<p>Hi Im still a sophomore and I need advice for the future -- My school only offers AP's for 11 + 12 so I can start taking them next year. From 6-9th grades I missed a lot of school due to a medical condition which is resolved. But because of it my grades suffered but they are now back to normal. I havent taken the SAT I but I am projecting around if not higher then 2200.
Have Legacies at Princeton and Amherst...</p>
<p>I plan on taking 3 SAT II's by end of Jr. year.
My NY Regents grades have been:
Earth Sci: 95
Bio: 93
Math A: 92
French 1 98</p>
<p>9th Grade
French 2- B
Biology- B+
English 9- A-
Global I- B+
Math A/B- B
Art 1A - A+</p>
<p>10th Grade
Chemistry- A+
Global II- A
French 3- A
English 10- A+
Math B- A-
Health- A+
Art 1B- A+</p>
<p>Next year I am taking
AP Bio
AP US History
AP English Language
French 4 honors
PreCalc
Psycology</p>
<p>And in 12th I plan on taking
AP Chem
AP English Lit
AP US Gov
Physics Honors
Calculus AB
French 5 Honors</p>
<p>EC's (kinda weak): Volunteered for 3 years at a preschool camp
Summer Internship in a Recording Studio
Academic Challenge Team, Key Club, Film Club VP, Volunteer Ambulance Corps EMT, JV Tennis (next year and Sr. year) National Honor Society </p>
<p>Now this summer I am torn between either going to the Harvard Summer School program (SSP) and taking their Biology course or volunteering at a local hospital and doing more EMT work. I plan on being a Pre-Med and im really not sure would help boost my application.
My essay will be amazing focusing on how my illness was what made me want to get into medicine and how after I got better I saw what i could do...
Looking at chances at : Princeton, Duke, Brown, JHU,NYU,Cornell, Northwestern, University of Penn, if my grades continue on same track they are on
any advice is appreciated</p>
<p>Are you passionate about film, ambulance corps, key club or tennis more? Why? Are these just EC fillers? Don't count on your SAT being great or your essay "amazing". High school is as much about hard work as it is about intelligence - college, even more so.</p>
<p>What you need is to show more leadership skills, rather than "membership" ones. You're already strong academically, I suggest you start commiting to your EC's ASAP.</p>
<p>You've got two years. I would train daily for tennis, volunteer at that local hospital you mentioned, prep early for the PSAT, and possibly work on your school clubs and gain a position of leadership throughout the summer.</p>
<p>I say you take part in the Bio research program at Cornell in 11th grade.</p>
<p>Getting started on research early > Taking a Bio class at Harvard</p>
<p>It shows that you have the passion and interest for what you do. It's a lot less broad looking on your college application than saying you took a course in HSS.</p>
<p>Finally I say that you try to study and test for the Chemistry Olympiad(<a href="http://newyorkacs.org/Oly2007_letter.html%5B/url%5D">http://newyorkacs.org/Oly2007_letter.html</a>) coming next year. You seem to have aptitude in that area. Ask your school to register you around February of your junior year. I'm sure if you started studying now, you would become either number one, two or three in NY state or your region.</p>
<p>My advice: Focus on those EC's, (if you're interested in the Chemistry Olympiad) spend a minimum of 30 minutes per day to study topics in chemistry from late June to the beginning of February, prep for the PSAT, be consistent with your grades (colleges like to see an direct relationship between grades and school years), BECOME A LEADER</p>
<p>Chances: If you play your cards right, make a good plan for yourself, and have interesting/positive experiences, I'd say you'd be able to get into any college. Good luck ^_^</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your input -- Problem is while i was out of school a lot in my freshman year i had trouble keeping up in class so I didnt do much on the EC aspect so all of the leadership positions have been claimed making it very difficult to attain one....</p>
<p>Apply to schools that throw out freshman grades. Schools that quickly come to mind for someone like you that is getting straight As in your sophomore year are:</p>
<p>Princeton
Stanford
and all of the University of California campuses:
In order from best to worst (although they are all pretty highly rated schools except UC Merced, which is a new campus), they are:
UC Berkeley
UC Los Angeles (UCLA)
UC San Diego
Tie between: UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Irvine
UC Santa Cruz
UC Riverside
UC Merced</p>
<p>I'd apply to the top three UCs on this list (UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego), plus Princeton and Stanford.
I'd also apply to UC Santa Barbara since, with the exception of UC Berkeley, they accept the most out-of-state students.</p>
<p>I'd also apply to some of the lower Ivies like Brown and Penn and, for these schools only, explain the situation in your freshman year.</p>
<p>definitely try for Princeton. your ECs aren't bad but they're not stellar either - i agree that you should take some time to work on them while you can. commit yourself fully to attending classes and ECs for the next two years, and do try for chemistry olympiad - with your intelligence, if you work hard enough you WILL have a shot at the international olympiad.</p>
<p>I think that you are pretty much on track, and are smart to be thinking ahead. From what I have heard, expensive summer programs do not help. Getting the practical experience by volunteering at a local hospital may be better. Your ECs are not bad, but are scattered. I think that you need to consider dropping some and concentrating on others. If you continue with all of them, it will look scattered, and your grades may even suffer. Follow your heart on which ones to concentrate on. I detect an interest in media, since you had two in that area. If you are in any of the ECs just because you "should", drop them.</p>
<p>Thanks guys -- Ive been seriously considering all of your advice and input and I agree that the Summer Program would be kind of a waste this summer. Now I am considering not taking Psycology next year and taking AP Psych in my Senior year... Also will colleges be understanding that because of my medical condition I was unable to take the most challenging courses this year because of my abscences... will this be difficult to do?</p>