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I will be applying to college in the fall, and am nervous about being accepted to my top-choice schools. I currently have a 3.8 GPA and am taking AP and honors courses, and I am very involved in sports, Girl Scouts, and the local Boys and Girls Club. My problem is that I have never been very involved with in-school activities because of my commitments outside of school. Is lack of involvement in school sports and clubs looked upon poorly by colleges? Also, I know that the National Honor Society is well-respected, but my school's policy on accepting students is that you need 72 in-school service hours. As I explained above, I don't have the necessary hours and therefore wasn't able to be in NHS. Should I mention this to the colleges I apply to? Thank you for any help.
First of all, without knowing your test scores, it's hard to say what your overall chances are at any particular school. My own feeling on this is that colleges care much more about the depth of your commitment to outside activities rather than the breadth. They would rather you be involved in just a few activities and devote meaningful time, rather than having more activities but not devote much time to any of them. Therefore, I think they should be fine with the activities you have, assuming you devote some significant time to them (by the way, I also assume that the reference to "sports" means some type of organized league rather than just pick-up games). I probably would mention on your college application that, while you would be eligible for NHS, your commitments to various activities outside of school prevented you from being involved with NHS. Of course, I'd be sure to also tell the colleges about the extent of your involvement in organizations outside of school (e.g. the Girl Scouts) and some of the positive benefits you've received from your participation. Good luck!
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I am currently a sophomore at a fairly well known private school in Florida. I am in all honors classes, have a 4.15 GPA (out of a possible 4.3), am a member of the student council and PALS (an organization to help new freshmen), the manager and statistician for the varsity basketball team, have starred in 2 plays, and plan to take 3 AP courses as a junior. My school does not list class rank, but I would guess that I am 8th out of my class of 155. Last summer I took a sports law course at Duke. This summer I will attend a legal conference at Stanford and a leadership conference in Washington, DC. I recently took the new PSAT and received a 71 in critical reading, a 73 in math, and a 77 in writing. Academically, I'm not worried, but I have not done much community service. Though I have 100 hours, most of it comes from volunteering at a summer camp. I'm concerned that not having enough community service will hurt my chances of being accepted into a school like Stanford or George Washington. Is it necessary that I help out more in the community, or can I continue to focus on academics and leadership?
Let me start by congratulating you on your accomplishments so far. Your excellent grades, strong test scores, and variety of extracurricular activities should give you a good shot at getting into some of the country’s most prestigious colleges. If you want to get involved in another volunteer activity, that’s fine, but I don’t think it’s necessary. First of all, 100 volunteer hours are nothing to sneeze at. Second, you seem to be involved in plenty of extracurricular activities already. Colleges would rather see you participate in a limited number of activities and devote significant time to them than join every club in sight but not be deeply involved in any of them. Basically, you’re doing all the right things already. As long as your SAT scores are consistent with your PSAT scores, you should be in great shape. In the meantime, relax a little and enjoy the rest of high school. You don’t want to burn yourself out before you get to college!
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I was denied from a university. I believe that this specific university would be a perfect fit for me. How would you recommend I go about refuting this decision?
Well, I wouldn't try to "refute" the decision, but it might be a good idea to make an appointment to talk to someone in the admissions office to see what the reasons were for denying you admission. Perhaps they misconstrued something on your application and/or were not given everything they should have considered. It would be unlikely that they would change their mind, but I can't see where it hurts to discuss it with them.
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I am a sophomore in an IB high school, and I am not sure whether my extracurricular activities are the right activities for colleges. I am not the leader of anything in my community, and I really haven't done much volunteer or community service activities. I have mainly focused my energy into after-school activities such as G-Force, Youth Leadership, FCA, choir, soccer, and the full IB diploma. I want to go to college and major in nursing. Would my extracurricular activities be looked upon as good enough for colleges, or do I need to do more community things and be a leader of different organizations? I have good grades (4.25 GPA), and I am ranked 13th out of a class of 278. I haven't taken the SAT or ACT yet. I'm not sure that my current activities will be enough to get me into a highly accredited or Ivy League university. Do I need to be more involved in other things?
