Advice on what to do from here.

<p>Hello everyone! Aside from just "chance me", I </p>

<p>really want to know what more I can do to make it </p>

<p>into schools like Columbia, for instance.
Let's take a look:</p>

<p>My Background:
1. I'm a Junior in high school.
2. Before high school, I went to a public school.
3. ~190 kids in my grade
4. Don't have a given GPA or class rank (if we
did... oh very very very bad things would occur)
5. I'm lucky enough to be made out of a lovely
composition of clinically diagnosed
ADHD&Dyslexia...#lovemylife. Plus I don't take
advantage of this, I guess my family and/or I am
too proud to take extra testing time... etc.
6. I'm not like a lot of the kids in my school:
aka my parents dont make 6-figure salaries, and I
don't drive a benz.<br>
7. My parents are just confused about everything,
so no one really knows what we have to do or
what's going on in terms of admissions, as I am an
only child. </p>

<p>My Grades/GPA/Classes:
- I really don't have that much to go off on.
- I have rougly an B+/A- average
- I'm in the honors mathematics track. I happened
to not only be lucky enough to be in this track,
but I got all the hardest teachers each year
WITHIN the track. -_-
- This year, I'm taking AP Biology, and Honors
Physics/AP Physics B
- I'm a science and math kid through and through.
(plus compsci!) Straight A biology (no honors
offered, all classes "honors level"), chemistry
(no honors offered, all classes "honors level"),
physics honors, computerScience1, &
computerScience2 student, but not an A honors math
student... because attaining an A with my teachers
is a godly act deemed impossible by mortals (I'm
honestly not exaggerating)
- I'm known as the kid that "pays rent" to the
Computer Science labs and the mathematics dept.
office xD. </p>

<p>Standardized Testing:
- Well, I gotta get to that, don't I...?
- However my practice SAT's at home are
consistently >2250, and I only started studying 2
weeks ago, so when I study daily for an hour for
the next month, i'm not too stressed over my
scores (after my school tests, these tests aren't
a huge deal.)
- Same for subject testing. Taken practice tests
always >770, but I gotta actually take them... </p>

<p>All my other shtuffff: (aka extracurriculars)
Ready?</p>

<ul>
<li>Main engineer on FTC Robotics team</li>
<li>Internship with app development company</li>
<li>women's award in computer science</li>
<li>science magazine editor</li>
<li>Philosophy club</li>
<li>Martial Arts club founder</li>
<li>Science quiz bowl founder</li>
<li>physics team (1st in state finisher!! :D)</li>
<li>science reasearch program</li>
<li>protein modeling reasearch program team</li>
<li>ocean science club founder</li>
<li>science olympiad</li>
<li>computer science club</li>
<li>technology publication editor</li>
<li>philosophy publication founder</li>
<li>Zero robotics competition programmer</li>
<li>First Lego League mentor</li>
<li>Part of a program that teaches faculty members
technology skills</li>
<li>Web and mobile development team &
instruction founder & head engineer/instructor
-Math team</li>
<li>Math publication writer and editor</li>
<li>Piano player (12 years)</li>
<li>independent iPhone app developer</li>
<li>worked on an app with Hunter College</li>
<li>the highly selective Columbia Science Honors
Program</li>
<li>2 genetics laboratory workshops and programs
every summer, 3-4 summers</li>
<li>outdoors club</li>
<li>Program that assists science teachers with
organizing labs and curriculum and writing HW</li>
<li>One of the core members of an entrepreneurial
group literacy campaign, its grown pretty big and
started to spread states</li>
<li>I've done math camps</li>
<li>Online learning(CTY, AoPS, udacity, khan
academy)</li>
<li>I've done CTY (but hasen't everyone?)</li>
<li>Play music with a group at nursing homes and
other community centers for free</li>
<li>I rock climbing (woohoo!)</li>
<li>3rd Degree black belt at karate (don't scoff at
this, working every day for 10 years at this)</li>
<li>a community service team at my school, where i
am enacting a program at local middle and
elementray schools that teaches robotics</li>
<li>School swim team</li>
<li>out of scool swim team</li>
<li>water polo team</li>
<li>tutored underprivledged kids in the NYC area for
free weekends</li>
<li>teach kids at schools computer science and
development, as well as entreprenurial skills</li>
<li>starting a program that teachers battered women,
children and impoverished martial arts for free
-Started a program that teaches underprivledged
but bright and enthusiastic kids competition and
"fun" math (i love math :D)</li>
<li>I've written so much computer code, both for my
own distibution, and one for the math department
in my school that has been implemented as a
teaching, testing and HW aid</li>
<li>Math circle outside of school</li>
<li>list of math contests... blah blah (you math
people know the drill of contests everyone
does/wants to do)</li>
<li>Model UN</li>
<li>Debate Team</li>
<li>Play Flute. Used to be in band. </li>
<li>I write classical music. </li>
<li>Ive entered and won poetry contests</li>
<li>Part of a creative writing group</li>
<li>I sketch</li>
<li>My cooking skills blows everyone else's my age
out of the water... not to be humble or
anything... :P Im sorry I just like food </li>
</ul>

