35 replies to this topic

[Warriors]

Berkeley is full of hippies...good pot cookies though..I love University Ave...great food over there...Stanford, eh..Palo Alto is nice..its also fun to drive past Google's and Apple's owners home over there..lotta security..but in the nice part of Palo Alto lot to do and good fun if you have the money, but their is the dangerous east side full of crime..I would vote Berkeley even though the west side is pretty crime ridden, hard to get into but I am also planning on going to Bolt Hall for law school there.

[GreenScissors]

Okay you're a freshman. zzz.
Just keep doing what you're doing and maintain that grade.
Your extracurriculars look pretty good, but for the non sports/music ones, try to participate in things that are relevant to your intended major.

Also you may already be doing these things, but never procrastinate/cut class. Just going to class and handing things on time will get you a 3.6 at the least.
You will also be asking for teacher recommendations in junior year, so it's good to cultivate a relationship with your teachers.

At the same time, try to enjoy yourself in highschool. Don't just study and play neopets all the time. Go to prom/school events/whatever else they do at your school.

[Junsu]

Okay you're a freshman. zzz.
Just keep doing what you're doing and maintain that grade.
Your extracurriculars look pretty good, but for the non sports/music ones, try to participate in things that are relevant to your intended major.

Also you may already be doing these things, but never procrastinate/cut class. Just going to class and handing things on time will get you a 3.6 at the least.
You will also be asking for teacher recommendations in junior year, so it's good to cultivate a relationship with your teachers.

At the same time, try to enjoy yourself in highschool. Don't just study and play neopets all the time. Go to prom/school events/whatever else they do at your school.

I love how you included play neopets
Dont worry, I got a social life

I heard that if you get a job, job recommendations are also good.
Which one do you think is better?

I plan on kissing up on one teacher each year and ask them for a letter

[GreenScissors]

I love how you included play neopets
Dont worry, I got a social life

I heard that if you get a job, job recommendations are also good.
Which one do you think is better?

I plan on kissing up on one teacher each year and ask them for a letter

You mean job recs or teacher recs?
It really depends on the job. If you're working at mcdonalds, then the teacher rec is better. If you're working as an assistant to someone who's in computer programming, then the rec could be more helpful. When in doubt, send them all.

[BuckFutter]

Principal recs for major bonus points.

Or as mentioned, a rec from a professional in the field is awesome as well.

[Junsu]

Principal recs for major bonus points.

Or as mentioned, a rec from a professional in the field is awesome as well.

How would you even get "close" to the principal? It seems impossible :\

[jcrdude]

How would you even get "close" to the principal? It seems impossible :\

I had an awesome principal who liked connecting with the students on a semi-personal basis.

He left the rule enforcement to the vice-principal.

[Sinwin]

My school is small so I could get the principal's rec easily

[ilovepolkadots]

Q1:: sports can greatly improve your chances of getting into college if you are scouted, if not then it still helps since many universities want you to be well rounded.
Q2:: generally one language is fine - however you should have taken at least three levels of that language to get into most colleges.
Q 3:: as many as you can! While APs do not really help you to get into college once you do get in having made a good score will save you lots of time and money. I saved myself 8 hours worth of BIO classes by making a 5 on the AP Bio exam. I wish my school would have offered more APs than they did.
Q 4:: i don't know what mine was unweighted X.X but the higher the better obviously. generally the schools will have GPA requirements posted.
Q 5:: as stated with sports it is a good idea to be well rounded and participate in as many school activities as you can, but i don't see simply playing an instrument getting you really far

I love how you included play neopets
Dont worry, I got a social life

I heard that if you get a job, job recommendations are also good.
Which one do you think is better?

I plan on kissing up on one teacher each year and ask them for a letter

i included a job application as well as a teacher recommendation. don't worry about ALL the teachers as the application will most likely ask for three tops - and i would focus on getting your English teachers to like you since obviously they will be the best writers

oh! and also if one of your teachers happens the be an Alumni of your school of choice DEFINITELY get them to write your recommendation, they accentuate how well you would fit in and be a perfect candidate by adding their personal experiences from being apart of that particular college.

Edited by ilovepolkadots, 05 May 2010 - 08:00 PM.

[DragonX]

I live in Canada but I assume that the systems are similar:

Do sports actually improve your chances of getting into college?
Yes, and also with a lot with scholarships. Plus, sports = fun and better balanced life = better results

How many languages do they usually look for?
They don't look for languages here as long as you have proficiency in English

How many APs?
No APs here xD
Unweighted GPA?
Canada uses percent...

Is transferring better than just trying to go in?
not sure

Does playing an instrument actually help?
For extracurricular portfolio, yes, like sports

Good luck !

I recommend getting to know teachers well early and asking for ref letters as you go along as opposed to the end. Sometimes teachers may switch schools/go on materity leave/etc. Also, teachers write better letters in times when they aren't busy

[Joanna]

So...


Do sports actually improve your chances of getting into college?
How many languages do they usually look for?
How many APs?
Unweighted GPA?
Is transferring better than just trying to go in?
Does playing an instrument actually help?

Im aiming for Berkely/Stanford o___o
Ivy League if I can :\

1. Yes
2. 1
3. Depends on your school. Ivies will look for as many as possible.
4. Being in the top 10% is ALWAYS best.
5. Well, if you are like me and are tranferring from dual enrollment courses than yes. But right outta high school it really doesn't matter. Sometimes people run into problems where credits wont transfer and you do not want that.
6. If you are going for music... otherwise it just looks like an extracurricular.

Good Luck!! I hope you got REALLY REALLY good SAT scores and were in the top of your class. If you were than you are set my friend.