Latest Questions & Answers

I'm going to say "Give it a shot." You may end up loving your roommate, and even if you don't, the dorm life is such that you'll meet a lot of diverse people that will help you connect into your college life. The truth is that most students are nervous about sharing a room with a random person. It's not just you. I was exactly the same way myself. But most of the richness of the personal relationships I developed (which happened to include my roommate) during my own time at college were initiated through living in the dorms. Now, of course, don't be stupid about living in the dorms. There are a lot of young people in the dorms that are succumbing to peer pressure and just plain unwise choices. Find a group of people that will stick with you in having fun in creative and healthful ways. And one more tip: You may eventually find that it's most efficient of all to study in the library!

Yes, my only piece of advice is this: Take a day off! Seriously, give yourself a little bit of time to still be a kid. You don't want to burn out before you turn 18!

You know what? I think you should consider writing your college application essay about your unique situation. That way you will not only 1) explain the extenuating circumstances as to why you can't participate in a lot of activities, but 2) you'll also be setting yourself apart as an individual from other students who attend traditional school. Think about what obstacles you've had to overcome as a result of your illness. Think about how your schooling situation has shaped who you are and changed the nature of your character and of your relationships. What's been good? What's been bad? How have you grown and changed? What do you care about now? Tell a story. I think this situation could possibly work in your favor even when right now it seems to be a liability. So take heart! I do hope that gives you a start. Congratulations on your accomplishments in the face of your illness. That shows spirit and determination. Run with it. I wish you all the best.

If you have the time to do it (in other words, if it doesn't take up all the rest of your free time), I'd say go ahead and try it. You may end up really enjoying it. Of course, it depends on the amount of committed time the activity would take. But yes, to answer your main question, generally it would probably be a good thing to be able to add to your high school resume at the time you begin applying for colleges. Now, I don't know if it will make the difference between being accepted or not accepted to a given college, but it certainly will help your case rather than hurt it. I do agree with you that it's good to be passionate about what you engage in long-term. But on the other hand, you are still figuring out what kinds of things those are. As I said, you might actually like the activity. But if you don't end up being passionate about this particular thing, I don't know if there's much harm done...it's for a temporary time, and none of us is ever passionate about every single thing in our lives. Otherwise, if you could see yourself burning out by participating in one more time-consuming activity, then that's a factor to consider too. I can't tell you whether that's the case; that's something you'll have to figure out since you know your schedule. Good luck!

It depends on how long ago you attended the previous institution(s). Some colleges neutralize credits and allow a clean slate if several years have passed. If you attended school more recently, I suggest you look into "academic forgiveness" or "academic renewal" policies with the schools you are interested in. Talk to the admissions officers at each school you are applying to; they will be able to give you better help on how to proceed with these credits in your background. But above all, do not tell them that you've never attended college before. I've received many questions about revealing one's academic past, and I will say again for your benefit, do not lie about your past records! Be honest, as you were with me, and I think that will display good character and work to your advantage. And lastly, yes, of course you have hope. Work hard and keep your head up. It sounds like you know what you'd truly like to do. It's not too late at all. Go ahead and work toward it!

Thank you for writing me! I think that the fact you are determined enough to take the first step and even write someone for help means that you really do want this. You sound committed to your goals. And if you know you're intelligent and can handle the training when you apply yourself, then I also believe that you will be able to work in IT or computer engineering! Now, the best thing you can do is work with what you've got where you are. See what local resources are available to you. Get on the internet and find all the four-year and two-year schools with technical/computer training in your area (I'd suggest a 30-mile radius to start). Then your next step is to contact the admissions office of each school and ask them some general questions about what kinds of computer or IT degrees they offer. Also ask them how a G.E.D. can apply to their college admission tracks. The admissions officers will be much more helpful to you than I can be. Research the cost of each program you find out about, and make a list (or more than one!) of pros and cons. What appeals to you most about each option? What sounds most unappealing? Don't be afraid to ask for help from the admissions advisors when narrowing down your focus. Be bold. Ask what kind of financial aid could be available to you. Ask how you can succeed. The people you talk to really will want to help you succeed. Those are the practical steps I suggest you start with. Now, my last thought is this: You're really not that far behind. Don't worry about the few years older you may be than your colleagues. Just focus on your goals. It's really not too late. I have a lot of hope for you. Some of the schools you apply to may even have childcare options for your son, or may offer financial aid packages for you since you're a parent! You can use your current circumstances to your advantage. So go for it. You don't have to be the worst-case scenario...and I don't think you will be.

Hmm. It could be that you may just happen to be a poor test-taker, which college admissions offices will take into account if the rest of your academic record is stellar. You may want to look into whether you may have a sort of "test-taking anxiety," and if that's the case, you could mention that in your college applications under the "extenuating circumstances" section(s). Also, if you have the chance to take each test one more time, I highly suggest you do that--this time studying test-taking strategies instead of specific ACT or SAT strategies (sometimes prep courses focus on the subject matter more than specific test-taking strategies). Browse around on the Internet for information about test-taking best practices and test anxiety assistance. It's a really common phenomenon among excellent students, so don't worry too much about that! Good luck.

I'd say stick with what you're doing, especially if you haven't been involved in all of your groups for very long. You're already developing yourself and participating in quite a lot of things, and it sounds to me like you'll pick up some leadership in the activities you're already involved in. That's great. You don't need to pad your resume with a bunch of new activities at this point. Play to your strengths instead (your piano; your languages). Ivy Leagues (or any good schools, for that matter) are not looking for people in 20 activities...they are looking for people who are meaningfully involved in a few unique activities. That's you. So go ahead and keep doing what you are doing...and when you start applying to schools, make sure to point out the uniqueness of your community and artistic involvement!

Thanks for your question. If you have read this column before, you may have seen from my previous answers that schools frequently consider a number of factors when determining admission. These factors can be more objective (e.g. SAT scores) or more subjective (e.g. the personal essay). For example, perhaps your niece's friend engages in an activity outside of school that has grown her character and has made her high school experience very unique in comparison with her peers. Maybe she has an "alternative" personality or talent that the school feels would fit its needs for a diverse and interesting incoming class. Or perhaps she was the recipient of some particularly strong and dynamic teacher recommendations. There are many possibilities. Whatever reason it may be, it is essential to remember that schools do not accept students strictly based on grades and test scores. Of course these things help, but sometimes the selections still seem more arbitrary than not. It really depends on what the school is looking for this particular year in the broader context of the other applications they receive--which should hopefully ease your niece's mind a bit.

If you really want an in-depth discussion of this issue, I suggest you browse through the New York Times article "Q and A: College Admissions". It's a couple of years old, but the information is still very relevant to your question. Happy reading.

I suggest you try looking into "transition to college" programs offered through community colleges and many good four-year colleges. If you do a little digging, you will find there are programs designed to help students with their GEDs transition well into college instead of joining the workforce right away. Sometimes these types of programs are also offered through state governments. Do a little Googling (include your state of residency) and see what you find. Good phrases to search could be "GED transition to college", "college transition programs," etc. You may also want to look into taking a few CLEP tests. These exams test what you may already know through work experience or other learning acquired through your lifetime, which affords you an opportunity to receive college credit without strictly taking courses. You can learn more about CLEP tests by visiting the College Level Examination Program page through CollegeBoard.