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On September 05 2010 21:59 Archaic wrote:
Is there any strategy for keeping a clear mind when writing the essays? I have something like 10-15 essays to write total. Once I get writer's block on one, then I simply despise everything that I type thereafter. As a result, my progress on my essays has been severely stunted, with only a few months to go (To juggle along with regular schoolwork).
Is there some way of getting over that and writing clearly without losing your focus?
EDIT: Would anyone mind rating my chances based on my academics (Not enough time for all the extracurriculars)?
My middleschool/highschool GPA was pretty bad. Lots of Bs, a few Cs, and the rest As. I had a GPA of something like 3.2/3.3. I "bucked down" in junior year, giving me a 3.86 or a 3.92 (I never actually got my final report card. Either 4.0 or 3.86). Every class was an honors/advanced, and I took 3 APs that year, and got 5s on all of them (previous AP scores were a 4 and a 5), so weighted would be 4.86 or 4.92.
My simple question is, would I be considered in a same way as a 3.8 student, or would I be down to ~3.5 because of my history?
Since love1another has a nuke icon by his name for whatever reason "by request" means...
Your class ranking matters more in the end, I would try taking more APs your senior year and keep your schedule competitive so you can still show motivation and improvement. But essentially, it's up to the college to treat you as a 3.5 or 3.8, my guess is that they would just take a look at your class rank as the predominant factor.
As for your essay, what I do when I review people's stuff is that I generally treat it as if I have no prior knowledge of the person, then ask if I know that person like I would know a friend at the end of their personal statement. Do I know more about you as a person, is essentially the question I try to answer, if no, then it needs work.
Don't despise whatever you wrote, give it to someone to look over and ask them if there are good points to expound on. So just write a draft about anything (for those stuck, I usually tell them to write about their interests), it doesn't matter if it sucks or not, then read over it looking for some aspect to maybe dive deeply into. Since you have 10-15, look for some common factor among them and go write about that. Writer's block is normal and don't be frustrated, just write, fixing is the easy part in all honesty, finding the topic to write about is the hard part.
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On September 05 2010 20:25 PattyJ wrote:+ Show Spoiler +I graduated high school last May as my class valedictorian with the highest available GPA of a 4.2, for some reason only the advanced science courses were weighted (extremely small school, my graduating class had ~100 students). I also scored a 31 on my ACT which isn't necessarily astounding but because of that I never attempted the SAT. I was accepted into multiple colleges for academics, including the University of Oklahoma which I decided was a good place to begin my college shenanigans. My question is concerning a major, and whether or not I should stay at OU for my remaining 7 semesters. For this fall semester my schedule is entirely freshman basics that will transfer anywhere, with maybe the exception of an extremely difficult gym class that requires us to jog 15 WHOLE minutes a day with a final exam of completing a mile in ~10. We're only 3 weeks into class but so far everything is a joke, I'd like to think I'm succeeding fairly well at both the academic and social aspects of college thus far.. except maybe that I'm not having rampant sex with every girl in my residential hall because of this awful crutch of a girlfriend. I've always been fascinated by the human body and it's related functions, so naturally I've only seriously considered medical careers. Anything from physical therapy, occupational, sports medicine, nursing, even massage therapy, but recently I've grown really attached to the idea of radiology. I've had multiple MRIs and other fun tests done on me for anything from sporting injuries to a collapsed lung, so I have a vague understanding of what it's like to do their job and the associated hospital-esque environment. I was wondering what would be my best course of action to pursue this type of career. Should I continue attending this standard 4-year until I'm absolutely certain I want to commit to a specific field or immediately transfer to a more established specialized institute to begin working towards it? Obviously anything relating to medicine will have a healthy outlook and job opportunities, is there a more stable industry though? My father has been trying to convince me to focus more on civil engineering using the argument that medicine isn't as reliable since bridges and other related structures are going to begin decaying once I've finished school, so there would be an immediate opening (he's been in construction since high school). My mother on the other hand has been trying to support me in whatever I choose (my parents haven't ever been very good at parenting or anything involving responsibility, unfortunately) although lately she's been giving me subtle hints to take up accounting after her. Would that necessarily be a bad decision considering the other two options of medicine and engineering? Which would be the best? Also, could anybody working in the health industry give me any insight? Do you still support your decision to focus on medicine? Would you have done anything different if you could go back? Would you encourage more teenagers like myself to work towards related careers? Writing obviously isn't my forte, I've always excelled at anything requiring intense logic, so science and mathematics. What other fields should I be considering? Pharmaceuticals is a pretty big one I've looked into, what're the major benefits of that compared to any of the others mentioned? Thank you for reading and any additional input. 
