Freshmen Forethought (Ivy leagues..? How to Improve?)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi! I am only a freshmen, so I do not have many stats yet (I can guess on my SAT scores but IDK). Here are my classes this year (my school does not do pluses or minuses):</p>

<p>Last Semester:
English Honors: A
Alg. II Honors w/ Trig: A
Computer Programming (waste of time >.<): A
Year One PE (PE with Health): A
This Semester (what I currently have - this is the first grading period):
AP Calculus AB: A
Biology: A
AP Statistics: A
French II: A
(GPA: 4.25)
Classes over the summer:
AP Chemistry
Classes next year (don't know which semester):
AP Physics B
AP Calculus BC
AP World History
AP Computer Science
Calculus D/Linear Algebra
English 10 Honors
French III
French IV</p>

<p>Obviously, my area of strength is math. I took the PSAT and ranked 99th percentile (sorry, I don't remember my grades =( ). I estimate my SAT scores to be somewhere around:
Math: 800,
Critical Reading (or Verbal or w/e it's called): 780 (is that two wrong?)
Writing: 750
Total: 2330
These are ESTIMATES, based off of practice SAT tests and the SAT QOTD (question of the day =P).
On any SAT II math tests, I will most likely get perfect. On science SAT II math tests, I will probably get almost perfect with, say, a 770 as the lowest.
I have no idea what I would get on the ACT (I don't even know the scoring system...).</p>

<p>For my EC's (I'm also including stuff about me so you know me better =S)...
I play several musical instruments including guitar, piano, and cello (in order from least serious to most). I do not expect to do ANYTHING musical at all in college, though, so this is just fluff =P.
I play tennis (I didn't try out this year, but next year I'll be on the team), and separately, I fence (again, fluff =P).
I hope to start doing science olympiad and science fairs, but I have no idea how I will do in them.
I tutor math at a childcare center nearby, and next year, I will teach Algebra to "gifted students" =P at an elementary school.
On the AMC, I scored 130.5 on AMC 10 (fail =P) and 126 or 128 (I forget) on AMC 12.
I do not know how I did on the AIME, but I know I didn't do too well =P. My work was all messed up, so I copied three problems over wrong (that's like half a passing grade >.<), and my mind drew a blank on one or two others =P. I think I can get a 9 next year, but this year I won't. At local and statewide math competitions (all grades of high school), I have placed everywhere from 6th to <em>ahem</em> 3rd =P. Big gap there, huh? Well, I have like five or six scores in there =P. And there's like 100+ students normally.</p>

<p>This is NOT a resume or w/e it's called (it is resume, right?); this is just stuff about me so you can tell me what I SHOULD put on my resume and so you can tell me what to do with the rest of my high school career XD.</p>

<p>So, ya, what do you think my chances are if I keep it up at Ivy league schools and similar schools like Cal Tech? Is there anything else I should do? Sorry for the extraordinarily long post =P.</p>

2

<p>I don’t see an EC passion. You say sports and music are fluff. Well, we need to see meat.
Taking a math test is not meat. Tutoring is where you get closer to it. But there’s nothing concrete.
Sure, your grades are great, but I don’t see a singular activity that defines you. What are you most passionate about?
And we shouldn’t be telling you what to do with high school. Pursue your passions.</p>

3

<p>no, you are not allowed to estimate scores - because we can’t apply with estimated scores. and you are doing way too much your freshman and sophomore year… you’re gonna burn out brah.</p>

<p>come back in 2.5 years when you actually know what you have done and then we can chance you. a lot changes between freshman and senior year.</p>

4

<p>Ya, I understand my EC aren’t very good, and that’s why I wanted to do the science olympiad stuff =P. And, of course, science fairs. I’ve heard that science fairs (getting to Intel and whatnot) and doing research on your own are very helpful in getting into good colleges. I’m not sure if I’ll major in mathematics or physics, but I’m pretty sure it will be one of the two. So, I am trying to get better at science, and so, I am taking the hard science classes. Also, the biology class I’m in right now is a complete waste of time. I don’t even consider myself good at science, and I know all of it already (not most, but all).</p>

<p>I’m sorry; I wasn’t specific enough. I know you can’t chance me right now, but my question is if you think I will be able to get into an ivy league if I get those same grades and I get those test scores (also if I make the required changes, such as the science fair/olympiad stuff). I live in a very academic oriented place, so I have friends who have gotten first in state in numerous science olympiad competitions, and I’m not unusual to be taking such hard classes as a freshman/sophomore. That’s another reason why I have to take them: in order to have a high rank in my class, I have to take even harder classes.</p>

