Graduating next year should I start getting ready for college?

[Bootlessdynamic]

Hello everyone I'm interested into going to college for medical.. I understand that getting a medical degree is a long and hard process. I'm willing to do it because I like helping people. I plan to focus on a career in anesthesiology. I just turned 18 last Sunday and I'll graduate school next year. I'm currently in Junior and I'm on point to graduate with a 3.5 GPA. I was held back in preschool my teachers didn't think I was ready so I don't graduate till I'm 19 also my birthday is a early birthday(April 17).


Where do I start to prepare for college?

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[Technology]

Hey Bootless,

Congrats on almost making it past Junior year! You will have a lot to think about in the next upcoming months about attending college, choosing a major, and thinking of a potential career, although the two latter considerations can be determined later in your college process.

There are many key requirements for applying to college, including SAT/ACT scores, your high school transcript, letters of recommendation, supplements, a personal essay, and other essential pieces. Since you are only a Junior, I recommend asking a few teachers to write you recommendations. Do this ASAP because many teachers will refuse if you ask them too late.

If you want to get a head-start on your application, make an account at commonapp.org and begin filling out the commonapp (note: not all colleges use the commonapp; instead they use their own specialized application that can be found on their website). If you plan on applying early, you should finish the commonapp during the summer or in the beginning of your Senior year; this includes the personal essay and other supplemental essays that are specific for each college.

If you are very curious about the college process and eager to begin your application, speak with your guidance counselor or go to the college-and-career-center at your school.

Good luck!

 

[deleted688154]

During the summer, don't hesitate to spend hours and hours online looking into colleges.

Weigh your options! Look into private colleges that meet "full-need" oftentimes, they can be cheaper than your state unis.

Take a practice ACT and SAT during the summer. See which one you like more/score higher in. TAKE YOUR TESTS BEFORE DECEMBER. I made the really dumb choice of taking my ACT mid-December so I had a really hard time choosing what colleges to apply to since most of my application deadlines were in Jan 1st and I didn't know my scores until mid-Jan. Everything worked out in the end but save yourself the stress, take your tests early.

Don't brag about yourself in you commonapp essay, that's what the activities section is for. Write about something that shows your strength as a person. I also don't recommend the first essay option unless you have a REALLY unique life story.

 

[AlphaBeta<3]

During the summer, don't hesitate to spend hours and hours online looking into colleges.

Weigh your options! Look into private colleges that meet "full-need" oftentimes, they can be cheaper than your state unis.

Take a practice ACT and SAT during the summer. See which one you like more/score higher in. TAKE YOUR TESTS BEFORE DECEMBER. I made the really dumb choice of taking my ACT mid-December so I had a really hard time choosing what colleges to apply to since most of my application deadlines were in Jan 1st and I didn't know my scores until mid-Jan. Everything worked out in the end but save yourself the stress, take your tests early.

Don't brag about yourself in you commonapp essay, that's what the activities section is for. Write about something that shows your strength as a person. I also don't recommend the first essay option unless you have a REALLY unique life story.

It's not about what you write, it's about how you write it. I know people wrote about the most mundane topics ever, but in a compelling way.

I recommend taking only the ACT, because with the ivies and upper tier schools they require SAT and two SAT 2's. With the ACT, all you have to do is take it with writing. And it's so much easier than the SAT. I took it by chance the last minute (because I was forced to) and ended up getting a 29 without studying or taking practice tests. The SAT requires more prep, I was preparing for it for like 2 years, wasted 2,000 on a princeton review honors course (the one with a score guarantee) and then i realized i'd still have to study for 2 SAT subject tests lol. The ACT (coupled with my SAT 1 score) is what got me into great schools, and I really recommend that to every high school kid I see

For your personal statement, start writing it from now and ask a max of 3 people to revise it.

This is important. Play up your strengths. If youre ****ty at science and math in high school, but excel in English and Social studies, apply to the schools with those two subjects centered around your major. Research each of the schools within the universities and build your essays around it. You also have a higher chance of getting in to a good school if you apply to a lesser known college within a high ranking university.

 

[deleted688154]

@AlphaBeta<3 u right. I advised against the first essay option mostly because it's more difficult (or at least I found it more difficult) to write about such an open ended topic but if you got something, go for it.

I 100% agree with the ACT being easier. And for most higher ranking schools it eliminates the need to take the SAT subject tests which is a huge bonus. I took the SAT and got a really weird mix of scores, especially in math I was ranked in the 55th percentile. With the ACT, I jumped all the way up to the 95th percentile in math. I hear that the writing section in the new SAT is also much more involved/difficult. I did have a friend that had the opposite happen to them though where their ACT score was lower than their SAT score but it wasn't as extreme as in my case. It depends although in general I think the ACT is probably easier for most people.

However, if you're good in any particular class you're taking right now like Chem or w/e, see if you can take the subject test for it in June since you'll be all studied up for finals anyway.

 

[Technology]

Regarding the difficulty of the SAT/ACT, each test measures something different – the SAT measures reasoning (requires the use of fluid intelligence), while the ACT measures your knowledge of certain subjects (tests more crystallized intelligence).

Although some people may do better on the ACT, others do not, including me. I found the ACT much more difficult in time management. There is also a science section on the ACT, which has been beneficial to many test-takers that excel in science.

I found the SAT very easy to improve on; after receiving my first scores, I studied for the writing section one-to-two weeks before my next test and raised my score 100+ points. The math section is also easy to improve on if you use the right materials. The reading section is definitely the hardest to improve on since it requires years of practice. However, there are some guides that can teach you some helpful tips (these are not guaranteed to help you though, and can potentially hurt your score - like they did to my score!).

Keep in mind that the collegeboard recently created a new SAT that has new criteria and different score penalties. As the previous commenters have mentioned, I would take practice tests for each to see which you are better at.

Good luck, and if you have already taken the SAT/ACT, then good job at getting that obstacle out of the way!
If you still need to take it, then do not stress out! Most kids have either not taken their test(s) yet, or are unsatisfied by their scores, and plan on retaking them in the fall.