This best move for you is to get involved in those fields during the summer through various programs and/or internships. Switching colleges doesn't mean much and that would thoroughly be a knee-jerk response which I don't recommend. As for the parents, it honestly sounds like because you don't have a clue what you really want, they're just giving you options.
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So I don't think I'm going to try to rate people's chances, but I do suggest going to College Confidential. On each college's forums, there are a million "chance me" threads, and a lot more experienced people there checking it out.
In general, if you've had a legitimate situation that has severely affected your grades, and you can get proof of that from a legitimate source, you should be okay. Especially if you can show that you've worked hard to do everything that you can to come back from it. So work hard this yea, maybe take some extra classes or do outside of school work, and just show that you've bounced back. Just make sure that the admissions office knows. Also, there's the possibility of writing an essay about your experience. It can be dangerous, just because you run the risk of writing a sob story, but if you can make it work it also can be really good.
For grades, no one is going to consider a 3.5 like a 3.8 unless there are extenuating circumstances. Colleges in general like to see improvement, some problems freshman year can sometimes be overlooked. In my opinion, however, at a really elite college the effect is going to be extremely small, and you're probably going to not get a real chance simply because you won't get past the academic bar. Once you start looking at the second tier of college (say, top 40-50), that's where they might see a bad first-year but better 2-4th years and giving you more of a shot.
Also, I just want to say that this thread shouldn't be scaring anyone about colleges. My experience in the application process is almost entirely in top15 colleges. But that doesn't mean that those are the only colleges out there. That's the great thing about America, there are just so many places where you can get a good education. They may not have the same kind of name-brand as an Ivy League, but that doesn't mean that they can't have very good programs in the area you're looking at. Rankings I think have relatively little to do with what kind of education and experience you're going to get out of a college, you have to be willing to research that for yourself. If you have the grades and the money to go to a top-20 college, of course I think that you should go for it, because they do offer somethings that other schools can't. But your college career is not going to be a failure if you go to a smaller in-state school. Just make sure you find a school with a good program for what you want to do, and maybe put some more effort into finding opportunities for research/additional education/etc.
EDIT: Some more.
@PattyJ: Sounds like you should do Medicine, but ultimately it's your choice. Just keep in mind that to do premed, you generally have to start freshman year with the requirements, or at the LATEST sophomore. And it is not an easy path by any means, and you will not be getting paid for quite a long time. But when you do get paid, it's worth it. As for transferring, I have no idea, and it depends a lot on how much you want to change up your life. Transferring at the end of your first year or something to a school with a high record of success with premeds could be helpful, but not necessary. If you do think that you're simply going to be bored your entire time at your current school, and you can't find additional opportunities for research, then maybe.
@Essay writing: Writing good essays is mostly about being a good writer. You can't really fake that. The only advice I have is to have a lot of people read over them, and try to give them to the best writers you know. Different perspectives also help, my english teacher gave me much different advice than any of my classmates. And try to reuse essays, especially if you have to write that many. It's hard to adapt a different essay for a specific prompt, but for any general ones, reuse and reuse some more. Especially your best ones.
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hey guys, this is probably a strange place to start but figured i had to start somewhere =p
i am an international student, currently enrolled at an american college intending to transfer to a US university, maintaining a 4.0 GPA and intending to complete an associate's degree before transferring. however my ECs and past academic grades are pretty messed up. i did my GCE "A" levels in 2005 and got a B average which means most of my extra curriculum done in school is currently 4 years old. so you must be wondering what did hell i was doing for the past 4 years? 2 years of national service and another 2 years of working at two government agencies back to back.
i do not foresee a slip in GPA but i would like some advice on getting my ECs together. my questions are
1) is it necessary to include my past ECs (would be 5 years old) when applying in a year's time? or should i focus entirely on my recent achievements?
2) will my work experience even be relevant in applying?
a little kind of irrelevant here, but considering i was accepted into a world ranked 30+ university (national university of singapore) in 2007, would it be reasonable to say i have a similar chance to those american universities ranked around it?
e.g northwestern, / UOC LA / berkeley, NYU, UOB.
thanks guys.
