Becoming extremely apprehensive about the college-application process...

[newbie]

Hello!

I think most of you on GC know that I'll be a senior in HS, who'll be applying to colleges in the fall. As the days pass, I'm getting more and more fearful! I still have to study for the SAT I's and II's (taking 'em in Oct. and Nov. respectively)...but also, I'm having trouble deciding which colleges to apply to! I definitely have ideas, but I need to narrow them down a bit, I think...

Can you all give me advice as to what you did when it came time for you to make that "final list" of colleges? How did you know which colleges would be right for you? And, right now - my brain just feels so STUCK - I should be getting started on my personal statements (essays) soon, but I just have no idea what to write! I'm just really scared right now!!

Thanks so much for any advice you can give - I'll be so appreciative!

P.S. Sorry, I know this is pretty Off-topic!!


[This message has been edited by newbie (edited July 15, 2001).]

[GmuTeke]

My advice:

With what's left of the summer, take a few field trips to some in state schools. For me, this was all the biggies, UVA, GMU, JMU, Vtech etc. See if you just like the feel of the campus. No offense to the hokies on the board, but I just didnt click with tech. Check out your major programs online at their websites and see if one program offeres something else more than another school.

Hopefully during these trips, you'll get a feel for the campus and the program and that will help you narrow down the ideas. For me the big difference was in the feel of the campus. Alot of people dont like the mason scene, but I personally love it to death. Numerous friends of mine went to Tech, which works well for them, but I cant see myself there.

Good luck with your hunt.

[newbie]

GmuTeke, thanks for your advice .

I will definitely use the remainder of the summer to visit some schools close to home, but ya know what, there are only 3 that are close-by! I really don't know if my family can take another vacation this year (we're going to Lake Tahoe already anyways) to visit SoCal with me (where the rest of the schools that I'm interested in are at).

Have any of you actually applied first, and then, after getting in, THEN visiting? I know that's a horrible way of doing it, but I'm really not sure if I'll have a chance to visit all the schools which are spread out in SoCal.

Also, is there a way to find out the school's best programs?? I'm really interested in psychology and education, but I'm not sure which are the best schools for those two majors (well for education, that is a minor in California). I only found out the percentage of students who are majoring in psychology!

Thanks again for listening !!! I am very grateful!!!

[This message has been edited by newbie (edited July 15, 2001).]

[Dianne]

You have GOT to visit the places you are interested in, even if they are really far away. I drove 6 and 1/2 hours one spring break to visit a school. Even if you have already applied and been accepted, you can still go visit. You'll never know if you feel at home at a certain school until you see it.

As far as finding out about specific programs, check the school's website. Usually, each department will have a home page. Email the chair of the department with any questions. Ask for the course requirements. Ask about research or internship opportunities. If you go visit a school, stop by the department you are interested in.

I know that writing personal essays are a bear. One thing that may help is listing all the memories of basically your entire life that really stand out in your mind. Think about how and what things have changed you over the years. It's a pain, but eventually something will come to you. I didn't want to write about my parents' divorce b/c I thought it would be too cliche, but I couldn't think of anything else. So I just started writing, and was really proud of the final product. It even made my mom cry! So good luck with everything! You'll feel great when you finish all this stuff!

------------------
"Seek the noblest."
Zeta Love! <3

[bucutie02]

First off, i also think its important to visit the colleges/universities that you are interested in. When i applied to Baylor i had never even been there, turns out that the first time i went up there was for freshman orientation!

It is also a good idea to apply as soon as possible.

