<p>Hi everyone. I've been looking through the forums for some time and I have a few questions that i hope you can kindly answer.</p>
<p>Ever since i heard my sister who is in grade 12, harass me and my parents at the dinner table about how tedious the university/College preparations are and how she regrets not doing things earlier in her high school year, it has began to take a toll on me too.</p>
<p>I am in grade 9(I live in Canada) and i'm also about to enter High school too. But ever since i heard my sister's regrets, i had questions that needed answers. So I searched the web and was soon introduced to this site, which shares experiences and facts that really prove useful. However, there were more specific questions that came up which i hope others could answer more detailed or specifically. (I know there are tons of these posts, so sorry if i bring it up again)</p>
<p>Some background information:
I am in grade 9 about to enter high school
I achieve high grades, as all my subjects are 95% +.
There are activities that i truly do love and show passion for. IE: I play Tennis professionally, i played in U14-16 Nationals. I have devoted time to help coach young kids who want to learn Tennis.
My goal is to en-roll in an Ivy League School preferably </p>
<p>I guess what i'm asking really is What can i do throughout my high school years to improve my university application?</p>
<p>What are the things that Ivy League schools look for? How can i make mine standout?</p>
<p>I apologize if this sounds very cliche, but your inputs would be phenomenal.</p>
<p>Thanks for your time everyone.</p>
<p>First of all, don’t automatically assume you <em>have</em> to go an ivy league. "My goal is to en-roll in an Ivy League School "</p>
<p>You’re doing a fine job for what you should be focused on: schoolwork, finding a passion, some volunteering. Those are the things colleges look at. Seriously. You’re in ninth grade. You are busy and focused on school. What’s wrong with that? Do you have to be obsessed? Will being obsessed help you get in? (no and no)</p>
<p>Each Ivy league school is slightly different, but in general elite colleges in the US are looking for a similar thing: a group of interesting kids that will make for a well-rounded class. It’s like casting a high school musical - everyone needs to be able to sing at a certain level (= good scores and good grades), but beyond that there are many different parts to play. You need your academic superstars, you need to fill up the sports teams, you need to accept enough legacies to make the alumni happy, you need enough musicians for the orchestra, you need enough leaders and you need some happy well rounded types to fill out the class. </p>
<p>I really believe that if you follow your interests you will figure out by the beginning of junior year which niche you can fill. My older son became “Mr. Computer Nerd” my younger son (who BTW did not quite have the grades to get accepted at the two Ivy league schools he applied to) was more the quirky entrepreneur - with two interesting and unusual ECs. (Which he made sound even more interesting in his essays.) One of these activities he just stumbled into because he wanted inexpensive presents for his female friend’s birthdays. The other started off as a requirement for getting out of taking government. </p>
<p>Specifically my advice to you would be to try out a couple of extracurricular activities in addition to tennis and see if anything appeals. You might also look around your community and see if there are issues you’d like to get involved with.</p>
<p>PS Ivy league isn’t everything. Both my kids turned down higher ranked schools for schools that were stronger in the programs that interested them.</p>
<p>I do not know what Province you are from but if you are from Ontario you need to do the minimum of 40 hours volunteer work and my D got her 40 hours in the first semester doing 3 or 4 different things then focused on the ones she really enjoyed and continued with them for the next 3 years. She had seriously thought of some of the highest schools state side including an IVY and may have been able to make it in with her marks (96%) and such but she changed her mind in grade 12 and decided on a different route for her Bachelors and perhaps IVY or whatever for her Masters. Do not set a goal on only going to an IVY league school. You do not need that pressure when you are only starting grade 9. Enjoy your high school years, get involved in school government, look ahead for what your scholastic requirements are but more than anything become a well rounded friendly and dedicated student. The one thing my D still tells us is that is glad that we taught her good study habits right from elementary school because she is finding college (University as we in Canada know it) to be a lot harder but because she has the right study habits she is not as stressed as a lot of her friends. Good Luck and I hope everything works out but DO NOT stress yourself out in grade 9.</p>