I Didn't Do So Great in High School

The thing most students don’t get is that it is not the quantity of the things you do, but the quality. If you played 10 sports but rode the bench in all of them, I don’t think it would speak as highly of you as would playing one sport but being “all-state.” College admissions people are on the lookout for “clubbers”—people who join but don’t do. They want to see passion for a couple of things you really care about. My advice: find the couple of things you really enjoy and try to excel at them.

College admission committees look at more than your grades. Among other things, they look at the courses in which you got those grades, your experiences outside of school, the competitiveness of your high school, etc. The fact that you’re Asian might or might not play a role in the decision; it really depends on your credentials and the applicant pool at the time you apply. So do you have a shot? Again, that depends on the applicant pool at the time you apply. But it’s worth a shot. You might also consider why it’s so important to you to attend a “prestigious Ivy.” You’d be better served if you considered what you want from college and then looked at schools, both Ivy and otherwise, that provide the best match for your desires. If, for instance, you want to go to medical school, check out the med school admission rate for a number of different colleges. You might discover that a “non-Ivy” will prepare you just as well.

OK, first, let me say that I am not an expert on Cornell’s admissions criteria. Second, I’m going to assume that you applied to Cornell out of high school and for whatever reason, didn’t get in. Every university has a unique transfer policy; many schools welcome transfer students with open arms and go out of their way to make it easy for them to do so. Your first step in making your dream come true is to find out what Cornell’s policy is. Call the school’s undergraduate admissions office, tell them you’re interested in transferring, and ask for all the appropriate information. As a prospective transfer student, you will need to structure your current academic work so that it will transfer as credit for graduation to Cornell. This means you need to review Cornell’s requirements for graduation and begin to work toward that goal even though you are not a student there. This will likely require some contact with Cornell to ensure that the courses you are taking in Albany do transfer in the way you expect. Keep in mind, though, that you may eventually want or need to finish at Albany so it is best to try and take courses that “work” at both schools. The Back Door. This does not work at every school and has an element of risk, but I’m going to lay this out for you as truly an alternative for dreamers. Many universities have an evening college or continuing education school where you can take courses offered by the regular university, often at the same time of day. The difference is that 1) you are not a degree candidate; and 2) you aren’t going to get certain benefits of other students (like the option of living on campus which, for freshmen, lessens the college experience). The strategy here is to rack up a number of hours (maybe 30-50) toward your intended major, then apply to the school for admissions as a degree candidate. If you’ve done wellin these prior courses, the school typically admits you as a degree candidate. Again, there is always the possibility that you won’t get in, but if you discuss this possibility with Cornell openly, you may feel good enough about your chances to give it a try. I know a number of students who have gained admissions to colleges a nd earned degrees by this back door admissions approach. But by all means, apply to the school first as a transfer student. Good luck with your dream.

Washed up at 16? I don’t think so. You should see the questions I get. What pressure students feel to be absolutely perfect. Do well the next two years, work hard to score well on the SAT, get involved in things you enjoy, and you will get into a great school. Maybe it won’t be Harvard or Stanford, but who cares? There are many excellent colleges out there who will love to have you, you’ll get a great education and have fun in the process. So relax and enjoy high school with the confidence that your future has good things in store for you.

Personally, I’d set my sights a little higher. Your grade point average is only one part of your application. Perhaps you’re an outstanding baseball player. Or maybe you play the flute. What about your SAT/ACT scores? Select a group of five or six schools whose admissions reguirements range from non-selective to selective (you can find these in any college handbook in your local bookstore). Then structure your application in the best possible way. You might surprise yourself. There’s no reason why you can’t attend a good school and make a great living afterwards—especially if you are “very intelligent.”

In earlier questions, we talked about transferring from one college to another, and the same strategies apply. If your intent is to end up in a specific four year college, and you’d like to start out at a community college, you need to begin your studies with that in mind. Some four year colleges actually have “feeder” community colleges that they look to for transfer students. A few calls to the admissions offices of the colleges of your choice will help you discover what they are.

Extracurricular activities matter (there are questions below and in the Guru archive which address this subject thoroughly). Whether they can overcome Ds is doubtful. You need to do better in those classes, and if you can’t do better, get out of them. My dad used to tell this joke about the kid who brought home three Fs and and a D on his report card, and when his father asked him what the problem was, the kid says, “I think I’m spending too much time on one subject.” The point is that maybe you can spend less time on the subjects you do very well in, and more time on the subjects that are kicking your butt. Also, when you get around to applying to college, make sure you select schools that match up favorably with the work you have done. Put some thought into it. As for being a ward of the state, it probably won’t affect decisions on admissions at most places. On the other hand, you have obviously had to deal with problems that others have not, and you should, on your application (perhaps in the essay), describe your less than ideal home life and in particular, how you have overcome those things to achieve anyway. Admissions people love a winner. I believe you will find a college that is right for you, and with a college education, you have the potential to create a far better life for yourself than you have had growing up. Good luck.

Gee, where to start? Well, first, law school comes after undergraduate college, so no point in thinking about that for about six years. I think you might be better off trying to figure out how to get out of high school and with luck and hard work, a decent college. I’m sure it’s hard to think of yourself in a positive way, but that’s the first step. What do you do well? Sports? Mr. Personality? Hard-working? Try to build on those things. Next, you say you were diagnosed with ADD. Are you being treated, too? If not, you’re only halfway there. Since your folks have money, encourage them to spend some of it on other testing. You may have learning disabilities that are holding you back and not even know it. Check it out. I’d encourage your folks to spend some money on tutoring, too. You are probably so far behind in everything that just wanting to do well is going to be tough. Check out a Sylvan Learning Center or the host of private tutors to help you. You can catch up. Finally, do not count yourself out of the game at age 16. You have much ahead of you to live for. I personally think you’ve had some crappy support along the way to be in the situation you’re in. Write me again and let me know how it is going. Note to the many educators reading this column: Please look around your school tomorrow and see if there’s a kid that fit’s the description above. I’ll bet there is. If so, reach out. There’s a cry for help.

It doesn't really work in the way you're thinking: You can't just take more extracurriculars to compensate for the difference in bad grades.  Schools look at a combination of extracurriculars, grades, tests, and your personal essay, but they also always prefer better grades to worse!  What you need to do most is figure out how to get the help you need to raise your grades.  Consider tutoring, rearranging your schedule, giving yourself incentives to study (besides junk food, probably, although that's always my struggle...), asking your parents or guardian to hold you accountable to do your homework, having study gatherings with your friends, asking your teachers for extra assistance outside of class, etc, etc.  There are so many ways you can work on getting your grades up!  That should be your main focus for right now.  Yes, of course get involved in some activities you love--it adds variety to your life--but don't think that joining X number of activities will make up for the D's you have earned.  That's an algebra formula that just doesn't hold up!