High School ###### Contest

cshank4cshank4 Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13425Members
<div class="IPBDescription">LET THE GOLDEN SHOWERS COMMENCE!</div>So, now comes the time for the average B High School student to start filling out applications for colleges.


One problem, all colleges require 2 years minimum for a foreign language.

I only have 1 and a half, since I moved a week before the last semester could be completed. My old school won't give me the credit even though I was passing with a solid B.

This sound fair to you guys?

Comments

  • enf0rcerenf0rcer intrigued... Join Date: 2003-03-16 Member: 14584Members
    not the end of the world - get a job, make some money that you'll need for college anyway and take an easy course at the same time.
  • cshank4cshank4 Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13425Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1595141:date=Jan 5 2007, 03:31 PM:name=enf0rcer)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(enf0rcer @ Jan 5 2007, 03:31 PM) [snapback]1595141[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    not the end of the world - get a job, make some money that you'll need for college anyway and take an easy course at the same time.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Yeah, already have a job. Movie stores FTW.

    This still blows though. I want to go to become an English teacher, but I need to learn how to speak about one-hundred fifty words in Spanish or French to become one. I won't even use them after school anyhow.
  • enf0rcerenf0rcer intrigued... Join Date: 2003-03-16 Member: 14584Members
    It's aggravating I'm sure. Just try and look on the bright side - This is time you can take to find out about the programs you want to apply for, maybe look into the courses themselves or extracurriculars.
  • Femme_FataleFemme_Fatale Join Date: 2005-06-21 Member: 54310Members, Constellation
    spend some time abroad and get credit for it?
  • FirewaterFirewater Balance Expert Join Date: 2002-12-12 Member: 10690Members, Constellation
    goto a community college, it will wipe out your high school transcript.

    Usually the university you want to goto will waive the FL requirement if you are a college transfer.
  • ChronoChrono Local flyboy Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18989Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1595143:date=Jan 5 2007, 12:33 PM:name=cshank4)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cshank4 @ Jan 5 2007, 12:33 PM) [snapback]1595143[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Yeah, already have a job. Movie stores FTW.

    This still blows though. I want to go to become an English teacher, but I need to learn how to speak about one-hundred fifty words in Spanish or French to become one. I won't even use them after school anyhow.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


    the whole college application system in the US sucks balls. i had a 4.0 GPA and close to perfect scores on my SATs but since i didnt participate in any "extracurricular" activities alot of good colleges turned me down.

    just go to a community college then transfer from their the units are cheaper
  • UnderwhelmedUnderwhelmed DemoDetective #?&#33; Join Date: 2006-09-19 Member: 58026Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1595239:date=Jan 5 2007, 05:16 PM:name=Chrono)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Chrono @ Jan 5 2007, 05:16 PM) [snapback]1595239[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    the whole college application system in the US sucks balls. i had a 4.0 GPA and close to perfect scores on my SATs but since i didnt participate in any "extracurricular" activities alot of good colleges turned me down.

    just go to a community college then transfer from their the units are cheaper
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Because grades in HS are inflated and anybody can get decent SAT scores by going to an SAT academy. Extracurriculars are supposed to show commitment, or something. I only really had one that I did for 4 years, but it seems to have worked well enough.
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    Time to start filling out applications? Heh, most of mine were due on or before January 1st, with a few holdouts due the 15th. I finished them up way before that but that seems like it's the deadline for just about every college I've seen.
  • AbraAbra Would you kindly Join Date: 2003-08-17 Member: 19870Members
    'extracurricular'... like sports? School magazine? What? fill me in.
  • cshank4cshank4 Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13425Members
    edited January 2007
    Choral, Choir, Drama, Sports, 'Clubs' etcetera. That's Exrta Curricular.

    Another annoying thing for kids like me that participate in martial arts. It's a sport, but not a school funded sport. Doesn't show up on the transcripts.
  • UnderwhelmedUnderwhelmed DemoDetective #?&#33; Join Date: 2006-09-19 Member: 58026Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1595313:date=Jan 5 2007, 07:37 PM:name=cshank4)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cshank4 @ Jan 5 2007, 07:37 PM) [snapback]1595313[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Choral, Choir, Drama, Sports, 'Clubs' etcetera. That's Exrta Curricular.

    Another annoying thing for kids like me that participate in martial arts. It's a sport, but not a school funded sport. Doesn't show up on the transcripts.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    ...but that's still an extracuriccular - why didn't you put it down? Since when did they show up on transcripts anyways? Anyways, it's not the end of the world. Believe it or not, there is *gasp* life outside of HS and college.
  • cshank4cshank4 Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13425Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1595315:date=Jan 5 2007, 10:47 PM:name=Underwhelmed)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Underwhelmed @ Jan 5 2007, 10:47 PM) [snapback]1595315[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    ...but that's still an extracuriccular - why didn't you put it down? Since when did they show up on transcripts anyways? Anyways, it's not the end of the world. Believe it or not, there is *gasp* life outside of HS and college.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I <i>did</i> but no one counts it as extracuricular. So, whatever.


    And yeah, I know there's life outside of it. I just want to go.

    (Ale and ######s.)
  • MantridMantrid Lockpick Join Date: 2003-12-07 Member: 24109Members
    Reminds me of <a href="http://somethingpositive.net/" target="_blank">Something Positive</a> the other day:

    <img src="http://www.somethingpositive.net/arch/oldfamiliarfacesv3.gif" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
  • CrotalusCrotalus Join Date: 2003-12-02 Member: 23871Members
    People tell me if I don't go to a good college, I will grow up to work in a McDonald's at MOST. What?

