The Gloom of the College App

I forgot to order my pre-paid game card for WoW and now I am bored out of my mind, lol.

School is going well.  I had to switch out of my AP Biology class because, let's face it, science is NOT my strongest subject and I wasn't understanding the curriculum.  So now I'm in Earth Science instead, which is a whole lot simpler that AP Bio.  Next week we're going to be simulating the erosion of rock, which is pretty cool.

Anyway, considering that I'm going to be an English and East Asian Studies major, it's not really necessary for me to take an AP Science class, right?  I'm just hoping it doesn't affect my transcript...

I heard that colleges want high school students to have at least 5 AP classes on their transcript.  That's right, 5 AP classes!  At the minimum!  Is that a joke?  Seriously, how are high school students supposed to manage 5 AP classes, tons of extracurriculars, and volunteer work all at the same time?  Forget that; how is a high school student supposed to manage 5 AP classes period?  If you can, well, I am deeply impressed and wish I was you.  It took all I had just to make an A in my one AP class last year; there's no way I could make A's in 5+!

*Sigh* It's hard to make yourself look good on the college app when you're not quite sure what you're up against.  I really can't imagine the average high school student taking 5+ AP classes and acing all of them (and if they were, wouldn't the college get a little suspicious?  If all their applicants are getting A's in 5+ AP classes, chances are the AP classes are incredibly easy.)  I also can't imagine applicants having tons of volunteer experience under their belt and being part of 5+ extracurriculars (is 5 the magic number for colleges or something?) on top of acing all their AP classes.  Oh yeah, and having "special talents" on top of that.  And let's not forget that anything below a 3.6 GPA is complete and utter failure, unless you're trying to get accepted at a party school.

It seems like I'm always hearing and reading so much about what you have to do to get into a good college.  It just seems so...unrealistic.  I can't imagine the average college candidate being that perfect.  On the other hand, I feel that if I don't strive for that absolute perfection, there's no way I can get accepted into my first choice college.

Rrrrrrgh...this college stuff is such a pain.  It consumes my every thought.  It's like this big, black cloud of darkness hanging over my head, sucking the life out of me.  <--Over-dramatization of the matter, lol, but sometimes it kind of feels like that.

My first application needs to be submitted by November 15, which is only a couple of months from now.  Usually that's the deadline for Early Decision, but apparently the deadline for applicants applying for the merit scholarship is then, too.  So now I am getting books on the College Application Letter.  I heard that THAT'S what will make or break you.  Even if you have a flawless GPA, if your essay sucks you still might not get in!  So if it can influence you for the worst, perhaps it can influence me for the better.

Anyway, this is my first choice college that I will be applying for, so I want to do really awesome on my application letter.  Wish me luck!