<p>Well I would just like an idea if I'm heading on the right path and what to change
Sophomore
White female from IL
Class rank freshman year 1/530 tied with two others
I got a 4.667 freshman year with all As
This sophomore first semester though I got two Bs so my cumulative GPA went down to a 4.5789
I am unsure of my class rank currently
AP Courses:
Freshman year: AP human geography
Sophomore year: AP U.S History
Junior year: AP Microeconomics, AP U.S. Government, AP English
Senior year: AP Biology AP Physiology, AP English ( possibly AP Spanish and AP Statisitics)
All honors for the rest
extracurriculars:
Volleyball
Club volleyball (not associated with school)
Student council
I am planning on joining more clubs junior/senior year and doing some volunteer hours
Also what other colleges should I apply for that are in Illinois?</p>
<p>Focus on the nature of your APs (and other courses) rather than the number of them.
Do you plan to take calculus?
You obviously do the best you can grade-wise, and so far that has been pretty darn good!
So show a transcript that reflects the most challenging courses. Some APs are regarded as “softer” than the others. In science, the more challenging ones are AP Bio, Chem and Physics. In math, it’s Calculus (preferably BC, but that’s not essential), rather than Stat (although some kids take both, which is great). In social science, it’s US history, Euro history, and perhaps the two econs. AP Spanish is pretty tough, and if you can do well in it, that would be great.
And yes, I would recommend some other ECs, and especially something in which you can show a length and depth of commitment which might be reflected in a leadership position junior and/or senior year.</p>
<p>maybe try to get some leadership positions. one of my friends (who didn’t apply to nu, but a school like it) had a lot of sports, and was student council pres. senior year, but had no other ecs. she ended up not getting into her top choices.
so, depth and breadth are important, don’t pick one over the other.
take the act and sat, those scores are really important.</p>
<p>Well I was either going to take AP statistics senior year or honors precalculus and also I might double up senior year and take AP physiology and AP European. I’m just worried because I am not the best at testing and I’m afraid my ACT will be too low for them to consider. Do u have any specific recommendations for clubs and a magic number or a good number of clubs to be in? Thank you so much for your feed back it really helps!</p>
<p>You are on the right track. Schools want to see dedication, consistency and leadership. Find something you can enjoy in or out of school and really take ownership and show leadership of a couple of activities for the next two years. (A long list of the standard school ECs can be a trap). Unless you are a math science kid AP stat is ok. Softer science and math is ok for a social science or humanities kid if everything else falls into place. You should focus on your GPA and standardized test scores as long as your schedule is tough enough and yours is based upon my daughter’s experience. If AP calculus or physics means getting a B instead of an A and you are not going to be a science major, don’t take them as long as you have enough science and math. Conversely if you are a science kid and not a language kid go light on english and take the honors class. The bottom line is play to your strengths and make yourself look interesting to schools while maximizing your grades and test scores.</p>
<p>in regards to clubs: i’d say, because you are on student council, look for one more for a leadership position. (like a language club that requires some amount of work; a social justice club; or something like that). and maybe join one or two others and be an active member. you can add the things you do for them on your resume, and it can only help you.
APs: take the ones you want to. ap tests do not work in the favor of people that take them just to take them, it helps to actually be interested in the subject matter. i only took 4 APs total, but had As in all of them and got 5s on the 2 i’ve taken already. i think that would look better than taking a lot and not doing as well.
you’re not a senior, so take the ACT/SAT as many times as you can. your score will go up each time, trust me on this one. my ACT score went up 4 points between two times taking it.
you have so much potential, and i’m sure nu will be happy to have you when you apply.</p>
<p>Are there any colleges that I should think about setting my goals toward in Illinois or anywhere else for that matter? I’m thinking about doing pre med or a biology major except I’m not exactly sure.</p>