<p>Hello,
I am 13 years old and I just finished 8th grade and I am now going into 9th grade for the 2013-2014 school year. My high school graduation year is 2017. I really don't want to mess up high school in order to get to a top college. I want to know where I am and what are my realistic colleges are in the future. My grades for last year (they're rounded):
Geometry-89%
LA-94%
Science-97%
Social Studies-91%
Latin 1-91%
I also maintained in at least a 93%, mostly higher, in my specials classes (art, music, Tech ed, FACS, gym, health, Comp Apps). I also play baseball and am a black belt in karate. I plan on joining lots of clubs in high school. My courses for 9th grade are Honors Algebra 2, Accelerated LA, AP Human Geography, Honors Biology, and Latin 2. </p>
<p>What will my outlook be if i continue like this? What about if I improve? What colleges do i have a chance in getting accepted into? Finally, how are my extra curriculars? I plan on majoring in either engineering or business in college. Any advice will be appreciated.</p>
<p>If you are aiming for the top schools, like Harvard, MIT, or UPenn Wharton, then you need to do extremely well and work very hard. There are many applicants with stellar grades, so you must have good grades first in order to be competitive. You need to aim to keep a GPA of 3.9 or higher. This means that you need to try to get all A’s, but an occasional one or two B’s over your ENTIRE high school career will be ok. Also, if you want to go to a top engineering school (like MIT), then you need to get high grades in math. You can’t get a B in math classes like you did in Geometry, try to get A’s in all your math classes. You also need to show that you challenge yourself, so take as many Honors/AP classes as your school has to offer. In addition, you need to get high ACT/SAT scores. Aim for 2250+ on the SAT, or 34+ on the ACT. Also, try to be in the top 5% of your class. Although not a necessity, it does look great if you win some academic awards, such as getting Intel ISEF Semifinalist. </p>
<p>Now to the extracurricular part. There are many many applicants who are are exactly as I mentioned above: high SAT scores, high GPA, great awards, valedictorians, etc.
But the only way colleges can distinguish between all these top academic achievers is through extracurriculars. It’s not good being part of a ton of clubs. Be part of a few clubs, but hold leadership positions in each. Like be the captain of Quiz Bowl, president of Amnesty Int’l, president of Model UN, and president of Math Club. Also, don’t do a ton of useless stuff. Do a ton of stuff related to your passion. If you like business, then start a business club at school and even start a business! Do something big that’s related to your passion, and that will help you a lot more than to just join a million clubs. </p>
<p>You would also need some excellent recs from your teachers, so develop a good relationship with all your teachers. You also need to write a great essay.</p>