Advice for a freshman?

<p>I will be a freshman in high school this year and my dream college is UNC Chapel Hill. I am in-state, and would just like some advice on what I should do starting in my freshman year to help my chances of admission. My schedule freshman year is not SUPER rigorous, but I took 2 honors (and could have only token 3). Also I have a somewhat bad stuttering problem so its hard to be a 'leader' in clubs, and stuff. Anyway any advice is appreciated, thanks!</p>

<p>P.S Sorry I'm not really sure which forum to put this in...</p>

<p>It’s good that you are starting to do your research early!
Here is what I feel helps you be the most successful:</p>

<p>Freshman
-Get good grades. They will get your GPA to be high and will help you get into more honor and AP or IB (not sure which your school does) classes next year. Freshman year is your foundation!
-Find your passion. This is your 1st year so get in LOTS of cubs (science, journalism, volunteering, band, etc…). This is the year to figure out what you like. I personally recommend clubs in which you can:
—Participate in competitions. Any awards can be later put on your college resume (I do this for science and french) .
—Do community service. It is rewarding, gives you community service hours that you will need to qualify to go into Honor Societies, can go on your resume, and could end up being what your college essay is on.
—Small clubs. Here you an get to make close friends and you could get a leadership position based on who you are as an individual and member of the club (vs. the nasty high school popularity contest…!)
-Create good teacher relationships. Teachers are your greatest allies. They can help you academically and are the ones that write your college recommendation letters. All you have to do is work hard, be nice and respectful, and make sure they know you appreciate anything they may do for you. (I wrote a “thank you” card at the end of the year for a teacher that would see me after school to help me on her class).</p>

<p>Sophomore year:
-Keep your grades up!!! (for some reason this is the year most people slack)
-Choose the activities you want to concentrate on. During your freshman year you should have sampled many activities (clubs, sports, etc…). On your freshman year you should pick the ones that you love. Remember it is quality, not quantity.
-Foster those teacher relationships
-Research UNC Chapel Hill. What scores do you need to get in? What will make you a strong candidate?
-Take BOTH the SAT and ACT (on the Jan/Feb test dates at the latest). This is so you can already know which test you are better at and know what are your weaknesses and strengths. Then go to your college counselor with both tests and discuss how you can improve. Ask him/her what to do to get into UNC.</p>

<p>Junior
-GRADES!!!
-EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES!!!
-Get real about the SAT/ACT. STUDY!
-Decide which teachers will write your recommendation letters.</p>

<p>After that comes the application process. </p>

<p>Ok, so this is a main outline of the things you should be doing in order to get into a good school :)</p>

<p>PS: stuttering problem? Do NOT let that get in your way EVER! Here is the thing: 99% of people never reach their full potential because they are scared of what others may think.
If I were you I would take a debate or speech class (I know it sound scary). This will help you be more comfortable talking in front of people and will diminish your stuttering. A close friend of mine did this. She says for the first 3 months that class was hell but now she barely stutters and she her school’s Debate Club vice president! Besides, high school students have a tendency to only think about themselves so there is no need to be self conscious! ;)</p>

<p>Thank you so much! I feel a lot better now :)</p>

<p>Try to get some speech therapy for your stutter. Google James Earl Jones. He used to stutter and now he is famous for his voice.</p>