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im not prodigy and i have like 3.6 unweighted or so gpa with ~1800 sats. I have played ultimate frisbee for a year,volunteered during the summer for like 500 hours throughout highschool . im not expecting to get into any ivy league school. just a decent place where i can get a good degree and a college that isnt fucking terrible. place like UCs. what are my chances? can i do anything now as a senior? because my school is different, i have taken all the ap classes that are posssible in my school, as in every slot that i COULD get an AP class i would get it.
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@Waffles
For a decent state school, that should be enough to be honest. Fix your SATs to the 2000s and you'll be golden.
@wwiv
Yes, work is relevant because that's EC stuff. Don't include 5 year old stuff.
For all those asking, go ask your high school counselors, go look up statistics on the incoming classes to your prospective schools, you'll get a good idea then.
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On September 05 2010 18:10 hellohello wrote:
So i grew up in korea and several other countries(usa,dubai,singapore and yemen) but the constant moving and my lack of interest in education left my highschool education in shambles(skipped freshman year,did sophmore year twice,dropped out of several schools,very little attendance records) and i dropped out of my final highschool this march and got a GED,I tried applying to korean colleges but they didn't like my transcript so I want to prepare myself for college for next year,I'd like to study art(fashion to be more precise) but most of all I would like to get out of korea and go to an american or canadian college. The thing is my parents are fed up with spending money on my education(can't blame them). What's the best move for me if i want to go to an american or canadian college with a full scholarship?
don't ignore me 
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For chances or specific situations, you can't expect someone here to really know. I have a decent idea of what it takes to get into a top college, because that's what I dealt with and where most of my friends went. If you want your chances to be evaluated, I highly suggest College Confidential, they have a lot more people with a lot more experience there. Personally, I don't really have many credentials, besides talking with people and going through the experience myself, at CC there are a lot more resources.
@wwiv: I'd say go with your gut. Anything that you think still shows something relevant I would put on there, and I would lean towards putting a little too much on if you're really on the border.
@hello: I have little knowledge of how most schools do international applications. For a domestic student, if you really want a lot of money, you have to a) be incredibly smart or have done something amazing, b) be in a very bad financial situation, or c) settle for a significantly worse school. I have no idea how being an international student affects your financial aid decisions.
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what university do you attend? and what major?
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On September 06 2010 14:02 mardi wrote:
what university do you attend? and what major?
I'm just going to answer this question, as the OP is currently banned.
But I'm at the University of Chicago. Economics major, considering a minor in statistics.
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What do I do if my test scores do not match my GPA? My school doesn't rank either...
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On September 06 2010 15:21 krndandaman wrote:Show nested quote +On September 06 2010 13:28 hellohello wrote:On September 05 2010 18:10 hellohello wrote:
So i grew up in korea and several other countries(usa,dubai,singapore and yemen) but the constant moving and my lack of interest in education left my highschool education in shambles(skipped freshman year,did sophmore year twice,dropped out of several schools,very little attendance records) and i dropped out of my final highschool this march and got a GED,I tried applying to korean colleges but they didn't like my transcript so I want to prepare myself for college for next year,I'd like to study art(fashion to be more precise) but most of all I would like to get out of korea and go to an american or canadian college. The thing is my parents are fed up with spending money on my education(can't blame them). What's the best move for me if i want to go to an american or canadian college with a full scholarship? don't ignore me i think you'll have to go for a loan. full scholarships are extremely hard to come by...like the above poster said, you either have to be super super smart with amazing transcript, have done amazing like get 1st place in a prestigious national/international contest or be dirt poor with good transcript. alot of students take loans anyways, so you wont be alone if you do.
loan as in from the korean gov?or would the american gov give me a loan if i went to a school in the states?
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I'm actually only going into 9th grade next year, but being Asian I'm already worrying about college (hmm, parents >_>). What's most important to focus on? GPA, SAT, other academic programs, etc.? My parents always talk about kids who win these huge nationwide math or science competitions and get accepted by tons of top schools; it makes me feel like the odds of me getting accepted into MIT or Stanford really low without something so outstanding o_o.
And if it makes a difference, my school sucks. Every year like 1 or 2 people make it into Ivy Leagues, and the student expectations are pretty low; they also don't offer a lot of AP classes.
EDIT: I make it sound worse than it is, lol. They have some AP classes, just not as large of a selection as some other schools in NJ.
