Just wanted to share some advice I learned through my admissions process.
- Take classes that interest you AND you can succeed in. As a rising junior, I had an immensely difficult time choosing between taking either AP or honors world history. I ultimately settled on honors; this meant that I took zero (yes, zero) AP classes through my first three years of high school. The honors class was challenging, and it reflected in my grade at first. However, because I was interested in the subject, I was motivated to put the time in needed to better understand the material, and ended the year with a grade to my liking.
- Fit is more important than prestige. Seriously. I was deferred EA from my number one choice and accepted to my second choice. I elected to attend the second school instead of waiting for my other decision because I realized the diminished extent of academic competitiveness and campus setting, among other things, made it a much better fit for me. Since making that choice, I haven't looked back; one's college experience is what they make of it, and attending a prestigious school doesn't guarantee a successful career.
- College essays are critical. Spend some time thinking about a topic, and make sure it is unique to you. I believe my essays tipped the scales for me at my top choices because they revealed a lot about me as a person when coupled with my extracurriculars and academic record.