<p>Applying as a sophomore to:
Harvard
Penn
Cornell
Columbia
Duke
Plus a few other safety state schools that I will not list on here</p>
<p>EDIT: I forgot to mention, my ethnicity is Asian, which I'm aware is a disadvantage :(</p>
<p>High School Credentials
Unweighted/weighted GPA: 3.98/4.82
Class Rank: 1/642
ACT: 32
SAT II: 770 Math II, 750 US History, 730 Physics</p>
<p>Extracirriculars:
President/Co-Founder of Chinese National Honors Society
Captain of JV Soccer as junior, Made Varsity Soccer senior year, State Quarterfinalists
VP (Jr), President (Sr) of Key Club
Member of National Honors Society
Library Volunteer: 100 hours
Soup Kitchen Volunteer: 100 hours</p>
<p>Academic Honors:
Highest GPA in school since junior year
AP Scholar w/ Distinction
4 year honor roll
4 year academic lettering</p>
<p>College Stats:
GPA: 3.8+
Major: Biology, considering a switch to Music</p>
<p>Extracirriculars:
Started own tutoring business on campus
Work-Study Tutor for disadvantage elementary/middle school children off campus
(Work study is a financial aid package)
Nursing Home Volunteer: 20 hours, expecting about 50-75 by end of freshman yr
Library Volunteer: 50 hours, expecting about 150 by end of freshman yr.</p>
<p>A few questions if someone won't mind answering:
1. Are my chances affected by the fact that I applied to some of these schools before? I applied to Cornell and Penn last year and got rejected to both. I think it was my last-minute lacklustre essays that I received rejections for most top-tier schools I applied to as a freshman</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Should I retake my ACT? 32, while it may seem like a decent score at first, seems only average or even below average to top-tier schools such as these. </p></li>
<li><p>Is there anything else I should keep in mind when I'm applying to these schools? Thanks in advance for the advice</p></li>
</ol>