Applying to college

Mr.E

unban me from Discord
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To further drive home the point of the pair of previous posters: I actually took AP Chem in high school and passed my exam with flying colors and could have skipped intro Chem. I figured since I was going into the sciences, I should go ahead and take that course anyway (while still taking AP credits to skip out on other courses where applicable, like intro English). LOL WHAT A WASTE OF MY DAMN TIME just skip everything you can
 
Ahh, I know I kind of already asked this, but what do you guys think about putting the written work I've done for this site on my college application? As in, the Pokemon analyses I've written? I've pretty much finished my UW app, and it's looking pretty good, but my list of activities is horrible right now lol... It's like NHS, babysitting, and Yearbook :/. The admissions office wrote advice that was like "We know you'll probably have more than five but try to shorten it down" and I'm don't even have four! So that's why I was thinking I could put down my writing, at the very least it was something I did during my freshman / sophomore year... and if I split NHS and community service into two categories then I'd have five activities (which is their limit). Although, I feel like it could backfire because writing about Pokemon might look stupid or like a waste of time to them lol. What do you guys think??
 

Electrolyte

Wouldn't Wanna Know
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I was just given the opportunity to review my college application a few days ago and I thought I'd share some of my experiences here for people currently applying. I got into Johns Hopkins ED last year.


TLDR
I learned that the most important thing is still your GPA and class rigor unless you are some national level champion in an extracurricular event

I learned that quantity can somewhat makeup for quality when it comes to extracurriculars bc I got ragged on not being involved in anything particularly time-consuming but still was rewarded for at least being active. Actually this comment surprised me quite a lot because they considered being in chamber orchestra and a captain of the debate team to not be "that much of a time commitment" so I question what they would consider to be a time commitment? Marching band I guess? Not so sure

I learned that they don't really care about your essays as long as you write about something important to you and it's well-written

I learned that teacher recommendations are really important; mine were surprisingly hugely impactful because they were very impressed

I learned that they will notice if you've really done a good job of researching the school and the opportunities it provides and how they fit in with your aspirations

Finally I learned that they don't really care about volunteering

idk if other schools do the same thing but I'm glad I got to see what they thought about me and I encourage people to find out if they are given that chance
 
I'm applying rn! Applying to University of Washington and Western Washington cause I did an in-state "community college in high school" program (Running Start) and want my college credits to transfer. Really hoping I get into UW, I have a 3.99 GPA (literally ONE A- KILL ME), 1380 SAT, and I did Running Start which they supposedly like at UW :D My only problem is I have very low extra-curriculars, I only did National Honors Society and some babysitting here and there, and while NHS did provide a lot of community service and require a high GPA I'm not sure it'll be enough... I've been wondering if it'd be worth putting all the articles / analyses I wrote for this website on my app, what do you guys think??

Western is my safety although tbh if I don't get into UW I'd probably just try to transfer with an AA since I'll be pretty close to it by the time I've graduated high school.
You will definitely get into UW with those stats. I know people with less than a 3.3 GPA and a 1500 SAT on the 2400 scale that got into UW. Also my GPA was lower than yours and they accepted me. As long as you have something relevant and interesting in your essays, you will get in. Honestly I wrote my essays in about 20 min each because UW was the last school I applied to and I applied the night before the deadline LOL. I wouldn't worry too much. Plus you'll have a great advantage with running start credits and save lots of money :D
 
You will definitely get into UW with those stats. I know people with less than a 3.3 GPA and a 1500 SAT on the 2400 scale that got into UW. Also my GPA was lower than yours and they accepted me. As long as you have something relevant and interesting in your essays, you will get in. Honestly I wrote my essays in about 20 min each because UW was the last school I applied to and I applied the night before the deadline LOL. I wouldn't worry too much. Plus you'll have a great advantage with running start credits and save lots of money :D
Omg!! You honestly don't know how happy that makes me haha. UW has been the dream school for me since like forever... And I spent literally so much time on my essay haha if they don't like it I will be very sad :(
 
I was just given the opportunity to review my college application a few days ago and I thought I'd share some of my experiences here for people currently applying. I got into Johns Hopkins ED last year.


