Advice for a High School Sophomore?

Applying to College
1

<p>I've been reading some of the "What are my chances?" posts and to be honest they are scaring me. I'm a rising sophomore and I'm just wondering what I would be able to do in the next few years to get ready for college. </p>

<p>I'm not very sure what schools I'm really interested in yet (obviously the Ivies sound appealing, but I know that they are not always the best fit for everyone + I have yet to tour), except I know I want a career in medicine to help the underprivileged. I've been considering BA/MD programs, especially Brown's PLME (since I went there this summer I really fell in love with the entire atmosphere there, and the RAs really seemed like inspiring, cool people), but I know those are very competitive and hard to get into.</p>

<p>Anyway, I guess I'll give some basic info, which you can skip really...it's just in case anybody out there has any detailed advice.</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
School: public, very competitive
State: New York
Average/GPA: 97.6 (out of 100--my school does not use the 4.0 system, and it is a 7 - 12 school >> it includes my eighth grade transcript because that's when they start the equivalent of high school curriculum)
SAT II: Biology - 770, possibly taking World History, Spanish, Math II, Chemistry (undecided about which ones still)</p>

<p>IN-SCHOOL ECs: I plan on continuing all of these--I genuinely love each of them.
- 3 yrs in Key Club (7, 8, 9) + planning to run for officer position this year
- 3 yrs in Term Council (7, 8, 9)
- 2 yrs in Peer Leadership (8, 9)
- 2 yrs on the volleyball team (8 - middle school, 9 - Varsity)
- 1 yr in Model UN (9)
- 1 yr in Student Government (9, as assistant to the secretary >> I was elected secretary for 2010 - 2011)
- Starting next year as staff writer for school's official newspaper
- Starting next year will be in school chorus</p>

<p>OUT OF SCHOOL ECs
- 7 yrs doing traditional Chinese painting
- 1 yr interning in an internal medicine doctor's office
- 6 months interning at a government office (I'm in a neighborhood with many Chinese immigrants >> we help them with census forms, applications for gov't housing, bills that they don't understand + have questions about)
- 3 months volunteering with children
- Several Key Club events (volunteering)
- Applied to volunteer at a hospital this year</p>

<p>AWARDS
- 2009 Scholastic Writing Awards: Silver Key for Science Fiction/Fantasy + Gold Key for Personal Essay/Memoir
- 2010 Scholastic Writing Awards: Gold Key + Silver Medal for Personal Essay/Memoir category (for the same piece)</p>

<p>SUMMERS
- 2008: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth, 3-week course
- 2010: Summer@Brown, 3-week course
- In the future I'm planning on taking more courses (but in the city) and volunteering at hospitals at the same time, although my parents like to make me travel very often</p>

<p>I know there's never really a guarantee, but how can I stay on the right track to get into competitive BA/MD programs and colleges? I know I should keep my grades up, but other than that I'm not really sure. I'm also unsure about what is considered a good SAT/SAT II range...should I retake the Biology one after getting 770?</p>

<p>Any advice would be much appreciated! I know what I provided very long and could be unnecessary, but thank you for taking a look at it.</p>

2

<p>just study for the SAT for now. That’s all you need to do. Just do what you like to do in high school and come back onto CC near the end of your junior year. Worrying about it all now is unnecessary. </p>

<p>And don’t retake 770 Bio but take Math IIC at the end of junior year or whenever you feel confident that you can score 800. Make sure you get 800 on that one. 770 in Bio is good though, but for Math II an 800 for someone as bright as you is essentially expected (you can get 44/50 RAW to get 800…so it’s an easy curve).</p>

<p>EDIT: Oh, and continue with sports. It is really good to have. If you are really good at a sport and become captain or something then that is a bonus.</p>

3

<p>^ Truth.</p>

<p>With your current track record, you are on pace to set up a really good application status in terms of grades, course rigor, ECs, etc. Only thing left is to get a good SAT score and you should be set for top schools like Brown.</p>

4

<p>If you haven’t already asked your parents about how they plan for you to pay for your education, you should do that now. Have them run their financial information through the EFC calculators at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) and [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Calculate Your Cost – BigFuture | College Board) Once you know about the money situation, you will know whether or not you need to concentrate your applications on colleges/universities where you will be eligible for significant financial aid. Visit the Financial Aid Forum here (there is a link on the left-hand side of this screen) to learn more about that subject.</p>