<p>I am currently a sophomore at a public high school in Florida and it has been my dream since I was nine to go to Princeton. I would also love to get into some other Ivies and a few other universities. What are my chances so far and what can I do better?</p>
<p>Top choices:
- Princeton University
- Yale University
- NYU
- U Penn
- Harvard University
- Stanford
- U Chicago</p>
<p>Background info:
- Florida Resident, born and raised
- Will be first in family to finish high school and go to college
- Parents are both from Mexico
- Mexican-American female
- Family income is less than $40,000, will definitely need financial aid
- Have major depressive disorder (if that matters)</p>
<p>Education:
- Weighted GPA of 4.3
- Unweighted GPA of 3.8
- All honors classes
- Currently taking APWH
- Plan on taking AP US History, AP English Language, AP Psychology, and AP Chemistry next year</p>
<p>Tests:
- 5 on APHG exam in freshman year
- Have not gotten back PSAT score
- Already studying for my SAT</p>
<p>EC's:
- 2 years in YMCA Leader's Club
- Member of Spanish Club
- Member of Teen Trendsetters (we mentor elementary school students)
- Member of Keyettes (all girls service club)
- Member of Youth In Government
- I plan on continuing these EC's all the way up to my senior year and will join A-Team next year
These sound like a lot, but they have very spaced out meeting times so I've never been overwhelmed
- Joining track and field in spring</p>
<p>Volunteer work:
- Teen Trendsetters gives me an hour every week
- Planning on applying for a volunteering job at the local hospital and at the library
- I will accumulate at least 12 hours a month in accordance with NHS rules set by our advisor
- I am going to be a mentor with United Way
- Hoping to help teach English to Spanish-speakers and vice-versa at my church for free</p>
<p>Awards:
- I don't think anything before high school counts so I wont list them
- Invited to the 2014 Congress of Future Medical Leaders, nominated for an award (National Academy of Future Physicians)
- Nominated to become a Student Ambassador
- High Honors with Distinction in Freshman year for outstanding grades/GPA
I don't suppose any of these count though because they were nominations and I wasn't able to take advantage of these opportunities due to financial limitations.</p>
<p>Miscellaneous:
- I am proficient in English, Spanish, and German
- Learning ASL, planning to learn Italian, French, Portuguese, and either Russian or Chinese, not necessarily all before I graduate HS (I have a deep love for learning foreign languages and about other cultures)
- I am hoping to major in sociology, political science, cognitive science, neuroscience, or go into pre-dentistry (still undecided)
- I play the guitar and I used to play the bassoon
- I am applying for admission to the creative writing department of Harrison School of the Arts, which is part of my high school's campus. Without trying to sound like I'm bragging, I am a very proficient writer and am looking to improve my creative writing skills. </p>
<p>I'm only in 10th grade, and my transcript so far isn't impressive, but I really want to start working on bringing it up. It won't kill me to get rejected from an Ivy but I want the best chances I can in order to get in.</p>