<p>... I think that's about it...
... I think all around I like a couple of </p>

<p>overarching activities that has led to all of
these: Math, Engineering, Compsci, Science
(basically STEM), Swimming, Karate, Rock climbing,
Music/arts side/COOKING, Philpsophy/debate.
some one please let me know if my ADHD is evident
from this post's rambling. </p>

<p>Other concerns:
- I was going to take APComputer Science this
year, but it couldn't fit into my schedule b/c of
core classes conflicts.
I have a question. Becuase I didn't take APCS in
my junior year, will taking it in my senior year
as oppsed to my junior year still convey the same
enthusiasm and passion I have for computer
science?
-Becuase my schedule is designed (everyones
shedule actually) to not allow one from taking a
high number of courses and AP's (max 5 classes,
max 3 Honors/and/or/APs combination), does taking
tests without the classes bolster my admissions
chances?</p>

<ul>
<li>If I DO take APCS my senior year, there is a
likelyhood that I will have to drop a history
course in order to take it. This means I will have
only taken history for 2 years. Could I get some
thoughts on this?</li>
</ul>

<p>Thank you guys so much in advance for taking the
time to read this and give advice! :D</p>

<p>oh guys sorry: varsity swim since freshman year & Mu Alpha Theta</p>

<p>First off, I just have to say: That extracurricular list… That’s amazing that you’ve managed to do so much stuff.</p>

<p>This is pretty creepy, but we both have so much in common. I’m also a Junior at a pretty competitive (public) high school. I don’t have ADD or Dyslexia, but I have this thing called PANDAS which is kinda like tourettes but along with that is really bad headaches that makes it really hard to concentrate, and in general, when they get really bad, my school work drops quite significantly. Like you, I generally prefer not to use extra time or anything else like that, and rather tough it out. You won’t get special treatment in the real world, don’t spoil yourself in school. I would also categorise myself as an A- student (in the most rigorous courses) with an occasional B+. I’m a huge science and math person, especially engineering and computer science. I also like economics and business a lot at the same time. My dream is to go into business but specifically in the tech field. By belief is that the most successful businessmen in the tech field are those who have the technical knowledge and truly understand the products they deal with,the entrepreneurs that created their own product. I haven’t taken the SAT yet either, but got a 34 on my ACT first shot. I always thought my extracurriculars were extensive and my strong point, sometimes even to the point that I have my feet in too many boats(but I honestly enjoy every single one of them and don’t do anything that I don’t enjoy cause that’s just a huge waste of time). But after seeing your list, I was blown away. My extracurriculars focus around robotics (FTC, VEX, ZeroRobotics, FRC, RoboCup, etc.), tech (Web design club, Android app development, tech blogs, etc.), business (FBLA, DECA, My own app company), politics/history (PF Debate, politics club, history club, geography club, atheist club, etc.), and outdoors/adventurey stuff (boy scouts, scuba diving, kayaking, hiking, golf, ultimate Frisbee, etc.). But seriously how do you get time to do all this stuff!? I feel like I’m already running around to get to everything! But yeah, we should keep in touch. I’d love to see how you progress and what you’re doing this year. Sorry if this came off as creepy… I was just so surprised at how much we share… </p>

<p>Btw, what’s your ZeroRobotics team name? How’re you guys doing?</p>

<p>^^hey! Sounds kinda similar lol (cept ur a boy and I’m not). We’re horace Mann robotics (not very original I know). What do admissions look like for you?</p>

<p>Ahhhh, missing a Y chromosome. Always a great boost when applying for a STEM field.</p>

<p>Don’t worry, our team name is just as weird, I don’t even know how we cane up with it 2 years ago… We’re the Quark Charm. What does that even mean?? Anyways, have you submitted yet for the 2d round? </p>

<p>What do you mean by what do admissions look like for me? Where I want to apply?</p>

<p>Yeah where r u applying/what do u think my chances are at some schools? (Top 25 or at caliber)</p>

<p>Well my goal is Stanford. In my view, that is the perfect school and I am honestly in love with it. </p>

<p>Following in order would be MIT, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, CalTech, and Georgia Tech. </p>

<p>I think your chances of getting in at those same schools and similar are pretty high. To make up for your lower grades, make sure you kill the standardised tests and you already have extracurriculars in the bag.</p>

<p>Chance me columbia engineering?</p>