College Application

[JogaBonito1502]

It's official! Today I started my first college application. I begun my application to the University of Michigan at Ann Harbor! To be specific, their College of Engineering. I don't know why, but I'm feeling pretty anxious at the moment. As I filled out all of the little basic fill-in-the-blank information I realized how little I've accomplished. Academically, I couldn't be stronger. However, my activities are lacking. It's Basketball, Soccer, and Computers. Also, I have received little awards. If you guys don't mind, I'd like to use this thread as my college application log. Other seniors can feel free to use it here. CF has become really important to me and I want you guys to share this experience with me.

I had this list of 7-8 schools I wanted to apply to, but for some reason U of M and MIT are the only ones I'm considering at the moment. I know you should have more schools and such...Stanford is a really good school that I was considering, but I don't really want to go there. Like...if Michigan/MIT rejected me while Stanford accepted me, I'd go there, but otherwise I don't think I would...so should I still apply there? The same applies to Georgia Tech, Rice, and Cornell. I have mixed feelings about KU.

Application Statuses:

University of Michigan-Ann Harbor: Application Started - Incomplete
Massachussets Institute of Technology: Application Unavailable

 

[Calibound88]

go ahead. post your resume

 

[dude_56013]

Whatever you choose to do Joga, go somewhere where you feel "fit" and happy. It's where the rest of you life is going to start and develop. Odds are, you'll meet the person who'll you be with for the rest of your life, and you'll meet a few very good friends who you will stay in touch with throughout life. It's why I chose to go where I did. I graduated valedictorian of my class with a 4.023 GPA, and I'm just going to a little private school in Sioux Falls, SD called University of Sioux Falls. 1500 total students or so, IIRC. I did not feel compelled to go to Stanford, or Harvard, or any big name school like that that I might have had a shot at. I felt like going somewhere where I felt comfortable--somewhere I liked the environment and atmosphere...somewhere that I could call home for the next 4-6 years and maybe beyond. So, with that said, I wish you the best of luck in your search/application process, Joga. I've been keeping tabs on some of your education threads...you will go very far in life; I know that for a fact.

 

[JogaBonito1502]

Whatever you choose to do Joga, go somewhere where you feel "fit" and happy. It's where the rest of you life is going to start and develop. Odds are, you'll meet the person who'll you be with for the rest of your life, and you'll meet a few very good friends who you will stay in touch with throughout life. It's why I chose to go where I did. I graduated valedictorian of my class with a 4.023 GPA, and I'm just going to a little private school in Sioux Falls, SD called University of Sioux Falls. 1500 total students or so, IIRC. I did not feel compelled to go to Stanford, or Harvard, or any big name school like that that I might have had a shot at. I felt like going somewhere where I felt comfortable--somewhere I liked the environment and atmosphere...somewhere that I could call home for the next 4-6 years and maybe beyond. So, with that said, I wish you the best of luck in your search/application process, Joga. I've been keeping tabs on some of your education threads...you will go very far in life; I know that for a fact.

Thanks! But that's the thing! I've read the MIT admissions website about 2-3 times thoroughly! I mean, I love their "hack" tradition. The campus looks beautiful!! I would love to go there for college. That's my #1 pick! Then I have University of Michigan, my #2! After that I have KU, my fall back school. I mean...I wouldn't mind going there. It's a good all-round school, near home, not too expensive. But the rest! I just don't know about them. I don't know which would go before which. I just picked them because they're good schools.

go ahead. post your resume

What do you mean? You want my classes? My acomplishments?

Here's my accomplishments in 2 lines:

2nd Place - Programming Competition at Kansas State University
Outstanding ACT Score recognition at my high school.

I mean... I have also:

3.5 Honor Roll (I have a 3.9), but that doesn't really count.
I got accepted to Stanford's Summer Program, but is that really an accomplishment? I never found out how many people applied.
I have some other certificates and stuff...but they're not really accomplishments..at least not in my mind. Are these things I should be putting down in the application?

 

[dude_56013]

Yup. See, at first, I was just picking places because they were good schools. And then I sat down and thought about somethings.

After thinking, I got my priorities straight; started giving myself some either/or questions:

"Would I rather have the best education possible or go to a school where I feel comfortable in my own skin?"
"Would I rather put an immense amount of pressure on myself by going to a top school and trying to keep my grades way up, or would I rather go somewhere where I can be a little relaxed and just take in life and all of it's beauties and be able to meet people that I might be around for the rest of my life?"

Things that are deep like that.

Also...please, please, please, I beg of you...DO NOT apply for schools just by reading up on them. Go visit them. Try not to get in on one of those group tours. Try and set something small up. Go...get a feel of the atmosphere. See people in action. See how people's attitudes are and how relax/high-strung the campus seems. Look around you. Note activities, friendliness, staff attitude, etc. That's what made the difference for me.

I was all set on going to my #1 school that I had decided on financially and by their website/paper. As soon as I visited my #2, it was an instant and easy decision to drop my #1 completely off my list.

 

[JogaBonito1502]

Well, here's the thing: I love to try new things and I love having to adapt to new environments. I see them as a challenge. The thing that's getting me though is that these other schools aren't showing me that uniqueness factor to make me wanna go there. Like MIT! They have their "hack" event. Rice! They have an awesome dedication to research, which is something I'd like to do. Michigan! My dad was there and said the campus was great! He said I'd love it there! And since my dad is, well, my dad, I trust his opinion. These other schools though...I don't see what they're offering me.

 

[dude_56013]

That's how it was for me. When I visited my former #1 school, there was nothing unique about it, and they didn't feel I was unique. Even though I was valedictorian and had a 4.0+GPA, I was just another student. As soon as I stepped foot into my #2 school (where I'm going to go this fall), they instantly treated me to smiles, laughter, religion, and they treated me like I was my own being...I was one in my own...apart from others.

 

[jmacavali]

You should put down everything you can think of. It won't hurt you to have extra info on their. Also, apply at every school you think you might consider going to. That way your more likely to have at least one of them accept you. You don't have to go if they accept you, so apply to them all.

 

[Calibound88]

you gotta have more than that.

embellish your resume. what you may consider insignificant others may not

I had the same problem. I am pretty modest guy so I didn't really know what to post on my college apps/resume b/c i basically felt like i did nothing for 4 years.

try joining college confidential forum

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/

they helped me through my senior year. it's basically a ton of teens and parents all of the country talking about admissions and college life.

and don't try to compare yourself to some people there. You'll see a lot of posted resume's with perfect (or close to perfect) SAT's, GPA's, and credentials/clubs/extras that would take hours to read.

many of them are pretty helpful, and truthful, and can tell you the chances of you getting into each college....some of them are just douche bags and just underrate every body and tell you to go to community college.

good luck

also, IM LEAVING THE NEST TOMORROW for college. First time in 18 years I will be on my own

 

[JogaBonito1502]

So I was looking up some rankings and turns out for...

Mechanical:

#1 - MIT
#2 - Michigan

Aerospace/Aeronautical:

#1 - MIT
#3 - Michigan

Michigan has a 50% acceptance rate. Now is this number lower for students applying to either/both of these two degrees?