I’m losing hope in myself. Please help? Advice?

[JRS92078]

start a High School Beautification Program.. "pulling weeds in the garden, or painting walls"
my DS did lots of this throughout his HS career added picking up trash mostly

 

[OldRetSWO]

Perseverance is key! You should definitely join NHS in addition to the club. Is it too late for this upcoming school year? Also, I wouldn’t try to cram too many sports in. Focus on what is reasonable and push yourself to succeed with one or two. Hire a reputable SAT tutor, someone that can really work with you at an intense level, but also do test prep on your own. You can get your scores up with hard work. Sometimes all it takes is repetition and becoming more familiar with the test. Also, are you comfortable with your testing location? Maybe a switch? My DS preferred a place outside of our small town. But, in all if this, do not ever put all your eggs in one basket for your #1 college choice!! Explore AFROTC, etc.. and multiple universities even if you think now in the present moment that USAFA is the only place for you. The journey is incredible—embrace it. You could even end up somewhere you don’t expect. Enjoy this time in your life!

Thank you GHTeam. I will definitely try to spend more time studying efficiently to improve my SAT and ACT scores. I could possibly join NHS if my parents are okay with it. Unfortunately I can only take the SAT at my own school since they pay for it. During the PSAT this guy kept saying “God damn I don’t want to do this” “I f***** hate this” out loud for every 10 minutes or so and my proctors didn’t do anything about it. I wish I could change the location because I could encounter situations like that again with people like that in my school. Who knows. And yes I will make a list of backup colleges I should look that. Plan B is important. And of course I realized I will have to stop being so worried about my extracurriculars and sports.

If your parents won't pay for SATs at another site then maybe you can pay for it with money from working. Considering that most schools only offer the test a couple of times per year, other locations will allow you to take the test more times to get your scores up. I saw where you talked about working in the library because "you like libraries" which is nice if they have a spot for you but if not, then go somewhere that isn't "fun" because you aren't there for enjoyment, you're there for money/experience. You are trying to get into one of the most selective and demanding schools in the nation and stepping out of your comfort zone is to be expected.

 

[bopper]

For any college applicant, there are things you can control and things you can't control.

You can't control what your high school offers.
You can control what courses you take within those offerings.
You can control how much you study for the ACT/SAT.

 

[THParent]

Is a 30 the average super scored or single sitting amongst the incoming class?

No idea. When they give that data, they don't tell you how many times the incoming candidates took those tests.
I would expect that most candidates take at least one of the tests more than once, but again that's just a guess.
My DS took both the ACT and SAT twice, almost a year apart. His scores improved about 15% in that year.

 

[eljay60]

I hate the reading section because I am horrible at it.

You need to read, period. I'm not talking about study related, or AR reading, or any assigned reading whatsoever. Read novels, short stories, biographies, whatever floats your boat (or flies your plane, in this case). Read the Player's handbook for Dungeons and Dragons or Rommel's autobiography of WW1 or Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but read. Reading can be practiced, just like playing the piano or golf. If you are running out of time in the reading section, it's taking you too long to read the passage. With your grades, I doubt your problem is understanding the questions. Practice reading with fun stuff, not with the godawful dry chunks of exposition they have on standardized tests. I will tell you that books and stories written before 1950 are much richer in vocabulary and will increase your comprehension greatly, but if find your favorite author is Stephen King, go for it. Good luck!

 

[MtJo]

My DS has been in the TSA program for years. He found himself a delegate and now state president for two years. They have great leadership conferences. Maybe that could be your path in the leadership. He also found himself president of the honor society for his school. They are not the most popular President slots but he has owned them and made them his own. He also took the PSAT and as others have stated, scores improve the more you take it. It could be that you may score better on the ACT

 

[fencersmother]

If you hate the reading section, find some techniques to get you through it.

Back in the day, you could go directly to the questions then go back to the reading section to find the answers.

There are "hacks" out there, but your best bet is to improve your test taking skills. And quit whining about it, and do it.

 

[CrewDad]

Pinkflower123.

You’ll be surprised that you can get from 20 to 35 ACT with a lot of testing. Your math level is still developing and your English grammar probably needs more work. You’re just starting Junior Year so you have time to improve. Reading and Science on ACT don’t work for everyone. Maybe you should try the SAT. Still have time! Pickup your chin and get to work!

 

[BBBRRRTT]

Don't lose hope, you got a great GPA and you still have a solid year to make huge strides in your academic and extracurricular achievements. I might add, make sure you apply to many schools and SA's to increase your odds.