Should I go for my dream school or settle for less?

[xnfs93hy]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I went with my friend and his family to the College of William and Mary this past summer and I loved it. The campus and everything. Fantastic. I would be willing to study all night to get a shot at a place like that.

However, I am in a bit of a dilema. My HS marks are not that good. I am taking some honors classes this year and a bunch of AP's next year but nothing really "impressive". I may be able to do some dual enrollment.

I also looked at the transfer app for WM and it had like 12 slots for HS EC's. All I do is volunteer work...

I am currently studying for the SAT's. I really need to score like a 2300 on these to even have a good shot it seems like, this school is really competitive. But then I went to the WM website and I THINK that if you have completed a year of college, they do not need them but yet it asks for them on the common app.

Another thing that worries me is that this is a school that heavily favors in state applicants. There are actually a good amount of people from OOS though.

I really want to go here. I'm honestly to the point where I may consider becoming a VA resident and just doing community college down there.

Reason being is because if you go to a VCCS community college, and maintain very competitive high grades, you are GUARANTEED a seat junior year.

I know if I try hard enough that I can pull it off.

I am honestly worried about not being competitive for Med school though. That gives me like a year to join a club or get any form of leadership experience before applying to med schools senior year. Or is there really no set plan for applying to MS? Could I literally take four/five years in UG, do what I need to do, take a year off, do a post bacc, take the MCAT, then apply and have just as good a chance as anyone else?

Would doing something as extreme as going to a VA community college for two years just to get into WM not be worth it?

I visited Princeton last October and even that couldn't compare with the few days I spent hanging around WM.

Should I go for it?

I just want some input from everyone. I know it is ultimately up to me but I just want to know if you guys think it is worth it to do all of this.

All comments/feedback/advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[xnfs93hy]

http://www.wm.edu/admission/undergr...rstudent/vccsrbcguide/vccsagreement/index.php

This is what I'm talking about. Basically, you need to mostly get straight A's and I would have to move to VA.

 

[tennisball80]

Go for it Jeff. You have to believe in yourself sometimes !

No matter where you go for college, you are the one who makes it happen that you can go to medical school !

I strongly advise to "do" it if the college it's your real dream school.

That's my 2 cents.

 

[gabeybaby]

http://www.wm.edu/admission/undergr...rstudent/vccsrbcguide/vccsagreement/index.php

This is what I'm talking about. Basically, you need to mostly get straight A's and I would have to move to VA.

Personally, I wouldn't do this. But hey, like tennis, if it's what you want to do then you should go for it.

But some tips:
-You should research more into their undergrad study programs...see if they offer what you want to study (keep in mind that a nice campus doesnt equal dream school. you mentioned that you want to major in chemistry but w&m's strong points are in their international relations programs etc.).
-And yes, W&M do favor instate applicants.
-In your previous posts, you mentioned that you once got a 1400 on your SAT. I think it will be a long shot to score a 2300 even with studying. I'm also basing this upon the fact that math might be your weak subject (from previous post). Therefore, I think NOVA is your best shot. And then transferring. (I noticed that you said you needed to get at least a 2300 to get into W&M and I just want to say that this isn't true--- 50% score between 2030-2230 & 25% score below)
-I live in the area, and I can tell you that NOVA is a very good community college-- I think it's considered the very best out of all the community colleges in the U.S. Plus, Jill Biden is teaching English there 😉

*Sidenote: I'm not sure how this works-- but don't you need to be a resident of VA to attend the community college here? (this could be wrong.)

Could I literally take four/five years in UG, do what I need to do, take a year off, do a post bacc, take the MCAT, then apply and have just as good a chance as anyone else?

Yes, you can. You can take as much time as you want. I've read this book called "Med School Confidential" and some people take 7 years off to do whatever they need to before doing med school.

Ok, well good luck! Remember, no one can tell you where you should go for college except for yourself. Research into the college a bit more before making your decision.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Hey, like tennis, if it's what you want to do then you should go for it.

But some tips:
-You should research more into their undergrad study programs...see if they offer what you want to study (keep in mind that a nice campus doesnt equal dream school).
-And yes, W&M do favor instate applicants.
-In your previous posts, you mentioned that you once got a 1400 on your SAT. I think it will be a long shot to score a 2300 even with studying. I'm also basing this upon the fact that math might be your weak subject (from previous post). Therefore, I think NOVA is your best shot.
-I live in the area, and I can tell you that NOVA is a very good community college-- I think it's considered the very best out of all the community colleges in the U.S. Plus, Jill Biden is teaching English there 😉

*Sidenote: I'm not sure how this works-- but don't you need to be a resident of VA to attend the community college here? (this could be wrong.)

Ok, well good luck! Remember, no one can tell you where you should go for college except for yourself. Research into the college a bit more before making your decision.

I will have to look into the community college thing. Resident or not, I would have to get an apartment in VA anyway so I will need to become a VA resident (if not, I still will anyway). I will look into this more during the week. I will also look into NOVA.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Hey, like tennis, if it's what you want to do then you should go for it.

