Hi,
I am currently a freshman in a fairly good public hs near Princeton, NJ who is interested in nursing. My dream school would be UPenn, other schools I’m interested in right now include UVA and UCLA; although, seeing as I am just a freshman, this is very tentative. 
My uwGPA is a 97/100 (~3.95/4.00?), my school does not rank and the only standardized test I’ve taken so far is the SSAT, which I scored in the 93rd %tile (no prep)
I took 5 honors classes this year: the most rigorous available. By the time I graduate I plan on taking 12 honors courses and 8 APs.
The only awards I have right now would be science fair honors and a National Latin Exam award.
My ECs include…
animal shelter volunteering
hospital volunteering
student council
tutoring/mentoring
red cross club
junior classics league &
student movement against cancer
My plans for this summer include a program at Georgetown University, volunteering and travel.
So my question is, am I on a good track, so far, for good schools with top nursing programs (like the ones mentioned above)? Any input is much appreciated!
Thanks!
I think you’re very much on track your GPA is very amazing right now; probably would be considered a 4.0 though all colleges scale the GPA differently. A 97 though is very commendable…a great buffer for what is to come!
Honors is a good start; courseload depends heavily on your school’s offerings so as long as you are taking the hardest courses possible, then you are fine.
You do a lot of volunteering ECs, which is great. Don’t get overwhelmed though; quality over quantity! Hospital volunteering is great for nursing if you actually get some interaction versus registration, delivering flowers etc.
Is the Georgetown Program paid?
Enjoy freshman year while you have it; don’t worry too much about college so you won’t burn out. Maybe tour a college over the summer if you feel up to it; it gives you a good gauge on whether or not info sessions are helpful for you. Some think they are useless; I personally find a lot of merit in them.
Good luck!
We live in the Princeton, NJ area as well, and I would recommend a college tour or more this summer. UPenn is only an hour away. Take the Princeton admissions tour too - they are very different campuses - one urban, one small college town. Actually there are so many universities nearby, it’s fairly easy to take a look at a few. Even if they are not one of your dream schools, it can help you to get a sense of whether you like that environment - small vs. big, for example. You don’t have to go to every school’s info session, although I’d recommend them at schools you’re serious about.