any chances for harvard??

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Hello, </p>

<p>Like many who post threads on College Confidential I am a high school sophomore wondering what my chances are when applying to top universities. I go to a high school that is considered "prestigious" I assume. It is gold ranked (for whatever that's worth) and US News ranked it the 2nd best public high school in the country. Honestly, I sort of doubt that this ranking is accurate although this school is definitely in a much higher class when compared to any other high school's I have come across. </p>

<p>My Extracurriculars include: 2 years on a junior varsity hockey team two years on the varsity team (Junior and Senior year). I am also a member or the Science Olympiad and Model United Nations teams and will be a captain of both (most likely) by the end of my junior year. I am very interested in Marine Biology and have taken a trip to Key Largo, Florida to work with professional equipment and dive to learn about Reef Ecology. (I am a rescue certified scuba diver). I will also be going to Ecuador and the Galapagos on a related trip where I will study Marine Biology and such while diving. Last summer I worked inside a hospital in a Medical Supplies store and will continue doing that for the next two summers. This summer I am volunteering three days a week at the same hospital. I also am an assistant Coach for my brothers travel hockey team (I went through a certification process). </p>

<p>That is the gist of my Extracurricular involvement, nothing is spectacular but I was thinking about adding a couple of things such as: joining the board of a non-profit organization that helps women with cancer (I have family also on the board so I don't know if this is very impressive), I am also going to take a trip to Tibet and climb Mt. Everest with my father and I was thinking I could raise money to donate to a school there (something along those lines), Finally I was going to go to a summer program hosted by a university for science, most likely Chemistry as that is my favorite subject (I was considering the University of Michigan but have no concrete plans yet). If anyone thinks that these are worthwhile it would be awesome if you could let me know, and if anybody has any suggestions for extra-curriculars that I could do that is great too. Just remember that I don't really want to do them just to beef up my resume because if I don't enjoy doing something usually I don't do it very well. So things related to Biology, Chemistry (Medicine) , or Physics are my main interest.</p>

<p>So far my cumulative GPA is a 3.92/4
My school uses the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. I am not sure how familiar you will be with this program but it is, as you can tell from the name, more internationally focused. My school is one of if not the best schools using this program. But back to my GPA, it is lower because of my Freshman year where I got a B+ in a class that I didn't care about (Foods and Nutrition), and a few A-'s (not in any science classes). My sophomore year first semester I got a 3.95 with an A- in American Literature. My classes Sophomore year are:</p>

<p>First Semester:
Gym: A
Fundamentals of Art and Design: A
Honors Integrated Mathematics 3: A
Honors Physics 10: A
Honors American History: A
Honors American Literature: A-
Honors Chemistry 10: A
Honors Spanish 10: A</p>

<p>Second Semester (Not over, these are my current grades)</p>

<p>Speech: A
Drawing and Painting: A
Honors Integrated Mathematics 3: A
Honors Physics 10: A
Honors American History: A
Honors American Literature: A
Honors Chemistry 10: A
Honors Spanish 10: A</p>

<p>I am forced to take Art classes I have no interest in them.</p>

<p>Next year, I expect to do very well academically (hopefully with fingers crossed), I am currently applying to the IB board (with consent from my counselor and Assistant Principle) to take three science classes (IB physics, IB chemistry, IB biology). These are classes I will be taking junior through senior year and this specific class set is considered one of the most rigorous possible, only 5 (close estimate) students in the history of the school have done it and I believe I am the only in my class. Senior year I plan on taking all of the sciences HL along with Literature/History (for those who are familiar with how the IB program works).</p>

<p>I know that is a lot of information and I would be surprised if anybody actually took the time to read all of it, but that is the situation I am in. I know that there are many many high school students that will have much more impressive resumes than mine but I think I will be decently placed among them. I am not worried about getting into the top tier schools because I would not be terribly upset if I wasn't accepted to them. I simply want to know my chances with the higher ranked universities. Some I think I will apply to are Harvard, MIT, Caltech, UoC, Duke, and Columbia. I plan on going into either Medicine or Marine Biology although this isn't set in stone and might be liable to change. As for letters or recommendation, I have great relationships with my math, biology, chemistry, and physics teachers, as well as my assistant principle and counselor.</p>

<p>Thanks again for reading this and also for commenting.</p>

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<p>Without things like SAT scores (which I know you don’t have yet, as a sophomore) to see how you stack up in comparison to others outside of your school, it’s a bit difficult to estimate your chances. However, considering that you carry a very high GPA at an extremely prestigious school, you certainly seem to be on the right track. Obviously Harvard and other schools at that level are reaches for almost any candidate (even 4.0/2400s loaded with ECs), but if you keep doing what you’re doing and do well on standardized testing you should have a competitive chance. If I could suggest one thing, it would be to improve your ECs and become a bit more active in clubs and other organizations - although that’s advice that can reasonably be given to almost any candidate, so don’t worry that you’re particularly lacking in that area.</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot for replying. I am trying to beef up my EC’s as of right now. As for school clubs/organizations I am in the Culture and Community Committee (appointed by teachers). And like I said earlier I am on track for becoming captain of both the Model United Nations, and Science Olympiad team. Should i focus on any other school related EC’s?</p>

<p>I decided that when I go to the Nepal area I am going to spend a couple weeks doing primary research on the medical/hospital system there and write my Extended Essay (a school paper, at least 4000 words) on it. I will try to get that published. This summer I am also applying to a local University to try and take Chemistry/Bio/Other classes there, as well as to engage in independent study through the school where I can meet professors and conduct research (most likely related to Chemistry). I am really interested and excited to take part in these, but I also think that they will help set me apart a bit from other students? </p>

<p>I took the Plan test and it was projected that I would get a 34 on the ACT, but I didn’t study for that at all so I think I can possibly get a 35 with one or two tries. My PSAT was good but I do not remember the scores. I got consistently in the 89-92% within the three categories and I was disappointed. But once again I didn’t study.</p>