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College Admission

Radiantshadow

Radiantshadow

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May 8, 2011
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This is mainly aimed at college grads and students, but all advice is welcome.

My situation:

American high school student seeking decent college (preferably a state university for a psych. degree). My GPA is 3.9 with weighting, 3.3-ish without. I took the ACT in 6th grade and got a 34, taking it again hoping for the same or higher; SAT composite score is around 1900. I attended the IB programme until shortly into my junior (3rd) year and left once I realized the strain wasn't necessary. By the end of my senior year I'll have accumulated 27 credits, a handful of which are AP-derived. Due to frequent relocation, I haven't been able to enroll in any extra-curricular things although I believe I'm eligible to join a number of the "esteemed" societies ~~ plan on doing that when I get back for my senior year.

Question:

Is this good enough for college? I've looked at surrounding college and university requirements and I meet a few standards but having no "initiative" stuff on my resume like extra-curricular this and that's hurts my chances from what I've heard.

Time is running short and I have no idea what to do -- any and all advice, criticism, whatever is welcome.

(Aside: typing everything out was a huge relief, perhaps I'll be able to think clearly soon)
 
at the risk of being flippant, sure. Most universities will take most anyone.
 
Radiant Shadow said:
This is mainly aimed at college grads and students, but all advice is welcome.

My situation:

American high school student seeking decent college (preferably a state university for a psych. degree). My GPA is 3.9 with weighting, 3.3-ish without. I took the ACT in 6th grade and got a 34, taking it again hoping for the same or higher; SAT composite score is around 1900. I attended the IB programme until shortly into my junior (3rd) year and left once I realized the strain wasn't necessary. By the end of my senior year I'll have accumulated 27 credits, a handful of which are AP-derived. Due to frequent relocation, I haven't been able to enroll in any extra-curricular things although I believe I'm eligible to join a number of the "esteemed" societies ~~ plan on doing that when I get back for my senior year.

Question:

Is this good enough for college? I've looked at surrounding college and university requirements and I meet a few standards but having no "initiative" stuff on my resume like extra-curricular this and that's hurts my chances from what I've heard.

Time is running short and I have no idea what to do -- any and all advice, criticism, whatever is welcome.

(Aside: typing everything out was a huge relief, perhaps I'll be able to think clearly soon)
Click to expand...

Well. In my state you can get into college, with a scholarship, with an 18 on your ACT and a 2.5 GPA. I think you can get in somewhere. Honestly speaking, depending on the state, it might be possible for you to get a full ride.

To clarify: You have nothing to worry about.
 
That sounds like more than enough to get into most colleges and universities. :) Admission is just based on grades and references, sounds like you are good to go grade-wise. Now you need some people like advisors or teachers that know you well and will give you good recommendation letters. Look on the university websites and talk to an academic advisor. They will explain what you need. It's not all that difficult to get accepted.

You just have to worry about extra cirricular stuff when you apply for scholarships and stuff. Scholarships are the real problem. :/
 
Most state universities in the US have very lax requirements; a 2.5 GPA and/or 1000 on SATs would easily be enough. The private schools require a little more and the better private schools go up from there. Unless you plan on being a high profile lawyer or doctor, I have yet to see the advantage to an ivy league education though.
 
Thank you all for the responses.

I was primarily worried that high test scores wouldn't be enough - some of my friends in college told me extracurricular things are an unspoken necessity, perhaps they were referring to scholarships though. I don't want to go to an Ivy League school because, frankly, I don't see the point and I don't have the resources (the environment would grate on my nerves as well, but that's another story). I'd like to pursue a counseling degree, but I've heard they are very difficult to get in to once one ascends to the higher echelons (PhD. D, specifically). I'm not adverse to "hopping" from university to university to get varying degrees if I have to, though it would be a large financial strain.
 
What you have is definitely high enough to start. You should be able to get into at least 75% of the schools in the United States. What you want to do, though, is find out what you need for your PhD. Do you want clinical psychology? Social work? Do you want to specialize in a certain area of counseling? Are you interested in behavioral analysis? These are things you could begin exploring now. Your Bachelors (either of Arts or Science) may or may not help you obtain your PhD depending on your focus.

In many cases you can get a BA/BS in one field and an MA/MS or PhD in another. And actually, if you're going for your PhD, I've heard it's much better to do those three degrees at three different institutions - or at the very least, you should get your Masters in a different place from your PhD.

Anyway...I'd say pick a college to start with and take extra curricular activities at your *college* that will show that you have the Masters and PhD interests. Join clubs or fraternities that promote counseling and/or behavioral science. Start talking to your faculty and academic advisors about different clubs on campus. Plan where you'd like to get your PhD, once you determine your counseling focus, and work backwards.

