A few days ago
Anonymous

College/School Advice?

Well, when I grow up, I want a job that pays you a lot of money, like a doctor, but I need to know some things. I want to go into a really good college, like Harvard Medical College, but I don’t know what to do to impress them. I’m going to be a sophomore next year, but during my Freshman year, I think I messed up, so here’s the story. In the first semester, I went to a school that was rated 7-8, but I took all PreAP courses and I passed all of them with A’s and B’s. But the next semester, I went to another school that was rated 10, and I still took PreAP courses, but I got horrible grades in them, passing all, except English, with a 69 %. So, before school starts, I picked all Advanced courses (lower than PreAP). Do you think this was a good idea? Do colleges look at high grades, or if you’re in a PreAP class? When do you think I should take AP/ PreAP courses? Please give me good advice! Thanks!

Top 6 Answers
A few days ago
?

Favorite Answer

If you plan to go to an ivy league school like Harvard, then you’ll not only need good grades and excellent test scores, but other school activites and community service and all those kinds of things that will make your application nice and dense. But not only that, when it comes to writing your admission letter, you’ll have to stand out. I would recommend you take AP classes as soon as you can, but don’t overkill unless you can handle them; take relevant classes that you think you’ll end up taking in college. So for you, maybe AP Chem or Bio. And another little tip: you should start looking at practice SAT tests so you know what to expect and slowly start prepping yourself for it.

Also, if you don’t get into your dream school, you can always transfer after going to a community college. It’s usually cheaper because you can finish off your GE requirements and then try transferring. Absolutely no shame in that.

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A few days ago
nod
If you are going to be a doctor for the money, let me know where so I can make sure I’m not ever sick there. With my luck I’d walk in while you’re trying to buy your new boat and end up terminally ill to fund it for you. Go be a lawyer, take money for defending some drug dealer, or work for somebody like Enron. I’m sure they’ll be looking for you. Please, do not be a doctor if all you care for is money. Be a doctor because you care for people and want to help them. Besides with the soaring costs of an ivy league education and then malpractice insurance, you’ll be in the red years after you graduate.
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A few days ago
Vii8o8
You’re doing a good job, obviously. But colleges don’t only look at your grades; they look at what you’ve done in school and outside, they look at your family history, everything about you. [pre]/AP courses will help, take them during school days and during summer. Not everything is guaranteed, it just gives you a better chance of getting what you want.
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A few days ago
Anonymous
Hi,

It does not matter what college you go to. What matters most is what you did at that college, your GPA and MCAT scores. If you score a high MCAT score like 37 or more and have at least a 3.7 GPA average you should be a shoe in.

Hope this helps!

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A few days ago
Anonymous
everybody who applies to harvard has high grades in the hardest classes with a perfect SAT score. You have to convince them based on what you do outside the classroom…
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A few days ago
LDJ
You have to pick a college you want. The one thing you have to remember you are there to learn and not play. By doing this you will have what you want in life.
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