But some tips:
-You should research more into their undergrad study programs...see if they offer what you want to study (keep in mind that a nice campus doesnt equal dream school. you mentioned that you want to major in chemistry but w&m's strong points are in their international relations programs etc.).
-And yes, W&M do favor instate applicants.
-In your previous posts, you mentioned that you once got a 1400 on your SAT. I think it will be a long shot to score a 2300 even with studying. I'm also basing this upon the fact that math might be your weak subject (from previous post). Therefore, I think NOVA is your best shot. And then transferring. (I noticed that you said you needed to get at least a 2300 to get into W&M and I just want to say that this isn't true--- 50% score between 2030-2230 & 25% score below)
-I live in the area, and I can tell you that NOVA is a very good community college-- I think it's considered the very best out of all the community colleges in the U.S. Plus, Jill Biden is teaching English there 😉

*Sidenote: I'm not sure how this works-- but don't you need to be a resident of VA to attend the community college here? (this could be wrong.)



Yes, you can. You can take as much time as you want. I've read this book called "Med School Confidential" and some people take 7 years off to do whatever they need to before doing med school.

Ok, well good luck! Remember, no one can tell you where you should go for college except for yourself. Research into the college a bit more before making your decision.

Aren't you a VA resident? Have you considered this WM thing at all? Just curious..

 

[gabeybaby]

Aren't you a VA resident? Have you considered this WM thing at all? Just curious..

yup, i applied there...still waiting. i like their international relations stuff; haven't visited the campus though...actually i havent visited any of the school campus that i applied to... i'm planning on doing that after i get accepted (that way i don't feel bad if i dont get in 😉)

 

[gabeybaby]

I will also look into NOVA.

I know it has small classroom sizes, so you can get more attention from the teacher.
Some of your earlier posts tell me that you might enjoy that.

 

[xnfs93hy]

yup, i applied there...still waiting. i like their international relations stuff; haven't visited the campus though...actually i havent visited any of the school campus that i applied to... i'm planning on doing that after i get accepted (that way i don't feel bad if i dont get in 😉)

I think you'll like it. Regardless of what people have said online, W&M is an AWESOME school.

 

[gabeybaby]

I think you'll like it. Regardless of what people have said online, W&M is an AWESOME school.

hahhaa, i know it is. wasn't i the one who suggested it to you in the earlier threads? 😛

 

[tdittyx2x3]

Honestly, there's no way for you to really know what that school is like based on the couple days you spent there. Seriously. Developing a five year plan off of it doesn't really make much sense, especially when you start considering community college and picking up and moving to Virginia all for this "dream" - which you know very little about in actuality.

Broaden your options. You could be just as happy at a ton of schools, I guarantee you that.

 

[gabeybaby]

Honestly, there's no way for you to really know what that school is like based on the couple days you spent there. Seriously. Developing a five year plan off of it doesn't really make much sense, especially when you start considering community college and picking up and moving to Virginia all for this "dream" - which you know very little about in actuality.

Broaden your options. You could be just as happy at a ton of schools, I guarantee you that.

I'm sure he's aware of that because we had similar discussions in previous threads.

 

[Depakote]

Personally, I wouldn't do it.

Going to your top choice school is great, but you have to recognize too much of a time investment to get there. You'd be spending 2 years of your life and moving to a different state just to have a chance to attend this school for a total of 2 years. And there's no guarantee that you'll get in.

There are other places you can be happy, if you apply to W&M and don't get in, you can find somewhere else.




Personal note: I really wanted to go to Notre Dame. I threw everything I had at that school and they flat-out rejected me. I still wound up with some great opportunities that I was able to choose from. It all worked out in the long run and I could care less about the ND rejection.



Of course, this is all up to you.

 

[DrYoda]

Regardless of what you choose to do, the in-state residency rules are something to look into and consider. Most states if you move there for academic purposes you pay OOS tuition for all your years there.

 

[xnfs93hy]

It is either spend two years there and get into UVA or W&M or spend a YEAR at my LOCAL cc and hopefully get into the other schools I want like Rutgers, Ohio State, U Kentucky, and University of Maryland.

I would def. be happy at UK and OSU as well.

I'll have to think about it.

W&M and select Community colelges in VA apparently have an agreement where if you get a 3.6 you are in. There are other specific requirements.

I just don't want to regret anything.

EDIT: University of Virginia also has something in place as well.

 

[TheMagicCookie]

Regardless of what you choose to do, the in-state residency rules are something to look into and consider. Most states if you move there for academic purposes you pay OOS tuition for all your years there.

+1 to the above statement. I moved to Ky during the summer of my freshman year(which was 2007). I was just now granted residency this past october because I had to take a year off from class following an injury. If I hadn't taken that year off then I would still be an OH resident because my sole purpose of being in KY was student related.

 

[TheMagicCookie]

It is either spend two years there and get into UVA or W&M or spend a YEAR at my LOCAL cc and hopefully get into the other schools I want like Rutgers, Ohio State, U Kentucky, and University of Maryland.

I would def. be happy at UK and OSU as well.

I'll have to think about it.

W&M and select Community colelges in VA apparently have an agreement where if you get a 3.6 you are in. There are other specific requirements.

I just don't want to regret anything.

EDIT: University of Virginia also has something in place as well.

