<p>I want to make it into either Yale/Princeton! Im a freshman in high school, great GPA and HPA. I volunteer at a childrens science museum for 3 and a half hours each Sunday. Im in french club but nothing else. any tips?</p>
<p>^ I come from a not so rich family, and tere is NO WAY I can afford tution and other things. Any ideas on that?</p>
<p>For admission to selective colleges, I recommend the book ‘Admission Matters’ by Sally Springer. I found it at my local library, and it is also available at the usual online and brick and mortar book stores. Also, take a look at some of the sticky threads at the tops of forums for information about admissions, financial aid, scholarships, etc.</p>
<p>It’s hard to give anything but the most general tips to someone who just started high school. Do well in all your classes, do well on standardized tests, do things other than sit there studying.</p>
<p>-Firstly, consider why you want to attend these schools carefully, and give yourself time to research a wide swath of college options before honing in on a hyper-competitive dream school.</p>
<p>-Allow yourself room to stumble. Ridiculously overloaded schedules only up your hypertension, not necessarily your attractiveness to colleges. You need to permit yourself a schedule that leaves you time for tutoring–for those inevitable “I just don’t get it!” topics–and sleep. The people at my school who have the most success in college admissions often leave themselves one or two classes a year for an elective relating to one of their ECs (ie debate, creative writing, choir). Give yourself a break.</p>
<p>-Your transcript is the single most important part of your application. Make it pristine. No, a few A-minuses will not, in fact, kill you, but your rank and GPA should be competitive. Top 10% is the general rule, but I’ve found that, coming from an unremarkable public high school, top 1-2% is generally required for admission to the top schools. </p>
<p>And make sure you’re not just getting A’s, but you’re impressing your teachers. I’ve found there to be a sort of snowball effect–that is, teachers talk. If you impress a few, your impressiveness becomes even more magnified when they start talking about you in meetings, in the hallway, whatever. And cozy up to two or three teachers for your recs–work with them closely on a paper (I shamelessly solicited help on my graduation project from my French teacher), help them tutor less advanced kids, whatever. They should know you intimately.</p>
<p>The importance of ECs is touted, IMHO, far too often on this forum. Yes, you should have interests that extend beyond the classroom, but that doesn’t have to mean Key Club. Don’t join twelve school clubs because you think it looks good. Pick one or two clubs and really make an impact, or, if you’re not an organized club person, do independent research or write a book. You should be an interesting, layered person come time for college admissions, not a smattering of meaningless club memberships (and yes, colleges know that French club is an excuse to eat–if that club is a time suck for you, I’d quit. Or just remain a member for the food, but know that the impact of merely being a member is neglible on admissions).</p>
<p>-Allow yourself time to prep for the SAT and SAT II’s. I recommend taking the SAT in December of your junior year to give yourself an idea of what to improve on come March. You may be surprised at how high the standards are at some of these schools. As an unhooked (meaning you aren’t a legacy, an underrepresented minority–or URM–or haven’t cured cancer) applicant, you should be aiming for the top 75% or above on each section (check princetonreview.com for the stats). SAT IIs should be taken right after you finish the corresponding course so the material is fresh on your mind. Take three even if a school only requires two–it gives you room to stumble on one. And take them in May or June to give you October to retake if needed.</p>
<p>-Realize that, though you’re lucky to have stumbed across the treasure chest of resources that is CC so early, you’re also going to be exposed to a lot of craziness. Stay off the chance threads. Don’t forget that this is high school, the years of embarrassing and incredible memories. Allow those memories to happen to you. And understand that these four years are a dynamic process, not an arduous trudge from point A to point B. Permit yourself to change, and that includes everything from your appearance to your circle of friends to your interests to college applications.</p>
<p>calnewport.com/blog
^Learn to love this guy. His perspective on college admissions and study habits is fascinating and hugely helpful–more so, I’ve found, than is CC.</p>
<p>Like glassesarechic said, don’t be so quick to narrow it down! I say this because I hadn’t even heard of my dream school freshman year, and it would suck if I never explored enough to find it. Maybe yale and princeton are where you’ll want to go, but people change in high school. Even if you’ve done your research and visited the campuses now, they might not be a good fit for you in four years. Just enjoy high school and the process of figuring yourself out, freshie :)</p>
<p>And the money thing, if you continue to be an excellent student, may very well resolve itself. The most competitive schools are need-blind, meaning they don’t consider your financial need when making decisions. (However, they meet demonstrated need, not "my family would really prefer to pay X.) Or, you could end up at a great public (honors college perhaps) with a merit scholarship. But you will have to be vigilant about researching with money in mind.</p>