<p>I am currently a sophmore in high school, African American with a gpa of 4.0/4.625 and a class rank of 1/316 (freshman year). I am currently in student council, first priority, beta club and science olympiad.I am also a tech intern at a library (volunteer job) and i play basketball for the school (freshman year-jv) Any advice to increase my chances for Mit or Duke?</p>
<p>Hey! I’d say that you’re off to a good start. There isn’t really any concrete advice I can give you. However, I will remind you to remember to do the following things:</p>
<ol>
<li>First and foremost, maintain good grades/GPA/rank.</li>
<li>Take the most rigorous schedule possible (AP’s/IB’s, whatever offered)</li>
<li>Stay committed to the E.C.'s that you really enjoy. Commitment/leadership in 2-3 activities is better than involvement in 10. It’s always nice to have E.C.'s that show your passion for whatever major you want to go into. (seeing as you’re asking about Duke/MIT, I’m going to assume something science/math related).</li>
<li>Get good SAT scores (preferably 2250+)/SAT II’s (750+ imo, but 700+ works)/ACT (33/34+)</li>
<li>Don’t procrastinate the application process. Talk to your counselors/teachers/etc. and get all of your recommendations early.</li>
<li>Write awesome essays.</li>
<li>Last, but certainly not least, hope for the best.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you’ve done all you can and have, to the best of your ability, expressed that in your application, then chances are you will be a very competitive applicant.</p>
<p>GOOD LUCK =D</p>
<p>One other thing: focus on more than a “name” college. Duke and MIT are vastly different. Going for a known “good” quality is fine but in a few years, you should start being able to discover what you’re really looking for beyond the “reputation” of a Duke or an MIT</p>