Ask AdmissionsConsultants

[moderator]

Please do not post MBA questions in the college section. Thank you.

[snp_ethan]

hi, I am a CC student, las semester I attended Pasadena City College and I transfered to Santa Monica College, both in Ca. I wanted to ask if four year colleges differentiate between CCs, or if it was all the same. I will be majoring in Psychology and minoring in marketing research, my current GPA is of 3.3 and I live on my own, which does not leave much time for community service. Although my job experience is major oriented.

I am Applying to UCLA and UCI. I came to America 4 years ago, from a non English speaking country, and so my verbal skills were not as good when I took my SATs I got a combined score of 1160. AS for my SAT II I got 690 for math, 540 for writing, and 800 for Spanish.

What are my chances of getting into any of these schools?

[lemontree]

Hi,
I am a prospective student from Morocco. I wanted to know if I had the required scores on both TOEFl & SAT and a sufficcient
financial support, my highschool marks were matter? I mean I have pretty good ones in all subjects, but the highschool diploma exam that I had on june was in bad conditions even if I suceeded I didn’t get good marks on two scientific subject tests. Do you that will afect my application and will give less chance for me to be admitted, I’m affraid my apllication will be rejected by admission officers ((

help me please

Sincerely,

[confussed]

Please help, I need some advice…
I’m an IL resident, top 4% of my high school class, and currently enrolled in Penn State (freshman who wants to be a Pediatrician). I’m having financial difficulties and don’t know what to do. I don’t know if any of my following options will hurt my chances of getting into a GREAT medical school in the future or will look bad in my transcripts.

Option 1 (not sure if it is even possible):
Stay at Penn State for the four years and get someone to co-sign for my student loans. I’ll have my pre-med degree along with a $100K debt. Is it really worth it???

Option 2:
Stay at Penn State for a year and then switch to a school in IL where the tuition is more affordable for me. However will my transcripts look bad if I switch from Penn State (a good school) to a mediocre school in IL? What if I attend a community college?

Option 3:
Withdraw from Penn State, wait a year and reapply to a different college. In the meantime I can work and save money however there will be a year that I will not be attending school. However there will be a one year gap between in my studies.

I understand that getting into medical school is difficult and I don’t want to make a decision that will hurt me in the future, PLEASE HELP. Are there any good pre-med schools in IL???

Thank you for your help, I really do appreciate any advice.

[bsofarelli]

Dear snp_Ethan,
What is sounds like you are doing is transferring to a four-year undergraduate program that will offer a Bachelor’s degree from a 2 year college program offering an Associate’s degree. It would be beneficial for you to contact the admissions office at each four-year school you’re interested in and ask about their transfer requirements.
Thank you for posting your question on AdmissionsBoards.
Take care,
Bonnie Sofareli

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[bsofarelli]

Dear Lemontree,
An American Admissions Committee will look at your entire academic record; grades earned in each class throughout High School, final diploma exams, and any SAT /ACT scores. If you believe that your performance on the diploma exam will not fairly reflect your ability to handle college courses, then do your best to score well on the SAT I and SAT II. In all, it is best to demonstrate in your application that you are a serious student who is committed to gaining the knowledge provided through school.
If you are interested in one-on-one guidance through this process, please contact AdmissionsConsultants to learn more about the services available to you.
Best wishes,
Bonnie Sofarelli

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[bsofarelli]

Dear confussed,
Your question will be better placed in the Medical section.
Thank you for posting on Admissionsboards.
Bonnie

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[magical_soda]

Dear Sara,
Hello. My name is Natalie,an interational student coming from HongKong. I have some questions about admission and would like to enquire about it.
Here is my case. Last year I finished F.6 (Grade 12) in an english-medium secondary school in Hong Kong. Just when i’m about to promote to F.7, I have to immigrate into the USA with my family. I have become a permanent resident here now, staying with my cousins in New York.
As i was in a rush to leave HK, i ‘ve only taken the Toefl CBT exam but not in time for the SAT one. I have a score of 233 on Toefl CBT. Now i’m wondering if my toefl as well as my F.6 diaploma from HK enough for admission? (since there is F.7 in HK but not in the US)
Do I have to take the SAT exam as well?
If yes, can i still apply for the school and submit the result afterwards? I also did take part of a lot of activies in schools and attained some prices and certificates. Do they count as well?
As i’m currently living in Brooklyn, i think of applying for the spring semester of the Brooklyn College (one of the colleges under the City University of New York) since it only requires 180 on toefl but no SAT.

