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I don't have great grades, but I have decent (1300) test scores, I'm lazy but smart, never studied for a test, never did 4 hours of homework, never volunteered. I do projects at the last minute and get an A and proceed to not do any homework and get a C in the class. List goes on and on...

Point is... I don't care much for high school, because it's pointless. College is where it's at. I know what college you attend/get accepted at depends on your stats, but I'm too lazy to work on it anyways... until now?

I have mostly all math classes (AP English, AP Calc, AP Statistics, AP Physics, and psychology). I've never gotten lower than a A in math except for as a sophomore cause I slept through geometry and (think D every marking period and A+ on the final). So my GPA should go up.

I went to my guidance counselor and told her I might not even go to college being as though no good university will take me (by good I mean well known, not like Harvard, more like Columbia, nyu, uva, such and such). Anyways I have the capacity of getting A+'s easy... all I need is to put some effort into maybe opening the book for once but I think it's too late for all that. By the end of the year my GPA could skyrocket and put me in top 5 of my school (compared to the 150 or so I am now) but I just think it's too late. My GC says no because you send the 1st and 2nd marking period grades so they'll know I can handle the work. I still see it as being too late. She kept telling me that I'm Spanish and that makes me a URM and I go to a urban school with 5000 kids and 4.6k are black so I'm like a diamond in the rough. I tell her what good is all that when your dad alone makes over $275k, so I don't need financial aid and I always had the chance and could easily afford Princeton review course and a bunch of other things. I'm simply lazy, I know it. I'm my own victim.

I just want to know, am I wrong or is she? It really is too late isn't it? If not, please tell me as I don't really trust my GC's opinions anymore.

By Alexandre (Alexandre) on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 04:39 pm: Edit

What grade are you in? What is your current GPA? Is your SAT really 1300?

By Magoo112 (Magoo112) on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 05:03 pm: Edit

Senior, 3.3, yes.

For AP:

A+ = 5.35
A = 5.00
A- = 4.75 or .65 I forget

I'm going to get A+, A+, A-, A, A this MP, but I don't know how to calculate it ^_^.

By Alexandre (Alexandre) on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 05:11 pm: Edit

A 3.3 (unweighed I assume) student with a 1300 on your SAT. You should be able to get into some good schools. Columbia would still be a bit of a reach, but NYU, Wisconsin-Madison, possible Michigan-Ann Arbor and Cornell are certainly possibilities. All of those are reaches, but if there is an upward trend in your grades and your councelor recommends you highly, they are certainly not impossible.

By Magoo112 (Magoo112) on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 05:15 pm: Edit

well yea all my teachers love me, they just hate the fact that I have potential and don't use it. The recommendations will be great, my grades will go up, taking SAT IIs in Nov (so far 760-800 on IIC, 750-780 on writing, and dunno what my 3rd is going to be, those are practice results btw). It's just my past is biting me in the arse so to speak.

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 05:24 pm: Edit

1. If you are Spanish, you are not a URM. You're simply European.

2. Colleges don't go out of their way to admit underperformers of any race unless the student has something major going for them (such as being a celebrity, having a multimillionaire parent or having a stellar and unusual EC).

I think that you'd have a hard time getting into any university ranked in the top 50.

By Editrix (Editrix) on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 05:24 pm: Edit

No, it isn't too late (well, for Harvard, probably, but not for a lot of other excellent schools), but I can't quite tell what you're looking for: a good education or an excuse for not getting one? Your GC sounds pretty smart to me. You're not anyone's victim: It's absolutely possible to turn this situation around, and if you decide not to bother, that's your choice, not your fate. (When I say you can turn this situation around, I don't mean there's any guarantee you'll get into one of your top choices--even kids who have worked like demons don't have those guarantees--but not to go to college at all under these circumstances sounds self-defeating.)

By Magoo112 (Magoo112) on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 07:56 pm: Edit

When I say spanish... I mean I speak spanish... I'm Hispanic if you want to get into ethnicity, birth place: Dominican Republic.

No stellar or unusual EC unless you consider running a very profitable company (which is why I'm debating whether I really need to go) an EC.