    Anyone here know anything about scholarships? Like, how do I find them or something, cause I'm completely lost on this part...
  • cshank4cshank4 Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13425Members
    Fastweb or something.


    There totally is a life outside of college, but no one really talks about it in school.
  • UltimaGeckoUltimaGecko hates endnotes Join Date: 2003-05-14 Member: 16320Members
    Considering you can work at McDonalds without a high school education you should probably stop listening to those people.

    You could probably graduate from the crappy online "Pheonix College of BS" and still get a decent cubicle job. I don't remember listing any extracurricular activities on my college applications (then again, UW-Madison was willing to accept me...but I couldn't afford that). You could probably get by without 2 yeas of foreign language if you talked to someone at the schools you were applying to. Just speak with someone in their admissions department (preferably in person). Although let this be a lesson to people: foreign languags rock, and you should all learn them <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> (unfortunately if you're in the US your choices will be limited to French, Spanish and possibly German (although a few high schools may have Italian, Chinese, Russian or Portuguese)).

    I'm also in Wisconsin, and we take the magical ACT here instead of the SAT, so there could be something completely different there. Foreign languages have pretty good benefits. They usually lead to retroactive credits (at my college it's 16 credits, which is 1 more than the average 15 credit <i>semester</i>). Plus you can get scholarships far easier, and chances to go abroad much easier if you're taking a foreign language. They're usually one of the easiest/quickest (however you want to look at it) majors/minors to obtain as well.


    ...Maybe you could ask your previous school to administer an exam to cover your last semester of language. Possibly a long shot, but possible (and better than trying nothing at all).
  • CrotalusCrotalus Join Date: 2003-12-02 Member: 23871Members
    edited January 2007
    Well, to satisfy my tastes, I NEED a college education. I could never stand any kind of cubicle job. I have interests in Physics and Chemistry, so I applied to the College of Engineering in Purdue, for a Major in Material Sciences and Engineering. I got accepted too, so it I guess i'm set for now.

    I want to work in a research type career, where I just get paid to screw around in a laboratory. Material Sciences should do the trick because of the arrival of nanotechnology.

    EDIT: Is it just me, or does the ACT seem like a really cheap way out? SAT tests you on your actual knowledge, like a real test. ACT is measures your "academic potential" whatever that means.
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    <a href="http://www.fastweb.com/" target="_blank">FastWeb</a> is far and away the best place I've found for scholarships. Tons and tons and tons of opportunities.

    It's not like you NEED to go to college to be successful, but if you want to do physics and chemistry or engineering or anything, then yeah, you need to go to college <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
  • UltimaGeckoUltimaGecko hates endnotes Join Date: 2003-05-14 Member: 16320Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1595662:date=Jan 6 2007, 08:21 PM:name=Crotalus)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Crotalus @ Jan 6 2007, 08:21 PM) [snapback]1595662[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    EDIT: Is it just me, or does the ACT seem like a really cheap way out? SAT tests you on your actual knowledge, like a real test. ACT is measures your "academic potential" whatever that means.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    It measures actual knowledge. I don't remember exact questions from taking it, but the examination covered actual knowledge and learning ability. To the extent that it covers potential, there are a few parts of the test when they'll give you a scientific blurb of information, and you need to answer their questions based on math skills, graph and chart reading skills and basic scientific knowledge that you have - but there are still a lot of questions just asking you questions that you need to know. I think it relies more on you being able to deduce and obtain your answers more than simple memorization.

    From wikipedia's compilation of information:
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The ACT is "designed to assess students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work"[3], while the SAT Reasoning Test is "a measure of the critical thinking skills needed for academic success in college."[4]The difference between the two is often described as one of "achievement" vs. "aptitude": the ACT seeks to measure what students have learned during high school, while the SAT is meant to evaluate innate ability. Whether the two tests succeed in assessing different things is a matter of debate.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I tried some of the questions, and they seem far easier than I remember (then again, I had only slept 4 hours), but there's some sample ACT questions over <a href="http://www.actstudent.org/sampletest/index.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I thought there was one section where you could use a calculator and one where you couldn't, but it appears on the ones that I checked you could use one (non-graphic) calculator.
  • cshank4cshank4 Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13425Members
    edited January 2007
    I've taken both sooo.


    ACT was more like... Seeing how much you know at your grade level, test. In Michigan, before I moved here, they had something like that called the MEAPs, Michigan Education Assessment Program. Just a test on every subject you've had.

    SAT was more direct and applied. Measured math, reading and writing skills. Most colleges only look at the reading and math scores combined, anyhow.

    (I sucked at the SAT. Got a 480 (Only 5% higher then other test takers, haha.) in math and a 690 in Reading (Which is 70-some percent higher then the other test takers this year.)) Overall, though, the test scores for that were fine. Since My GPA was high enough to actually look at colleges.


    I'm starting to think I'm going to end up working a year and go to a community college for the time to save up some money and get some basic courses out of the way. I'm dropping sociology next semester and grabbing Spanish instead. That way I'll get that last half a credit.


    Always leave yourself an escape route!
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    If you get some credits out of the way at a community college, you also give yourself a chance to retake the SAT. Chances are you'll score much higher if you check a few test prep books out of the library and study those. Also, if your ACT score was better (there's some chart or something to compare them) you might just want to send that to colleges instead.
  • cshank4cshank4 Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13425Members
    Meh, I'm not even caring about those. I did average on the tests, so meh. Not worth taking again. (They cost 80 bucks a pop.)
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