Something that i think is really important is making sure you are comfortable with your decision and know you will be okay. I applied to Baylor, my first choice, because i was pre-med and its probably one of the best schools in Texas for that. There was no way I would even think about going out-of-state. Well, after my first semester i quickly changed majors. Yeah, when i was a senior in college i was concerned about going to the right school for my major, but i was also into the whole "wow, baylor, thats an awesome school" and made that my number one reason, which was a really really bad idea. My parents were always telling me to go to UH and stay here in Houston, then if i didnt like it i could transfer. Of course, everyone in high school couldnt wait to move out. I was never like that, but i was just more caught up in the moment and influenced by friends to go "away" to college. I should have listened to my parents from the beginning because now I do attend UH. Sure UH isnt the most prestigious school around like Baylor is, but its right for me. I am a lot happier going to school there because the people are genuine and real, and the best part is that i get to live at home with my family.

What I am trying to say is that I was more caught up in going to a school with a good name, than going somewhere where i would be more comfortable which is way more important, im my opinion.

Hope this helped some! Good luck sweetie!

[KSig RC]

-Apply to as many schools as possible - sure, the application fees can add up, but you'll never know where you might end up clicking if you visit, or where money might come from in terms of financial aid. I definitely ended up somewhere different than I expected when I was, say, a junior in college.

My final list was a set of colleges that had what I was looking for in terms of academics (I was looking at biomedical eng. in specific, and schools strong in the pre-med/science areas in general), good national reputation, fun campuses that I felt like I could fit in at and have a good time, and then from there I separated it by the ones I got into and how much financial aid I recieved (merit- or need-based, didn't matter). Then I visited the ones I was interested in, if I hadn't already, and made my decision by which one felt right. By the way - I decided the day the notification was due, and had to mail it same-day FedEx for like fifty bucks . . . but hey, it worked out! ; )

-Don't fret over SATs (I or II), ACTs, APs, etc - it is definitely possible to 'over-study', to reach a point of diminishing returns where stress etc. causes you to perform below your ability. Remember - it's just a standardized test, you've taken about 500 of them by this time.

The SAT I is a general-knowledge test, so this means you can brush up on some formulas for the math section, and maybe study a little for the english portion, but really other than that studying isn't going to help a hell of a lot. Rather, practice tests proved more helpful to me - do 2 or 3 in the couple of weeks before the test, and then you'll be more comfortable when you walk into the room.

SAT IIs, being more subject-specific, are more conducive to studying, so I'd say try to take those as close to the completion of the actual course as possible - I took chem like 2 semesters after I finished the course, and that ended up being the one I did the 'worst' on. These you can definitely study for.

If you have any questions, Car, IM me or whatever - I did well on these, and it's pretty much all I can give advice on with any certainty! hahaha

[juniorgrrl]

When I was about 12, I decided I wanted to go to Tulane. I knew it was a highly ranked school, and it was close to home. It was what I worked for my entire high school career. I had my heart set on a full scholarship. When I visited the campus, I didn't see it for what it was. I saw what I wanted.

Well, the full scholarship didn't pan out (apparently, a 4.0 and 1420 SAT, plus national merit finalist status didn't matter to them because I was from LA and they like to give the $$$ to out of state kids) but I ended up going there anyway. I hated it.

LSU was my safety, backup school. I thought it would be a nightmare to go there. Well, Louisiana has a program called TOPS. Basically, if you graduate from HS with a pulse (2.5 and 20 on the ACT) you get full tuition to any in-state public school. So, I transferred there, because it would cost next-to-nothing to go there. I love it.

I guess my point is - be careful when you look at schools. See them for what they truly are, NOT what you want to see. I saw LSU as this ses pool and Tulane as this heaven. Turns out it was the other way around!

Good luck!

[BlueReign]

Newbie, I had no idea that you were a high school senior. You sound so mature from your posts. Have you visited all of the schools? Exactly how many schools are you interested in? I remember I made a list of all the things that would be important to me such as academics, reputation, choice of majors, social, location, etc. and then I rated each school I was interested in and narrowed it down to 3!

And yes, the school I ended up going to I had applied and was accepted before I visited. Once I was accepted I went to a June orientation and decided that is where I wanted to go that fall.

Also in your personal essays just be your positive self as I have always seen you do in this forum!