TLDR
I learned that the most important thing is still your GPA and class rigor unless you are some national level champion in an extracurricular event

I learned that quantity can somewhat makeup for quality when it comes to extracurriculars bc I got ragged on not being involved in anything particularly time-consuming but still was rewarded for at least being active. Actually this comment surprised me quite a lot because they considered being in chamber orchestra and a captain of the debate team to not be "that much of a time commitment" so I question what they would consider to be a time commitment? Marching band I guess? Not so sure

I learned that they don't really care about your essays as long as you write about something important to you and it's well-written

I learned that teacher recommendations are really important; mine were surprisingly hugely impactful because they were very impressed

I learned that they will notice if you've really done a good job of researching the school and the opportunities it provides and how they fit in with your aspirations

Finally I learned that they don't really care about volunteering

idk if other schools do the same thing but I'm glad I got to see what they thought about me and I encourage people to find out if they are given that chance
As a college counselor, I can say that most of these are true. Some schools value specific types of volunteering (I.e. The Catholic Ivies) or volunteering in general (Swarthmore). One thing that competitive schools will notice for volunteering is if you start your own volunteering program, such as a high school mentoring program or local community clean-up club.

Personally, I was very involved in the music department, partaking in various ensembles, as well as athletics. Club advisor recommendations definitely help you a long way. As electrolyte said, schools will generalize your involvement in a club since different clubs will have different levels of time commitment (I.e. marching band in Texas (super competitive) vs.marching band in NJ (not as competitive)). An advisor's recommendation certainly helps illuminate your level of involvement in a club.

Furthermore, extracurriculars off campus (I.e. research) also show that you invest a lot of time in said activity.
 

RODAN

Banned deucer.
Hello. I am Twenty One years old. I have been a NEET for the last 4 years of my life. Today I finally nutted up and applied for Multiple Universities. It feels like a huge weight was lifted off my back and now I can get to working on the rest of my life to make up for all these wasted years.
 

Blue Frog

It's lucidity. So clear!
is a Top Artist Alumnus
Just got in ED to the Digital Media Design (DMD) program at UPenn! I'm still sort of in shock and super excited. The major combines art, computer science, and communication, so anyone interested in animation/games/computer graphics should totally look into it.

Normally I don't post on threads like these but I feel like I owe a lot of gratitude to the Smogon community, as cliche as it sounds. I learned how much I loved digital art on this forum and I wouldn't be close to the level I'm at now if it weren't for Smeargle's Studio and the art staff. I started out here as a complete beginner, but after participating and getting incredible feedback from all the artists here (especially Bummer), I was decent enough to start considering art as a college option. I had to become a lurker after the application process began so I'm looking forward to start posting again!

Best of luck to everyone else applying right now!
 
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Bughouse

Like ships in the night, you're passing me by
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Just got in ED to the Digital Media Design (DMD) program at UPenn! I'm still sort of in shock and super excited. The major combines art, computer science, and communication, so anyone interested in animation/games/computer graphics should totally look into it.

Normally I don't post on threads like these but I feel like I owe a lot of gratitude to the Smogon community, as cliche as it sounds. I learned how much I loved digital art on this forum and I wouldn't be close to the level I'm at now if it weren't for Smeargle's Studio and the art staff. I started out here as a complete beginner, but after participating and getting incredible feedback from all the artists here (especially Bummer), I was decent enough to start considering art as a college option. I had to become a lurker after the application process began so I'm looking forward to start posting again!

Best of luck to everyone else applying right now!
Ey I was Penn undergrad. Congrats!
 