You're doing a lot of things, and I think with your grades and your IB courses you'll be fine. Of course, it's hard to say which schools you would get into, because that will depend on your test scores as well. However, based on what you've told me, you should get into some very good schools. If you want to get involved in a community activity, it wouldn't hurt, but I don't think it's necessary. Don't overextend yourself; sometimes colleges would rather you be involved in less activities but devote more time to them. If you have too many things "listed," it might look like you're joining things just for the sake of joining without putting meaningful time into them.
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Dear Admissions Guru, this is my junior year, and I am extremely stressed out about my chances of getting into an Ivy League school. Currently, I have a 4.4 GPA, rank number one in my class of 458 students, and am taking all the AP classes available at my school. I have been taking advantage of my summers by attending the NYLF program on medicine, and am attending the People to People program at Johns Hopkins University this summer. In the community, I am a youth executive board member of the Santa Clara Valley Red Cross Chapter, an intern at a medical clinic, a clinical research assistant, a YMCA youth and government delegate, and a hospital volunteer. At school, I am President of my Red Cross Club, and a member of NHS, CSF, and Literary Society. My SAT score is about a 1200. I understand that I need to improve my score; however, besides the SAT, I feel very uneasy. The load of stress is making me feel "burned out." Although I am stressed out and constantly tired, I know that there are other spectacular students out there. I feel as if I am not doing enough to get into Stanford University or Johns Hopkins University. What else can I do to make myself stand out? If I am doing the right things, what am I doing now that DOES make me stand out?
First of all, you are doing everything you can do and more! Your class rank, GPA and activities are very impressive. And your SAT score is definitely nothing to be ashamed of.
Now, is your SAT high enough to get into Stanford or Johns Hopkins? Maybe not, but you'll still get into an excellent school (and, with your being number one in your class and all your activities, you still may have a shot at these schools). Don't stress yourself out over this. All you can ask of yourself is to do your best.
I would not recommend that you get involved in any more activities; it looks like you're already busy enough. You need to have some free time to yourself too. In fact, I think you ought to stop some of the things you're doing so you have some time to yourself to do some things you'd like to do--relaxing things like reading, watching television, going to a movie, concert or sporting event, etc.
Put everything into perspective. Getting into a good college is important, but I don't think you have anything to worry about in that regard. Just do your best to try to raise your SAT score, keep doing the other things you're doing, and stop worrying! It's okay (and actually important) to have a little fun in high school too! Too much stress is not good for your physical or mental health. Relax and enjoy your high school experience.
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I'm a sophomore in a highly-ranked public high school. I have always scored in the top percent of all high school students in the nation on standardized tests (including a composite score of 31 on the ACT in 7th grade). I am taking several AP classes (including AP Calculus) and am signed up to take 5 more next year. I am also heavily involved in music, ballet, and volunteer work. However, I have been having a lot of personal problems at home for the past year. In the second half of my freshman year and the first semester of my sophomore year, my grades have dropped from a 3.9 average to a 3.15 average. I'm hoping to ace my junior and senior years, as well as my ACT and SAT, but I'm worried about how my freshman and sophomore grades will affect my college admissions chances. I want to go to a top school, though not necessarily an Ivy League. Any suggestions?
Well, all you can do now is work as hard as you can to improve your grades. If you're successful in doing so, then you could write a letter to the colleges to explain why your grades went down. Assuming it's a plausible reason, and assuming that you're able to get your grades back up to where they were, you will have done your best to minimize the damage from your grade decline. And, colleges will appreciate your candor. That would be my approach.
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I am a senior this year, and my number-one choice is University of Maryland-College Park. I am now in the middle of the waiting game to hear back from them. I have a 3.2 GPA and did well (above 1200) on my SATs, but these are somewhat below Maryland's expectations. I have heard that big schools such as this can rule out applicants rather quickly. I was wondering if they would rule me out for admission before looking through the rest of my application, such as the essay I spent a long amount of time writing. Also, my father attended the University of Maryland, and I am curious as to how much that actually plays into the whole admissions process.
If you're a Maryland resident, I think you have a shot. I imagine your SAT scores are well within the range of accepted students, although your GPA is probably at the low end of their range. It's really hard to say how good your chances are, because it also depends on your extracurricular activities and other accomplishments. I don't think they would rule you out right away if you're a Maryland resident. The essay could help a little, but I don't think it will be that big of a factor. The fact that your father went to the university may help, but it's hard to say how much. Most schools do give extra consideration to "legacies," although this has become the subject of some controversy. Last August, President Bush came out against giving any preference to legacies, but it's safe to say that legacies will continue to be a factor for probably quite a while.
