Hello everyone. I hope you all are doing well. The college admissions process has been a very successful experience so far. I’ve received a letter of admission from four of the five colleges I applied to, with Georgia Tech being my most recent acceptance. Now, the only school I am waiting to hear from is University of Virginia, which is basically my number one choice. UVA does not send out admissions letters until sometime near April 1, so I still have about 2 weeks to wait before I find out.

Last week, I was inducted into the Science National Honors Society. I was surprised because I was shut out of the National Honors Society (even though I’m ranked number 3 in my class). I think our first meeting is sometime next week.

All of my classes are going pretty well. We have begun to speed things up in my AP classes as the test are rapidly approaching. I think I will do fine on the government test. However, the calculus and literature tests will be questionable.

There isn’t too much else going on with my school or college admissions life. In the coming weeks, I will be waiting for my letter from UVA, and visiting a few of the colleges I’ve been accepted to. VCU and Virginia Tech both have open houses for their respective engineering programs within the next two weeks. I will probably be attending both. I am not 100% sure of where I will go even if I am accepted into UVA. All I can do now is wait. There will be much more to come. Stay tuned...

Rodrick

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Wow, have things opened up in this past few weeks. As I’ve already stated, I was accepted into Old Dominion University as well as their honors college a few weeks ago. However, last week, I was accepted into Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Engineering.

Though VCU is in my city (Richmond), I still place the school high on my list of prospective colleges. After being accepted into the university, it was suggested that I apply to their honors college. At VCU, honors students say in an honors-only dormitory where everyone has their own room as well as a personal bathroom, which is great! Honors students are also eligible to apply to the VCU's Medical School in their sophomore year, guaranteeing them entry into a great medical school upon graduation. Last week, I also received an application for a full scholarship for engineering students provided by VCU. Thus, at the moment, VCU is looking great. I’m at the point where if I can get most of my tuition, room and board paid for by the school, in addition to having my own room in the Honors House, I will most definitely be at VCU next year...if UVA doesn’t offer enough grant/scholarship money.

Speaking of grant money, I recently completed my FAFSA form. Luckily, my estimated family contribution is pretty low. In addition to the FASFA, I’m in the midst of completing financial aid forms for every school I applied to. My goal is to go to school for as cheaply as possible, with very little debt upon graduation. My parents have saved NO money for my college education so I am basically starting from scratch in financing my post-secondary education.

In other news...I received my SAT subject test scores. They were okay but worse than I expected. On the Math 1 test, I received a 590 while I received a 580 on the Math 2 test. Because I received a 650 on the math section of the SAT, I will not sweat the scores. My advice to all who will be taking SAT subject tests in the future: STUDY! They are much more detailed than the SAT. The only good news is that I received a 680 on the U.S. history test.

I do have one last bit of news before I close out this blog…

I just got my report card: three A’s and two B’s. I’m highly surprised that I received a B in my AP calculus class being that I probably received only one grade above a C on any assignment this semester. I guess my teacher was feeling nice. I also got a B in my accounting class. It should be a class in which I receive an easy A, but I am not to focused on the class. My counselor threw me in after seeing the lack of classes on my schedule.

Upon collecting the mail this afternoon, I received great news - I’ve been accepted into Virginia Tech! Though I’ve not yet read any of the supplementary material which accompanied the letter, I do know that I was admitted early because there’s a strong possibility I’ll be accepted into the Honors College. Additionally, I’m a candidate for many of their scholarships. The regular admission notification comes to most students on April 1st, the day I was expecting my letter. I guess getting the news 6 weeks early isn’t a bad thing. I probably won’t go to Virginia Tech because of their minuscule amount of African-Americans on campus (4.6%), but I’ve not yet totally ruled the school out.

Now I just have to wait. UVA and Georgia Tech will both send out letters of admission around April 1st so in the mean time, I will try to get scholarship money from VCU, ODU and Virginia Tech, in addition to outside sources ( which I’ve yet to start) and enjoy the rest of my senior year.

Until next time…

Rodrick

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I have finally received my first letter of admission to a university!!! Last week I was accepted into Old Dominion University as a freshman with distinction. That means that I am guaranteed a merit scholarship. Surprisingly, they gave me very little information. All that came in the package was a letter informing me of my admission. The letter says that more information will be mailed to me in the coming weeks.

In addition to being accepted to the university, I was also accepted into the Honors College. At ODU, the Honors College offers students faculty privileges at the library, early registration dates and a $500 yearly cash stipend. The Honors students are also guaranteed favorable recommendation from the dean, as well as a silver tassel and certificate at graduation. The school says that Honors students are highly favored by graduate schools and employers. Old Dominion seems to be offering me a lot, but it is still early and I will wait to see what kinds of things other schools will offer me before I commit to ODU.

