Anxious Junior in High School: Am I On Track and How/Where Could I Improve?

Applying to College
1

Hello! I’m a new member here, so I apologize if I don’t quite have finesse when perusing this site quite yet! I’m a high-school junior, and was wondering if I could get an opinion on how I’m doing in high school so far and what I could improve upon in order to make my future college applications as strong as possible. I would absolutely love to go to a prestigious school, but I can understand if that isn’t possible due to my scores, lack of sports, etc. My stats are as follows:

Freshman course-load:
Hon. World History
Hon. Freshman English
Hon. Global Science
Hon. Geometry
Spanish 3
Choir
Theatrical Preformance
Gym 1
Hon. Humanities: Islands
Hon. Humanities: Cities
General Biology 1 @ the local community college

Sophomore course-load:
Hon. Sophomore English
Hon. US History
Hon. Chemistry
Pre-AP Calculus
Spanish 4
Choir
Algebra 2 @ the local community college

Current junior course-load:
AP AB Calculus
AP English Composition and Language
AP US History
AP Physics C: Mechanics
Health
Spanish 5
Choir

Sign-ups for senior year courses:
AP European History
AP English Literature and Composition
AP BC Calculus
AP Environmental Science
Special Spanish 201 (college course offered at the high school via a university)
Creative Sewing
Choir
Gym 2

My GPA so far (freshman year, sophomore year, and half of junior year) is a 97.3/100 (not sure what that is on the 4.0 scale). My school doesn’t directly rank, but I was told I am top 10%. There are roughly 700 kids across all four years in my school, and approx. 180 in my year. (I come from a very rural high school in northern Maine.)

My SAT score is a 2300 (800R - 780M - 720W)

I am a white female and will be the first in my family to attend college.

Income bracket of approx. 55000 if you’re only counting the parent I live with and who has custody of me. (I live in a single-parent household). If you still count my other parent, the bracket from them combined is roughly 165000.

My extracurriculars are:
Math Team (3 years total, 1 as a Varsity player)
Environmental Club (3 years total, head of a project, gone on several marches)
Theatre — Musicals: (3 years, 1 lead role)
Dinner Theatre (3 years)
Competitive One-Act Plays — my high school participates in Drama Fest, which is a big theatre festival where each school puts on a one-act play and one is selected as a winner to move on to the next level (Regional, State, New England) in addition to awards being given to exceptional actors/actresses at each level. I have acted for three years, my cast won regionals once, I have hosted the State festival twice and the New England festival once, and won an award at the state level.
Student Directing — freshman year I volunteered to student-direct the local middle school’s play. I got to help cast the show, teach acting skills, and learn a lot about how things work in theatre administratively.

Work Experience:
I have worked at an at museum for a year now, and I genuinely it there! I work five days a week in 8-hour shifts in the summer, but during the school year only a handful of days each month. Additionally, I got hired as an actor just before the end of my sophomore year by a local theatre company who was casting young people for roles in an upcoming show. I ended up making 200$ in actor’s stipends by the end of it, and it was amazing to get a chance to work alongside professional actors and get a hands-on professional experience and knowledge.

I volunteer at the local old-age community over the summers, as well as doing numerous benefit and community-service choir and theatre events.

Last summer I was invited to and attended the Congress of Future Science and Technolgy Leaders, and I usually spend two weeks each summer at band camp: acting, singing, and playing banjo and ukulele.

Thank you so much if you made it to end, any and all feedback would be readily appreciated!!

2

personally i think you have a great transcript and colleges probably someone like you who is so involved you seem bright and at the top start applying ans see what you can do but i think you are more then well off!

3

Jesus Christ, this transcript is amazing! Not only is your resume outstanding on its own, but you are also a first generation student. I wouldn’t worry about it: it seems if you continue what you’re doing, you’ll do fine!

4

Wow, thank you so much!! That’s such a relief and awfully kind of you to say.

5

You look all set. Dont change anything, just carry on doing what your are doing. Do you have a college list yet? You need to get in the ball. I suggest using the spring break to visit some colleges if you can. At the very least, get going on research colleges and signing up for mailing lists. When the time comes, request interviews, ESP if you can’t visit. They are very important. Have you don’t SAT 2’s? If not, get started studying for those. Do them in April, retake in June if needed. You are on track to get inot really selective schools, many of whihc require two SAT subject tests. Each school will list what it requires. If you are looking to get a lot of merit aid, apply to colleges where your stats are above the 75th percentile. You seem good to go otherwise.

6

Humble Boasts are always the best kind!

7

Thank you for the tips! I haven’t done SAT 2 tests yet; are those the same as the subject tests? Also, I know the SAT itself changed recently, do you know if the subject tests changed as well? Is there any significance in which subjects you should take, or should you simply take the ones you think you’d score the highest in?

I’ve been on college trips, but I’ve only seen 4 schools in Maine thus far (Bowdoin, Bates, UMO, and Colby) due to the fact that there’s little drive time for schools in-state. Spring break would be a great time to see if I can get out of the state and see some school farther away.

8

Yes, SAT 2 are subject tests. Depending on what you think you might study and where you might apply to, you need to check and see if potential colleges require two or three SAT2 tests. For instance, I beleive MIT and Standord require three, and one has to be Math 2 or physics. Most very selective colleges require two, or do,the ACt and you won’t have to do any at a lot of colleges. I advise just taking the ones you think you will do well in otherwise.

9

Ah okay, makes sense! Thank you!!