By the way, the fact that you didn't hear yet probably means that you're being seriously considered and possibly at least put on the wait list. You might want to see if you can have an interview. Good luck!
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I am a junior in high school, and I would like to go to college for business management. My problem is that my average GPA is around a 3.0. Will any college accept me?
A 3.0 is pretty good if that's on a 4.0 scale. I'm always amazed that students don't think there's a college for them. Harvard is not the only school in the country. There's a college that's right for you. Look through My College Guide, explore some other guidebooks, and come up with a list.
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I am a sophomore in high school, about to be a junior, and I have a B-C average. I don't know whether I will get into the school that I want. What can I do to help my grades?
First off, to put your mind at ease about getting into the school of your choice, you need to get some information about their requirements for admission. You can likely get this from your high school counselor's office. It's hard to have a goal when you don't know the requirements.
Regarding your grades, I recommend you sit down with your adviser and work out a course schedule that plays to your strengths. Then meet with each teacher to make sure you're on the same page. A lot of the time, teachers who see an interested student will want to take a greater interest in them. You'd be surprised at what a good relationship with your teachers can do.
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Dear Admissions Guru, I am currently a junior at a prestigious private high school in California. My grades have been quite erratic. I got a 4.0 freshman year, 3.0 sophomore year, and I currently have around a 3.5. I have very strong and meaningful extracurricular activities. I am a varsity athlete, a leader in two respected clubs, and I have many volunteer hours. I am shooting for schools like UC-Berkeley and UCLA. But I understand that in their selection they look heavily at grades, specifically the average of sophomore and junior year grades. When comparing my average to the average of a person who gets admitted to those schools, mine is much lower. So my questions are: If my average of sophomore and junior years is around 3.3 to 3.4, and the average of an admitted student at those schools is around 3.7 to 3.8, does that mean I have barely any chance of getting in? Should I be discouraged? Will my strong extracurriculars help to compensate for my lower grades and make me a serious contender? Thanks for your time.
Most likely, your freshman grades will be in that equation, but they will look at the grade trends. If you were steadily going down, that would not help. Extracurriculars will help, but again, you're competing with the best of the best. My advice: find that balance between course selection and superior grades. Score well on the standardized tests (SAT or ACT). Apply early decision if either has it--and if you can afford the tuition (early decision not a good option if financial aid is important for you).
Also, try to possibly get one 4.0 grading period behind you your senior year and then apply. Have a couple of safety schools. And finally, relax. UC-Berkeley and UCLA aren't the end of the world.
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Hello, oh College Guru. Now, I'm in a bit of a quandary. I'm a sophomore in high school, and even though I hate to admit it, I'm not the best student in the world. I try, but I can't seem to work hard enough to get myself out of my lazy streak. In the 7th grade I got a 900+ on the SAT in the Duke Talent Search, but I know I can do better. How do you suggest I break my lazy streak, while keeping up with all of my extracurricular activities, so that I can get my grade average from a B- to, say, an A-?
Well, if you got a 900 on your SAT in the 7th grade, I'd say basically that you're bored. First off, confirm that you're not ADD/LD. Lots of bright people are, and they just can't focus on work that would be fairly easy if they could. On the other hand, you might just need to take harder classes. Maybe a challenge will snap you out of it. Then again, maybe you'll never snap out of it. Maybe you'll be happier working for minimum wage later in life. I know plenty of really smart people who do nothing with their lives. It's a big club, and I'm sure they'll be faintly happy to welcome you as a member.
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Why should I even bother with college?
I’ll give you three reasons: 1) you’ll make more money; 2) you will be exposed to people and ideas that could radically change your life; and 3) our society values credentials. You can certainly do life without a degree, but it’s harder.
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I have a 4.0 GPA, I'm very involved in clubs and sports and have good SAT scores, but I attend a small rural high school with little available in the way of AP classes. What can I do to prepare myself academically for college? Are admissions officers normally leery of accepting "small-town kids" to urban universities?