Jeff, it seems like you feel as if you have to attend a CC before switching to a University. Is it because of you HS gpa, or is it just something you feel you would benefit from? Your state schools normally show more love to residents and might overlook a few iffy grades. I could be wrong, but are you in OH? I grew up in Columbus and had many friends that got accepted to OSU and they had maybe 3.0 gpas.

 

[xnfs93hy]

+1 to the above statement. I moved to Ky during the summer of my freshman year(which was 2007). I was just now granted residency this past october because I had to take a year off from class following an injury. If I hadn't taken that year off then I would still be an OH resident because my sole purpose of being in KY was student related.

Yeah, I'll have to look into that. It doesn't say anything on the website so I'll have to send some emails.

 

[TheMagicCookie]

Yeah, I'll have to look into that. It doesn't say anything on the website so I'll have to send some emails.

I understand why they do it, but it was a little frustrating gaining the residency. I am a full time student, work full time at night, and support myself (no financial help from parents etc). Despite supporting myself and having lived in ky for 2 years, they still considered my sole purpose for being there was education. I worked full time and had the same address during my year off and that was enough for residency. It took a while for the school to consider me IS this semester...they kept charging me OOS until I provided about 14 documents proving my argument. It's tough, but if you follow the rules it'll work out.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Jeff, it seems like you feel as if you have to attend a CC before switching to a University. Is it because of you HS gpa, or is it just something you feel you would benefit from? Your state schools normally show more love to residents and might overlook a few iffy grades. I could be wrong, but are you in OH? I grew up in Columbus and had many friends that got accepted to OSU and they had maybe 3.0 gpas.

No, I am a NJ resident but have A LOT of family out in Ohio/KY. I am also obviously looking to go out there for UG.

I don't have to attend a CC, but I doubt I will get into a reputable college. My GPA is like a 2.2.

OSU doesn't require the HS transcript and SAT/ACT scores after a student has completed 30 semester hours. So what that means for me is doing a whole year at my local CC.

From what I have heard online it is fairly easy to transfer there. They have a transfer acceptance rate over 80%. I would think if I had a high CC GPA then I would have a very good shot.

UK I can def. get into after a year at CC. My cousin goes there, and he tells me that it will be a total crap shoot applying with a 2.2 (or sub 2.5).
---
The way I see it is like this:

I screwed up in HS. I know what I could have done, but you can't relive the past.

I also figure that since I have a sub 3.0 GPA, I will not get accepted to a lot of colleges. Maybe a decent handful at best, but that is not good enough for me. Good enough for me is getting into UK or Ohio State. I am well aware of the fact that UG doesn't matter but I want to go somewhere I will actually thrive at. None of the NJ schools really turn me on. Rutgers is good but it isn't for me. I really just want to attend college somewhere else.
---
Also, since I'm not an Ohio resident, I do not know what chance I have of getting in as an OOS transfer student at a NJ CC. The people who get in there may very well be from OH for the most part.
---
As far as benefits. I don't know. Easier classes I guess (not always true). I really just want to go because after a year, many colleges don't care about your HS stuff anymore and just focus on your GPA.

For example. My friends bro just transferred to University of Maryland-College Park from the local CC, which is tougher to get into than OSU.

It seems like it is easier to get in as a transfer. Although this is a pretty baseless claim because I really don't have any evidence to support it but it sure seems that way.

 

[TheMagicCookie]

No, I am a NJ resident but have A LOT of family out in Ohio/KY. I am also obviously looking to go out there for UG.

I don't have to attend a CC, but I doubt I will get into a reputable college. My GPA is like a 2.2.

OSU doesn't require the HS transcript and SAT/ACT scores after a student has completed 30 semester hours. So what that means for me is doing a whole year at my local CC.

From what I have heard online it is fairly easy to transfer there. They have a transfer acceptance rate over 80%. I would think if I had a high CC GPA then I would have a very good shot.

UK I can def. get into after a year at CC. My cousin goes there, and he tells me that it will be a total crap shoot applying with a 2.2 (or sub 2.5).
---
The way I see it is like this:

I screwed up in HS. I know what I could have done, but you can't relive the past.

I also figure that since I have a sub 3.0 GPA, I will not get accepted to a lot of colleges. Maybe a decent handful at best, but that is not good enough for me. Good enough for me is getting into UK or Ohio State. I am well aware of the fact that UG doesn't matter but I want to go somewhere I will actually thrive at. None of the NJ schools really turn me on. Rutgers is good but it isn't for me. I really just want to attend college somewhere else.
---
Also, since I'm not an Ohio resident, I do not know what chance I have of getting in as an OOS transfer student at a NJ CC. The people who get in there may very well be from OH for the most part.
---
As far as benefits. I don't know. Easier classes I guess (not always true). I really just want to go because after a year, many colleges don't care about your HS stuff anymore and just focus on your GPA.

For example. My friends bro just transferred to University of Maryland-College Park from the local CC, which is tougher to get into than OSU.

It seems like it is easier to get in as a transfer. Although this is a pretty baseless claim because I really don't have any evidence to support it but it sure seems that way.

I didn't have an extremely desirable gpa in HS, either. I think I ended up w/ a 2.6 or 2.7 maybe. At that time in my life, my career goals didn't require a college education or 4.0 HS gpa. I was convinced that I was going to train and show horses as my career, and all that requires is natural talent. So, I took a lot of days off school to compete at horse shows and to attend anything that had to do with them (auctions, shows, conventions, etc). It wasn't until I spent a year training after HS that I realized I needed to have a degree as a back up in case something ever happened.