Hello. I am Twenty One years old. I have been a NEET for the last 4 years of my life. Today I finally nutted up and applied for Multiple Universities. It feels like a huge weight was lifted off my back and now I can get to working on the rest of my life to make up for all these wasted years.
I'm proud of you, brother. Godspeed.
 
Kinda tangential but are there any other National Hispanic Scholars round here? I got a great grade on my PSAT last year (apparently in the top I think 1-2% of all hispanics) and that lead to me applying to be a National Hispanic Scholar, which I am now. Because of this award I have been offered a number of EXTREMELY generous scholarships and I'm wondering what other people's experiences are with this sort of thing.
 
Just got in ED to the Digital Media Design (DMD) program at UPenn! I'm still sort of in shock and super excited. The major combines art, computer science, and communication, so anyone interested in animation/games/computer graphics should totally look into it.

Normally I don't post on threads like these but I feel like I owe a lot of gratitude to the Smogon community, as cliche as it sounds. I learned how much I loved digital art on this forum and I wouldn't be close to the level I'm at now if it weren't for Smeargle's Studio and the art staff. I started out here as a complete beginner, but after participating and getting incredible feedback from all the artists here (especially Bummer), I was decent enough to start considering art as a college option. I had to become a lurker after the application process began so I'm looking forward to start posting again!

Best of luck to everyone else applying right now!
Holy cow, I pined after that DMD acceptance for so long last year! Got waitlisted, guess I should have actually sent a portfolio. Dude, congrats! It's truly a stellar major. Hope you do well in it!
 

PDC

street spirit fade out
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to tell you guys the truth, my stats are probably quite a bit lower than what i would want them to be for the colleges i want to get into (nyu, gwu), so a lot of my admissions chance is relying on recommendations and maybe personal essays.

question is, how much do those things matter in the first place? i have a pretty decent set of teachers, but i want to really know if they will do me any good in the first place.

if you need any specifics about stats or other things i could always tell you - thanks!
 
to tell you guys the truth, my stats are probably quite a bit lower than what i would want them to be for the colleges i want to get into (nyu, gwu), so a lot of my admissions chance is relying on recommendations and maybe personal essays.

question is, how much do those things matter in the first place? i have a pretty decent set of teachers, but i want to really know if they will do me any good in the first place.

if you need any specifics about stats or other things i could always tell you - thanks!
I would say SAT scores are not that important as long as they're not too low. The middle 50% of SAT scores for NYU freshman is 1910-2150 so anything in that range is fairly good. I'd say anything above 1800 is good enough (maybe even lower). Higher does help a bit up to a point, but from my experience, most admission officers just look at SAT scores just to see that your proficient in reading/writing/math. Like, if you've gotten all A in your math classes but a 300 on the SAT math section that means your high school very unfortunately did not provide a good math education and was way too easy. Overall I would say, if your SAT score is below 1600 I would check to see if you could take the January SAT and try to improve your score for NYU- otherwise I wouldn't stress to much about it. George Washington is test optional so I wouldn't worry about that at all.

GPA/high school transcript usually is much more important - colleges want to see that you can handle college-level coursework so taking and doing well in challenging (AP/IB) classes in high school is definitely very helpful. However, even if your grades aren't what you want them to be, if you've shown improvement throughout high school, that is also good (like junior year grades better than freshman/sophomore grades).

That said, having low GPA/SAT doesn't automatically mean you'll get rejected - there is a lot of variation in the GPA/SAT scores of what colleges accept. As such, having good recommendations/essays can help compensate for lower scores. (Other factors such as legacy/athletics can also do this.) I think teacher recommendations especially can give your learning more context and show why you are a good student despite a low GPA.

Good luck with admissions!
 

Minus

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8========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================D <-actual size of my dick
 
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This is what confuses me.