Being from a small town is not going to hurt your chances of getting into the college of your choice. It is true that many small towns don’t have the educational resources of larger communities, but certainly there are many small communities which do an excellent job of educating their young people.
I think what you must do is take advantage of every opportunity. If you feel you have exhausted the learning opportunities in your high school, turn to a community college or check into correspondence courses at larger universities. Look into summer learning opportunities. When it comes time to review your application, colleges will recognize that you were proactive with your learning. And in fact, you may find that your small-town background has given you an edge others won’t have.
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I am discouraged. As a junior with 1560 PSAT scores and a 3.5 cumulative in AP courses, I get lots of flattering, individualized mail from colleges. I am just a normal kid with sports, dating opportunities, a job, and a flair for math and literature. On one hand, I am encouraged to think big, and on the other hand people tell me that I won't possibly be accepted at any of the stellar institutions that keep writing me. They lift you up just to shoot you down. I don't know where to apply now, but will probably settle for a state school in my region.
What makes you think you’re going to get shot down? College admissions marketing is very sophisticated stuff. They track carefully what works and what doesn’t. The letters you get are a result of colleges doing what they call a “search” of PSAT, SAT, and ACT test results. This is big business for The College Board and others who sell names. Typically, your name costs the college about $0.25. What the college does is to tell The College Board to search for all students in such and such states scoring over “X” on the SAT (and other criteria), and The College Board provides them that list. If they get 20,000 names, you among them, the college pays around $5,000 for that list. Buying mailing lists for marketing purposes is a pretty common business practice, but I think that students deserve to be fully disclosed about this practice when they are the objects of those practices.
The fact is, a college would not waste their money sending you admissions material if you did not fit certain criteria they have for acceptance to that school. Does that mean that you’re definitely going to get in? No. But I do think you can take these mailings seriously. The problem, as I see it, is just as you expressed. Very good students like yourself tend to get “tons” of mail. Sometimes it is difficult to sort through all of this, and sometimes it clouds the issues. But choosing a college is serious business. You may not have requested material from Such-and-Such College, but why not take a few minutes to check it out? So many students miss out on schools that would be great fits because they don’t spend enough time formulating their lists of top ten colleges to apply to. If the state school is where you want to go, great. But don’t let a little temporary confusion alter your long-term goals.
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I am a junior and I go to a public school in New York. I have a 98 average, I am captain of the Bowling Team, President of the National Honor Society, Vice President of the Academic Team, and Treasurer of the Breakfast Club which is basically an Orchestra. I am in Kids on the Block, I'm President of Teen Advisor Group, I play violin and guitar, and I'm also in Girl Scouts. I will take my SATs this January. I did so well on my PSAT that I got a National Merit Scholarship, I went to Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, I won my Gold Award for Girl Scouts, I am going to the National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., and I went to summer programs at Columbia and NYU. I have also won Department Awards in Italian and Orchestra. I want to get into a really great college. Do you think I have a shot at a College like Harvard? Do you think I am well-rounded? Do you think I am overdoing it? Should I worry? Please answer my question.
Well, first, take a deep breath! Phew. Okay. Now, I'll tell you that you probably do have a shot at Harvard, although my guru skills can't legally tell your future or predict absolutely whether you'll get in. But you really don't have any reason to worry; you are going to get into some very good schools. You sound plenty well-rounded to me. I don't suggest you join anything else. You have enough on your plate already, so I suggest you focus on these things and even drop one or two activities if you don't have any time to relax a little bit and enjoy some of your remaining time in high school.
One more tip I'm going to give you: Like you, I was a National Merit Scholar too. Yes, I had a shot at some very good schools as well as you. But I actually went to a public state university, not an Ivy League school, and I ended up loving it (plus I graduated debt-free, which has been so beneficial to me now that I'm responsible for all my own finances). My parting advice to you is that you might well enjoy a public education instead of a private one--who's to say? Now that I'm on the far side of my college career, I can tell you that I got a great education at a credible university where my professors really had time to care about me individually.
My point is, you don't necessarily need to focus on just Harvard; there are so many other schools out there that might be a wonderful fit for you, Ivy League or otherwise. You have so many options! Read some of our articles about how to choose a school that will be a good fit for you. Don't worry. Keep your grades up, keep doing what you're doing, look into some different schools, and don't forget to devote a little time to yourself. You're going to be just fine. Better than that--honestly, you're going to be great.
