Admittedly, I do seem a bit obsessed with college admissions but even so...how much does freshmen year of highschool affect college admission?
201680
It really is never too soon, in my opinion, to start thinking about college.  Most colleges look at your overall gpa which accumulates over all four years of high school.  If you are thinking about some of the more prestigious universities, you should keep in mind that extra curriculars are important too.  If you participate in a lot of activities (sports, clubs, etc.) and still manage a good gpa, you'll have no problem getting into a good school!
423916
There is more that goes into college applications than just test scores.  Are you involved in school activities, volunteer organizations or other extracurricular activities?  Many applications also require an essay and this plays some part in the admissions process as well.  Test scores unfortunately do not show the "whole picture".  Keep up the great work and look into more activities you can do to show that you are well rounded.  I'm sure you'll be fine =)
639644
First of all, keep your options open!  Berkeley's great, but there are other great schools, particularly in California.  Once you've visited and decided it's really the place to be, then it's up to the admissions officers.  After you get your acceptance letter, don't just go with the flow- be aggressive with your actions before you start attending (like at the orientation) and afterwards (when classes start).  Make sure you bring a campus map everywhere.  Be sure to talk to professors in office hours even though it seems intimidating and/or boring.  You'll probably learn a lot, and possibly even sway professors into upping your grade a little.  Form relationships with your GSI's.  Be completely open minded when making friends.  The people I met at Berkeley are nothing like the friends I made in high school.  I'm assuming that you haven't started the application process.  Truly focus on the essay section of the application.  It's definitely a lot more important than I believed it to be: give it to as many people to read/edit as you can.  And don't obsess too much about getting in.  Admissions can be weird like that.  If it's meant to be, then it's meant to be.  If not, you'll have an awesome college experience anyway, I'm sure.
384737
College is very cool! The people tend to be a lot more mature than high school and not so judgmental and narrow-minded. The same kids that were snotty and snobby in high school when I went to college were nice as could be to me! Don't ask my why because I'm not sure! \n\nAlso, in high school since I was planning on college my classes were very structured and I didn't have any choices at all in what I wanted to take so that I could fit in all the required college prep courses, but in college I had a lot more choices in what I wanted to take, esp. of course in the last 2 years when you choose your major. But even in the first 2 years you can choose what you will take to some extent, say a poetry class vs.a Victorian Lit class or a Women's History class vs. a European History class or Astronomy vs. Anthropology or Biology...\n\nI did have some very, very close friends (like sisters) in high school, and I think it is a little harder to get those kind of close friendships in college. I made one really close friend in college which we are still very close friends. I've heard you can get those kind of friendships in sororities or fraternities, although I did not join one, they can be very time-consuming, and I always had a part-time job unfortunately.
129521
It probably depends on what type of school you're looking for and what other things you have on your application.  I don't even remember listing NHS because there wasn't even room on the application for it and had plenty of friends who didn't list it either.  Nothing came of it.  It's so easy to get into NHS that I don't think it's that big a deal for the top colleges.\n\nConcentrate more on the GPA, SATs, and other outside activities.\n\nIf you're asking whether you should actually join or not, sure go ahead unless they're asking something unreasonable these days.  I think it's a little community service and/or tutoring or something close to that.  You might make new friends and it's another social activity.
360877
Hey. first of all - college is nothing like high school. Not at all. I go to UF and at least here, it's the best experience I could ever have hoped for. You can study  things that are interesting to you, with professors who actually care about you and your thoughts on the subject.\n\nAlso, there is so much free time to do anything that interests you. I feel as though coming to college was just learning to be independent and focus your life on your interests. \n\nYou can meet so many people with similar interests too by joining student organizations.\n\nI think you should give it a try. I mean if you don't like it - then you can look for another way. One of my friends did her first semester and hated it. So she's hiking the AT in February and plans to write a book about it when she's done.\n\nTheres something out there for everyone - but I think college is a great place to begin searching for whats for you.
193019
High school can be a great time for you if you go into it with an open mind. You will have the opportunity to try a variety of things...coursework, sports, the arts, clubs, activites, events, and more. Be willing to join in school activites that sound like they might be fun or interesting. You will probably make some new friends who share similar interests. \n\nAlso, you are changing in many ways...physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally. Friendships will become very important. You will have more fun if you do things together, but don't be afraid to be true to yourself and do what is right for you, even if it isn't the popular thing to do. Also, you will like some teachers and not others and that is ok, too. Learning to get along with different people is part of the game, too. \n\nAll of your grades will become important, too...right from the start in first semester 9th grade...because they will determine your grade point average, which might influence college entrance and scholarships. As long as you have good attendance and try to do well, you should pass most classes with at least a "C".\n\nGood luck!!! I hope you enjoy the ride!
485844
Well it wasn't hard for me though the college is supposedly really selective. Just make sure your sat or act scores along with your gpa if you still in high school looks good before you apply.  I'm a freshman and I disagree with what the person above me posted. The school is far from boring. Maybe his cousin attends one of the remote colleges of SCAD. I'm at the main campus and I've never heard anyone say anything negative about the school. You should really look into SCAD. I recommend taking a tour.