Anyway...this is what I do for a living. So if you have questions, and you feel I can help, free to ask me about stuff.

--Arby.
 
You did better than I did in highschool! I had a 3.5 GPA and I think I got 1880 on the SATs.

I might suggest going for a year or two to a community college and then transferring to a state university. The credits are the same, but the cost is WAY cheaper. The only thing you might have trouble with is due to the psych field. It's heavily impacted, but so was my major.

Remember, though, that working for a college degree is working to get the approval of a table full of jerks who were born just as unknowing and who are still just as unknowing about what life is all about as you were and are. Food for thought. I didn't realize that until a while after I graduated. Silly college!
 
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Yes, I had a 3.8 (unweighted), ~1600 on my SAT, I forget what my ACT was and approximately 20 credits from AP yet I still got into University of Washington.

You'll be fine.
 
Arbygil,

Thank you for the suggestion to move around and clarify my educative goals. I have not researched as much as I should but using cognition principles to help others (private? public? I haven't decided) overcome various issues rings a bell somewhere. Are there places - aside from Google - one could find pertinent information about the different branches of counseling? Honestly, I don't know what's out there.

DrShephard,

Yeah, I had thought of skipping around for various degrees until I finish to minimize costs. What do you mean by the degree being heavily impacted? About the jerk-factor, I see education as a tool; a means to an end, not the end itself. I believe it was Einstein who said, "imagination is more important than education", yes? Life is limited, innovation and discovery are not. And so it goes...

Bicklez,

Impressive stats, I must say. Thank you for the affirmation
 
DrShephard

He speaks the truth. I am finishing my last year of community college... Last spring semester, I was offered a full-ride at the Illinois Institute of Technology, so stay open with your college plans...

Completing two years at a community college will save you a lot of money and you , most likely, will receive more scholarship opportunities....
 
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Wow, that is more than good enough for college. I think you're set.
 
3.2gpa and 1200 on my SATs and I made it into a four year college. If you can't then it's out of shear unreasonable terror of applying ink to paper therby keeping you from being able to fill out any college applications.

This next part is going to sound rude, even if offense isn't intended and that's mainly because it is rude. With your qualifications you should already know that colleges all over the country will jump at your heels to get you to attend. It makes your post almost seem like your trying to hide that your bragging in a honest question.
 
You're applying for a State University, not MIT. I agree with Barnabas with stats like yours you should already know the answers. If it were an Ivy League college, I could understand some confusion, but a State University will take damn near anyone (they even took me!).

And you do realize the purpose of the SAT, right? It's supposed to determine your success in the first year of college (as the documentation sent to the high school Guidance departments indicate). That's right - the one test your entire high school career is based around only exists to indicate how you might do in one year of college. The irony is, I have friends and family who scored over 1400 on their SATs and ended up dropping our their freshman year... whoops! Obviously, not everything is quantifiable.
 
Dont waste your brain in college, just start your own business and make all the money you want.
 
I am very impressed;this is coming from someone who graduated with a 4.261 gpa, 1960 SAT, and 28 ACT, with 27 credits going into College.

If I were you I would apply anywhere that interested you...Even Ivies. I know if you applied to my school with those stats, you would definitely get a full ride...or close.

Like Arbygil said, at least 75%, if not more, of Colleges would take you. Though try to do some extracurriculars, they add some colour to your application.

You should also apply for all the scholarships that you can because it's FREE MONEY.
 
Sorry everyone for not responding for so long, I just discovered how to find my own threads.

Barnabas said:
3.2gpa and 1200 on my SATs and I made it into a four year college. If you can't then it's out of shear unreasonable terror of applying ink to paper therby keeping you from being able to fill out any college applications.

This next part is going to sound rude, even if offense isn't intended and that's mainly because it is rude. With your qualifications you should already know that colleges all over the country will jump at your heels to get you to attend. It makes your post almost seem like your trying to hide that your bragging in a honest question.
Click to expand...

My question was more along the lines of "how important are extracurriculars". GPA is relative; some schools I've been to practically gave out A's, whereas others made them very difficult to acquire. The ACT tests knowledge more than anything, which also depends in part on where and how you were taught. Community service and the like are stronger proofs of character than anything else, in my opinion, because they show committment and tangible accomplishment. That's why I asked, because I don't have much of it due to frequent relocation.

@Lerxst

True, about requirements. Overanalysis for the win, eh?

Yeah, I know they're simply readiness projections. I had not meant to come across like a bragart; I haven't a clue what's considere a good score because I keep to myself at school. My OP contained all the information I felt was relevant to my question, nothing more. I do not particularly care about scores because they do nothing to help the world. But, if they are needed to put me in a position to better help myself and others, I will put them forward.

@uberrogo

I don't think I have the werewithal to do that atm, but it may happen one day.
 
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