Sorry about the generic discussion title, but truthfully, I do not now how to clarify what I'm seeking.
I am in my fifth semester of CC, I applied to transfer out of CC last semester, of course, but when faced with the cost of four year institution, I decided against transferring once again. (I was wait-listed at Swarthmore, accepted to NYU, rejected from Cornell, Colgate and Stanford.)
Now, I'm looking into transferring once more and would like to seek advice. College recommendations, advice on how to improve my application, what I should and shouldn't mention, it is all welcome. I invite constructive criticism, since I honestly have little idea where to go from here.
I took a year off between HS and CC, so my HS stats are largely irrelevant; except for: 3.0+ GPA, four AP courses (Bio, Lang, Lit, Euro - excluding Bio, Lang and Lit were 4's, Euro was a 3), a 31 super-scored ACT, Track and Field, four-year class representative, some volunteer work and online buy and sell. I took the year to gather myself together and travel. Japan, France, U.K., etc on the budget of whatever I got as a 'Congrats, you're a high school graduate!' and the money I made doing my e-commerce out of hostels, family and friend's houses. I did a fair amount of work, attended presentations and conferences, did familial field work, took care of family matters, and a slew of miscellaneous things.
Here are my CC stats:
GPA: 4.0
Classes: Three credits in English and History, five in Sociology, two in Sciences, three related to Business
Major: Sociology, with interest in English, History and Business
EC's+:
* Dean's List
* Debate Team Captain, annually Best Speaker (in-college)
* Farm and Market Volunteer: Manual labor M-F 4-6am, 5-7pm; Sales Sat. 4am-12pm. I also do miscellaneous jobs including baking, restocking and more manual labor.
* E-Commerce: I'm a "solopreneur" - I do the basic buy-and-sell, importing items from Japan to the U.S. I manage the business myself to pay for life expenses, it is not a big income. I also do local fairs.
* Virtual Assistant: Write, organize and schedule blog posts, media updates, emails, and newsletters; research; promotion; and managing finances and traffic.
* Mentor/Consultant: Mentoring in e-commerce, work-life balance and communications; consultation in administrative tasks and presentation; primarily geared at students. Signed up for this on a website, and I really enjoy helping to guide students to get their life in order when I couldn't. Learning from my mistakes to help prevent history from repeating!
* Assist Swimmer: I assist disabled peoples, including service men and women, to surf and swim. Certified CPR, lifeguard and first aid. I work with adults as well as children, particularly those with Autism.
* Graphics and Code: I'm self-taught in using photoshop and various coding; with it I create creative content for fun, websites, I make public tutorials for free use. I put this into action for my businesses, but also my run-of-the-mill blogs. Additionally, I put a lot of it to use in my research. After data collection, data organization into statistical outputs is important for my quantitative research.
* Conference Presenter: I have presented at my annual Sociology Conference since 2014 and have conducted my own independent and unique research at each. I won the Best Undergraduate Paper Award in 2015. I am seeking to expand this to the ASA conference, and I have applied to a few others in different fields. Due to expenses, however, I have not accepted my place. This year, as well, I am doing an independent study on an international subculture that I will present on.
Additional Info:
A lot of my EC's are at-home and independent because of family obligations. I'm responsible for my older brother, who works late due to his record. I take him to work on the weekends (1pm) and pick him up from work daily (11pm to 1am). The drive is an hour long. Additionally, I have obligations to my sister's children. My nephew is Autistic, and I provide transport as well as help him with schoolwork in the afternoons on weekday's. Additionally, because the rest of the household is fully-employed whereas I only have a "stay at home job", household responsibilities fall to me. I take care of all responsibilities except mowing the lawn and toilets. The work that I've created for myself was the only work I could handle whilst maintaining what I already do. How do I include this information, though?
Forgot to include aid! As I said, I work in order to provide for myself - computer, fun, gas, etc. So I don't have much saved. I go to CC without paying anything because we are just that poor, my mother is an assistant clerk at a Middle School. So, I am really looking for schools that are affordable. (This is why NYU was immediately disqualified last year.) I'm not picky, I chose these schools because they're attractive. I just want out-of-state and as affordable as it can be without giving up quality or diversity.
Interested Schools:
* Amherst
* Cornell (ILR) - Completing my Macroecon and Stats courses next semester
* Swarthmore
* University of Chicago
* Four UC's: Berkeley, Santa Cruz, LA, and San Diego
* UH
* Columbia (GS) - Not Attached
The main issue with my proposed and easy transfer (UH) is that the Sociology program isn't note-worthy and I worry about the implications of that going into Graduate School. Law School is another option, as I have always wanted to pursue being a lawyer and still do. Chicago is the best for my major, but a reach. I did fall in love with littler schools during the last application cycle. Probably due to the similarities considering my little roots.
I am also applying to scholarships, I have started my JKC application but, frankly, I don't know if I should submit it. I don't feel as though I stand out enough to earn it and I'll be wasting my time. If you have scholarship suggestions, I'd love to hear. I'm applying mainly locally. As an aside: I am mixed race, of Native Hawaiian descent and have been involved with the community.
I know my chances are largely slim, feel free to "rate" them if you like or bluntly tell me what to take off my list. I love Cornell's ILR program, but have been rejected twice before (applied in HS on the "off-chance", then again last semester without fulfilling the prerequisites). Anyway, share your stories, tips and advice - anything is appreciated! I'm really trying to "get my head in the game" but still feel like a moose trying to tread seawater.
Thank you, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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