Do I stand a chance at all?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi, I'm currently a junior in HS and was wondering if anyone could give me some insight as to if I stand a chance getting into schools such as MIT, CalTech, Stanford, etc.</p>

<p>My freshman year I was depressed and didn't have any motivation to excel in school whatsoever, but still managed to finish the year with a 3.57 UW GPA (~4.21 W) and was heavily involved in Key Club.</p>

<p>My sophomore year I started bodybuilding and my depression went away because of it. I was very motivated to excel and I did! I made a 4.0 UW both semesters (4.57 W), was even more involved in Key Club than my freshman year, and I still managed to have a life haha.</p>

<p>Before the end of my sophomore year, I applied to a summer engineering program at an instate school. My math and science teachers wrote wonderful letters of recommendation for me and I was accepted. However, a week before I was to begin the program, it got canceled and I spent my summer doing nothing academic or extracurricular and I just partied around. Lol</p>

<p>Now I'm in my junior year taking all honors courses and APUSH. I did not take AP Literature and Composition because I heard the teacher wasn't that great and you really didn't learn much, and that Honors English III was more challenging and you learned more. </p>

<p>Now that I look back on the first two years of high school, I see that I didn't do nearly as much as I could have. My freshman year was a waste as far as grades go and all I did was Key Club related stuff. My sophomore year I did a lot more, but I still could have done a lot better, esp. since it's considered one of the easiest years of HS. I'm very disappointed that I didn't get to do anything this summer because the engineering program got canceled at the last minute, and I couldn't find a job to keep myself busy, so I just went to parties and wasted time. This year I'm doing Key Club, Beta Club, and I'm on my school's robotics team. Next summer, I'm applying for a paid engineering internship with NASA.</p>

<p>If I do my best this year and my senior year, do I still have hope for getting into an elite school, or did I blow it with my first two years of HS? Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>You still have a good chance, junior and senior year are far more important than freshman year. Plus internships are great, especially if it’s in your field of interest. Just make sure, as always, to have a safety school.</p>

3

<p>You still have a chance, for sure. As long as you stylistically explain your circumstances to the colleges, it shouldn’t have a negative impact on your application.</p>

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