I get bumfucked by my school (TX public magnet) so my unweighted GPA is sub3.3 (I don't really show a huge upward trend or anything), but my test scores (2250+ sat, 7/9 5s on APs, 800s on math 2/bio, 750+ physics subject tests, etc) show that my grades don't reflect how much I really know about a subject; I feel like the automatic reaction from an admissions officer to this scenario is "damn this kid is lazy" rather than "damn that school is hard." Is there any way I can let them know that it's mostly the latter?
Many classes (lit, precalc, physics, chem) are structured so that only like 5 people get As, so everyone that doesn't run on coffee is a straight-B student. My recs are probably going to be average as shit since I'm pretty average at school, but I would say my essays would be pretty decent compared to what people post on r/applyingtocollege. Guidance counselors don't have any connections and are 90 years old so anyone they would have known are dead already. To top it all off, I live in Texas, and my class size is about 165 kids, so top 7% for auto-admit to UT is like 11 kids (and UT rarely accepts non-auto kids). Sure, I'm probably prepared for college now blah blah whatever; I'd rather have a higher GPA.

Anyway, I want to do EE/compE, but I'm not entirely sure where else to apply. (already applied to UT and TAMU, got into UH (go coogs!!!!!!)). Out of state public schools are not an option since money is an issue. Good private schools with engineering are beyond me bc GPA is way too low. I'm applying to a few liberal arts colleges because I feel like they will be much more holistic (and also like having Asian males) and will major in physics there. Any schools that you guys could recommend even though it's so late in the process?
Based on your situation, I would definitely say that some out-of-state schools are definitely an option. Also, don't cross out state schools. Some give generous amounts of financial aid.

Also, I really have a thing against CE to some degree. You're better off going CS + another major or CS + EE. From what I hear from a lot of other students at other schools, CE is kind of a "jack of all trades, master of none" kind of major.

Even though you have a 3.3 GPA, you attend a magnet school, which means you are competing against some of the smartest kids in your area in terms if GPA. If you have a lot of extracurriculars, that should somewhat offset a low GPA. Depending on your magnet school (as well as the rigor of some of the competitive extra-curriculars), the school's reputation might be able to carry you far. It may not land you at MIT, but it can definitely land you at somewhere like Michigan (with a decent scholarship to boot).

Furthermore, I think one of the biggest problems I see high school kids make when making application decision is forgetting that 3rd party scholarships, FAFSA, and the school itself can provide a generous amount of financial aid to the point where you can reduce your cost for attending down significantly. Personally, I had a 4-way choice between Maryland (Aerospace), Michigan (Aerospace), Columbia (Undecided), and Stern (Business). I was a decently good student with a 3.65 unweighted (4.2 weighted), 35 ACT, and more or less the same numbers as you for SAT II's (plus 1 Chem SAT II). I ultimately chose Maryland because the school gave me a $12K a year scholarship along with private scholarships that totaled to $15k (lots of scholarship applications unfortunately D:). Along with government subsidized (no need to repay) and un-subsidized (need to repay) loans, I was paying less than what I would have to pay in-state (Rutgers). And if you're wondering why I didn't pick Rutgers, it's because Rutgers is a meh school tbh.

Here's another helpful application tip. Sometimes applying directly into some limited enrollment programs (LEPs) may jeopardize your chances of getting into the school. It's best to go in "undecided" (for STEM majors, always either math or physics), and then work your butt off the first semester to transfer into the LEP program (as long as you maintain a high GPA your first semester, you should get into the LEP easily). This was where I got boned for Cornell Engineering.

Anyway, for EE/CE/CS and your academic range and in the regular decision period, I would recommend the following:

- The University of Michigan (Does give solid financial aid if your family is within a certain income bracket. Given your credentials, you have a shot at getting into Michigan. If you're not too sure if you can get into Michigan engineering, I suggest you apply to some other general major like Math or Physics, and then transfer into engineering).

- Unfortunately, the application time passed, but I would've highly recommended some of the UC schools, specifically Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD.