A few weeks ago, I took my SAT subject tests in Math 1, Math 2 and U.S. History. Being my cocky self, I decided not to study for any of the tests which left me in the dark for many of the math questions. Though I had learned all of the concepts found within the math tests, I had forgotten much of them. Had I done what was suggested and taken the test after completing pre-calculus last spring, I would have faired much better. Despite my struggles with math, the U.S. history test was a breeze. I took U.S. history last year, received an A in the course and received a perfect score on the SOL (standardized test mandated by the state of Virginia for graduation of public school students). I knew almost every answer on the SAT History test and expect to do very well when I receive my scores later this month.

In other college news:

• I’ve received many letters from the University of Virginia notifying me to keep in touch with current African-American engineering students, inviting me to campus, etc. They’ve also told me to expect an admission letter on or around April 1, 2008. (I still have to wait nearly two months!)
• Both Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University have invited me to apply to their respective Honors Colleges. I’ve since completed the required applications.
• Randolph-Macon College and Hampden-Sydney College (schools to which I wasn’t even aware I’d applied) have asked me for SAT scores, teacher recommendations and transcripts...I’m not going to do that.

Much more news will be coming in the next few weeks.

Until then, all the best,

Rodrick

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Hello to all out there! Not much has changed since my last entry, though I have SAT subject tests tomorrow. I will be taking Math 1, Math 2 and U.S. History. I’ve studied for NONE of them, but hopefully I will do reasonably well. If not for the University of Virginia’s requirement, I would not be taking these tests, as I am quite satisfied with my SAT scores.

My main focus right now is on schoolwork. Mid-term exams are next week and I feel that I am well prepared. My calculus test looks like it will be the hardest test, but that is just something I must accept. I don’t think I will do too well on the AP test in that subject. That’s why I am prepared to take a review course over the summer before I start the general engineering coursework. In that class, I will probably end up with a C for the semester while I will retain As in my other four.

I am still waiting on my first acceptance letters from schools such as Virginia Commonwealth University and Old Dominion University, as they begin to send those out in early February. I am pretty sure that I will get into every school to which I applied. However, I am not yet sure which school I will attend next fall. That decision will probably be made once I see the financial aid packages offered to me from the various colleges. Hopefully, I will receive a package enabling me to go to school for basically no money (cash or loan).

Well, that’s about all I have for now...it's been a slow month. My next blog entry will be much more interesting, I can promise you all that. I guess it's back to studying for me...

Until next time,

Rodrick

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Hello everyone. I hope your year has started off well. Over the Christmas break, I accomplished a lot pertaining to my college applications. My list of fully completed applications goes as follows: University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, Old Dominion University, and oddly enough, Randolph-Macon College.

As I have previously stated, UVA is still my number one choice. However, in recent months, VCU has become a close second. At one point, VCU was only a fall back school. After researching the school more deeply, and noticing that with my academic achievements I am eligible for many top scholarships, VCU has climbed near the top of my college list. Though it is only about 15 minutes from my house, if I attend VCU, I will most definitely live on campus and stay away from home as much as possible.

I know you may be wondering why, with a host of big time research universities, I would apply to Randolph Macon College. Well, the answer is simple: They sent me an email and notified me that I was a “top recruit.” My application was basically filled out except for a small essay which I had to submit, along with my SAT scores and transcript. Most importantly, they waived the application fee. Randolph Macon will most likely accept me and I’ll use it as an emergency fall-back if the necessity arises.

I applied to Georgia Tech only because that is where my mother wanted to go. However, my grandmother was worried about racial violence at the time and kept her from applying. Georgia Tech seems like a nice school, though I am not sure if I want to live in Atlanta (8 hours from Richmond).

Originally, I had also planned to apply to Princeton, MIT or Columbia. However, by mid-December, I realized that I really did not want to attend any of those schools. My mom pressed me to apply just to see if I could get in (I probably could have) but I didn’t want to put a ton of effort (and money for the application fee) into a school which I had only a 1% chance of attending.

This month, I will take my final standardized tests (the SAT subject tests for Math 1, Math 2 and U.S. History). I will also have to send out mid-term grade reports. Unfortunately, mid-term grade reports bring mid-term tests. Yuk!

I’m doing well and have an A in every class, except for calculus. I know that in order to be an engineer, I will be loading up on math in college. I have to change my objective of earning a great score on the AP test to learning enough calculus to enable me to receive a good grade in my first semester next fall. I am not doing horribly (I have a C) but I’m not doing great either. Over the summer, I will probably take a remedial course in the subject. Hopefully this will allow it to be a breeze for me next year.