So I don't have a very consistent past, but I'm using my last 2 years of undergrad to make up for it. I have reasons for the gap years and don't think they'll pose a huge problem to adcoms, but things are consistent now.

Your cousin is correct about applying to UK...I didn't get in my first try, but transferred there last year. UK and OSU are both very good schools, OSU just wasn't a good fit for me(though I would have avoided a lot of hassle had I gone there to begin with!).

 

[MilkmanAl]

Your GPA is a 2.2? You've been telling us different numbers all along, man. I think you've gradually "slid" from a 3.2 to a 3.0 to a 2.7 and now to a 2.2. You'll have to give us accurate information if you want useful feedback.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Your GPA is a 2.2? You've been telling us different numbers all along, man. I think you've gradually "slid" from a 3.2 to a 3.0 to a 2.7 and now to a 2.2. You'll have to give us accurate information if you want useful feedback.

I calculated it last week and it is in fact a 2.2.

Yeah, I never actually asked my guidance counselor for it nor did I actually fully calculate my GPA up to this point until last week.

I just gave random GPA's because I wasn't sure what it was. I got really good grades last year. But I had a 1.0 freshman year (didn't care at all), which killed me.

That 2.2 takes into account freshman and sophomore year of HS. I did not factor in this year. I might be able to bring it up to a 2.5. I have no idea how any of this works though.

 

[Maygyver]

Your GPA is a 2.2? You've been telling us different numbers all along, man. I think you've gradually "slid" from a 3.2 to a 3.0 to a 2.7 and now to a 2.2. You'll have to give us accurate information if you want useful feedback.

Yeah, when I heard last it was a 3.0. Anyway, you really need to just find something YOU want to do and shoot for it. Goals are important because they are what you set for yourself, not what you ask other people to set for you. It seems silly to ask others about your dream school. Also, it seems like you dream school seems to change a lot and you have a different one each day. Also, you mentioned wanting to take a bunch of APs. Since you lied about your GPA, are you serious about what you are really going to take? You should probably hash out a plan to work out your schedule for next year and this year and show how you are going to bring up your GPA because telling people what you want to do, isn't always what you are going to do and in order to give you sound advice, people need to know what you are actually doing and not what you think you might do in the future.


Also, what do you mean you don't know how any of this works? If you give specifics we might be able to help you. If you are talking about GPA, you just take the points you got for your grade divided by how many credits it is worth. I forget how it works exactly in high school, but say you got the grades B, C, C, D just to make things simple. Now, say all of the courses were 5 credits. You would have gotten a (5x3)+(5x2)+(5x2)+(5x1)= 40 out of a total of 80. That is 0.5 percent of the credits (in decimal) so multiply that by the max GPA. 0.5 x 4.0=2.0 That is your GPA. Hopefully that helps. I know there are other ways to do it, but that's a pretty quick way of doing it.

As far as SATs, I thought a 1400 was good? or is that the new one that is out of the new 2400? If so, it looks like you might need to figure out what killed you on the exam and then focus on that area before retaking.

 

[MilkmanAl]

1400 used to be good, but as you suspected, he took the new(?) 2400 point test. All of his scores were in the 500 range, I think, so he'll have to work on the whole shebang, not just one subject.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Yeah, when I heard last it was a 3.0. Anyway, you really need to just find something YOU want to do and shoot for it. Goals are important because they are what you set for yourself, not what you ask other people to set for you. It seems silly to ask others about your dream school. Also, it seems like you dream school seems to change a lot and you have a different one each day. Also, you mentioned wanting to take a bunch of APs. Since you lied about your GPA, are you serious about what you are really going to take? You should probably hash out a plan to work out your schedule for next year and this year and show how you are going to bring up your GPA because telling people what you want to do, isn't always what you are going to do and in order to give you sound advice, people need to know what you are actually doing and not what you think you might do in the future.


Also, what do you mean you don't know how any of this works? If you give specifics we might be able to help you. If you are talking about GPA, you just take the points you got for your grade divided by how many credits it is worth. I forget how it works exactly in high school, but say you got the grades B, C, C, D just to make things simple. Now, say all of the courses were 5 credits. You would have gotten a (5x3)+(5x2)+(5x2)+(5x1)= 40 out of a total of 80. That is 0.5 percent of the credits (in decimal) so multiply that by the max GPA. 0.5 x 4.0=2.0 That is your GPA. Hopefully that helps. I know there are other ways to do it, but that's a pretty quick way of doing it.

As far as SATs, I thought a 1400 was good? or is that the new one that is out of the new 2400? If so, it looks like you might need to figure out what killed you on the exam and then focus on that area before retaking.

I used a GPA calculator.

 

[Squiggy]

Go watch "Rudy", realize that you're perfectly capable of pulling this off, and go for it.

W&M is a damn fine school

 

[xnfs93hy]

I'm taking history and english AP's.

AP English 12-Most likely, not entirely sure yet. If not, def. Honors English 12
Physics-Regular Class
Gym/Health-Regular Class
AP Psych
AP USH
AP Euro
AP Art History
Marine Biology-Regular Class
Humanities Honors

 

[xnfs93hy]

Go watch "Rudy", realize that you're perfectly capable of pulling this off, and go for it.

