<p>So I am a Sophomore and I'm really interested in majoring in Physics. My goal is to get accepted into Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, Yale, MIT, etc. I was wondering with my current plan/schedule, what my chances are of getting into said colleges. Assume that I get straight A's in all my classes. I am also in the Octagon club (volunteering/optimist) and let's assume that I will be in NHS and the Academic Club. What else should I do or change to increase the chance of being accepted into any of these colleges. (I'm a white male from San Diego if demographics make a difference.)</p>
<p>9th Grade
- Geometry Honors
- Biology
- Physical Education
- Spanish 1
- World History Honors
- English 9</p>
<p>10th Grade
- Chemistry
- Algebra 2/Trig Honors
- English Honors
- AP World History
- AP Psychology
- Engineering
- Spanish 3</p>
<p>11th Grade
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Physics B
- AP Chemistry
- AP U.S. History
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP Statistics</p>
<p>12th Grade
- AP Calculus BC
- AP Physics C Mechanics/Electricity and Magnetism
- AP U.S. Government/Economics
- AP English Literature and Composition
- Theory of Knowledge
- (I haven't decided on a 6th class yet)</p>
<p>I'm considering doing Early Action by the way.</p>
<p>Your classes look pretty good, but you definitely need more EC’s than what you have listed. And in particular some kind of standout EC if you’re looking to get into schools like Harvard, Yale, etc.</p>
<p>Looks good as far as academically, but definitely more ECs…what I`ve learned about Harvard and the like is that you can be an awesome student, but need more than that because there will be plenty of others with the same stats.</p>
<p>Do what you want to do and pursue your interests to the best of your ability.
And don’t kill yourself during junior year. 6 APs is a lot of APs. I’m only taking 4, and my classes in combination with my ECs, varsity sport, job and need for a little free time leave me with <4 hours of sleep every day. </p>
<p>If you want to look good to the top colleges, stop caring so much about your academic achievements and pursuits. Focus more on your interests. Join ECs and sports that you find are fun. Volunteer at a nonprofit organization that supports something close to your heart. Start pursuing your future career plans by applying to summer programs/research internships/etc. Don’t deprive yourself of a life just for APs, because I can guarantee that enjoying life, getting involved in your community and taking a couple of APs is much better than taking as many AP classes as possible and participating in every single academic club that makes you seem erudite. </p>
<p>Seriously, do something fun with your life. The key to get into the top colleges is to show them that you aren’t a studying robot but an actual person who lives, breathes, and knows what it means to enjoy life (while still keeping up with other responsibilities of course).</p>
<p>My cousin (Asian) wasn’t valedictorian of his class, he didn’t take every single AP offered at his school, and he didn’t get a 4.0 GPA UW but he pursued what he loved (music, sports, and fundraising through and for his passions) and now he’s going to Stanford and loving every second of it.</p>