how do i get in a good university
I am a freshman student from colombia doing american online school, i have a 3.9 gpa and i had a 4.0 gpa in maths last semester. i took the sat and i did okay but ill try to get a perfect score and im planning to take as much ap classes as i can. i want to study finance or econ in a good university so i can work in investment banking when i grow up. my top choices right now are umich nyu and upenn if i can get into an ivy better but i dont really have hope for myself. i want to take university classes here in my country but i dont knoww how to do it. im not good at sports or music. main extracurriculars right now are like studying for the sat and wasting time i guess. im afraid of doing bad in the toefl. im afraid of the common app essay too. im good at taking tests but i think after i almost dropped out of school i am not as smart as i used to when i was little. my biggest dream ever is to move to the us for college and be happy but i dont know how to do it. please help me out
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1 answer
Hi @saturnstargirl63!
I noticed you said your biggest dream is to attend college in the US and be happy. My advice is to pursue what you love. A lot of students choose presitigious colleges and degrees based on the ranking of the school. Rather, I recommend students to choose the college they would be happiest at and the major they would enjoy. Think about it this way: you're going to go to college, spend a lot of time and money on a degree, so it's important to choose something you can picture yourself doing for life and still being happy. Choose what you love above what makes the most money. Believe me, it is worth it.
I recommend you use high school to explore your interests. Start learning more about finance and economics- you will love it more or decide this is not the thing for you.
As far as getting into an Ivy, that takes a ton of dedication and hard work. If that is what you really want, you will have to begin working towards it. SAT, APs, ECs, and essays are super important. But I do want to caution you; don't wear yourself out. Also, think about if you would really thrive at an Ivy. I know kids who left an Ivy because they were exhausted and they didn't get the help they needed. Think about what would be best for you above the ranking of the school. Use BigFuture on Collegeboard to find schools with the programs you're interested in and then look up each school's website to see pictures of the campus. This way you can get a feel for the environment. One way I know what school was right for was that I got SO excited on their website- the activities, campus, and most importantly my program of interest looked so FUN!
Hope this helps and lmk if you have any questions. Don't be frightened; high school is an exciting journey and you can ace it!
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