Since there is quite a long period before the school starts, i’m wondering if i can enter the high school (Grade 12) here to improve my english. Would there be a problem exist, like the university would count my new scores in high school instead of the old one from HK ?
Besides, i will take the SAT in the meantime and apply for the fall semester of some better universities. Am i allowed to do so after being admitted into the brooklyn college?
If yes, could u suggest some of the universities that would be suitable for me? as i’ve just arrived here for a few weeks, i know very little of the schools here.
Sorry for the inconvenience. I hope you can take your time and help me. I’m forever appreciated Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Natalie

[bsofarelli]

Dear Nathalie,
Thank you for posting on Admissionsboards, and welcome to the USA. In order to apply to an American college or university, you will have to submit transcripts from the school you attended in Hong Kong, translated, if not immediately available in English. The transcripts must confirm that you have completed your High School equivalent studies there. If you haven’t completed your studies, look into your options for attending a High School in your area.
Also, it is best to complete SAT I and SAT II’s before submitting your applications to colleges.
If you are interested in one-on-one guidance through the admissions process, I encourage you to contact AdmissionsConsultants to learn about the programs available to you.
Best wishes,
Bonnie

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[vjain2k]

Dear Admission Expert,

My D wants to take pre-medicine as a major subject. Other then the fact that it will reduce 1 or 2 years out of a total of 8 required years for specialization, I do not have much idea of the merits and demerits of pre-med.

1. I will appreciate any information related to taking pre-med as a major vs. doing 4 years of (lets say lieberal arts) and another 4 years of Medicine.

2. We are located in NJ and would like to search for colleges in the Northeast for her. Can you suggest good colleges for pre-med major after the high school. How will you rate UMDNJ ??

Thanks in advance.

VJ

[miv1958]

Dear Admissions Consultants,

I am a high school sophomore. I wanted to know if I should take the regular SATs as well as the new SATs or whether I should only take the new SATs. Also, I would like to know how much consideration admissions officers put when students take community college classes in the evening. At my high school, I am currently taking a Physics course called General Physics I first semester and then General Physics II second semester. I was thinking of also taking another course called Microbiology and Immunology, which I really want to do because I love science, especially in the field of biology. Will taking community college classes and doing well in them improve my chances for admissions to colleges, preferably in the Ivy League such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton? Also, what do admission officers usually see when they see the transcript from the community college that the student attended? Would they look at attendance as well as the student’s grades?

[bsofarelli]

Dear Miv,
For more information about which SAT to take, I encourage you to visit, http://www.admissionsconsultants.com/admission-advice.asp.
Hooray for the additional college courses you are taking (as a sophmore in high school!?) Of course, it would be to your advantage to list any additional courses taken during high school on your college applications. It demonstrates great academic initiative on your part. Concerning Ivy League schools, admissions committees will view your entire application as a whole to gauge your candidacy rather than any specific detail in your application.
BTW – as a means of complimenting the college courses you are taking, is there an opportunity to do volunteer work or part-time work in your area of interest?
Thank you for posting on Admissionsboards. If you would like to speak with an expert and receive more one-on-one guidance, contact AdmissionsConsultants to learn more about the services they provide.
Best wishes,
Bonnie Sofarelli

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[bsofarelli]

Dear VJ,
An accelerated pre-med program during one’s undergraduate studies requires absolute commitment to the program, in most cases, when applying to one’s schools of choice. Such accelerated programs are a perfect fit for students who are dedicated to an academic path in medicine, and there is little risk that the student will stray from that decision. If there is any doubt or indecision to pursue an accelerated pre-med program, visit the schools that interest you most, learn more about how the programs work, and decide if the student can commit to it or not.
Thank you for posting on Admissionsboards. If you would like further assistance with school choices that fit the student’s profile best, please feel free to contact AdmissionsConsultants to learn more about the services provided.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Sofarelli

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[miv1958]

Hi, I have a few more questions I would like to ask. I read that admissions officers want to see applicants who have worked during high school, and I think she said officers want to see them working in their field of interest. Well, I’m hoping majoring in pre-med, and the only thing that I can think of that is considered working is volunteering at the hospital. Do any of you consider that as working? If not, what should I do?

Another question. I want to take another course at my local community college in the field of biology, which are called “Microbiology and Immunnology” and/or “Human Anatomy and Physiology”. I talked to my guidance counselor at my high school, and she told me I should ask someone at the science department at the college I want to apply to and ask them what courses I should take at the community college while in high school related to pre-med. Should I spend the time to call them because I think the last deadline for registering for classes at my local community college is sometime next week? What should I do?

One more question. I know this is probably a broad question, and I have even asked my guidance counselor about this and I have also read a couple of books related to the admissions process, but I’m still not sure. I want to apply to Harvard. I’m not one of those people who wants to get accepted to Harvard because of the name or its prestige, but because of Harvard’s quality of education and the opportunities it can open up for me. What steps should I take or things I should do that you think would be appropriate or sufficient enough to get accepted to Harvard?

[xxyz]

Posted this twice under admissions (sorry) but now realize should have been here. How do colleges calculate weighted GPA’s? Is it standard or does it vary college to college. I am specifically interested in Penn State. If I have a 3.2 unweighted, for example, and have taken all honors/AP how much is added to the GPA. Is it .5 to make the 3.2 a 3.7?

Thanks

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