<p>I know I can’t estimate scores, but I KNOW I will get 800 on math (they offer a practice SAT test at CollegeBoard on My College QuickStart), and I have been preparing for the English portions of the SAT for a long time (SAT question of the day, freerice.com, etc.). I know I might not live up to those scores, but I am pretty sure that I can get something at least near them, especially with all of my preparation.</p>

<p>Also, tennis will be a major EC, but it just isn’t this year. Sorry for yet another miscommunication on my part =P =(.</p>

<p>One more thing: I’m on Academic Team (it’s like Quiz Bowl, Academic League, etc.; it’s different in every school), and I plan to be on it throughout high school (they have freshmen team exclusively for… freshmen!, JV exclusively for sophomores/juniors, and varsity exclusively for seniors).</p>

<p>Also, I’m close to my teachers, so any recommendations from them will be good. I will also have recommendations from one or two university professors.</p>

<p>I know it’s hard to guess, but I really need to know where others see my weaknesses as.</p>

<p>So, my “new” (revised) question is:
If I continue to get all A’s and do the teaching/science I talked about, will I be able to get into an Ivy League school or similar competitive school? (Just assume that I have a 1550/2300 on SAT if that helps =P)
Is there anything else I can do to help my chances?</p>

5

<p>^See, you can’t even say for sure what your major will be as a freshman. I was positive I was going to go into political journalism as a freshman, but now that I’m a junior, I’m leaning toward computer science or history. </p>

<p>Another thing: you also can’t guarantee that you’ll have an 800 on math. I don’t care how good you are at math, something can still go wrong: i.e. you’re sick on the SAT day, you mis-bubble, there’s one problem that you breeze through and then realize that you made a dumb mistake, but have no time to fix it, etc. </p>

<p>As a freshman trying to get chances, you’re handing us a lot of “ifs.” You’d be well-served to come back around your junior year with lists of things you’ve actually done. Your plans can change, and your actual results can be far different from your expectations.</p>

<p>Sorry… :/</p>

6

<p>there’s no way that you KNOW you will get an 800 in math. plenty of kids are great at math and wind up slipping up on 1 or 2 questions and bam, 750. i really don’t care what level you are on free rice. you might be thrown some obscure word and just have no clue… and i definitely don’t care what you’ve gotten on your practice tests (especially during freshman year) so until you take the actual SAT your if’s mean nothing.</p>

<p>i think you should chillax, and enjoy the next year or two, then come back and do a chances thread when you’ve matured into yourself. until then, it’s pretty pointless because i think it’s obvious what will happen if you get straight A’s and a 2400. (is there really a point in chancing that?)</p>

7

<p>Thanks, phanatic =D. I understand what the problem is now, so once again, I’m changing my question, but now it doesn’t really belong in this forum =P. I can’t find a forum where it would belong in even more, though, so I will just ask it here:</p>

<p>Is there a good place for viewing what criteria (grades, test scores, etc.) for a certain college, especially if it has what EC’s the people had? Sorry for the bad wording =P.</p>

8

<p>Oh, sorry, stephennn; your post hadn’t loaded on the page.</p>

<p>I wish I could “chillax”, but as I said, I live in a very academic oriented area, and I need to take these hard classes and push myself to do well on the standardized tests or else I won’t be in the top 5% or whatever the GENERAL mark off is for good schools.</p>

<p>One more thing (sorry, LOL):
What schools are good for undergraduates specifically? The graduate schools are obvious (Cal Tech, Harvard, Princeton, etc.), but I don’t know if they are good undergraduate schools also. Any clarification there would be greatly appreciated =D. Thanks!</p>

9

<p>[Best</a> Colleges - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national)</p>

<p>anything that is tier 1 (especially top 100) is a good school.</p>

<p>top 50 is top notch.</p>

10

<p>well if youre aiming for a top tier school. id say Yale. but yea, one word of advice, don’t be addicted to CC/facebook/aim/internet like me…or youll soon learn what real sleep deprivation is…</p>

11

<p>ummm how do you go from 1 semester of albegra 2 to having calc ab ap and ap stats in the same year? is your school stupid or am i just reading it wrong? because to me it seems like you finished 1 semester of algebra 2 and then skipped to calc and stats…***?</p>

<p>and you would be taking:
AP Physics B
AP Calculus BC
AP World History
AP Computer Science
Calculus D/Linear Algebra
English 10 Honors
French III
French IV
sophomore year?
how do you complete french 3 and 4 in one year</p>

<p>i think your school is really ****ed up or im seeing this completely wrong…</p>

12

<p>do you go to school in america? ive never seen a schedule as odd as yours. you skipped pre-calc and got a reccomendation after 1 semester for 2 Ap math courses? do you pick your own schedule or is ur school REALLY easy</p>