W&M is a damn fine school

I own it. Seen it a million times 👍.

 

[gabeybaby]

1400 used to be good, but as you suspected, he took the new(?) 2400 point test. All of his scores were in the 500 range, I think, so he'll have to work on the whole shebang, not just one subject.

This score is for the new SAT exam. So 1400/2400 not 1400/1600.

I'm taking history and english AP's.

AP English 12-Most likely, not entirely sure yet. If not, def. Honors English 12
Physics-Regular Class
Gym/Health-Regular Class
AP Psych
AP USH
AP Euro
AP Art History
Marine Biology-Regular Class
Humanities Honors

5 APs, that's alot of work...are you sure you can handle the load?

And when you calculated your GPA, did you factor in the AP points you get if you take the exam? (is 2.2 your weighted or unweighted gpa?)

 

[Maygyver]

This score is for the new SAT exam. So 1400/2400 not 1400/1600.



5 APs, that's alot of work...are you sure you can handle the load?

And when you calculated your GPA, did you factor in the AP points you get if you take the exam? (is 2.2 your weighted or unweighted gpa?)

Oooh, that makes sense. Looks like you have a lot of work ahead of you then.

I'm not sure all schools increase your GPA after taking the AP exams. It could be a new thing though, but my high school didn't. Also, I don't think he has taken any AP classes before.

If you are doing a chemistry major, why not take AP chem. It should give you a good background to build on and also tell you if you really enjoy it/can manage it.

 

[xnfs93hy]

This score is for the new SAT exam. So 1400/2400 not 1400/1600.



5 APs, that's alot of work...are you sure you can handle the load?

And when you calculated your GPA, did you factor in the AP points you get if you take the exam? (is 2.2 your weighted or unweighted gpa?)

2.2 is from the first two years. Yes I'm pretty sure I can handle the 5 AP's. English and History come easy to me.

I cannot get into AP Chem for next year. Well, I guess I could but I would basically need to get over a 95 this quarter which isn't gonna happen. Just gonna stick with honors chem this year and regular physics next year.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

2.2 is from the first two years. Yes I'm pretty sure I can handle the 5 AP's. English and History come easy to me.

I cannot get into AP Chem for next year. Well, I guess I could but I would basically need to get over a 95 this quarter which isn't gonna happen. Just gonna stick with honors chem this year and regular physics next year.

Couple of random observations that I think may/may not have been touched on:

1) Before you pick up and move, make sure you know the residency requirements for the state you're trying to establish residency in - it's often not easy.

2) AP classes by themselves do no good. You have to take AP classes AND get good grades in them. Without trying to be harsh, a 2.2 GPA doesn't exactly lead one to believe you'll do well in a stacked courseload with 5 AP classes. Don't overextend yourself.

 

[xnfs93hy]

I just sent William and Mary an email regarding this.

I actually do not think I need to change my residency. Although I might have to in order to take part in the Guaranteed admissions thing which is kind of the whole point.

 

[MilkmanAl]

This score is for the new SAT exam. So 1400/2400 not 1400/1600.

Yeah...isn't that what I said?

2) AP classes by themselves do no good. You have to take AP classes AND get good grades in them. Without trying to be harsh, a 2.2 GPA doesn't exactly lead one to believe you'll do well in a stacked courseload with 5 AP classes. Don't overextend yourself.

I agree with this sentiment. Don't be afraid to switch your classes around if you don't feel like you'll succeed while taking 5 AP's.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Yeah...isn't that what I said?

I agree with this sentiment. Don't be afraid to switch your classes around if you don't feel like you'll succeed while taking 5 AP's.

Yes that is the correct score unfortunately, I am studying for the one in June right now, hopefully I will get a decent score like a 1700.

I'm pretty sure I can handle all of those AP's. They are English and History AP's, they are easy. I MIGHT switch euro for econ though. I have backups.

Why? Is five a lot?

 

[strv04]

I don't think there is any chance Virginia will ever give you instate tuition rates but I'm not sure about the residency cc college thing you are talking about.

Its good to have goals and work towards them but you might want to chose a more realistic and short term goal before getting all excited about WM. Try worrying about identifying why you have a 2.2 in high school. That's a pretty impressive gpa to get just by slacking. I think there might be a combination of slacking and not knowing how/what to study. Your not going to go from a 2.2 in high school to a 3.6 at a CC easily. Focus on doing your best in each class even if that class is annoying and pointless as many HS classes are. Once you get a handle on your grades then worry about the SAT and make realistic plans for college based on your creditials senior year.

Twenty years from now it won't really matter where you studied and got drunk for four years. A college degree should be your goal because it will open many doors to careers like medicine, law horse breeding whatever.

 

[Maygyver]

Yes that is the correct score unfortunately, I am studying for the one in June right now, hopefully I will get a decent score like a 1700.

I'm pretty sure I can handle all of those AP's. They are English and History AP's, they are easy. I MIGHT switch euro for econ though. I have backups.

Why? Is five a lot?

Five is quite a lot when you haven't taken any previously. History and English should be pretty easy, but English does require quite a bit of reading.

