Agnes Said:

What do you think of my four year plan?

We Answered:

There is such a thing as rigorous, and too rigorous. You are not going to have fun in high school, after four years you will be beat and there is a really high probability your grades will plummet. Plus you will have all kinds of issues with stress. I know kids who have tried to do this and they all have turned out this way. You are going a bit overboard.

You will get into NYU and John Hopkins with half of your APs and Honors. Colleges want you to be well rounded; that means having a job, playing sports/clubs, doing mock programs, community service, and enjoying things that do not have to do with school work. Unless you are looking at a college that has automatic admission for certain academics, you want to be as well rounded as possible and also ENJOY high school. :] Take a few fun classes in your rigorous schedule, because otherwise you will grow to hate school.

Lee Said:

I am so stressed out about College and what to major in PLEASE HELP.. :-(?

We Answered:

First I am going to say "location".

Many students enjoy attending a college that is closer to home, which sometimes (not always) limits the choices of degree plans.

I got lucky, I chose a college that had a great Educational Program for teachers. I studied English and Kinesiology... my plan was to be an English teacher and a swimming coach. But, that didn't happen. I found a much more enjoyable salary in the oil & gas industry of West Texas.

Teachers salaries have risen quite a bit in recent years, but let's face it... they still don't get paid as much as they should. It's a very tough job, and a very rewarding job in the same. Plus, when you have kids in your life, wow, you just cannot beat that kind of schedule!!

There are so many choices for careers. And now with technology exploding like it is, there's a lot of money to made in computer sciences. Possibilities are endless.

Tell you this, if I were to do it all over again, I would probably stuck with teaching.
And that's mainly based on myself being a single-father raising my son on my own. It would have given us more time together and given him a less-chaotic schedule.

But you're young, so take risks and go for what you really want in life. Especially your career.
You seem very goal-oriented already, and very intelligent. Congrats on your hard work.

I know it's so far away, but you also need to think of where your career can take you. Such as, higher levels of learning, international travel, etc.

Martin Said:

Chance me for Cornell and NYU?

We Answered:

in terms of your grades and activities, you seem to be doing fine. just continue the way you're going now.

about the psat - doing fairly well can only help you. 196 is solid for a sophomore, and i'm sure you'll be able to easily get above 200 in your junior year (recommended because, depending on what state you live in, becoming a national merit semifinalist/finalist/winner would help a lot. i think anything above 220 would guarantee you a spot in the finals, no matter what the state)

just remember that even though the sat counts, cornell and nyu accept a wide range since they mostly look at grades. for sat, i'd recommend something above 2100, (700 or higher on each section) though you may not need it since your course load and gpa look pretty impressive.

since i don't have any more criticism, i'll just offer a little advice (if you don't mind).

how well you do in your junior year and first semester of senior year will play a big part in admissions criteria. although you're allowed to slump a little in your second semester of senior year, just don't let things get out of hand (believe it or not, senioritis does happen! take it a little easy on the course load).

also, have you taken any of the sat subject tests? most competitive schools require two or three subject tests (e.g. one in math, one in science, and one of your choice). check the collegeboard website for sat requirements and other things for cornell and nyu. i think collegeboard.com also has a "how well do you stack up against other applicants thing" (i may be wrong about that)

for the application process itself, make sure you start your personal statement at least 3 months before the deadline. the common app is available in the beginning of august, i think, and the sooner you fill it out, the better (you'll have a chance to look over everything and it'll be out of the way). in the highly competitive schools, the personal statement will often be the deciding factor in whether or not the schools accept their applicants, since all of them are at about the same level in terms of grades and extracurriculars.

good luck with the rest of your work!

Corey Said:

Is this resume ok for a recent graduate?

We Answered:

Looks good, but you need to put education and employment first, then skills and abilities. the "qualifications" part is not necessary, those are things that belong in your cover letter.

Also, be sure to run it through spellcheck, I saw at least 2 typos just scanning it. (Eager instead of eger)

Frances Said:

I can't choose! Which do I give up?

We Answered:

Since only junior and senior classes are in question, I'd drop the Medical Lab Assisting. From your schedule, I'm assuming that you are interested in medicine, and you don't need Medical Lab Assisting to be able to work in a lab as a student. Unless you plan on being a medical assistant professionally, I think you would be fine without it.

Joan Said:

I am so stressed out about College and what to major in PLEASE HELP.. :-(?

We Answered:

You should consider taking a vocational interest test which will help you in determining which area to emphasize./

Nancy Said:

Drop the Class or Not. Take Classes Over the Summer?

We Answered:

Take some regular classes! It is hard to excel at everything-_-
Take AP Physics C mechanics and Magnetism, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Economics instead. You should also AP statistics.