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I am about to enter my senior year of high school. I have a 3.7 GPA (of 4.0) and have taken advanced and honors classes. Because I have had to babysit my two younger siblings, I have only been involved in Spanish club my junior year. Is this greatly going to affect my chances of getting into college? Should I volunteer as a senior, or is it too late?
You can certainly volunteer as a senior. If you have the option to try a couple of new things, go for it. Remember that extracurricular activities are not only about looking good to colleges--they are mainly intended to help you discover what you love and what you are good at.
I would also encourage you to count babysitting your younger siblings as a volunteer/community activity. No, really! Colleges like to hear about jobs students have held, and they will certainly take into account the fact that you had to take a lot of time to take care of your siblings. Write about it in your essays if you'd like. Highlight your brilliant courage, daring, and cleverness in dealing with your crazy terror of a younger brother or the gothic-tinged rebellion of your emo sister.
Seriously, though, any experience you've had in high school helps shape you. Don't be afraid to mention your babysitting to colleges. It's a mark of character that you've certainly earned.
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I'm a junior in high school and, like most other high school students, I am extremely stressed out about college. I'm currently in all honors and two AP classes, and next year I'm taking all (five) APs. My current GPA is 4.47, though I didn't do too great on a couple of my midterms so my semester GPA was a 4.33. Also, freshman year I slacked off (weighted GPA of 3.75) so my cumulative GPA is a 4.03. My school doesn't calculate unweighted GPA but I think mine is around a 3.8, if it doesn't include freshman and sophomore years. I am currently ranked 19 out of 305, and my cumulative rank is 28, which means I'm in the top 10% of my class. I am in NHS, and the clubs that I am involved in are Literary Magazine, Key Club, and Psychology Club. I volunteer at the hospital weekly and have done several other community service projects in the past, such as beach clean-up and construction at my church. I took the SAT once and got a composite score of 1810 and an 1160 out of 1600 (CR 570, Math 590, Writing 650.) I plan on retaking the SAT and taking the ACT at least once. I have also been attending an SAT prep course, so I think my scores will rise. I'm not the strongest candidate for the schools that I want to attend; my top three are Boston College, Vassar College, and Northeastern, all amazing schools. Obviously I lack in several areas. If I bring my SAT score up to a 1970 or higher, will that boost my chances? Also I'm not sure if my extracurriculars are good enough, since I'm not an officer in any of them. Will that affect my admission? I also know that colleges like to see students who are passionate about one or more talents or interests that they may have. Honestly, I don't have many talents; I don't play sports, I am in no way artistic, and the only thing that is remotely close to being a talent is my writing, but even that is a stretch. My goal is to go to a top school (not ivy league), as unlikely as that is. Do I have any chance at all?
Don't worry. 1) You're doing all the right things to set yourself up to get into a good school. 2) You should be really proud of yourself. 3) It's actually not very obvious that you're "lacking in several areas." And 4) my advice is to relax a little bit. You are already an excellent candidate for a great school. You just need a little perspective. Don't sell yourself too short.
Yes, maybe you could work on a leadership position in one of your clubs, but if you don't get one, who cares? Just keep working hard and focus on enjoying what you're doing now, instead of trying to do all the "right things" to get into college. College admissions can be somewhat arbitrary once you're in the national group of top students (like you are). So why not breathe a little and take a bit of time to enjoy the rest of the "high school season of your life" instead of using your free time to stress about college? Your work ethic is already top-level, and that will probably be a better predictor of your future success than which college you get into.
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I am 58 and never went to college before. I really want to do this, as I age anyway if I don't. But it's very shameful to be sitting in a classrooms with kids younger than my adult child's age. I will be so ashamed and embarrassed. I also fear I will feel extremely left out and lonely amongst these youngsters.
Thanks so much for writing. First of all, I want to encourage you that most colleges these days have so many students who are older than traditional college age. Yes, there are a lot of youngsters, but there are so many people
going to school as adults, such as yourself. It's really a common thing now and nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, many younger students often appreciate having older adults in classes who might be able to contribute their life experiences and wisdom to the classroom.