 

[xnfs93hy]

I don't think there is any chance Virginia will ever give you instate tuition rates but I'm not sure about the residency cc college thing you are talking about.

Its good to have goals and work towards them but you might want to chose a more realistic and short term goal before getting all excited about WM. Try worrying about identifying why you have a 2.2 in high school. That's a pretty impressive gpa to get just by slacking. I think there might be a combination of slacking and not knowing how/what to study. Your not going to go from a 2.2 in high school to a 3.6 at a CC easily. Focus on doing your best in each class even if that class is annoying and pointless as many HS classes are. Once you get a handle on your grades then worry about the SAT and make realistic plans for college based on your creditials senior year.

Twenty years from now it won't really matter where you studied and got drunk for four years. A college degree should be your goal because it will open many doors to careers like medicine, law horse breeding whatever.

My dad told me it isn't that hard to get residency status. And why wouldn't I get IS tuition if I became a resident?

 

[xnfs93hy]

You need to own a residence there for six months to be an actual resident of VA.

 

[DrYoda]

My dad told me it isn't that hard to get residency status. And why wouldn't I get IS tuition if I became a resident?

If you move to the state for the purpose of education you can legally become a resident of the state. However, in most states colleges will not consider you to be a resident for tuition purposes. So basically they lock you into OOS tuition for all 4 years.

There are several states which let you get instate tuition after a year. Ohio is the only one I know off the top of my head, I do know there are a few others though.

 

[xnfs93hy]

If you move to the state for the purpose of education you can legally become a resident of the state. However, in most states colleges will not consider you to be a resident for tuition purposes. So basically they lock you into OOS tuition for all 4 years.

There are several states which let you get instate tuition after a year. Ohio is the only one I know off the top of my head, I do know there are a few others though.

The OOS tuition isn't much of a problem for me.

I don't even think I need to get state residency to do the GAA. I emailed WM so I will just see what they have to say and go from there.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Ok...I've been trying to figure out how best to write this post so that it doesn't seem like I'm picking on you or being unkind. That said, I think it still (by necessity) contains some harshness; I hope you can see the intent of my post is to help, not to be mean or anything.

I've looked at a number of your posts, most prominently in this thread and the locked one lower on the page

Thoughts/concerns

1) You seem to set expectations for yourself disproportionate to your current achievements:

Going from a 2.2 GPA in regular coursework to a nearly all AP courseload, and expecting to do well in this, is not very realistic, IMO. The best indicator of future performance is past performance, and you have not done anything to show that you are (at present) capable of handling such a rigorous courseload (yes, 5 APs is very rigorous, even if they are in non-science disciplines). I think you would be wise to try and gradually improve your performance (maybe 1 or 2 APs and some honors courses); going "balls to the wall" senior year when you have struggled in the prior years is a very risky move

2) You seem to either be fooling yourself or making an excessive number of excuses for your academic struggles:

This is based on your comments about your math class in the locked thread - blaming your own struggles entirely on the teacher is a huge cop-out - and on the fact that you've posted misleading info about your GPA and have only recently come out with this "true" number of 2.2. You need to be honest with yourself and try to gain better insight into why you have struggled and how to improve; you also need to be honest with posters on this board if you want to get decent advice

3) You seem too focused on long-term pipe-dream type goals (going to a specific college, moving to try and establish residency, and [frankly] med school and career choice) when right now you are faced with the very real need to improve your academic performance in high school:

I understand why you are doing this - it's a defense mechanism in part - by planning the next step (e.g. going to CC and then transferring to a better school) it allows you to stop worrying about your current struggles and just say "oh I'll do better next year"

You are not doing well in high school, for whatever reason. Teachers and classmates may be a part of the issue, but they are not all of it. You need to figure out how to do better in your classes, and better on the SAT, if you want to keep the door open for all these future career options you post about here. Even if you end up in CC, you need to figure out how to get better grades - good study habits don't just pop up overnight, they are built over time. If you want to succeed in college, you need to start figuring out what is preventing you from doing well now.

 

[tennisball80]

Your GPA is a 2.2? You've been telling us different numbers all along, man. I think you've gradually "slid" from a 3.2 to a 3.0 to a 2.7 and now to a 2.2. You'll have to give us accurate information if you want useful feedback.

I don't want to post this but "lol"

 

[tennisball80]

Also Jeff, realize your advantage: You speak English man, you don't have trouble saying English or Engrish. Huge advantage of speaking English as your first language.

-You know English expression like raining cats and dogs. I had no idea what the heck can rain like a cat or dog ?
-You know many English words. I have to bring a dictionary to EVERY class I attend because there is always a word I don't know. I often spend 1 hour to read 2 pages of text book.
-You understand English grammar better. Native speakers do not make gramatically mistakes that an ESL student would make. You wouldn't say "He has died for two years", which I say all the time. Why the heck I have to say "he has BEEN dead for two years".

But dude seriously, since you GPA is 2.2, did you get a C in English class ?

I am working my butt of for a B grade in grade 12 English. Oh, this is my third year that I started to learn English.

By the way, for English classes, my grade went to up from C- --> C+ --> B now. My tip is to go over every single essay and class work with your teacher and LEARN from mistakes.