[This message has been edited by BlueReign (edited July 16, 2001).]

[SSS1365]

Whatever you do, don't get your heart set on one school and therefore neglect applying to others that you might otherwise like to go to. That's what I did, and because of high tuition at that school I wanted, I ended up going to a school I'm not too thrilled with. I've been kicking myself for not applying to VA Tech!

[amycat412]

Hey Newbie!

When I was applying, I didn't look at the schools before, with the exception of the University of San Diego, because one of my best friends was already going there, so I visited her.

I knew that I wanted to go away from home (Las Vegas) but not THAT far away, I looked at the various programs I was interested in, I talked alot with the college counselor at my school and I made sure to attend the meetings of the schools I was interested in when their admissions reps came to my school.

Initially I was looking at, USC, USanDiego, UCLA, Cal State Long Beach, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Chapman, ASU. I axed Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine because their art programs were weak/nonexistent.
Then I decided I would only apply to one L.A. school and axed UCLA because I liked USC's essay better (such 17 yr old logic! LOL)

So then I decided I'd apply to CSULB--one of the BEST univ based art programs in country, USC and USD on early decision and if I didn't get into any of them by the time deadlines for regular decison came in, I'd apply to ASU and Chapman--I knew I'd get in there.

Once I applied, my Dad and I took a road trip to visit the three schools I'd already applied to. I LOVED USCs Campus, hands down it was my favorite campus. CSULB did not give me high hopes for getting in, becasue while I had a 3.7 GPA, I was out of state student applying to an impacted major. USD I loved too, but viewed this as my 'back-up' school because several friends were going there and if I chickened out of going away I could go there with them.

By Feb 1 I had gotten into both USC and USD so my ASU and Chapman apps were unnecessary. I did eventually get into Long Beach AND into the program that I wanted, but not until after commitment deposits were due at USC. And I was pissed then, cause LB was my #1 choice for its art program, but BOY was I glad later as USC was the PERFECT place for me. LB was a commuter school, and once I changed my major to creative writing/film critical studies--I would have been miserable.

Good luck!
Amy



[This message has been edited by amycat412 (edited July 16, 2001).]

[newbie]

Wow, you guys are so awesome!!! Thanks so much for your advice!!!!! I feel better now - hopefully my writer's block will go away soon, as I think I should start on my essay (or at least essay IDEAS, blech, ) ASAP!!!

Anyway, these are the schools that are on my list so far...

UC Davis (I really want to go there, I think...)

UC Irvine (I want to go there, too...)

UC Santa Barbara

UC Santa Cruz

UC San Diego (total far shot though...I know 4.0ers that had a 1400 SAT who didn't get accepted...)

Pepperdine (maybe?? the parents don't seem to think it's worth the $$$$$)

USC (Amy!!!!! I AM going to apply I just got their application in the mail the other day!)

Santa Clara University (not sure yet?)

Boston Univ. and the Univ. of Rochester (totally not sure...good schools but so far away...)

In all of these schools that I listed, I'm not sure AT ALL if their psychology and education programs are strong. I know, for example, that UC Davis is great for science (they are basically known for that), but I'm not sure about psych and edu.

Do you all think it means anything if psychology is listed among the most popular majors?

Amy, USC's Rossier School of Education sounds really, really good (seems like one of the best from their viewbook, at least, haha). Do you know if it is?

You guys have certainly proved to me how important college visits are . I have a question though - do you recommend visiting with a college-student-tour guide, or just looking around on your own?

Thanks again SO much you guys - each one of your responses have been so very helpful for me!!! Thanks for sharing your stories . And sorry for the wealth of questions !!!!