Because my college applications are all complete, I can now focus my time on scholarships. I’ve looked at a few good ones, but have yet to apply to any. I will get on that ASAP. For now, though, I need to study for this calculus mid-term.

Until next time...

Rodrick

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After completing the applications to the schools for in which I had serious interest (Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Old Dominion University), I asked my mother if she had any other schools to which she wished I applied. By the end of the year, I will probably apply to about four more schools.

My mother wants me to apply to Georgia Tech, James Madison University, and Princeton (just for the heck of it). I will probably also apply to Howard and Hampton Universities. That will bring the list of schools to which I have applied to NINE!! At the beginning of this school year, I knew of only three schools to which I would apply. Now I have nine. Luckily for me, applying to college has brought no stress, just a time commitment. Most of the applications are highly repetitive and most of the essay questions are similar, allowing me to simply modify previous essays to create the perfect accompaniment to my application. Some of the colleges to which I have already applied require no essay at all (Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth, Old Dominion). James Madison requires no essay either. Most of those schools use the essay for scholarship considerations or for bonus admission purposes.

After seeing my new SAT scores last month, I am pretty confident that I will be accepted into eight of those schools. Princeton is just a far reach school which I think I have no chance of getting into; my mom is paying the application fee so whatever. I have begun registering for the SAT subject test for January as some of the previously mentioned colleges require/suggest them for admissions. I will probably be taking the two math tests and the U.S. history test (my favorite subject).

As far as school goes right now, I am basically settling down for the Christmas break. I will be in Houston, TX to visit some family the week before Christmas...pretty boring I know. My grades are all great. I think I have 4 As and a B (in Calculus). I’m really beginning to feel the “senioritis” coming on though. Hopefully my grades won’t drop too dramatically next semester. My schedule consists of three AP classes and 2 super easy courses, allowing me to have a relaxed senior year in preparation for a demanding major: engineering.

That brings us to another subject: my future major. Though I am applying to every school as an engineering major, I am not 100% sure that I will pursue that degree. I might end up going into finance or economics, both of which are of great interest to me. However, I am aware that attaining an engineering degree will bring the most money fresh out of college. My parents (both of whom were engineering majors) are pushing for me to continue the tradition, and I am definitely capable of the task. I’m just not sure if that is my passion. Hopefully, I will be able to get a better feel for the engineering major as a freshman next year.

Well, that’s about all I have for right now so I wish you all happy holidays and a great new year!

Rodrick

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After taking the SAT for the second time, I have finally received my scores. I boosted my critical reading score by 100 points and attained a 680 on that section. Oddly enough, my scores on the other two sections remained the same: 650 in math and 690 in writing. This combined score of 2020 will put me in a good position to get into most of the colleges to which I am applying, with one exception: Columbia.

In January I plan to take the SAT subject tests for math I, math II, and chemistry to complete the application requirements for a few schools. While my top choice, University of Virginia, does not require me to take the SAT subject tests, it does highly recommend them for some reason.

As far as college applications go, I have finally finished one. I completed the application to Virginia Commonwealth University and will be expecting my acceptance letter within the next few months (not to sound cocky). I will complete my applications for the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech by the middle of December, allowing me to concentrate on my application for Columbia’s engineering school.

In other news...I have finally begun to look for scholarships. After months of procrastinating, a meeting with a GRASP counselor persuaded me to finally begin the search for money. My original plan was to just rely on federal grant money. However, I was informed that there’s loads of private money for me to pursue as a student of my caliber. The major scholarship that I am looking at is the Gates Millennium Scholarship. For the past two years, students at my school have received the prestigious award. Hopefully, I will too.

Rodrick

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My SAT preparation has come down to the wire but I feel as though I will do extremely well this time around. Once I receive my scores on November 20th, I will compile a final list of colleges to apply to. I will also delve into my scholarship search with even greater urgency. Hopefully, I will score high enough to earn major scholarship money from the schools I am accepted into. Attaining high scores will also allow me to be a more competitive applicant to schools such as MIT and Columbia.

As far as my school work goes, I am doing surprisingly well. My grades are all either As or Bs (even my AP classes)! And my football season will hopefully end on a high note. I have completed only one college application (Virginia Commonwealth University) but I am nearly 100% sure I will get in. A surge of college application completions will begin at the end of November and continue into December. Though I would not suggest procrastinating, I have already read through the applications of the schools to which I am considering applying. I’m hoping that will shorten the actual time I need to complete the application.

As I said before, my SATs are tomorrow morning. Wish me luck. I have to go study some of these complex words now. I’m aiming to get around a 2100. Bye for now.