That's my 0.02$

 

[xnfs93hy]

Ok...I've been trying to figure out how best to write this post so that it doesn't seem like I'm picking on you or being unkind. That said, I think it still (by necessity) contains some harshness; I hope you can see the intent of my post is to help, not to be mean or anything.

I've looked at a number of your posts, most prominently in this thread and the locked one lower on the page

Thoughts/concerns

1) You seem to set expectations for yourself disproportionate to your current achievements:

Going from a 2.2 GPA in regular coursework to a nearly all AP courseload, and expecting to do well in this, is not very realistic, IMO. The best indicator of future performance is past performance, and you have not done anything to show that you are (at present) capable of handling such a rigorous courseload (yes, 5 APs is very rigorous, even if they are in non-science disciplines). I think you would be wise to try and gradually improve your performance (maybe 1 or 2 APs and some honors courses); going "balls to the wall" senior year when you have struggled in the prior years is a very risky move

2) You seem to either be fooling yourself or making an excessive number of excuses for your academic struggles:

This is based on your comments about your math class in the locked thread - blaming your own struggles entirely on the teacher is a huge cop-out - and on the fact that you've posted misleading info about your GPA and have only recently come out with this "true" number of 2.2. You need to be honest with yourself and try to gain better insight into why you have struggled and how to improve; you also need to be honest with posters on this board if you want to get decent advice

3) You seem too focused on long-term pipe-dream type goals (going to a specific college, moving to try and establish residency, and [frankly] med school and career choice) when right now you are faced with the very real need to improve your academic performance in high school:

I understand why you are doing this - it's a defense mechanism in part - by planning the next step (e.g. going to CC and then transferring to a better school) it allows you to stop worrying about your current struggles and just say "oh I'll do better next year"

You are not doing well in high school, for whatever reason. Teachers and classmates may be a part of the issue, but they are not all of it. You need to figure out how to do better in your classes, and better on the SAT, if you want to keep the door open for all these future career options you post about here. Even if you end up in CC, you need to figure out how to get better grades - good study habits don't just pop up overnight, they are built over time. If you want to succeed in college, you need to start figuring out what is preventing you from doing well now.

-I haven't really struggled with anything. The only reason my GPA is so low was because I just didn't care. Its not that I'm stupid, I just didn't apply myself. I have been wanting to take AP classes all this time. I know I can handle honors level coursework and feel comfortable with the five AP's I'm taking.

-I NEVER BLAME THE TEACHER. I said a million times in the thread that the class was a lost cause. In that math class, I honestly do place the blame on the teacher. How can you read that thread and still point the finger at me? Honestly. Yes, some teachers are actually bad at teacher and sometimes it IS there fault, like it or not. I am working it out by getting myself home school math, I don't have time for fooling around.

-My HS resume is shot anyway. It was mostly my fault for not performing better in 8th grade and 9th. It killed me and my GPA suffered. I don't know what you mean by pipedream but I just found out about this W&M thing and am looking into it. Chances are I will not have to change my residency. Even if I did, that doesn't mean I'm going to do it, I'm just looking into it.

Honestly, I hear you out. A lot of what you are saying is correct but refer to three points above.

The only reason I am so worried about the Community College thing is because I am NOT going to get accepted to GOOD colleges out of HS because I screwed up freshman year. The only reason I am even taking the AP classes is to knock out some stupid class I will have to take freshman year. As far as SAT's, honestly, I didn't even learn half the stuff on the math section so what I am doing is studying for the June SAT and buying books to help improve my math. I just want to have the SAT's under my belt, regardless of whether I will need to send them to colleges.

One point I do want to make is about the GPA. The reason is because I DID NOT APPLY MYSELF FRESHMAN YEAR. The reason doesn't matter, I screwed up, it killed me, it is my fault. Sophomore year I got straight A's in stupid classes and now I am in average classes and a couple honors. My GPA will hopefully be a 2.5 by the end of this year. Maybe I will graduate with a 3.0 UW. That would be nice.

But the point is, that 2.2 is from NOT trying. If I was actually in honors classes and put forth all my effort, I am pretty sure I'd have around a 3.7 right now, but, that isn't the case.

I am just trying to make good grades and understand what is being taught.

 

[tennisball80]

lol jeff, whenever you create a thread, there are so many arguments and misunderstanding. I have seen your threads since a long time go. You are the man dude !

You are brave and strong, always debating for the truth. You are subverting the paradigm on SDN. Your honorable action is something today we need in our society.

dude, you are this guy man. You are always fighting alone on SDN on your own threads.
You are the man of HSDN jeff !

By the way, I became I big fun of your threads now !

I vote you for Hsdn man of the year.

Yours truly

Watch from 1:50 (1 minute 50 seconds), which exactly shows how Jeff is brave.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kuna7sC5ek[/youtube]

 

[Maygyver]

-I haven't really struggled with anything. The only reason my GPA is so low was because I just didn't care. Its not that I'm stupid, I just didn't apply myself. I have been wanting to take AP classes all this time. I know I can handle honors level coursework and feel comfortable with the five AP's I'm taking.

