<p>I am a freshman currently and I have great grades (all A's in all honors/advanced classes). I want to pursue Biology as a major at Stanford University (dream school).</p>
<p>Some background about me...</p>
<p>I am on the school science olympiad team
I do really well in DECA (going to State level)
Advocate/attorney at community youth court
Play the violin in school and outside orchestra
Intern at a science and space museum
Have a job at a tutoring center (I get paid)
I have participated in the county science fair since 7th grade
I got 2nd place in 7th, 3rd in 8th and I am currently working on this year's
I am currently trying for a summer internship at a lab in Stanford University
I got about a 205 on the PSAT that I took this school year
I got wayy more than that on the elite PSAT diagnostic test (780 math, 760 reading, forgot writing)</p>
<p>It is time to choose AP's for sophomore year. How am I doing? How many AP's do you think I should take if my goal is to get into Stanford? What are my chances to get into Stanford as of now?</p>
<p>to add, I am a girl scout and I will getting my gold award soon</p>
<p>You’re off to a great start for Stanford. And it’s good to know that you know what you need to do to get in. Be sure to research more on the things that they like to see and want, so read up on articles and spend some time on Stanford’s admissions site. Be sure to take as many AP/IB classes as you can, as long as you know you can handle them. Don’t forget about getting into leadership positions, and maybe start looking at Stanford’s essays to get a feel for what they want. And the most important thing to keep in mind is that a school like Stanford, and many other top tier schools, are looking for someone with not only a background story, but who’s interesting as a whole. I mean, think about how many Asian kids who play piano and compete at math/science competitions (not being racist or stereotyping—I’m Asian) apply to Stanford? Do something that makes you stand out, and that’s considering that you’ll be applying with a perfect GPA and close to perfect SAT/ACT scores. Stanford will also only look at your sophomore and junior year grades, because your freshman year, to them, is a transition period. And senior year, they look at your rigor of schedule, so take harder classes. But still doesn’t mean you should flunk classes, but those objective things are an attractor (which most Stanford applicants will have) and your extracurriculars and essays are tiebreakers. A Hispanic kid from GA who plays banjo and knows Shua (an African language), along with a great GPA and test scores, will have a great chance at Stanford. Why? Because that’s odd and really makes him standout. Now I’m not saying you have to be Hispanic, play the banjo, and know Shua to get into Stanford, but you will need something to make you interesting. Recommendations are also important. Maybe see if you can find some Stanford alumni that you can interview with, get to know, and their recommendation should help. Otherwise, get close with your teachers and other figures in your life. You’re gonna wanna send in one teacher recommendation, but the other one should be from someone that you work with outside of school so they can give a different perspective of you. Summers are also very important. I was able to speak to an admission’s officer at Stanford and he says that your summers after your sophomore and junior years are important. Stanford will ask you what you did. So that’s an opportunity to do something that shows “intellectual vitality,” something Stanford looks for in applicants. As for essays, write about something interesting about yourself and careful with your tone and voice. You don’t have to use big words, just be authentic and yourself! The readers should hear your voice in your essays and get a feel for who you are. Stanford also loves a student who is passionate, so find a passion and expand on it. Write about it in your essays and show Stanford that you’re going to use their resources to the fullest, because they don’t want a kid to come and do nothing, and of course, don’t forget to let them know about your background and interests or maybe tell a funny story. Your essays should be YOU. Keep that in mind and never underestimate the value of the essay section on the application. And I’ll leave you with this, and it’s not to worry you. Stanford is an Ivy League-standard school, so their admissions process is extremely random. There are top end applicants that get rejected and some with lower stats get in. You send in your app and then it goes right down the crapshoot. It’s very hard to tell if you’re going to get into a school like Stanford no matter what kind of stats you have, unless they’re extremely low or you discovered the cure to cancer.</p>
<p>The best of luck though, and don’t forget, your best is the only thing that a person can ask of you; nothing more and nothing less.</p>
<p>No one really knows where you stand. Continue doing well in school, show a lot of outside interests, apply widely to reaches/matches and safeties and hope for the best.</p>
<p>And be sure to read the Stanford web info, all of it and then start over. Same for all your top choice schools. You can glean some insight about what they seek, what sorts of kids they value and tout- it’s well more than stats, hs leadership and something odd about you. </p>
<p>As for “passion,” see if you can find the youtube where an admissions dean speaks about how futile it is to expect a mid-hs kid to identify real “passions.” </p>
<p>Are you Asian by any chance? If so, all you have done so far is great, but you need to do unique things. Restore an old muscle car or intern at Blackwater. Your life should exist outside of a CV.</p>
<p>Let me say that you are doing excellent as a freshman and are much more focused than I was in 9th grade. I think that everyone else has given solid advice, but let me add than when listening to an interview with the head of Duke admissions, I learned that admission officers are not interested in well-rounded students as much as “students with sharp edges”. I think that this applies to all the top schools. While I think that it is important to be considered somewhat well-rounded, I would suggest focusing on one of your extra-curricular that you’re really passionate about. I think that the internship is a great start. Also, you are a freshman and still have 3 more years ahead of you so don’t stress too much! Best of luck!</p>
<p>Oh and yes taking an AP class would be a good choice (depending on your school). This is one thing that I really wish I had done. Taking APs not only shows a rigorous coarse load early on in your high school career but also can clear up your senior year. I’m not saying you should slack off in 12th grade but don’t try to cram all the APs you haven’t taken into one year (believe me, I’ve had an overloaded schedule for the entire year and only getting 3 hours of sleep each night is getting real old).</p>