Am I on the right track?

Applying to College
1

<p>If I posted this in the wrong section, I apologize. </p>

<p>Hi! I was wondering if some you knowledgeable forum posters could tell me if what I'm doing is getting me in the right direction. I'm going to be a sophomore this fall and since I still have some time left, I want to be able do whatever I can to increase my chances of reaching my goal. </p>

<p>Goal:
My ultimate goal is to become some type of doctor. I'm not sure exactly what type, but I'm not looking to decide yet since I still have time and there's much to be done before then. My path goal is : TAMS (I'm applying this year & hoping to get in) > Rice (or another top20 school, but I really like a lot about it) > Medical School</p>

<p>Academics:
I am trying to get into TAMS (Texas Academy of Math & Science) for jr. and sr. year. If I don't get in, I plan on taking all AP classes jr. and sr. year at my current high school. For freshman year, my final grades were all A's so I'm assuming I have a 4.0 unweighted. I'm not quite sure how my school calculates GPA, however. (like what counts as A, etc.) I am currently top 2% in my class, and I'm hoping to climb higher sophomore year by working my butt off. I tested out of Algebra 2, but I don't know if that helps or not. </p>

<p>Standardized Testing:
I took my SATs freshman year and got a 1750 composite. (bad, I know) I have been practicing left and right these past four months using the BlueBook and some of the guides here on College Confidential. The past couple of tests I have taken (mix of McGraw Hill & Bluebook) and I have been able to get 2070 - 2170 with a 700+ in math and writing. I'm planning on taking the test again in November. I hope my scores at in that range with a high score in math. I've been kind of stuck for the past month or so since I can't break 2200. </p>

<p>Electives:
Freshman year I took classes to get my requirements out of the way in any case that I don't make it to TAMS so jr. year I have class space for APs. (none are avail. for freshmen anyway) This year I took health science classes, my language class (planning on all 4 years), and a technology class. </p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
I am going to be participating in AcDec this year. Last year I participated in Octathlon. In any case I don't make the AcDec competition (enough seniors to complete the entire team & most have experience), I'll just compete Octathlon again and hopefully place again.
I am also a member of Business Professionals of America where I compete for web design. Web design is another one of my interests. If I have enough time, I hope to develop this interest.
I also want to join National German Society, HOSA, and NHS this year. I am geniunely interested in these clubs and plan on taking roles in these clubs.
If I don't make TAMS, I want to try out for the drill team or do diving jr. year. </p>

<p>Volunteer Work:
I have a little over 100 hours so far, mainly from a hospital, library, and various community events. </p>

<p>I want to know if what I'm doing will send me in the right direction and get me to my goals. Are my ECs too weak? Am I not developing my interests enough? I know it may be a bit early to already post and ask about college, but I don't want to ask senior year when I don't have much time to change things. </p>

<p>Thank you for reading that wall of text. O.O</p>

2

<p>It’s been two days. Bump!</p>

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<p>stop. please. you’re a sophomore. just breath and do your best. trust me.
I used to think that thinking about these things as a sophomore would help me. but it really doesn’t, as long as you do your best by committing yourself to EC’s, taking hard classes, and getting good grades. then you can start worrying about college junior year.</p>

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<p>joining this and member of that is not the way to develop ECs that stand out. The question about impressive ECs comes up regularly on the forum. There is a thread with several posts by Northstarmom, a Ivy alum interviewer, about what constitutes impressive ECs from the point of view of the most selective colleges. The post is at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>2 very interesting articles about ECs that stand out and how to get them (same author, different examples) are at [How</a> to Be Impressive](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/05/28/the-art-of-activity-innovation-how-to-be-impressive-without-an-impressive-amount-of-work/]How”>The Art of Activity Innovation: How to Be Impressive Without an Impressive Amount of Work - Cal Newport) and [Save</a> This Grind?](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/09/12/case-study-how-could-we-save-this-ridiculously-overloaded-grind/]Save”>Case Study: How Could We Save This Ridiculously Overloaded Grind? - Cal Newport) While I don’t agree with everything in them, take a look at these 2 articles and I think you’ll get some original ideas.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the replies. </p>

<p>Thank you for the links. I will read them. Whenever I was picking out clubs to join I centered around the things that reflected my interests. My main two interests are web development & design and health science. I chose HOSA and hospital volunteering to reflect health science and BPA for web development and design. I chose National German Society because I’m interested in German culture and language. Now that I look at it, it does seem like joining so many clubs makes me seem like a dabbler instead of showing my passions. Thank you for mentioning that point.</p>

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<p>"I’m planning on taking the test again in November. ’
Wait until Spring of your JR year to retake the SAT. You’ll have 1.5 more years of schooling under your belt and will do great I’m sure! No need to take it again as a sophomore- that starts to look a bit overzealous. As the other poster said- relax! There’s plenty of time…</p>

<p>And re EC’s- colleges , especially top ones, look for PASSION and committment in EC’s, not how many you can mention on an application… Choose 1 or 2 and invest time and energy in them.</p>

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<p>I was actually planning on taking it this year to apply for TAMS since they require an SAT score. If TAMS didn’t require an SAT score, I wouldn’t have started preparing for it for another year. XD </p>

<p>Thank you for the advice. I will be sure to keep that in mind when developing my ECs.</p>