College Worries of a Rising Junior (Will I be able to get into an Ivy?)

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm going to be a junior and my parents have always put a lot of pressure on me to get into a good school so I'm wondering based on my academics so far, what are my odds if I stay a good student? I like Duke, Hopkins, Yale, Brown, Harvard, etc. </p>

<p>My GPA is currently around 3.93 unweighted.
8th Grade: Spanish I, Math A, Earth Science (A)
9th Grade: Biology, Chemistry-summer school, Math B, Orchestra, Spanish II, French III, Global History, English
10th Grade: AP European History (A), Science Research (A), French IV, Pre-Calculus Research, AP Biology, Health (A), Spanish III, English, College Prep Writing (A)
Junior Year: I plan on taking 5 APs (Calc BC, French, US, Composition, Physics B) as well as a Science Research Course and Spanish IV (second highest level offered in High School)
I am taking the most rigorous courses offered in my high school (AP sciences, AP math, AP language instead of lower level)</p>

<p>I have taken 2 APs, AP Biology (5) and AP European History (4)</p>

<p>I am Chinese and can speak Chinese (can't read or write), practically fluent in French (lived in Canada for 7 years), and am an excellent spanish student. I am hoping colleges notice that I excel in the foreign language field. I also play an instrument, if that helps, although quit orchestra due to lack of space in schedule. Currently spending the summer at the Harvard-Associated Brigham and Women's Hospital as an intern in a lab trying to get data for my Research class. </p>

<p>I think I'm pretty involved in extracurriculars
- Officer in Student Council since 9th grade
- Mathletes Member (Secretary, maybe President next year)
- Youth Decide Member (kids against drinking, smoking, drugs) since 9th grade
- Will be in National Honor Society, French Honor Society, currently in Spanish Honor Society</p>

<p>Will probably volunteer at a hospital during junior year, hoping for good SAT grades (2250+)</p>

<p>*really like my stint as an intern in the lab, hoping to come back next year to work again and spend another summer living alone in Boston <--really like the city, part of why I want Harvard</p>

<p>ummm...thats about all I can think of, really hope I'm on a good path for college, sorry if i sound like an over-worried kid</p>

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<p>Well 8th grade doesnt matter to college, no one can give you a realistic chance until you have taken the SAT and subject tests or the ACT, listen my best advice to you is, dont think about college for a few more months, just work your butt off junior year and when christmas rolls around then start thinking, believe me you’ll still have plenty of time.</p>

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<p>C’mon man, seriously?</p>

<p>All I can say is right now, you’re on the right track for top schools. Just be sure to do well on your SATs and to continue pursuing activities you are passionate about. Oh, and be sure to also be open to schools outside of the Ivy League. Ivies are not the best schools necessarily; they are just schools in a specific athletic conference. There are plenty of schools that are as strong as, if not better than, schools in the Ivy League.</p>

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<p>No one can guarantee you admission to the Ivy schools. You have to be very clear about that. And I do know that a lot of immigrant Chinese parents don’t get it, no matter how many times other smart, well-informed people try to tell them so. Good luck dealing with your parents on this one.</p>

<p>As monstor344 says, you need to find several decent schools to apply to. One thing that you don’t mention is how much money you have available. You need to sit down with your parents and run the FAFSA and CSS Calculators at [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>How Much Will College Cost – BigFuture | College Board)</p>

<p>If you do need serious aid, some threads worth reading are:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/63770-best-schools-give-most-merit-based-aid.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/63770-best-schools-give-most-merit-based-aid.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;