<p>So, I'm going to be a Junior this September at a public high school. </p>
<ul>
<li><p>I'm a Jewish, middle class male living in the NJ/NY/PA tristate area and am thinking of getting into one of the top colleges.</p></li>
<li><p>I've made some mistakes in Freshman year, did mostly A's in my sophomore year, and have scheduled 3 AP classes and 2 Honors classes in my Junior year. </p></li>
<li><p>However, thanks to the aforementioned mistakes Freshman year, my GPA is now 3.00, though I have managed to get the A's in my Sophomore year without much effort, so shifting into an active study schedule will probably mean similar grades in Junior year.</p></li>
<li><p>I have not engaged in any extracurricular activities or clubs, nor done any volunteer work, unfortunately</p></li>
<li><p>Thinking of writing a political book over the summer and seeing if I can get it published in the hopes of having a "hook" to put in my application</p></li>
<li><p>I got a 2040 on the PSAT's without bothering to study for it</p></li>
</ul>
<p>In short, I have the feeling that I've screwed myself over with my lazy performance in Freshman year, engaging in no extracurricular activities/clubs, not studying for the SAT's for the last couple of years, and having little knowledge of the college process. I'm hoping to get into a top school and avoid the specter of mediocrity. Would any of you fellows be kind enough to give me some advice to chart a course ahead?</p>
<p>Forgot to mention that I had a slightly-above-minimum-wage-job that I quit a while back. Would colleges view it me more favorably if I were to get another one?</p>
<p>I don’t think the job is what you need at this time. Personally, I think jobs detract from time that could be better spent studying, which is what you should make sure you have plenty of time for come junior year. I understand that you struggled grades-wise freshman year, but I do not think you have “screwed yourself over” completely. Start volunteering!! Join clubs, seek leadership roles, engage in your community. Also, “thinking about writing a political book” is not the same as writing a political book. Like I said, do something! You seem to have great potential but it should not be squandered by laziness, especially if you want to get into a “top” school. </p>
<p>What major “hooks” could I possibly utilize for law, business, and political science, though? I have no scientific talents and so the “research and write a paper” activity is not an option for me.</p>
<p>Almost one month into school and the four AP classes(Psych, Euro History, American History I, and Lit) are easy enough, but I’m struggling to find any real hook for top schools. All those mistakes from freshman and sophomore year will screw me over when it comes to scholarships and I’m going to have a hell of a time trying to explain away both a poor Freshman/ mediocre Sophomore year performance and an out-of-school suspension. At this point, it seems I’ll struggle to convince even Rutgers to accept me, much less any prestigious law or business school, even if I keep up my performance in the four AP classes. It’d be so easy to give up right now, but I’m going to hope against hope there’s some way I can distinguish myself from the rest of the student body. Anybody got any ideas as to what I should do for the foreseeable future?</p>