Hello, I'm currently a junior in high school, and Fordham is basically my dream school, so you're gonna be seeing a lot of questions from me over the next two years
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Hope this helps...causticantiheroAugust 10 2007, 17:29:55 UTC
Service hours in New York, to the best of my knowledge, depend highly on what school you go to. My high school, like yours, required a certain amount of hours in order to graduate, but as far as I know most don't.
Service hours won't have a huge bearing on whether or not you're accepted to Fordham if your grades/SATs aren't high enough for acceptance, but they definitely do present admissions officers with an image of a well-rounded person. Most colleges like to see that prospective students have other things going on outside of academics, be they extracurriculars, community service, employment, or involvement with non-school related organizations. If your primary focus is drama it may be a good idea to do more service hours to make up for not having more involvement with other activities. Additionally, when sending out your college applications, be sure to stress any achievements in drama. It looks quite different to say "I did drama in high school," as opposed to, "I did drama for all four years of high school and it took up x amount of hours per week, and I had a lead/supporting role this many times, and (if any sort of awards are given) I received these." If this is an activity you're passionate about and takes up a large amount of your time, make sure to emphasize how important it is to you, and it takes the focus off not being involved in other clubs.
The high honors grades vs. lower AP grades is often debated. I'd say if there's a particular subject you excel in, you should at least try to take an AP class in that area. It's rare that APs will bring down your GPA that much if you have a strong academic history. Also, most colleges tend to look favorably on students who have taken APs. Plus, if you manage to get a 5 or a 4 on your AP exams, you can forgo taking the class in college, meaning you have more time to focus on your major, or take an elective that you're really interested in instead of a core class that most likely resembles one you've had in high school.
Service hours won't have a huge bearing on whether or not you're accepted to Fordham if your grades/SATs aren't high enough for acceptance, but they definitely do present admissions officers with an image of a well-rounded person. Most colleges like to see that prospective students have other things going on outside of academics, be they extracurriculars, community service, employment, or involvement with non-school related organizations. If your primary focus is drama it may be a good idea to do more service hours to make up for not having more involvement with other activities. Additionally, when sending out your college applications, be sure to stress any achievements in drama. It looks quite different to say "I did drama in high school," as opposed to, "I did drama for all four years of high school and it took up x amount of hours per week, and I had a lead/supporting role this many times, and (if any sort of awards are given) I received these." If this is an activity you're passionate about and takes up a large amount of your time, make sure to emphasize how important it is to you, and it takes the focus off not being involved in other clubs.
The high honors grades vs. lower AP grades is often debated. I'd say if there's a particular subject you excel in, you should at least try to take an AP class in that area. It's rare that APs will bring down your GPA that much if you have a strong academic history. Also, most colleges tend to look favorably on students who have taken APs. Plus, if you manage to get a 5 or a 4 on your AP exams, you can forgo taking the class in college, meaning you have more time to focus on your major, or take an elective that you're really interested in instead of a core class that most likely resembles one you've had in high school.
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