what do i do if my school doesnt offer much?
hello!!
i am a rising high school junior going to a pretty small school. were called a college prep but it doesnt feel like one to me. we dont have tons of things that even most public schools in my area do and those schools arent considered great. i want to get into an ivy league/prestigious school (mainly upenn) and besides my grades i dont have much going for me. we dont have a lot of aps or extracurriculars or even clubs but we act like were such a great school. it sucks bc i know compared to basically everyone else who has a chance of getting into an ivy or prestigious school the only thing i even slightly compare to is my grades, but even then i only have honors classes bc of the lack of any ap/ib classes to take. i think i asked a question like this before and i am gonna listen to some of the advice like possibly starting a club or self-studying for an ap class but i dont want everyone to go thru what i have to go through. can i change my school maybe? or just add suggestions on what they can do. id also like some more suggestions besides starting clubs, doing jobs, and making a passion project bc ive noticed that with my situation its very possible i wont be able to do any of it which sucks :((. ik im asking from a lot from people who are probs in the same situation as i am, but if anyone has any suggestions on what i can do in my school to change it or if i cant do that then just what i can do within the school day to give me a better chance at getting into an ivy/prestigious school id super appreciate it!!
thank you!
(p.s. this is a long one so thanks if u read to the end :P)
Focus mainly on extracurriculars. Having an easy-paced class gives more time to do things outside of school. You can go online and search for good extracurriculars that fit your career path. Also you can get certified/take a program in the things required to know in your desired career path.
thank you! ill def look for some ecs that i cant try to do for being a nurse :))
Hi! Sorry I’m a bit late but I just wanted to add that Ivy league admissions do holistic reviews, which basically considers each student’s circumstances. So basically don’t stress too much about not doing enough higher level courses in school if your school doesn’t provide any, because they will consider that. But definitely do some other courses outside of school! (This will also show that you are passionate about your future and education) As mentioned in previous comments, yes many ivy's have courses, but I would also look into local colleges too because many have camps based on different career paths. These camps are also a great way to meet people who have the same goals that live around the same area, and it is a great way to start networking and reaching out to people who may be able to provide you with more opportunities. Also, you may want to look into different pre-college programs many prestigious schools offer them, you do have to pay but there is also multiple scholarships available that might be able to cover everything. :)
find some online certification/courses. A lot of ivys have them. Also, if your school isn't enough, look elsewhere in the community. Do community service and find a few internships.
thank you! question tho, do you have any suggestions for online certificate programs?
i think harvard has a programming one. maybe check coursera? they're free. i know edx.edu has classes (although you have to pay, you sound willing to do that. i just took it for fun once and didn't pay for it)
ill see if i can pay, but sadly i dont think my parent will care enough to :/ but ill still try out some courses i find interesting and hopefully the ones without certificates will still count as an extracurricular. unrelated, but ill also try to take on more leadership roles at least in my classes if not clubs to get some better qualities hehe. thank you lots !!
you don't have to pay per se, it's just that you need to pay to get a certificate. if you don't want a certificate, it's free
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