<p>you’re a sophomore. stop asking people to chance you. do well in school and stop worrying about college until next year, you’re just going to **** people here off</p>
<p>No one can accurately chance you without an SAT/ACT score. The best thing to do right now is to keep on participating in clubs/activities, taking initiatives in those activities, and try participating in some academic competitions, like the AMC. </p>
<p>As for the SAT/ACT, the only prep you should be doing right now is reading as many books as you can get a hold of, preferably classic novels, 19th, early 20th century, and getting top grades in classes.</p>
<p>Really there isn’t a formula here. Of course you need the scores and the grades, but a lot of people mistake a good set of extracurriculars with a long set of extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Test your strengths. Learn. Explore a bit. Find out what you’re good at; give a bit of thinking to what you want to do and invest in your passions (however cliche it may seem.) Work really hard in classes.</p>
<p>Columbia wants to see well-rounded applicants and the admissions committee isn’t stupid - they see right through people who’ve racked up clubs and other extra-curriculars just for the sake of doing so. A few quiz bowl awards and slightly above average scores won’t be enough to get you in.</p>
<p>So I guess the point is to do well in school, get involved in activities and earn some leadership positions, and let whatever major you’re applying for in a couple years shine through in your application. But most of all, stop worrying about it. I know first hand how difficult it is to get meaningful work done when you have the admissions process (THAT IS TWO YEARS AWAY!) looming over your head.</p>