<p>Okay so im a sophomore this year and my first semester went pretty bad ( 2 B+'s, 1 B, 3 A-'s ) this semester im going to have (4 A's, 2A-'s )
Here are some stats about me:
Go to top 100 private high schools in the nation ( very competitive )
PSAT: 211
Here is my class schedule:
English II
AP Statistics
AP European History
AP Calculus BC
Honors Chem ( self studying AP CHEM )
Spanish III
Knights Chorus </p>
<p>ahhh im so stressed i really really want to go to princeton.... this summer im taking sat prep course and 3 college classes at UCSD ( multivariable calculus, the cell, organic chem )... does this sound like a good plan...</p>
<p>HERE ARE MY E.C's:
water polo ( novice/ JV 2 years ) very competitive (sends 4 people to ivy leagues as recruit water polos ) ( I want to drop it because im never going to make varisty... sounds like a good idea?)
Theatre ( have been in a play every year, acting classes at UCSD, paid production )
Singing ( knights chorus 2 years, Singers next year ( 27 years superiour rating ), )
Debate, took debate class at my school, summer took debate camp, made debate club this year, WANT TO make debate team and get good at debate.... good idea???,
Swimmer, swimming for 7 + year JV 2 years so far... will make varsity next year or senior year...</p>
<p>SUMMER: last year went to phlillips academy andover summer camp....</p>
<p>ANY RECCOMENDATIONS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!</p>
<p>oh my schedule next year looks like:</p>
<p>AP Bio
AP Chem ( if i dont get 5 self study )
Advanced Honors mAth ( number theory )
AP lang
Singers
ASBC ( school treasurer)
Spanish IV</p>
<p>HELP WITH SCHEDULE ... should i take AP econ instead of math and then i could get National ap scholar??) ANYTHING YOU SAY WILL HELP!!!!</p>
<p>You’re . . . a sophomore.</p>
<p>yea… but i still got 3 B’s first semester sophomore year… do i even stand a chance?</p>
<p>please guys… im really really worried… any reccommendations?</p>
<p>It’s Princeton. There’s no guarantees even if you are Jesus (lol that’s true at Harvard too because their Dean of Admissions “rejected” Jesus’s application. Lol points for anyone who catches the reference ;P)</p>
<p>thankyou for responding… do you recommend for me to do anything to better my chances?</p>
<p>Well since age 8 I’ve wanted to go to Princeton. I didn’t work FOR that only, but just kept it in my mind as my ultimate goal. But this year, when I thought long and hard about it, I realized the #1 reason I wanted to go was because I had decided when I was 8 and didn’t want to give up that dream for nostalgic reasons. I’ve looked around in the past few months, and discovered that actually, UPenn Wharton has the best options for my goal of International Business and is where I will be applying ED come this fall. Princeton has dropped down to be tied somewhere around 2-4 on my list. </p>
<p>So all that being said, I’d take a good, hard look at WHY you are so desperate to go there. Maybe somewhere else would actually be the better choice, but your desperation for Princeton is preventing you from looking elsewhere to find a better fit.</p>
<p>Also, you are a sophomore. SO MUCH can change in the next year. DO NOT consume yourself with an obsession with getting into a certain top school (like I said, I wasn’t obsessed, but merely just kept it always there in my mind as a focus point for success. But even that caused me sooooo much unnecessary stress). Just try your best to do your best this year, and when 2nd semester of your Junior year comes around, start taking some tips to different schools and research about possible schools that are good for the field you are interested in. Then, take a look at the grades your hard work (but don’t overwork next year or you’ll burn out!) has brought you, and start compiling a list with the help of your guidance counselor and parents for schools that match both your wants and grades.</p>
<p>Good luck! And just remember: Grad school is actually more important than undergrad if you plan to go to both, so it doesn’t matter WHERE you go to college, so much as WHAT you do there, so that you can get good grades and open up opportunities for good grad schools.</p>
<p>thank you so much… that post really helped me out… i think i just get unnecessary stress from CC and almost everyone from my school has perfect grades and yeaa… did you see anything that you would recommend improving on to have a better chance at any school i apply?</p>
