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K. The new year has begun and i plan on actually going hardmode on all my work. but i need to reflect about the position i am in. I am a high school Junior, grades are not where i want them to be (atm, probably an 89-90 unweighted (aka 3.4-3.5 gpa) and i maintained a 92 for most of my time in high school (3.7). Last year has been a rather rough ride, and I'm still flustered as to why i didn't try hard enough. I had a slight thought in my head which motivated me: the thought of regret. I don't want to regret any mistake i made, especially something silly like not giving it my best in high school when i could. I almost want to live my life as a king, thats how ecstatic i am. I am aiming for the top, but i am kind of lost! Junior Year is when my GPA should be the best and I also need to carry my slack from the past 2 years. I plan on partaking in clubs (I joined Junior State Alliance and am trying for other opportunities that i find.) as well as volunteering at a hospital in the spring.
I feel like the best i can get with this semester is maybe a 93 or 94 since finals week is about to start but hey, its an improvement and ill go for it. My goal for 2nd semester is quite ridiculous for myself since i actually never averaged over a 95 but I want a 96. I believe i am fully capable. I prepped for the SAT very loosely ill admit as well, and I am not comfortable with that as my score is about 1900 based on practice tests from multiple places and books. I want to prepare for the SAT and get atleast 2100 this coming June or next November and i never took the ACT or prepped for it but i think i should atleast attempt it but i don't know how well i would do on it.
Then i think about what colleges do i go to? Where can i find scholarships? What colleges will actually accept me? What's an interesting subject that i want to pursue? I've been doing my research, and I haven't had a clue. I've been avoiding all of the ivies since i don't even have a chance in hell to get into those. I don't know if i even want to go to an ivy. I also take pride in happiness and wanted to study something i wanted. I have always been interested in Psychology but i dont know if thats even a good field to major in. I have been eyeing the colleges in Cal. (UCLA, UCSD, etc) and other well known schools such as CMU, NYU (I live in nyc). I also was advised to take some SAT IIs just for the sake of taking them and i havent taken any cause i didn't know about them until the end of Sophomore year..
Lots of work, but i do not want to potentially mess up my life. Im only worrying about College and i dont know if that sounds naive considering id have to follow up with a job and stuff. Some of the concerns i have though also include just committing myself to improving.. I feel my real bane is just laziness but i want to overcome that.
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Haha as an European i understand nothing.
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Haha, I remember when I was (mostly) where you are now. I never had the commitment to really stick out and get great grades as I hated doing homework and that was worth 25% of my grade, so I usually got 73's and 74's.
Only a couple things I can really tell you after going through life for 30 years now, and most of which I wish someone told me when I was your age.
-Almost nothing (barring something huge like murdering someone etc) can screw up your life where you're at now. It's only roughly 1/4 over, so don't sweat it too much as things, most notably you, will change over the years many times.
-Psychology is a pain in the ass as a degree. Not because of the difficulty, but because EVERYONE has one, they mean little unless you get a Masters or a Doctorate. So unless you want to do that, don't bother with it because everyone I know with a psych degree has a low paying menial job where they only needed a degree (if that). If you want a Masters or a Doctorate, go for it, there's good money and opportunities for the extra work.
-Never forget that you aren't who you are going to be. That sounds weird I know, but you're still forming and you will change your personality many times over the course of the coming years. Someone your age almost certainly hasn't figured out who they are or what they want, this is the main reason that most high school sweetheart marriages don't work out, when it turns out they finally know who they are, they aren't compatible anymore. Looking back at myself it's amazing how many times I've changed just in the 12 years since I graduated high school.
-Don't sweat the small stuff. Pick a college (preferably somewhere you would like to go because of the city/state) and apply. If they say no then you won't go there, never hurts to try. Pick a major and if you don't like it you can change it, at least then you won't have to wonder down the line "What if I'd majored in Ornamental Botany"
-Life isn't a race. In fact it's the opposite. The whole point is to try and AVOID the finish line. So make sure to stop along the way and enjoy yourself as much as possible.
Alright, there's my view. Ignore where necessary and good luck.
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First off: hey man! Addddd me on skype: skype name CecilSunkure! Added Justin just a day or so ago.
Up next: relax a little bit! You sound quite worried, and to be honest, you're grades are great. My GPA was a whole lot lower and I got into a competitive program just fine. Don't let that laziness get to you, but at the same time you'll learn that it's not a bad thing to relax.
In my opinion the Ivy league schools are nice, but it really doesn't matter where you go so much as what you bring to where you go. How hard you work and push yourself matters immensely. I go to a great school, and I learn about half of all the things I know currently in independent studying.
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