsihp. They don't look at senior grades at all--so he's failed all of his classes except English lol and is still getting that full ride.
Funny how some colleges are so desperate for kids with good SAT scores to boost their ratings.
Semifinalist here; confirming that I am indeed retarded.
But seriously, try on your PSAT. It actually matters. It's good to put on resumes/college apps, and if you're a finalist, you get offered scholarships up the wazoo (You will get many emails about national merit finalist scholarships, even if you're a semifinalist). And these are often full-ride to major schools. So definitely put in due diligence there.
This. I qualified for semifinalist as a sophomore, and I'm behind a lot of people in my area because I'm in a private high school instead of the elite public school. (Not bragging at all, Kentucky is one of the dumbest states lol)
So I just got my ACT score back and I got a 30. Celebration ensued.
Then I saw on Facebook that my friend who sits next to me in Biology class got a 35. Major buzzkill.
Then I saw on Facebook that my friend who sits next to me in Biology class got a 35. Major buzzkill.
Unless you get the highest possible score, there is going to be someone you know who does better than you do. 30 is still a very good score, and you should be happy with that. There's no reason why someone doing better than you should feel like a buzzkill. Two of my friends got perfect 2400s on the SAT, but I was still rather happy with a 2370.
SAT score is primarily a reflection on that person's effort in preparing for the SAT. If someone put more (or more efficient) time into a class, you wouldn't feel bad if they got a higher grade than you on a final. So don't feel bad if someone gets a higher grade on the SAT than you.
Also rub your score in the face of anyone who gets lower, you're a better person than they are. Just like people that go to Harvard are better than people that go to Evergreen. Class speaks for itself.
Also rub your score in the face of anyone who gets lower, you're a better person than they are. Just like people that go to Harvard are better than people that go to Evergreen. Class speaks for itself.