496100
for a freshmen, i dont think they offer it\ny have to wait untill ur in the second year of highschool. i suggest u join a few clubs as a freshmen, u seem like a smart person, ur choices are limited, not unavailable. also if ur not too busy with school, check out the career center for job options, and college info, according to the government and schools, at freashmen year, ur suppose to be looking at colleges, and creating a plan, also take a SAT, ACT and such. next year, ur suppose to work for that goal, know where ur planing on going, and send a request of info to that school. \n\ntheses are some of the things u can be doing, of course these are ideals, and almost no one follow these ideals.. personally u look like ur in good shape
510143
You do apply for colleges in the fall, and the colleges do indeed see your list of senior courses and eventually your semester grades because they ask for your transcript. (At least, that is what happens with U of CA applicants.) Freshman year classes do not play a major role, but your GPA should not be low because it contributes to your average GPA in high school. Sophomore and Junior years are extremely important; therefore, I advise you try to take challenging courses and excel in them those two years. I personally have not taken any courses outside of school, but I know others who have but only because the course is sometimes easier at a community college than the course in high school! I do not know the colleges' opinion. good luck with high school!
198795
Very true, Princeton has one of the nation's lowest acceptance rates. A firend of mine just was accepted with a 4.0 at a prestigious high school and an excellent SAT score which I do not recall but will not speculate on. But agreed, if you know someone who is very important you obviously are of value to the school and will have a higher liklihood of acceptance. Also, I recently read that the SAT score is now the most important "section" of a student's life they look at so I recomend something very near perfection.
514235
DEFINITELY do apply. I am actually a freshman at MIT and we share some of the qualifications, namely the "low" SAT scores. Your SAT scores arent necessarily a deal-breaker; I got a 680 on the SAT I Math section (although I got much higher on the Math Level 2SAT IIs). They definitely do like to see well-rounded people. Just work on your essays, and dont "try" to make them into something you think an admissions officer would like to read. Also, a pretty good indication of whether you get in is if you've met the basic requirements, namely :\ncalculus (pretty important, but not necessarily required)\nphysics\nchemistry\nand biology.\nagain, none of those subjects are necessarily required- I had taken everything but physics. Good luck!
468606
On the one hand, it is a little early to worry about where you will go to college.  On the other hand, I wish I had people telling me about the importance of doing well in HS so that I could have gotten into a better college (I didn't study in HS and went to a good, but not great college -- I did well there & went to Duke and Berkeley for grad schools -- so not all is lost if you don't get into Harvard).\n\nYour grade schools grades won't really matter much -- except that the fact that you ar doing well now is an indication that you will do well in high school.  There is certanly nothing that is keeping you out of Harvard at this point -- and if you do well in HS and get high SAT scores, youcertainly have a shot at getting into a too school.\n\nWorry more about learning in HS rather than getting good grades.  If you learn, the grades will follow.  \n\nBTW -- whoever said that the only difference between those who go to Harvard and those who go to other schools is money is ill informed.  The majority of Harvard students do not come from rich families and get aid to attend.
481010
There's some interesting answers here. I'm a current student at Harvard, so I'll try to elaborate.\n\n1) What about everything else? Scores don't get people into Harvard. Promise, talent, and passions do. I know people with rather low scores that got in because they are the best in what they do, and people with perfect scores that didn't because they had nothing else that was interesting about them.\n\n2) GPA. What's it out of? If it's out of 4.0, is it possible at your high school to get higher than a 4.0 through Honors or AP classes? If it's an unweighted 3.9 / 4.0 (all As = 4.0), then that's a great GPA. If it's a weighted 3.9 / 4.0 (AP and Honors As = 5.0), then it's decent. If it's out of 5.0, I'm not so sure about Harvard...\n\n3) SAT. What's it out of? 2400? 1600? If it's out of 1600, that's great score, well within the average range at Harvard. If it's out of 2400, I'm sorry...unless you have some spectacular extracurricular accomplishments, it will be extremely difficult to get in. \n\nGood luck, and feel free to update the question so I can provide you with a better response.
479155
When I was in fifth grade, I was ten back then, but I was in GT, I'm not sure what you call it there, but, it's Gifted and Talented, here.  It's like advanced classes, you could try that, although now, I'm in Pre-AP, I would like to get into AP cause I am bored with my classes.  And I wouldn't really suggest skipping either, I'm only about year younger than everyone in my grade and people still bug me about my age.  Not fun being a thirteen year old freshman in highschool while everyone else is fourteen and fifteen.  Though, at times I do feel as if I am more mature than them.
520302
It really depends on what school you want to go to and where. The best school in my state is selective and accepts those only with a 3.5 or higher. You will have to look at each individual school and see what their standards are. Applying never hurts!
2912
I don't know either. You should talk it over with your school counselor and do some research on various schools you are interested in. Then, apply to some that are challenging to get into, semi-challenging, and easy to get into and see how it goes.\n\nBest of luck to you!