-I NEVER BLAME THE TEACHER. I said a million times in the thread that the class was a lost cause. In that math class, I honestly do place the blame on the teacher. How can you read that thread and still point the finger at me? Honestly. Yes, some teachers are actually bad at teacher and sometimes it IS there fault, like it or not. I am working it out by getting myself home school math, I don't have time for fooling around.

-My HS resume is shot anyway. It was mostly my fault for not performing better in 8th grade and 9th. It killed me and my GPA suffered. I don't know what you mean by pipedream but I just found out about this W&M thing and am looking into it. Chances are I will not have to change my residency. Even if I did, that doesn't mean I'm going to do it, I'm just looking into it.

Honestly, I hear you out. A lot of what you are saying is correct but refer to three points above.

The only reason I am so worried about the Community College thing is because I am NOT going to get accepted to GOOD colleges out of HS because I screwed up freshman year. The only reason I am even taking the AP classes is to knock out some stupid class I will have to take freshman year. As far as SAT's, honestly, I didn't even learn half the stuff on the math section so what I am doing is studying for the June SAT and buying books to help improve my math. I just want to have the SAT's under my belt, regardless of whether I will need to send them to colleges.

One point I do want to make is about the GPA. The reason is because I DID NOT APPLY MYSELF FRESHMAN YEAR. The reason doesn't matter, I screwed up, it killed me, it is my fault. Sophomore year I got straight A's in stupid classes and now I am in average classes and a couple honors. My GPA will hopefully be a 2.5 by the end of this year. Maybe I will graduate with a 3.0 UW. That would be nice.

But the point is, that 2.2 is from NOT trying. If I was actually in honors classes and put forth all my effort, I am pretty sure I'd have around a 3.7 right now, but, that isn't the case.

I am just trying to make good grades and understand what is being taught.

In order to get out of freshman classes, you have to do well in AP exams, which means putting a lot of time into them. If you overload yourself and end up not doing well on any of these exams, you just wasted a year and might have wrecked your GPA even more.

Struggling with 1 portion of the SAT shouldn't bring you down to a 1400. There must have been other problems.

As far as the last point goes...just because you could have something doesn't mean all of the sudden you will change and get a high GPA in college. It's easy to say that if you tried harder you would have a high GPA..well, duh. Honestly, high school shouldn't require much studying at all to get above a 2.2 so you can't really blame "not studying" on getting 2.2

As far as your first point. That is your main problem. You have struggled with things, and you will never change until you realize. SouthernIM offered the best advice someone has ever given you, and you still nitpick it. You need to learn to take advice even if it isn't what you want to hear. I would highly suggest rereading what was posted and let it sink in. And even if you had 1 bad teacher that you could place a slight amount of blame on(although I doubt a teacher could ever be bad enough that I would just walk out of their class) that doesn't take away from the fact that you blame a lot of stuff on others: your parents not paying for private school, public schooling, kids making fun of you. Telling yourself "I have a horrible GPA and SAT score because I didn't try" doesn't really help you at all. Finding out why you didn't care and why you do poorly in a class is helpful, but just saying you will try harder, doesn't fix anything.

 

[strv04]

If I was actually in honors classes and put forth all my effort, I am pretty sure I'd have around a 3.7 right now

"Pretty sure" doesn't cut it anymore. Having english and history come to you easy early in high school or junior high does not mean that AP English and History will be the same. The level of required understanding increases and the volume of material increases even more. Learn to be work hard is a much more valuable skill in this world then sheer brilliance alone. Innate intelligence will only take you so far unless you couple that brilliance with work ethic. The first thing to learn is that results matter more then should haves, could haves and pretty sures.

I think you know what you need to do to succeed and now it's just a matter of doing it. Going to a CC then transferring to a 4 year is a perfectly fine path to take many have done it and gone on to be very successful in whatever career they may wish to pursue.

However I'm betting that statistically a larger percentage of people who go to a CC out of high school do not succeed in the same way as those who go directly into a traditional 4 year school. The atmosphere is different the student body has a different mindset and motivations. There are more distractions and many who start CC will not finish their 4 year degree compared to those who start at a regular college.

William and Larry is not the end all be all. There are many colleges with a similar campus atmosphere that are probably easier to get into. College is what you make it and campus beauty is just something superficial that attracts applicants but it does not determine a good school from an bad one. So rock your classes and the SAT and apply to a bunch of 4 year schools. Stay away from CC if you can help it, I'm not saying that CC is bad its just by going there you will be placing additional obstacles in front of yourself that you will otherwise not have to face if you go to a traditional college.

And don't forget to pass this lesson onto your children someday when they are high school freshman not applying themselves.

 

[pressmom]

I just skimmed this thread because I'm in class, but VA is one of the traditionally hard to get residency in states. My friend had to live there a year before going to UVA law in order to get residency. It could be a statewide thing or it could be a school-to-school thing. PLEASE check into this. Residency requirements vary widely state to state. Also, for many states, you cannot receive outside help for tuition or other expenses. For The OSU vet school, you must not receive any money from anyone residing outside the state (this means your parents in NJ), change your driver's licesence, voter register, car insurance, you must not leave the state for an extended period of time (this means you can only go home for a little while at X-mas and not for the summer), and I also believe you have to earn income and pay taxes. I got into OSU vet school, but I couldn't meet these residency requirements and OOS tuition was $52k (vs UTK's $37k), so I ended up here.