Freshman on needing help in getting into elite colleges

Hi I’m currently a hispanic freshman in North Carolina looking into getting into my three dream colleges them being Harvard, Stanford and Yale, if I don’t get accepted into those three I plan on going to UPenn or Duke. I practically even have an unhealthy obsession in getting into these colleges where I frustrate and think of it every single day. I had a 4.42 GPA last semester , and have a 4.17 GPA this semester (but can increase it before the semester ends.). I’m taking all honors classes except math( which was a big mistake) and already signed up for AP biology and goverment and the rest honors, I also plan on playing soccer next year. I haven’t done any extracurricular and I’m not in beta club yet which is why i made this post and is the main field i need help in. Please help me and mentor me on what to do for this and the next three years and if I’m doing enough or need to do much more, especially if you are attending these colleges and/or have been accepted to them. Thank you anything is appreciated.

It sounds like you are a top notch student so I would spend some time soul searching to see who you are, what you love to do, and how you can challenge yourself outside of school. For example, say you love research, perhaps you’ll find a local topic that’s controversial, research it, and then write an article for the local newspaper or if you’re an artist, perhaps you’ll work or volunteer at local student organization, share your love of art, and create something with the students that is enriching and inspiring. Think about how you can get involved in areas you love and make a difference that you believe in.

What do you think i can do for anything involved in politics? I hope to become a seantor or a congressman.

Start volunteering for either a politician or a political organization

Yes, you have an unhealthy obsession. That just sounds like a laundry list of some big name schools, not anything you’ve evaluated for fit, cost, etc. So get over that.

You might want to read “How To Be A High School Superstar” by Cal Newport for how to think about ECs. But stop obsessing over schools that have little in common except ranking, might not be the best choices for your eventual major, and that you’ve never even visited.

Even with your stats you still have more than a 93% probability of getting rejected by every school. The first thing is to get your head out of the clouds :slight_smile: Second, prestigious schools are incredibly overrated and very expensive. We’re talking about a bachelors degree, which would be squashed by a master’s from any local university. It’s not worth that kind of money. Third, debt is not your friend. With your stats, you can get a scholarship and graduate virtually debt free. That kind of smart thinking is what employers are looking for with college graduates. Apply for a wide variety of schools and choose based on your career interests. You’ll find that pretty much all of them could do nicely.