<p>Enjoy yourself. High school passes by quickly, and before you know it, it'll all be over. I'm only a junior, and I don't feel privileged to sit here and act like I know everything. On the other hand, I feel obligated to at least share my own experience (up until now!) with the slight hope that you may somehow benefit. </p>
<p>I discovered CC within the first week of my freshman year. I lurked among High School Life, and witnessed multiple 'Chance Me' threads that honestly terrified me. I thought, "if I want to attend a good school, possibly an Ivy, and these people are being rejected, do I even have a CHANCE?!" These threads put me in a position of doubt, and I was scared of what my future held. I was taking the hardest possible schedule at the time, and the only AP it included was human geography. I questioned how people were managing countless AP courses, as well as numerous presidency positions in their ECs, while still being able to pull in 2200+ on the SAT. It made me physically sick when I considered how minor my actions were compared to the seniors applying to college. However, everywhere I looked, people simply said, "follow your passion, don't do ECs if you hate them, don't stress yourself," etc. I somehow managed to finish freshman year without partaking in ANY ECs, and when Sophomore year came around, I was determined. I joined anything I could, and there was a list of around ten extracurricular activities that occupied my time. As I progressed through high school, I really enjoyed some and I hated others. I began to avoid a few, and moved my rank up in others. I focused on my grades, and managed to finish up sophomore year.</p>
<p>Now, looking back at what I've written, you might be thinking to yourself, "is this guy nuts?" I've come to realize that everything that my peers and those of you on CC had said to me ("do what YOU want to do, not what you think colleges want you to do!") had finally fallen into place. I'm in 5 AP classes, taking 18 credits this year via dual enrollment, and I'm thoroughly involved with four different ECs. I'm enjoying myself, and I am comfortable with my transcript. Looking back, I'd never have imagined that I'd be able to do certain things, but I did them. I know this may seem confusing to you, but it's truly the only way I can offer advice. So, here goes: Do what makes you happy. It's truly the only way that you will be comfortable with yourself and with your achievements. Don't look TOO far in to the future - be confident in what you are doing right now. In the end, everything will work out.</p>
<p>EDIT: Just wanted to point out that I didn't actually make a CC account until last summer, hence my recent join date. As stated above, I only lurked.</p>