Rodrick

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My college search is beginning to really clear up. I have just completed my application to Virginia Commonwealth University and plan to complete applications to University of VA, VA Tech, Old Dominion University, Hampton University, Georgia Tech and Columbia. I truly do believe that I can get into each one of those schools…with the right luck.

One thing that I am doing to increase my chances of getting into some of the more competitive schools on my list is studying hard for the SAT. I take the test again in November and feel like I can get around a 2100 composite. That would be a 200 point increase on my previous score. Though the SAT may not be the most important thing when receiving admissions offers from schools, it is a major component for a lot of that scholarship money out there.

The availability of scholarship money at any particular school will greatly influence, upon acceptance, whether or not I will enroll. That is why I find it to be in my best interest to perform well on the SAT. I haven’t forgotten about my SAT IIs either as I am aware that they are greatly recommended or even required at some of the upper echelon schools on my list.

Though many students find the college search and application process to be difficult or stressful, I am finding it to be quite fun. In fact, the most stressful thing I seem to be dealing with currently is balancing football practice with calculus. If you fill out your applications well, score decently on the SATs and keep sufficient grades, stress should not burden you. With good luck and preparation (preparation being more important), I believe that you will most likely get into the college of your dreams. And even if you don’t, there are plenty of equally great colleges out there for you to attend. Until next time, good luck with your application process/college search.

Rod

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My college search is still basically at a stand-still. After talking to some people (counselor, recruiter, mother) I’ve managed to throw another college onto my list of schools to which I will apply: James Madison University. This may not be the greatest school but it’s a pretty good “safety” school. Plus, I got a hook up and don’t have to pay the fee when I apply which is a great incentive. I’ve decided that in addition to Virginia Commonwealth University, The University of Virginia, Virginia Tech University, and the previously mentioned JMU, I will apply to at least one historically black university (Hampton or Howard) and one Ivy League school (I don’t know which one yet.) I bought a couple of Princeton Review books - The Best 366 Colleges 2008, College Navigator, and Guide to College Majors. By doing so, hopefully I will have a definitive list of schools to which I will apply by the end of the month.

Last week, I signed up to take my SATs for November. I took the test once in May, in case you didn’t know, here is a break down of my scores-

Writing - 690
Critical Reading - 580
Math - 650

I am aiming to get bring my critical reading score up to around 680 and my math score up to 700. I will also try to bring my writing score up to about 730, which will give me a composite score of 2110. Hopefully a score like that will allow me to get into the most competitive schools. I believe those scores are attainable simply because I scored a 1920 with little to no prep for my first testing experience. I also bought a book which I use to practice for the test.

I will soon sign up for the SAT Subject tests because they are required for the applications of some schools. I don’t really know too much about them but I will try to study for a couple of those as well to give me the ability to get decent scores. Overall, I am beginning to see that financial aid is widely available and my qualifications are very competitive. Before talking to my counselor, I was just thinking of applying to some of the more “safety” type schools aside from UVA, but now I’ve decided to go all out. Hopefully, I’ll get lucky and get accepted into some of the best universities in the nation—even though I will still probably elect to attend UVA.

Until next time, everyone stay safe and continue on your track to college...

Rod

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As I checked the mail this week, I found loads of mail from great colleges telling me to go there. For the most part, these pieces of mail were large, colorful view books giving me a better look at the college. Because my college application list is so ridiculously small (University of VA, Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University), I am using these books to give me an idea of where to apply. I want to bring my list up to around six or seven colleges. As far as the more prestigious colleges go, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell and MIT are swamping me with this “last minute” mail. I don’t really care about going to an Ivy League school as an undergraduate, but I will probably apply to one just to see if I can get in.

Since I am a college football prospect as well, I have also been swamped with football mail and phone calls from schools like Colby, Stony Brook, Delaware and all of the Ivies. I don’t really think I want to play for any of the schools recruiting me. If I do play college football, I will most likely just walk on to the team at my number one choice - UVA. The reason I want to go to the University of Virginia over all of the other colleges in the country lies on a massive heap of reasoning which I will go into on a later blog so stay tuned.

In creating an application list, a lot will depend on who is willing to give me the most money. I have asked my mom to choose some colleges because I have not been able to think of anything besides the three I have previously mentioned. I have begun applying to UVA and will hopefully finish the other two before the end of October. I will then be able to focus on the upper echelon universities which I am likely to apply to.

I registered to take the SAT test again in November and have bought a book to help me get a higher score. When I took it for the first time in May, I got a 1930. Though some may like that score, I am aiming for something around the 2200 mark. I also realize that I must take some SAT subject tests in order to meet the application criteria for some of the more selective schools. I will be completing that registration soon.

Well that’s about all I have for you guys this month. I promise I will give you much more insight and be on time from here on out.

Rod

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