- If you're looking to do just pure CS, you can definitely consider the University of Maryland. One of the strongest CS programs for a public school out there right now, and you have flexible options to combine it with other degree programs.

- Tufts University. It sounds weird that I'm recommending Tufts, but it's in a very good location. Medford is a 16 minute public transportation ride from Cambridge and very close to Boston. If you're looking to land jobs in Boston (big growing tech hub), go there. You can do research at MIT-Harvard for CS (they take a couple of students from Tufts).

- Rice University. Literally in your home state, so I don't see why not.

- Georgia Tech. Good engineering programs all around. If you want to learn more about Georgia Tech, go to "Scholastic" room on Pokemon Showdown and look for a user named dingram. He goes there and can give you good advice about the school.

- Cornell University. The "easiest" Ivy to get into. Your best option here is to apply to something like Math or Physics, and then transfer into Cornell engineering. Your credentials should help you well (assuming you have a good number of extra-curriculars under your belt).

- Washington University in St. Louis: Strong applied math history that results in a strong CSE school. Also St. Louis is a big start-up city, so take advantage of that.

- Johns Hopkins. Strong CS programs and CE/EE programs that ultimately find themselves looping back to biomedical applications of electrical engineering and computer engineering. Vanderbilt is a similar case.

- You can most certainly try Carnegie Mellon, but I don't think you can get into their CS program directly. Go the indirect route (Math or Physics, then apply to CS).

- Northeastern University is noteworthy because the school's been climbing in rankings and their departments have been improving significantly. One of the best things about Northeastern is that they have a "co-op" program where students get work experience as part of their college education: http://www.northeastern.edu/coop/ Certainly good for you as a CE/EE/CS major looking for a job out of college (it's in Boston too!).

- It's a bit far away from home, but The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a good STEM school in general, including CS.

That's all I have at the moment. Of course, if you get into UT-Austin forget the rest of these schools (unless one of them gives you a bomb-ass scholarship).

Hope you found this helpful, Minus
 
This is what confuses me.

I get bumfucked by my school (TX public magnet) so my unweighted GPA is sub3.3 (I don't really show a huge upward trend or anything), but my test scores (2250+ sat, 7/9 5s on APs, 800s on math 2/bio, 750+ physics subject tests, etc) show that my grades don't reflect how much I really know about a subject; I feel like the automatic reaction from an admissions officer to this scenario is "damn this kid is lazy" rather than "damn that school is hard." Is there any way I can let them know that it's mostly the latter?
The school I went to actually had a similar situation, where it was fairly competitive and a lot of good students did not have very high GPAs (but had good test scores). That said, a lot of those people were still able to get into good schools. From what I've heard, a lot of admission offices looks at the students from one high school in context with other students from that high school. So if a lot of people are getting Bs in most of their classes, it doesn't look as bad if your unweighted GPA is sub 3.3. So echoing eaglehawk, I think your schools reputation for being very rigorous will help offset your GPA.

Eaglehawk's list is also very good. I'd also maybe look at Harvey-Mudd - it's a small school but the engineering programs are very good and the financial aid is decentish. Hope this helps!
 

Shrug

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yo im tryna write essays and im stuck because i have no positive qualities to express and the questions are all "hmmm impress us with the things that are good about you even though this question doesnt talk about that". whats the remedy
 
yo im tryna write essays and im stuck because i have no positive qualities to express and the questions are all "hmmm impress us with the things that are good about you even though this question doesnt talk about that". whats the remedy
What's the prompt?
 
Personally, I see this prompt as an opportunity to explain how your environment shaped you to become the person you are today.

To answer your original question, it's always hard to write about yourself, especially when said writing is meant to "brag", so to speak.

For example, suppose I'm a high school student in Kansas who is applying to be a Physics major at a university and is currently prepared to write this essay. As the student, I could write that I grew up in a relatively rural area, where things are quiet, people are nice, and food is always comely (obviously I could flourish this part a bit). At the center of town, there stands an old church that is now the town's library. Whilst I was very young, I found a high school textbook on physics. I found great interest in the topic and wanted to learn more. When I had my first computer, I just ....


