Washington University

Hey, I'm a Junior in high school and I need to start thinking about colleges early so I don't freak out during senior year! I have always been into computers and really want to go into a computer science course during college and get a majour in it. I live in California right now and I have a couple places that I plan to apply to.

Colleges
Washington University
UC San Diego
UC Riverside
UC Irvine
UC Davis

I want to go to Washington because I heard that the computer courses are really good, especially since Windows is right there! I was applying to the other UC's which are in CA in case I don't get it. I was wondering if the other colleges as well as Washington would be a good choice. Also, if there are any other colleges I might want to try applying to. I have talked to a couple teachers/counselors but still not too sure! If you need some more information here are the courses I am taking and GPA

AP Chemistry, AP Calculus (BC), Junior English, U.S. History, German III - 3.5 GPA

Thank you very much in advance!

-TheJesterGL

One thing that really helps is to take a step back and mentally assess your readiness. You have a high GPA and are taking AP classes - shows that you're taking school seriously, which is a sign of maturity.

But that in itself does not necessarily mean that you're ready to leave home. The freshman year is the toughest - even though that's the year when the coursework is the easiest (no advanced classes yet) - because everything is an adjustment. Freshmen have to get used to living in dorms (often with roommates that they didn't get to pick)...eating dining-hall food (which can really stink - I have some terrible tales about the cafeteria pizza and burgers that I lived on for a year), that sort of thing.

And freshmen are often caught up in the other things that go along with being in college. They aren't all bad things - there are lots of campus activities that are lots of fun without getting anybody into trouble - but they can really suck down study time.

Anyway...what I'm trying to say is that there's nothing wrong with staying at home for one more year and taking your basic courses at a local college or university. Those basics - English, math, history, et cetera - are *almost* guaranteed to transfer to your university of choice later. (College advisers can look up each course that you want to take and tell you exactly which university will take it and how it'll be credited.)

There's also nothing wrong with going ahead and starting at a university halfway across the country. If you're ready for that, then by all means go for it. Just don't get sucked into the false notion that community college is only for losers

Thank you so much for the reply. And yes I know that freshman year is probably going to be quite difficult because I have to adjust living outside of my home. That is why I was thinking of staying in California for a while before moving away because I really should get used to college life first. And being in California will at least give me some sense of being close to home. I know that my GPA isn't everything, but I'm still a little scared about it, hoping to get in and such. Again, thank you so much for the intel!

-Jester