I wonder if maybe you could talk to a professor or someone on the college campus you know and get some ideas of what might help connect you with other adult students. Look around your college's website or perhaps in the college handbook to see if there is a meet-up group, organization, or society for nontraditional students, if you would like to connect with other adults on the college campus. Often nontraditional students can encourage each other in some meaningful ways.
And who knows - some of your best friends in college might even turn out to be young people who really enjoy your company! Just be yourself and don't worry too much about what people think about you. Also, remember that 18- and 19-year-olds are usually so worried about what other people think of THEM and stressed about the
transition to college that they might need someone to simply be friendly to them too. It's possible the person they need is you.
I want to finish by saying, congratulations on your brave and wonderful decision to go to college! I applaud you and wish you all the best. I do believe you can do it.
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I'm worried that I screwed up my life. I'm 21 years old. When I was in high school, I didn't do so good. I got into drugs and I'm in the process of turning my life around. I'm worried that I'll never get the chance to make something of myself and that it's too late. I'm also worried because I didn't do so well in school. I graduated on an IEP. I also can't spell. I'm worried because I don't think I'll be able to get into a good school. I just want to show my family I'm not dumb and that I'm going to make something of myself someday. I don't even know how and where I can take my ACT. Do you know how I can prepare for it and also where I can learn to be a better speller? I know I have the ability to do so if I focus. I know if I focus, I can do anything. I also have ADHD. So is it still possible to make something of myself even if I graduated on an IEP?
Thanks so much for your question. I think the best thing you could do is to get some personal help from someone in your town. Do you have a mentor? Do you have an old teacher that you liked? Ask them if they can help you begin the process of applying to college. Ask them if they can help you with your writing.
Also, if there is a college in your town, I suggest you go in and talk to the admissions office. The admissions advisers are there to help people get accepted into that college and
avoid common application mistakes. There is also a writing center at most colleges. You might be able to get some writing help there too. I am sure there will be someone helpful in the admissions office who can help you with test-taking and how to apply to colleges. Many colleges even have introductory courses for people who need a little bit of extra help transitioning into college.
If you are wondering about how to
take the ACT, you can look on the website at
ACTstudent.org and see if there are locations near you that you can take the test at. But again, I urge you that probably the most important thing you can do is to find an adult mentor that will help you and fight for you. If there is a friend's parent, a teacher, or someone else you can think of that you look up to, go to that person and ask that person if they will help you get better at spelling and help you apply to college. Personal help will do more for you than I can ever do.
Lastly, I don't think it's too late at all to make something of yourself. I imagine it has been a difficult road to get clean and turn yourself around. That takes some guts, and if you learn that kind of determination and hard work now, you will be able to accomplish more than you ever thought possible. My very best to you.
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I am a freshman who is involved in Young Life (like FCA), and I plan on be becoming a volunteer at the hospital when a space opens up. I want to get into The University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill, but I am concerned about my first semester grades. I ended up with a B- average, but my goal for next semester is straight A's. How greatly does my freshman average affect my college acceptance?
It's great to hear that you are getting involved in extracurricular activities and volunteer work. It sounds like you have mapped out a plan for improvement, and that's the best move you can make. Your freshman grades do count, but schools will be more interested in seeing improvement and success in your later years of high school. Steady improvement or consistently high grades from this point forward will show your commitment to education. Focus on what you can do moving forward to improve, and balance high grades with volunteer work and clubs. Of course, test scores, recommendations, and essays, along with your activities will all be major factors colleges will consider. Before you begin your next semester, you might reflect on what habits and obstacles kept you from achieving A's your first semester. This way, you can create
strategies for studying and earning high scores. Your goal of getting into a good college is
certainly still within your reach.
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Five of the colleges to which I have applied report that I will find out about acceptance on the 1st of April. Is the acceptance always reported on this exact date, or do some schools let you know earlier even than the posted date?
Traditionally, colleges and universities notify applicants by postal mail, and this means that you can expect your answer somewhere near that date. It is possible that you will hear back before the date stated or even a few days later if mail is delayed. Some schools now email admissions decisions, but it all depends on the particular school to which you applied. If you do not hear back within one week of the date posted, it is appropriate to contact the school and inquire about the status of your application. Good luck to you!
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