Collage Plainning

[CRGreathouse]

Originally Posted by jvang

So did you program at a company?

At a university.

Originally Posted by jvang

And was your programming kinda general or specific to some application?

General. "Analyst/programmer" means "programming jack-of-all-trades".

[jvang]

So what did they have you do? And how did you get the job in the first place? Did they just happen to have an open spot?

(Sorry about all these questions!)

[Dubslow]

Originally Posted by MooMoo2

Just out of curiosity, how many times did you take it? I scored a bit below 2100 on my first attempt, but I managed a 2240 or 2250 (don't remember) on my third and final attempt.

Once as a freshman, to get into the 3 year selective high school known as IMSA, and once as a senior. I don't recall the specifics of the scores, other than that my writing score actually dropped. Doubtless I didn't give it my best shot senior year, but I didn't see the point in spending the money to take it the third time for... at most, a 200 point improvement (especially in light of the subject test scores).

[jvang]

Originally Posted by Dubslow

Once as a freshman, to get into the 3 year selective high school known as IMSA

Oh, yours is 3 years? Here in Arkansas, ASMSA is only for junior-senior years.

[jvang]

I've pretty much determined which colleges to apply to. But I have a weird desire to apply to the University of Chicago, reasoning that it can't hurt to try I also think other prestigious universities are cool, like Duke University, but UChicago is the one I'm most familiar with.

They have a solid curriculum whether I end up interested in science, engineering, and/or computer science, inspiring architecture, and a progressive atmosphere for students. I know there's really no chance of getting accepted with their single-digit acceptance rate and my lackluster resume, but I guess there's no negatives from throwing an application their way. Although if I do go with this gap year program I wonder how my application would compare to one I send in a couple months in their eyes... wishful thinking?

Should I contact some admissions officers from a couple of universities that I'm interested in (including the local ones that are actually feasible) and get better information? Would that be as simple as just emailing them?

[Xyzzy]

Originally Posted by jvang

I've pretty much determined which colleges to apply to.

Please share your list with us.

[jvang]

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

Please share your list with us.

Originally Posted by jvang

I think U of A is the best choice. I'll definitely go there for Architecture since we have the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, which is apparently really good. If I decide on Aerospace Engineering, Auburn University looks really nice

Not sure for other engineering disciplines or computer science, but I've checked and a large majority of universities have such programs.

Now that I think about it, it'd be neat to get in contact with an admissions officer from some public schools to understand their acceptance rate. U of A has about a 70% acceptance rate, so I wonder what disqualifies the 30%.

[jvang]

I wonder if flagship public universities in other states are worth looking into, like UNC and Texas, which I have heard good things about. Still looking into the non-100% acceptance rate for a lot of public colleges. I'm assuming that it's A) lack of room for all applicants and/or B) people apply without meeting clear requirements for grades and whatnot.

Since I guess there's a chance that a good public college might reject my application, I should probably have a safety net of less-known public colleges. Henderson State University is a small public college somewhere around here, and they'll give me a couple thousand dollars for having a 2.5 GPA

[wblipp]

People are usually advised to apply to one or two "stretch" schools and a safety school in addition to their reasonable matches.

[jvang]

Tulane University noticed some old academic achievement of mine (I'm guessing ACT score) and is offering me "priority consideration" which looks like a gimmick to get well-qualified applicants. It doesn't seem like much, but I guess I'll throw an application their way. They seem to have reputable academics, so it's worth a shot

[jvang]

Apparently July is the start of college admissions, with August being a common time to start accepting applications. Now I'm getting more flooded than usual with college booklets and whatnot trying to convince me to apply to them. Some seem to be sent out for publicity's sake (I got a big ol' booklet about Yale, nothing actually specific) or as a mass mailing, but some seem tailored to my interests.

The University of Southern Califonia, which I believe is rather selective (18% acceptance rate), has a special engineering college, the Viterbi School of Engineering. From what I can tell it has an internationally recognized curriculum, so I might throw an application their way if I lean towards engineering. Nice facilities too