What are some ways i can better my chances of getting into a good college?

Question

I will be taking the ged test this month and the sat next month. I am smart so i plan on doing very good on both but since i will be trying to get into a good school(preferably law school, not certain yet), with a ged, what should I do to better my chances of getting into a good school??? Since im not in school, my extra curricular activities are limited, I can do volunteer work but that's about it. Im taking the ged test instead of going back because if i go back ill get out a year later than what im suppose to and i dont want to do that.

Answer 1

You have to go to a 2-yr college first- unless you go to a 'trade school' (ITT tech, sanford brown...)

You have to gain a 'core education' including college level sciences, math, english... and with a GED, regardless of your scores- I have a GED, I scored in the top 90th percentile but the only real choice to guarantee access to a decent 4-year school is to get an Associate's for General Transfer from a community college- if you decide to do one of those online schools like University of Phoenix- pay special attention to the transferability of the credits.  Also until you are certain of what you want to do stick with the general transfer degree- if you decide to to get an Associate's in Applied Science the degree will skip some core courses in order to allow you to concentrate on a specific area like business law- but 9 times out of 10 you will need to go back and obtain these core credits before being accepted into a '4-year school' (community college is a 2-year college- equivilent to what is called 'junior college' where a person gains the basic college education and learns the routine and expectations at this level) A 4-year college (the good schools I assume you are talking about) usually requires that a person already has this level of education (Associate's degree).

I recommend that you look into the community college- if you keep your GPA up you can usually get a 'free-ride' here with Pell grants & such through the financial aid office.  But I don't think you'll have much luck getting into Columbia at this point- even if you ace the GED- they will admit stupid high school graduates before they admit smart high school drop-outs but if you take community college seriously you can come out with a 3.9 or 4.0 fairly easily, get some good letters of recommendation from your professors and put yourself in a great position to pursue whatever you want later on.

Answer 2

It depends on the school, you're probably looking at starting in January (spring 09 semester) correct?  Have you picked out a school you'd like to go to? I'd suggest research schools and contact their admissions office and talk to them about your situation, and ask them how to make yourself more attractive to their admissions department.  If you come in as a freshman, they may require you to take an ACT or SAT test.. but call those schools, maybe meet in person, or email and see what they say.  Another option is to go to a community college (cheaper) first and earn some college credits, and transfer to a 4-year school to finish your degree. A community college or college will have counselors to help you plan out your classes.   You can do this, just plan carefully and you'll succeed. Lastly, you don't go to law school until after you've gotten a bachelor's degree, and it can be highly competitive, so when you go to college, make sure to work very hard to get good grades and get involved.