<p>p.s. only do activities that you ENJOY. And if you enjoy them but don’t think you’ll get far (aka your water polo), DON’T let that stop you from doing it! It’s your teen years! Enjoy yourself rather than doing/not doing things just to suit an assumed profile for a top school.</p>
<p>As for debate, if you <em>really</em> enjoy it, go for it! I absolutely LOVE debate! I used to think it was a joke when I was younger and thought it was nerdy and boring, but debate team was one of the greatest decisions I’ve made in my high school career! I’m kinda a captain-ish this year lol, but next year when I’m a senior I will officially be a captain. Though I think she will let me put it down for both years.</p>
<p>ahhh u r one of the kindest people honestly… thankyou so much for realizing… also one more question: my mom really wants me to major med and i always thought i should because ive been kind of good at math ( calc bc sophomore year ) but i realized thats not what i want to do ( i got a B in it )… i think i want to be a lawyer … is it 2 late to switch… i was think i should switch but now im already 2 late and im saying that i dont hate it but if it gets me into college i will do it… haha what do you reccommend?</p>
<p>@born2dance94
OnHarvardTime, right? I nearly split my sides laughing. :)</p>
<p>To OP: No, those B’s aren’t the end-all be-all. Nothing really is, except like a felony or chain Ds and Fs. But to get into any Ivy or elite tier 1 school, you have to be SPECIAL. To make up for a lack of (any) distinction in your grades, you have to work harder than everybody else. Even then, I’d give it a very slim chance for acceptance. That’s what the Ivys are, so get working on whatever you love!</p>
<p>i really do love debate… will founding a debate team make me standout???</p>
<p>@JoonBug812 YES! hilarioussss!</p>
<p>@princetonplzplz nothing you need to “improve” on. Just keep working hard, try to get as many As as you can. But if a B is all you are capable of in something, don’t try to kill yourself working so hard to get better in that class. Someone at our school 2 years ago got a B+ in honors math in sophomore year and still ended up at Harvard! (studying math. lol. And he was Asian, so not a URM!) </p>
<p>In fact, I got a B+ in AP Euro last year when I was a sophomore, and I spent weeks freaking out. Luckily I calmed down early into the summer or I would have ruined my entire summer. I realized that that won’t be the determining factor that keeps me from getting into a school. And your grades seem to be all As for full-year grade, which is what matters. Maybe 1 or 2 B+s, but that deff won’t keep you from a school if you are great in other areas.</p>
<p>You may want to get a job this/next summer for work experience. Maybe do a little bit of community service. And perhaps do some research with a mentor the summer before senior year (it’s not hard to get a placement at all, plus if it’s a mentor and not a program, it’s free!) and then see if your research can get published. Even if it can’t, it is a great learning experience for you that also looks good for college.</p>
<p>As for switching, you have plenty of time to decide what you want to do! And the “you” if the most important word there. Do what YOU want to do for a job in life, not what your parents or society says you should. If you don’t like math, do a slightly easier math course. If they have a law class at your school, take it! But if they don’t, or if you simply don’t have the space in your schedule, don’t fret! I know people who got into business programs without taking a business class at our school, and law programs without taking a law-oriented class at our school. As long as you keep up those great grades, you can do whatever you’d like in college.</p>
<p>I’d just like to add that “founding” something only has value when the creation does something. If you created a debate team and it did nil to help anyone, don’t waste time writing your essays about it.</p>
<p>u r soo kind… thankyou thankyou thankyou…one last question: soo u reccomend job experience over college classes??? thankyou… please know you changed my perspective of life today…</p>
<p>@joonbug 812, if it becomes successful, do you think i could write my college essays on it? and is the best way for me to stand out participating in competitions???</p>
<p>OHH i forgot… i also really love theatree… and singing… more than my sports i play… ALOT MORE… what do you reccomend me doing to show my love and passion for it… AND another thing… i really dont like water polo soo cann I drop it without it look ing bad???</p>