So on and so forth. Obviously, don't make yours sound as cheesy (mostly through a strong writing style). College essays are designed for your to reflect thoughtfully on your past and do a bit of soul-searching.
 

Oglemi

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yo im tryna write essays and im stuck because i have no positive qualities to express and the questions are all "hmmm impress us with the things that are good about you even though this question doesnt talk about that". whats the remedy
you just gotta be in the right mood for the question. writing the essays was the worst, and forcing yourself to write them when not feeling it is terrible, but even worse was over thinking them. the best thing i found when doing them was to just cathartically answer the question, and then just go back and revisit what you wrote over the course of a few days and continue to edit it as you feel for that day.

the main thing to keep in mind tho is that the essays are a way to express who you are as a person. like, the question you posted could be answered strictly (Bumfuck, Illinois; 10 years), or you could answer it "creatively" (~the world~, 18 years thus far), or patriotically (USA MOTHAFUCKA), or unpatriotically (the oligarchy, fuck trump and this gay earth), etc.

you're also not supposed to be impressing anyone, you're convincing them that you're a good pick for the school. if it helps to look at the app process that way anyway.
 

Mr. Uncompetitive

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Does anyone have general advice for transfer applications? Specifically, how feasible is it to get into a transfer school if I already have a high amount of credit hours? I have about 60 credit hours from my own university (though I was attempting to do a double major so some of them might be ignored) and then another 36 from APs and the like
 

Electrolyte

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[deleted quote at respondee’s request]

May I inquire what made your experience so negative?

I've heard a lot of things about CS being an amazing major with golden work prospects and high earnings; I'd only bet that'd be even more of the case for a graduate of Georgia Tech. I've actually never heard of anyone regretting picking CS; only people regretting not having picked CS.

I'm currently also a Philosophy major (with Economics as a double major) at Johns Hopkins hoping to go to law / business school in the future. My parents in particular are also asian-ly dubious about the employment prospects for Philosophy majors. It seems crazy to them that I'd choose not to go to med school or computer science, me being at a STEM school and all that.
 
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"For a certain type of mind, quite common on this forum, in fact, CS is perfect. Otherwise, it's a dull subject. You're secure as far as your future earnings are concerned, at least in the present economy, but it comes at the cost of having to do meaningless, alienated busywork as a career. Some may find it interesting. I found computers too involuted and non-universalizable a subject to dedicate four years to."

Usually dullness and involution are never seen together, but to each his own. Your generalization of Computer Science sounds a bit weird considering a lot of CompSci academia lumps in with traditional philosophy-based logic as well as set-based mathematics. It sounds like you're describing a person whose sole job is to code, which is most of the time not representative of the jobs in CS. Also, not too sure what you mean by meaningless, unless you mean it's a major that isn't big on the expression of self (just an assumption considering you talked about writing books in the next paragraph and whatnot).

I honestly do agree with the juvenile nature of college students here to some degree. I attend a state school in Maryland, so this sense of juvenile behaviour is amplified through a hedonistic culture. Personally, the lack of seriousness on college campuses stem from a lack of academic competition. Back in high school, I was in the honors track, so my classes were extremely competitive and somewhat forced each student to take the subjects seriously regardless of his or her interest. In college, the ultimate goal is to get a job, and frankly speaking, the benchmarks one has to hit for a job are considerably lower than what students had to deal with when applying to college.

Also, the role of college has evolved to being an optional career path to a "mandatory" one. In terms of social mobility, you have to attend college just to barely maintain your place on the social ladder. Not attending college drops you pretty far down the ladder.

I don't know if this is the proper response to this since I've been pretty tired lately, so feel free to ask questions on anything I just wrote, NJ_
 

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