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On September 07 2010 11:13 Jaso wrote:
I'm actually only going into 9th grade next year, but being Asian I'm already worrying about college (hmm, parents >_>). What's most important to focus on? GPA, SAT, other academic programs, etc.? My parents always talk about kids who win these huge nationwide math or science competitions and get accepted by tons of top schools; it makes me feel like the odds of me getting accepted into MIT or Stanford really low without something so outstanding o_o.
And if it makes a difference, my school sucks. Every year like 1 or 2 people make it into Ivy Leagues, and the student expectations are pretty low; they also don't offer a lot of AP classes.
EDIT: I make it sound worse than it is, lol. They have some AP classes, just not as large of a selection as some other schools in NJ.
The people that I know personally that have been accepted to MIT/Stanford/Yale/etc. are all exceptional students, all of them have at least credentials on the regional level.
As for the quality of your school, it doesn't matter for the admissions process as long as you are 1 or 2, as in top 1 or 2 student, not top 1% or 2%, like top 5 students. Remember, schools don't care if you come from a shitty or great school, as long as you are the best of your situation, then you have a legit chance, because they reason that you are limited by your situation.
If you want to show initiative, go take college classes. ECs will help you here also, so get involved, start working/volunteering.
If you want good news, those competitions are good ways to improve your academic resume, but hardly the only way or a guaranteed way. I would you recommend that you find something that you enjoy and work the shit out of it, leadership positions, organizing events, whatever.
But there is no way around GPAs or SATs, gotta be tops on that.
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Would you care telling us what college you are currently enrolled or have graduated from?
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On September 07 2010 11:13 Jaso wrote:
I'm actually only going into 9th grade next year, but being Asian I'm already worrying about college (hmm, parents >_>). What's most important to focus on? GPA, SAT, other academic programs, etc.? My parents always talk about kids who win these huge nationwide math or science competitions and get accepted by tons of top schools; it makes me feel like the odds of me getting accepted into MIT or Stanford really low without something so outstanding o_o.
And if it makes a difference, my school sucks. Every year like 1 or 2 people make it into Ivy Leagues, and the student expectations are pretty low; they also don't offer a lot of AP classes.
EDIT: I make it sound worse than it is, lol. They have some AP classes, just not as large of a selection as some other schools in NJ.
Don't worry too much about SATs and stuff yet, it's not worth it. And don't worry too much about college in general, it's really too early to be doing that.
The things I think you should be doing, especially if you want to get into a MIT-like school:
1) Take the hardest classes your school offers and do well in them.
2) Have fun. Have a life. Do interesting things. DON'T become a cookie-cutter good-academics-but-not-much-else asian. Find stuff that you can be passionate about. Take extra classes, enter competitions, do research, volunteer, get on a team, play a sport/instrument, etc.
2a) Try to find things that you can excel at. Getting into an elite college isn't about doing a bunch of stuff. You really need to stand out in an area. If you really love Math, practice really hard for the AMC/AIME (If you aren't getting to the AIME, MIT honestly won't even care). Take extra classes, especially if there's a college/university nearby, and do really well in them. If you love music, really try to excel at it. If you love a sport, get really serious about it and train hard. The idea is that you don't want just a bunch of activities that you can put on a transcript, you want something really exceptional that you can show. An award, a championship, a piece of art or a musical recording, or something else that really shows how passionate you are about something.
And don't worry about college too much. As long as you work hard at school and find things to be passionate about, you can worry about college in junior year.
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I took the SATs for the first time this Jan and got a 2250. Really wanna break ~2330. Do you have any specific strategies for those last 80 or so points? My biggest trouble is CR.
Thanks dude
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On September 08 2010 12:31 SkyLegenD wrote:
I took the SATs for the first time this Jan and got a 2250. Really wanna break ~2330. Do you have any specific strategies for those last 80 or so points? My biggest trouble is CR.
Thanks dude
Read a lot and often, so you'll increase your general reading speed. However, don't sacrifice understanding and comprehension of the text for increased speed.
Take notes by each paragraph, summarizing in about five words what it is about. It'll help your understanding, and also be a quick reference when you're looking back at the passage.
Read passage first, then questions later.
Get a bigger vocabulary. That is many vocab, yes?
Don't second guess your answers.
Of course, I don't know what your CR level is right now, so you might already be doing all of this stuff. In that case, just put in some more time, and hope for a good day? My CR was like 780, which admittedly was a lot higher than I expected it to be. I basically just did the stuff I listed above.
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EPT
