How screwed am I?

Question

It's the middle of november i'm a senior in high school and I've basically done nothing for college. I'm taking sats for the 2nd time in december but no visits, no applications, no essays. How screwed am I right now? Please be honest. Thanks.

Answer 1

I don't think you are screwed. Spend the next year doing what you need to do to get into college.

Answer 2

The world won't end.
You have probably limited your options for next fall but you aren't completely screwed. The most competitive colleges probably aren't an option for fall 2007 but you could take a year off or go to a less competitive university and consider transferring to a more competitive school later (and hopefully have decent grades to show what you are capable of doing in college). There are many "less competitive" schools which will still be accepting students for a while but where you can still get a very good education. It isn't always necessary to shoot for a famous school. If you are like many students, you may be procrastinating because you still don't feel certain of what you want to pursue and the kind of school where you would feel comfortable. It's time to do some serious thinking now- but know that most students will change their mind somewhere along the way anyway. Your choice doesn't need to be set in concrete.
Good luck.

Answer 3

You haven't said what kind of shape you are in grade-wise. If your grades are OK--and I don't mean 3.7 or better, just so you haven't been just drifting through school--you should be all right. It's going to take a good chunk of time to decide where you want to go (I'd suggest an appointment ASAP with--gulp--your guidance councilor). He (She) will have a good grasp of which schools you'd be able to get into on such short notice. (Harvard, Yale, MIT, Caltech...probably out, but in my slice of the country, you've got Pitt, Penn State, WVU, Ohio State, Duquesne, as well as the Pennsylvana State College System, as well as a similar setup in West Virginia, and if you're willing to drive a couple hours farther, you got Syracuse and...well, you get the idea). There are any numbers of good schools that it's not too late to get into.
Get the info on the schools...either from the guidance office or online. Even before you get this stuff, make arrangements with your school to have transcripts sent out as soon as you decide where they can send them.
Also, get your essays ready--you won't know exactly what subject you'll have to write about until you get your hands on each school's actual application. Still, you can get an idea what to think about by asking at the guidance office, your friends who are already in college or who have already gone through the application process. All you need is a broad rough version of the ideas you think you may need--you can always fine tune them when you know exactly which essays you need to write.
Finally, once you decide which school is for you, don't delay getting the applications in. This will be a major effort, because it sounds like you (just like me) are a master of procrastination. Take care of business on this one, though...hey, you can always procrastinate tomorrow, right?
Last word--you can do this. It is absolutely worth the time and effort to. It is going to eat up some time over the holiday season that you would rather spend doing other stuff, but this is important. True, all this crash-course preparation is a Major Pain in the Patooty, but next year, as you approach the end of your first Freshman Semester, you'll decide that the whole hassle was worth it. Good luck...like I said, you can do this, and I wish you well

Answer 4

Pretty screwed... You have a lot of work to do in a short period of time. Stop spending all your time answering other people's questions ( 468 in the last month or so) and answer your own. Like, what classes to I like? What activities do I enjoy? Once you know more about yourself, get a list of schools that fit you and talk to your parents. If they sound good, get the apps in by the due dates. Most regular admissions are 12/31 or later. As far as essays, most allow a personal statement that can be used by all. If you mention a school by name, change it for each app. It's kinda embarrassing if you don't... As far as visits, you can take them anytime, even after they have accepted you.

Also, don't forget FAFSA! Otherwise, you foot the whole bill!

You don't have any time to waste so get going!

Answer 5

You are not that screwed yet. Many colleges make their decisions in late late March early April. Depends on where you want to go, but most applications are due mid February. For instance, I go to the Georgia Institute of Technology and our application deadlines are January 15th. You still have plenty of time to get stuff done. Just sit down over winter break, decide where you want to go and put the plan into action. Good luck!

Answer 6

You aren't screwed, but if you are really serious about college, I would suggest contacting your college advisor at your school ASAP. Schedule time to speak with them and be prepared to have all of your information ready. Show some initiative and they will take you seriously enough to help out.

Put some bucks aside for appliaction fees and dedicate your upcoming holiday to working on this. It is extremely important that you focus on getting it done now. Believe me, when you recieve that acceptance letter, you will have the best summer of your life (which will und up sucking compared to college anyway).

Answer 7

Your predicament can be summarized as follows: "failure to plan is planning to fail". If I were you I will use my Holiday break to to some catch up at some local community college. It is highly unlikely that you will be admitted to a four year institution, so please use the next two years after graduation to get yourself together. For some people, college is not an answer...there is nothing wrong with that as long as this is a decision made out of conviction and not out of laziness (or lack of motivation...your pick).

Good luck.

Answer 8

you are not screwed at all. You are VERY young and have a ton of time to figure out a career. Just don't end up the 30+ yr old bartender at the bowling alley hittin on the teenagers there.

Answer 9

You're not, just start applying now. Screw the visit until you get accepted at a few places, then go. But you'll have to work fast.

Answer 10

To be honest, if you get yourself in gear and start applying to state schools you stand a chance. It all depends on application dates--look for schools with rolling admission.