My list: Columbia SEAS, NYU Stern, BU, UPENN, Cornell, U of M, U of FL... (some others but I forget).

I was wondering, does who your, in my case, dad works for, make a difference? He got into Harvard, Upenn, Columbia, NYU, and Princeton (through the company). He told me the firm has "special agreements" with all those schools. Just wondering if it would make a diff.

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 01:18 am: Edit

Companies don't hahve special arrangements with those schools in regard to admissions. They may have arrangements when it comes to hiring students from such schools.

I doubt that the type of schools that you mentioned are looking for wealthy, lazy Hispanics with test scores that are not remarkable for someone from your affluent background. I think that in general, the best schools you're likely to get into will be tier 2 ones including places like University of Miami and Syracuse.

However, you would have a chance at tier 1 places like University of Florida and University of Wisconsin, and liberal arts colleges like Grinnell, which have a tough time attracting URMs. I don't think you could get into places like Amherst and Williams, however.

By 3togo (3togo) on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 10:06 am: Edit

Personally I'm not a big fan of looking back ... I'm all for looking forward ... I think the better question is "when do I start?".

Opportunities are not typically handed to people with potential who are not pushing that potential ... given the competition for opportunitites they are earned by people with potential with the discipline and drive to earn those opportunities. There is not a magic milestone when you should start ... it is a question of what you want ot get out of your life and it is never too late to become more focussed and disciplined ... so I'd suggest starting today!

By Dusk2k2 (Dusk2k2) on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 09:28 pm: Edit

Quote from Northstarmom "I think that you'd have a hard time getting into any university ranked in the top 50."


Wow, college must be getting really hard to get into. I have a 3.4 and 1340 right now and I'd say that's pretty darn good for places like Penn State, University of Washington, and at least competitive for Wisconsin-Madison(75th Percentile SAT - 1340, Avg GPA: 3.6 or 3.7). I think that's harsh to say a 3.3 and 1300 isn't good enough to make it into a top 50 school.

By Pattykk (Pattykk) on Saturday, October 02, 2004 - 12:55 am: Edit

Doesn't he sound sort of like Bill Gates? He finds high school boring but he has a money- making business going on the side already, so he must have discipline when he is doing something that catches his attention.
What do you want to do in life? Is math your thing? Entrepreneurship? Maybe you should be looking at schools that allow you to do your own thing like New College of Florida or schools that have meaningful internships or a pre-professional focus. Forget school tiers and reputations. Shop for a school that fits you and your goals for yourself. On the other hand, maybe you should go to Deep Springs (look it up-you'd be out in the desert with 30 guys putting up fences).
I was listening to an interview with Jon Stewart the other day. He said he went into comedy because being a smartass was the only thing he was good at. He was always a cut-up in school, making smart remarks and doing outrageous things. That turned out to be his forte, once he mastered the craft of comedy (timing, etc.) There is more than one way to get there. How many of us disciplined, straight A students crashed and burned once we got out of school and didn't get attaboys anymore for acing tests. Hang in there.

By Shaka (Shaka) on Saturday, October 02, 2004 - 01:02 am: Edit

Bill Gates is one in a million, dont put all your eggs in that basket

If you are truly smart, you will know that high school is •••••••• but it's just a step in the game.

It's never too late, but you will just have to work harder now

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Saturday, October 02, 2004 - 01:25 am: Edit

Last year, there was someone of hispanic origin (Cuban, I believe) on this board with SATs in the low 1300's and an unweighted GPA in the 3.6 range (weighted was somewhat higher). He was accepted to Amherst, Williams and Swarthmore. Bear in mind --- his GPA was higher than yours and he had overcome some family low-income conditions. But he did get into those three schools even with relatively low scores and GPA, much to my (and his!) surprise. So, you never know. Just make sure to have some good solid safeties and be prepared to put your "attitude" way far to the side - saying you didn't do well because you're basically lazy won't cut it on an elite college interview. Good luck in your search.

By Kousuke (Kousuke) on Saturday, October 02, 2004 - 01:54 am: Edit

is that 3.3 weighted or unweighted?