Now this last part is for Rob - actually, you know what...I was highly considering Boston Univ. and the Univ. of Rochester for awhile (until a few days ago)...but I recently decided that going so far away from home just would be hard on me (plus I don't think my Mom's even going to let me board the plane , my Dad's so-so about it)...they're also trying to convince me that the weather's really horrible back East and I'll be miserable, being that I'm a California girl. Yet, despite all of that...I'm still thinking about BU and the Univ. of Rochester. Did you ever become homesick going from Iowa to Boston? I'm just kinda wary about applying to these two schools, b/c even though they are really good schools, they are also private...and all the plane-tickets and such will add up!!

I got the BU viewbook + application 2 days ago...and the campus is gorgeous!!! Charles River and the "BU Beach" (do you guys really call it that?) look really nice. Plus Commonwealth Street or whatever it's called! I'm just not sure if I should apply or not! Do you know if psychology and education are strong programs at BU?

Oh yeah, don't you think that the SAT Verbal is basically a huge vocabulary test? That's why I'm FINALLY starting to do my homework (after procrastinating for months! ), memorizing vocab and making flash cards and such.

Also, about the SAT II's, I'm going to take the mandatory SAT II-Writing and the SAT II-Math (mandatory for the UC's ughh), plus an additional (mandatory) one that is up to you - I'm thinking of taking the Literature one. Have you heard anything about that? I'm definitely gonna go buy some preparation books...maybe I'll even take a few Kaplan classes (I took Kaplan for the SAT I's, and it helped tremendously.) Wow, the Chem SAT II is supposedly the hardest of all the SAT II's! Even ppl who excel in AP Chem supposedly had a rough time taking it. Well, sorry for soo many questions!! Thanks a lot Rob !!!

P.S. You know how the universities that are interested in you will correspond with you, sending information, viewbooks, applications and such? Umm, after sending the reply-cards for the Univ. of Rochester a few times, I think that recently, after deciding that going so far away from home isn't for me, I threw out the final reply-card! I think I'm gonna go online to try to get an application again...

[This message has been edited by newbie (edited July 16, 2001).]

[newbie]

BTW, if any of you know which psychology/education programs are strong in California, please let me know!! Or, if you know if psych and edu is strong, OK, or weak at the colleges that I listed, please let me know again . I will be very grateful!

BTW, Rob, this is very cool - I checked out the Univ. of Rochester's website, and teh 50 dollar application fee is waived if you apply online! So maybe I can apply and my parents can't say anything .

[amycat412]

Car--

Education and Psych are both great programs at USC. I know you expressed some reservations about the cost of SC, so here's my advice -- Make sure you meet all financial aid deadlines. USC guarantees meeting your need, but only if you get all paperwork in on time. And, if your family thinks USC has overestimated what they can realistically pay--challenge it--write a letter describing the circumstances and ask for a reevaluation. 99 times out of 100, this works like a charm.

Santa Clara--I seem to remember reading recently that the administration has banned greek life from campus.


Amy

[newbie]

Thanks Amy for the advice!!!

BTW, do you know what I would major in at USC if I decided to enroll in the Rossier School of Education? General studies, maybe? It's kinda strange that CA doesn't allow education to become a major!

About Santa Clara, yeah I know . I read dzjusty's thread in the DZ Forum about how the President decided that Greek Life is bad and whatnot...eghhhhhh, if I end up going to SCU, that will suck - ever since I was 10 years old, I've always thought being Greek was awesome (due to my sis being in Kappa Delta)!

[This message has been edited by newbie (edited July 16, 2001).]

[purpleturtle]

Hey Newbie,
I DEFINITELY feel your pain. I went through all of this not too long ago.
The most important thing that I had to figure out myself was that is very important to go to a school where you enjoy the atmosphere and the people, even if they don't have the best school for your major....I changed mine four times in the past year, and I know people who changed up untill their junior and senior year.
Also, class size and famaliarity was important to me, but I think that's more of a personal preference thing. I came from a small town, and my graduating class only had 17 people in it, so I knew I would be lost in a huge school.
Luckily, now my little (bio) sister has a really good idea about where she wants to go!
Good Luck and email me if you have any more questions!

In the Flame,
Missy